A Hands-On Producer is a Creative Entrepreneur

dollarsplatter_thLateral Action is a website I’m enjoying lately. It operates under the philosophy that “the most important skill for economic survival in the 21st century is creativity.”

This is a very exciting concept, especially if you have hopes of breaking into film, television, or any media production.

Co-founder Mark McGuinness wrote a great article called The 3 Critical Characteristics of the Creative Entrepreneur. Mark says they are:

1. Creativity – generating new ideas, evaluating them effectively, taking action to turn them into new products and services.

2. Collaboration – connecting and working with partners, clients, and other significant players in your network, which will probably be scattered across the globe and contain more ‘virtual’ relationships than face-to-face ones.

3. Entrepreneurship – identifying opportunities in the marketplace and using business skills to turn ideas into products into profits.

It’s easy to see how all of these principles apply to breaking into film or television. Additionally, as the business and distribution of film and TV change with technology in the coming years, embracing the above principles will help producers roll with the punches, instead of going the way of the dinosaurs.

I also really like this site because it recognizes that creative thinking is not enough. The site maintains that creative thinking must spur one into taking real action, a sentiment we whole-heartedly agree with.

Many aspiring producers we meet have very creative ideas, but never take action to bring those ideas to fruition. As we’ve talked about before when we discussed what we look for in aspiring reality TV producers, to break into film and TV, you must take concrete action to prove yourself. Those who don’t, fail.

Also refreshing is their view that the artist and the business person can and should be one in the same. I second that! Being a smart business person does not mean you need to sell out as an artist.

I think Lateral Action has a fresh, creative take on the business of creativity, and is a site every aspiring producer would do well to visit.