Dear Producer… How do you deal with Creatives…. What Price is right?

Dear Producer… How do you deal with Creatives…. What Price is right?

Ok, over to my next post… This is one question that has plagued a lot of Producers in the TV/Movie Industry. Let me share a disclaimer I do not have all the answers, so I will like to also hear from you in the comments section.

Let’s go.

I will start with one of the lessons from one of my mentors.

In one of my priceless sessions with him in his office… He smiled at me and shared this word, which I still hold dear to my heart to date. Seun… Can you remove from your Bible? Can you add to your Bible? I said NO… That’s the way you should treat your budget. Once you have settled on what your budget will be like… Stick to it. No matter what. I know you are asking… What if things change? I have learnt one lesson… Miscellaneous… Make sure you have a healthy miscellaneous on your budget, this will cover some uncertainties.

Now dealing with creatives… I am a creative myself… Most times, on projects, we just don’t give our skills, we give our being to the project… and we want to be valued and respected for a part of us that we placed on the project. This Input is priceless, However as a producer, you are dealing with a “price”… Naira and Kobo has been invested in this process… and it has to return… How do you manage this?

This is what I have learnt, albeit the hard way. This process is also a business… You can’t outspend your Market Value. The market Value is a major determinant of your budget… No matter how good the content is, the production value, Cast Power etc, if the Market can’t pay for it… You will suffer as a producer.

In clearer terms…if the MAJOR platform you are going to sell to…is not going to buy more than for example 1 million naira… you should know how to place your budget (This is another topic for another day).
Understand and do your research on the market you are selling to before creating the content. Most Producers have suffered heavily from this, even quit the industry, because they produced on hearsay and assumptions… Okay like I said, this is another topic for another day.

So with your “minimalistic” budget how do you get creatives on board? Let me share a secret with you… A real creative is a creative. Yes… a real creative always wants to create. That’s our life form… the moment we stop creating it feels like we are not existing… So find the creatives within your budget… Some are highly priced… if your budget can’t handle them, seek people that your budget can carry… Don’t kill yourself… and as a producer, learn some Production skills or get a Solid Production Manager to help you manage Talents within your budget.

Lastly another lesson from one of my mentors… The focus should always be the project… Not appealing to any talent’s ego. I won’t say more than this.

I hope this helps in your next project… On behalf of my fellow creatives, please negotiate with us with respect… even if you don’t have all the money… we know…. But treat us with respect.

Until my next post… God bless!