I had a meeting the other day with JF, a guy I had met many years ago, when I was just dating Talia (whose first day on the job as Dr. Shorr is today!)
Since that initial meeting, JF moved to LA and established himself as a rising producer. Yesterday's meeting with him was an exciting one. He's a fast-talking, big-idea guy with a lot of ambition and a healthy go-getting gutsiness.
One note that came up during the conversation struck me. He mentioned the well-known idea that lots of people in Hollywood are full of hot air. They'll talk your ear off about "the next big thing", then go back to their bedroom office and cruise the web for no-pay Production Assistant jobs. That's the cliche, in any case, and it has been reiterated to me many, many times.
JF had a different take. He said that everyone in this town has big ideas, and everyone wants to share them. The tricky thing is figuring out who's taking action on those big ideas and who isn't. Just because someone's talking in bloated terms doesn't mean they're lazy. On the contrary, it could mean they're ambitious!
I happen to like working with people who talk big. On "A Modest Suggestion", my fellow producer is a notorious big talker. The thing is, that's what drew me to working with him -- I knew that with him on board, his enthusiasm and energy would keep everything running smoothly. As it turns out, I was right about him.
The key, then, is to find those big talkers who have genuine enthusiasm and a genuine desire and capacity to put in the work behind their ideas, and to filter out those whose big ideas are a front, meant to hide some inner barrier to productivity that lurks in their psyche.
I can't say I know how to differentiate, but it's good to be reminded every now and again that big talk might be genuine, and shouldn't be dismissed out-of-hand. Thanks, JF!
-Arnon
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