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As the backbone of Black World Studios, Sam David created a spirited, offbeat blog (below) that passes along some personal transparency, bits of professional know-how, common-sense wisdom, fascinating university research studies about actors, writers, TV personalities (and other creatives) -- along with engaging do's & don'ts for nurturing and elevating exceptional talent in film, TV, radio, stage, and literary.
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You've got to know when to hold 'em Know when to fold 'em Know when to walk away Know when to run  - by Sam David Last evening I received an angry e-mail from a client/friend, telling me he was ready to throw in the towel. I could have fired back a scathing response -- telling him to toughen up -- but I chose to walk on higher ground, pointing out that no one ever said life was meant to be easy. Everyone lives his/her life with some misgivings, self-disgust, and discontent; sometimes we fail to speak from the heart, and all too often we'll leave things that need to be aired locked up in a vacuum. To build and create a truly meaningful and purposeful life involves both personal and professional commitment and growth. You cannot move forward without the other. Commitment requires discipline -- while growth is not without its own unique missteps. For it’s in the tussle with life’s day-to-day trials and errors that a person carves out the blueprint for how s/he will live life (and how successfully s/he does -- or does not -- overcome the stumbling blocks down that path). Anyone can quit. Quitting is easy. But for actors and writers, self doubts and lingering frustrations stem not so much from responsible professional management and handling, but from the fact that talent frequently resent when they do not receive the proper accolades and recognition from the TV and film industry -- an industry, quite frankly, to whom they tend to devote most of their time and talent. It is not unusual for a Hollywood or New York creative to have a swollen ego (which naturally comes with the territory as individuals overrate their own productive value and financial worth). The trouble kicks in when they begin to compare themselves to those in higher visibility with whom they perceive to be in competition, causing sparks to soar. Bitter and resentful, somewhere down the road they trap themselves into the false belief that their life legacies are totally dependent on the applause from the faceless and the approval of their acting and writing associates. Of course, in reality, that is 360-degrees from the truth. Most show-biz personalities misjudge their own self esteem; running on a lucky streak, they underestimate what they actually bring to the table, failing to realize that they are so much more than a dusty Golden Globe or Oscar statue sitting on a shelf in their family room. The truly great actors from the past that we love to reminisce about -- the legendary larger-than-life Hollywood heavyweights whom we treasure, i.e., Brando, Bogart, or Cary Grant for instance -- are soldered to our souls more because of what they mean to us than the actual character roles in which they were cast. The long-term vision for most any client -- at least from where I sit -- is to build a highly diversified foundation for them -- as an actor, as a writer, as a director, as a producer. I have never strayed from that course. Life is all about passion, patience, persistence, perseverance, and internal fortitude -- at times against seemingly insurmountable odds. Considering my own tumultuous childhood of abandonment, my destiny has mapped itself in the way that it has, simply because I am not a quitter. The heavy hits, the verbal punches and the put downs that I have taken over the years have only helped to better direct my focus towards greater empathy, understanding and emotional awareness. What speaks to me the most is not that clients fly off the handle and give up without a fight due to fear, but that I should understand such self-destructive behavior in order to rise above it and redirect it towards positive contemplation. As I have often pointed out, clients and managers are joined at the hip -- knee-deep in an exceedingly narcissistic and hugely competitive dog-eat-dog Botox-filled world of heart-felt dreams. And for that reason alone, talent needs to be cushioned with the know-how to harden their outer shells to better equip themselves to weather those harrowing all-too-often times when pink slips and rejection letters are tossed their way. Because viciously lashing out, oral dart-throwing, and impetuously walking away from what they truly love is a clear indication that they are too hypersensitive to withstand the harsh reality storms of this precarious business, along with being oblivious to their own human frailties.  - by Sam David
The #1 question I have been asked over the years is WHY: Why do I -- a New York-born second-generation Russian American businesswoman -- represent so many highly creative Blacks in the entertainment business? A few years ago, I received a note -- a hurtful communication -- that has long been posted on my management site. It read: "Sam: I'm not saying that you are not effective; you ARE. In fact, you are EXTREMELY brilliant, creative, and VERY effective. But it's so obvious to me that you are an activist with a heavy (and VERY, VERY LOYAL) African American and ??? Muslim and ??? gay clientele. Frankly, I'd rather not be represented by someone who is so damn controversial. Your (sic) BIG on BLACK clients. That's your thing. Why that is, I don't know. But that's your niche, NOT mine, and for that reason, you WON'T be representing me any more." As a veteran talent manager, I have taken a lot of hard hits on the head. It actually angers me to think that there is such an open and wide and insensitive divide between Black talent and White talent in Hollywood -- and who represents which color. Equally important, WHY does that even matter when the professional loyalty and project passion between manager and client is reciprocal? When I take someone under my wings, you can be absolutely certain that I will fight like hell on that client's behalf. And while I do represent both White and Black clients, rest assured that the competition among any-color writer, in general, is stiff. But it's far more difficult to sell a Black TV project than a White one; in fact, it's much more time consuming, more doors are slammed in your face, and it's way more exhausting than marketing a White project, which generally has a much-larger group of interested network buyers. The primary reason for the imbalance between White and Black TV and film is quite simple: The NUMBERS ratio. As of August 20, 2017, the United States has a total resident population of 325,700,000, making it the third most populous country in the world. Give or take a few hundred thousand, there are over 196,817,55263.7 White people in America vs. 37,685,84812.2 Black people, suggesting a far-greater White demographic TV and film viewing audience than a Black one. While Blacks watch White TV and film, the opposite is generally not true: Whites tend not to watch Black TV or Black films. Granted, there are the exceptions, i.e, the film Hidden Figures (the story of a team of female African-American mathematicians who served a vital role in NASA during the early years of the U.S. space program). But interestingly enough, the screenplay for Hidden Figures was written by Allison Schroeder, (who earned a nomination for the Academy Award for Best Adapted Screenplay). Allison Schroeder is White. Before she landed the “Hidden Figures” gig -- her first major feature screenplay -- she’d been struggling to get writing jobs. It also should come as no surprise that Black writers crossover to write White projects. And Whites crossover to pen Black projects. What I do know is that it is painfully harder for a Black screenwriter to sell a Black project. Equally significant, Blacks tend not to receive the same quality pay as Whites in Hollywood. Are there exceptions? Of course. There are always exceptions. How do the demographics in America factor in? Well, consider the imbalance between the two populations. More Whites watch TV and film simply because there ARE more Whites than Blacks in America -- a lot more (according to the United States Census Bureau). In TV and film, everything is supply and demand. The bottom line for companies is always their net PROFITS. More times than not, more money can be made producing White projects, than Black ones, as the pool of White viewers is simply more substantial in scope. Which means, most times, more profits in their corporate pockets.  Sustaining Stamina When You Work With Words
- by Sam David I have always believed in transparency. I point out to clients right from the get-go that projects take time. And I am crystal clear in my disclosure to them that I do not possess the magical powers to bring any project to fruition overnight. Quality productions are not shot from initial drafts, scripts, or manuscripts. There are the required (and often repeatedly requested) rewrites; along with that... consider the time-consuming task of seeking out directors, cinematographers, and actors to attach to the projects. Equally important, is the production designer, who sets the tone and mood of the project and determines what the film will look like. At the same time, there is the intense matchmaking efforts of scouting for interested -- and qualified -- backers (funding). Regardless of the sequence, both the creative and business-end of the movie process is grueling and tedious. Films do not materialize overnight. Almost all quality projects consisting of roughly 120 fine-tuned pages of movie script take years (from start to finish) -- with some film projects lingering on well into their second decade. It is nothing short of a miracle -- after years of passion and dedication, lost sleep, along with the diligent work that filmmakers put in to overcome the rocky bumps in the road and the behind-the-scenes stress and drama -- when films make it to the big screen. And yet, understanding the movie maze, most people tend to be incredibly impatient. That is a fact. The blame, in part, falls on reality TV, where unknown, unemployed talents suddenly become "famous" overnight. It's actually a fictitious sort of fame, spreading at first like a desert wildfire, yet lasting less than 15 minutes. As crazy as it sounds, statistically, people expect instant and immediate gratification, counting their eggs long before they even hatch. But as one who works with and nurtures creativity, I have never realistically been able to achieve that for any client. What I do deliver is excellence and dedication and structure and nurturing support, and my own brand of Taurus tenacity -- all which require time and tremendous patience. And that's because the on-going process from Point A to Point B to Point C is agonizing. Possibly that is why so many writers ultimately give up; they lose their footing and become utterly disillusioned. For most, their expectations are simply out of whack -- they've created an unhealthy wanting or an unrealistic desire to experience pleasure or fulfillment without delay or deferment. Basically, it's when THEY want it; and THEY want it yesterday. Then factor in the absence of a bestseller, the lack of major awards or hefty credits, and/or the missing name recognition. Those are the commonplace obstacles that I work to succeed in overcoming each and every day. Granted, while no two writers are alike, each brings his/her own uniqueness, color and splash to the table... along with a problematic mixed bag of flavors (issues) that I need to grasp and sort out, in order to turn their negatives into positives. If that were easy, anyone could tackle my work. For reasons that I have yet to fully understand, over the years I seem to have been tapped to take on the toughest of creative projects -- especially those that are controversial or Black-based, or bring about racial and social awareness. Activism, actually, is one of my strongest strengths: I am an unbelievably patient and nurturing human being; I stick to my guns. I am not impetuous. As an introvert, I THINK things out. It's the client who grows anxious and antsy, all too often brainwashing themselves into the false assumption that they are far more souped-up than they actually are. And what they always seem to forget to remember is that with every draft, a writer can be easily replaced. In general, writers write because they enjoy it. But every writer who puts words to paper -- from the not-yet published to the polished -- needs guidance and mentoring. Beyond that, writers need intestinal fortitude, as it's a cut-throat and highly competitive business, where time invested can ultimately result in a massive and unexpected loss. It's also controlled (in my opinion) by a White Hollywood, where Blacks (with a few exceptions) earn less than their White counterparts. For those who are truly gifted with the ability to pen a professional script, who have honed their writing skills and style, and who are dedicated enough to have real passion and drive, success can be achieved when the writer is blessed with unwavering support and strong strategic guidance. Without it, it's a long tough battle. Consider the study, conducted by Queen Mary, University of London, which established that just one in ten authors can afford to earn a living from writing alone. In particular, it highlighted a top-heavy market, with just five per cent of authors earning 42.3 per cent of all income from professional writing. Ian Rankin, the Scottish crime writer, has previously said it took 14 years for him to make decent money from writing. In her lifetime, Emily Dickinson, a remarkable and prolific talent, published only one or two poems -- that was all. After Dickinson's death, her sister Lavinia discovered almost 1800 poems of Emily's, all unpublished. Dickinson, we were to learn, had never stopped writing. Writing is a truly rough and tumble business. I always warn writers that if they can't take the 'round-the-clock pressures of the film industry, then they probably should drift away from the business if "burnout" is in their DNA. But for those who firmly believe in themselves -- warts and all -- then they need to be able to muster up the ability to sustain the prolonged mental effort of rejections and setbacks, while dealing appropriately with the industry's day-to-day general chaos. Someone said adversity builds character. But someone else said adversity reveals character. In the end, it's our inner resilience that helps us adapt well in the face of both personal and professional adversity. |
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