Dear Anklebiters,
First, I would like to say that you guys are great. I have learned from and enjoyed your work over the last few months. Anyway, I do not own my own sound company, though I plan to one day soon. I am mainly a Front of House guy, but I can cover any position: stage manger, monitor world, doorman, bouncer, whatever. The only positions I have trouble with are ass kisser and babysitter. This brings me to my question: How do you make everyone happy, when the producer wants one thing, the club owner wants another and the band and their girlfriends want another? Reverently yours,
Tom Beatty, Houston, TX
Jamie: Well, Tom, you sound like a very interesting and thoughtful sound guy, and you pose a very good question. It can take a lot of political skill to negotiate the various personalities we are confronted with regularly, but "ass kisser" should never be part of the job description. Babysitting (I prefer to call it hand-holding), on the other hand, is a valuable talent and should be honed to a fine art. Tom, I assume your problems begin when the club or venue owner tells you to turn the mix down while the producer/promoter of the event is telling you that he has to "feel the music," or there's no bottom, or something to that effect. Meanwhile, the bass player's girlfriend has made her way to your position and is telling you she can't hear
her boyfriend's bass. This, of course, can all escalate to where the club owner is demanding less volume, the producer is insulting your ability as a sound engineer and you just want to slap the bass player's girlfriend who won't shut up.
Now, for one moment, let's look at this scenario from a completely different viewpoint; believe me, this will help you cope. First off, the producer is looking to you for guidance. He or she is nervous (by nature), plus there may be a variety of acts and all of them are different in instrumentation and sound. That whining sound you hear is just a desperate plea for your reassurance that it will sound great and the show will be a success. Remember, the producer/promoter is the only one who really has money invested in the gig, so hold his hand and communicate intelligently. Make minor changes only if you think you should, but always remember the producer needs you. Meanwhile, the club/venue owner is hoping and praying that you can bring the din onstage under control, so some drinks or more tickets can be sold or just so his patrons will be satisfied. The producer knows you hold the financial
success of the evening in the palm of your hand. He really wants you on his side. The girlfriend (or boyfriend) knows she's going to get laid at the end of the night no matter what, so tell her anything you want. But at least practice being nice.
The moral of the story here, Tom, is that you are the Master Cylinder of the event. Everybody needs and wants your talents. If you can keep that in mind, it will change the way you deal with this biz forever.
Tim: Jamie, well put. And Tom, your position is more important than you might think. You mentioned that you have experience running FOH, running monitor mixes, being a stage manager, bouncer, etc., and that you have ambitions of owning your own sound company someday. Well, being the owner/president of your own company may sound nice, but it certainly comes with new responsibilities and headaches–it's a trade-off, if you will. One advantage of owning your own sound company is that you have a little more "control" of your side of the business, equipment used, who you choose/hire to work with you, and so on. However, as the owner, you now become "responsible" for the total sound aspect of a show/event, you're responsible for the actions of anyone who works for you, and you are also the piece of the puzzle that can make or break a show. If you decide to have your own sound company someday, the ability to work together with others is essential to the success of the show/event, but more importantly, it's essential for the success of your business. Even if you are your own boss, in this business you are always accountable to someone (the person who has hired you or who is signing your check).
You are actually in an ideal situation; I couldn't think of a better scenario than the job you currently have to develop some diplomacy skills. You obviously have been given more responsibility than running FOH because you're adaptable and willing to help the club/event with whatever its needs are. Thus you find yourself as a doorman or bouncing, or running monitor mixes and acting as stage manager. It's good to see your talents are so varied. At the same time, these are opportunities to learn patience with people, and fine-tune your diplomatic skills.
If you're having a conflict with someone, first try and put yourself in his shoes. Try to identify and understand why he's so freaked out or afraid. For example, producers can be panicky or appear to be loose cannons, but the bottom line is that they are extremely concerned about their money being invested wisely. A concert producer or promoter's job can be very risky at times. They are literally gambling their money on ticket sales (attendance). They have many elements directly affecting their success, i.e. advertising, the day of the week, the weather, or even the economy. If you understand this, when a producer confronts you while running sound, you can offer some words of reassurance that his needs will be met and that you
will handle any sound problem that arises. And if he's harsh or mean about it, don't take it personally: he is just under pressure.
I've always thought that a cool, calm, collected appearance (whether everything is going well or not) puts others at ease. Keeping a level head is necessary to run sound, let alone run a sound company. But you can practice this skill where you're at now no matter what challenge may come your way.
You, as the boss, must learn to work with all elements of the business just like you work your mixing console: they all have functions that affect the success of the event. It's important to take that seriously if you want to be successful.
And by the way, you can't make everyone happy. There are just some personalities who are more comfortable when they're unhappy, and sometimes they cross your path. You don't have to like them, just continue to be reassuring and confident in your work. Solve the legitimate problems that come up, and practice your diplomacy on the other stuff. It's not butt-kissing or being someone's doormat, it's an opportunity for you to learn how to handle annoying situations without making them worse. And it's important to develop these people skills if you want to own your own company someday. You may even have some fun at it. Bottom line; you only have control of your own actions, so exercise self-control and pat yourself on the back when you take positive actions in a difficult situation. Pay attention to what you have control over (your attitude, your actions) and you'll worry less about being a kiss-ass or someone's doormat. And remember that the light at the end of the tunnel is only hours away in our business. Good luck.
