Clients Can Be Dangerous

[Kathlyn Lindeboom]

[mark raudonis] “Make a police report. I don’t care what they told you. You have a witness to this action. That’s all you need.”

Don’t count on these people as witnesses. It sounds like they’re just as terrified of this man as you were, but they’ve chosen to stay with him–probably out of fear.

[Mike Cohen]

I’m no Dr. Phil but I have an actual bald head! I agree to get seen by a doctor and talk to the police, to hear your options and rights. Years ago I received a threatening letter from a former co-worker. It was a lot of hot air about “knowing me making the Holocaust seem like a good idea” (I am not making this up), but talking to the local State Trooper set my mind at ease.

I will speak to the “clients thinking they can edit video” part of the thread. I often paraphrase Jeff Goldblum’s line from Jurassic Park, “Just because you can clone dinosaurs doesn’t mean you should clone dinosaurs.”

In other words, just because you can buy a laptop and Premiere Elements or iMovie, doesn’t mean you should assume you have the same skills as a pro. Also, and this comes from experience, just because your son/daughter/secretary’s kid has a Mac does not mean you can forgo paying a pro to make your project.

Sure, some of the videos I receive, with the giveaway iMovie titles and iDVD movie theater menu are actually pretty good, but you get the occasional hack job. Sometimes I spend five minutes cleaning up some flash frames or bad edits and don’t say anything to anyone.

One of the most common things I see is short cuts. Not Family Circus style short cuts through the neighbor’s yard, I mean cuts lasting 1-2 seconds. If you are doing an action sequence or even dialogue, a 1-2 second cut may be ok. But if you are demonstrating something, for example surgery, anything less than 3 seconds is just too short. I will occasionally slow down a cut to make it better.

Back in the mid-90’s we received the occasional video with lots of star wipes and Video Toaster effects, but luckily those have mostly disappeared.

Bad audio is another common nuisance of DIY videos. Many people buy one of those headset mics, suitable perhaps for a Skype conversation, but the recorded audio can be distorted, low in volume or full of hiss or electrical interference. Not much you can do about some of that.

The worst is when you need to call someone and say “the audio levels in your video are inadequate” or “the use of the Titanic music in the background is illegal (actual experience).” In many cases, the response is something similar to “uhhh…drrrr..huh?”

Another memorable quote from the past year actually, is “Mike, when you were talking in that meeting about submitting edited video clips, I saw Bob Smith’s eyes glaze over. And Bob is 30 years old.”

In other words, computer savvy does not equal video / multimedia savvy. Sometimes it does, but sometimes it is like saying “I play basketball at the YMCA, so surely I have the same skills as those overpaid NBA players.” Well, maybe that is an exaggeration!

Mike Cohen

[Brendan Coots]

Wow. That is one scary story.

I must say, however, that I can’t believe you continued to offer discounts, breaks, compromises etc. much less communicated at ALL after he physically assaulted you. You should have immediately called the cops, filed a report, and sued the living $%%# out of him.

Hind site 20/20 and all of that…

Brendan Coots
Splitvision Digital
http://www.splitvisiondigital.com

[John Davidson]

That was an awful experience and I’m sorry you had to go through it.

Clients that yell and scream have NO place in my business. Frustrating events happen, but it’s how we handle them that defines us. If this weren’t a family forum, I’d probably have some nice definitions for this guy based on how he handled frustrating events…

Try to turn lemons into lemonade. Write a script based on this idiot. Something ala “Cape Fear” or the first half of “Full Metal Jacket”. Maybe you can make it a short, and start with “Based on a true story”. People love that.

Worst case, you make it only for yourself and have a cathartic experience (base his anger on the fact that he was born with no…um…masculine appendage, or something equally funny). Best case, you create an award winning short that puts you on the map and you’ll never have to work for somebody like him again.

Good luck!

John Davidson____ writer | producer | director____https://www.magicfeather.tv

[Steve Myers]

Thanks for everyone for posting your support and encouragement. its meant a lot.

A few minutes ago I was able to file a Class C report (here in Texas) of the assault. The officer and department said it classified as a class A (prosecutable) and can (if I choose) bump to to a class A depending on the outcome of the Medical exam I am having tomorrow morning (8/21).

Moreover, this is on the record, I have a case number and the business card of my area’s police representative. If the man calls further, shows up at my home/studio, or makes threats in public all I have to do is call 911 and give the case number. They can arrest and detain him on the spot (if needed).

There’s really not much more to be gained by going any harder on him. I see this report as an ‘insurance’ policy I’ve done the right thing — and have law enforcement support if ever needed. But suing this guy (at this point) doesn’t really achieve anything other than ramping up his anger. I’m taking care of parents in their 80s, one in Hospice care (after a stroke) and NONE of us needs any more drama (or Trauma).

In Business I have re-examined HOW I conduct business and how I WILL conduct business from this point forward.
#1. I won’t meet wtih clients in a home/office situation. I will agree to meet in public.
#2. My standards have raised from a C level to an A. That means they are A clients or they are not MY clients. (Referrarl, solid reputation, able to afford my work).
#3. I won’t cut out PRO BONO but will be highly more selective for who, when, where and how much.
#4. This will apply to ALL clients – even those religious ones I once gave a free pass. No more free passes.
#5. Unless there is a major exception I will not allow clients in my home, home/office, and home/studio.
#6. When possible, I will secure employment in a production facility, television station, or salaried in a corporate/business environment.
#7. My relaxed freelance days (for any client) are over.
#8. My business plan goes back to mid to large sized clients/accounts
#9. I won’t produce for any more small time unrelated industries (web pages, HR Training, video e-mail) entreprenuers and/or Multi-level-marketing people as a rule.

I know our industry (broadcast/business) has ventured into those waters — but the consumer driven company (client) is one who never appreciates what we bring to the table (and probably never will).

I will work at Wal Mart for $10.00 an hour in the photo finishing department before I ever accept any client who will not pay my $125.00 an hour for post production and $175.00 per hour for Field Camera work. Because the average last few clients (in the drop your shorts categories) have wound up in the $10.00 (or less) category for what were supposed to be $100.00 per hour charges.

I used to bend backwards to grow and develop a client. There was once a time when it was advantageous (twenty years ago). But even then I did so in a television station, with a full crew (and staff behind me), a company that was loyal (and protective) of us, and clients who had to purchase a substantial advertising schedule to qualify for free (to low cost) spot TV :30 advertising. Nonprofits had to qualify for free PSA production too.

The key is not to let one’s guard down.

And no more business with bullies. I won’t hesitate to cut any client off for the least amount of it. Life’s too short not to. More communication too with my co-op of producers.

If anything I feel foolish for having let so many wannabe’s into my studio and producing break even work to develop something larger that never transpired.

A local MAJOR producer has done the same thing. Facilities that are ‘closed’ to the public, including their clients. I read a post in another topic of IF THEY TRUST ME TO DO THE JOB FOR THEM IT WILL BE FINE. IF THEY DON’T I DON’T NEED THEM. Tough words – right attitude. Protective. The major producer here was broken into awhile back where the thieves stole specific items. Their sales rep pretty much knew who it was for the way they acted during the facilities tour. But, with no security cameras, nothing could ever be proved.

There’s a reason television stations are so heavilly protected these days. Same with companies and heavy industry. Living in the subburbs just lulled me into a comfort zone that should be re-examined. I have and have made the appropriate adjustments.

As far as the bully goes – there’s a record of what transpired. Any other calls there will have priority response. And I’ll be subtle to the producers I know to stay clear of this guy. At least a warning. I won’t go near him at all.

For those who thought I was quick to give away the farm to him (when he turned hostile) I figured less than $400.00 was not going to break me and if I could get out of his home on that alone it was worth every penny. I kept my cool and eventually walked out. Whats the saying about a crash landing? Any crash landing you can walk away from was a good landing. So I landed well. And did the right move alerting the authorities. Filed the report.

Thanks to all for your well wishes, support and counsel. I’ve got more questions down the line on marketing but really appreciate this BUSINESS forum as a place to talk about these unspoken business issues and find solid support and counsel. Again, thanks to all.

Steve Myers
Steve Myers Productions
Arlington (DFW) Texas

[Mark Suszko]

I found it highly ironic a large pro video facility was robbed and had no security cameras watching things. You often see that “shoemaker’s kids run barefoot” thing happening in the biz.

Steve, I like that you are setting yourself written rules and priorities. I agree with a lot of the principles there. IMO it’s a little stronger than I would have gone, but then again this event didn’t happen to me and I don’t pretend to know your intimate business situation.

Banning all clients from the home office is understandable after your event, and probably smart if you can swing having a formal office space for the paying customers. I don’t know that the higher-end customer base you’re now targeting will react well to a “black box” approach, but if you still work on giving them the feeling of being “hands-on”, with you being very responsive, maybe they won’t care where they get it done so long as you GET it done right. In the eighties you just weren’t a happening concern if you didn’t have a hip and highly decorated “creative space” for the clients to visit and feel special in. These days the “lean and hungry” aspect is up front – what decor your suites have and the quality of the client snack trays takes a back seat to results.

Let me make one other suggestion about clients to pursue: why not be your own client once in a while? What I mean is, consider using your home office base of operations as the center for your own self-financed projects. A documentary, or a theatrical short, whatever creative project you’ve always had an idea to do in the back of your head. Do a Roger Corman (in the financial sense) and cobble together some financing and start shooting that dream project on the side. Don’t wait for retirement, you may wake up dead next week and hate that you never got it done when you had a chance.

That project is also going to benefit from your enhanced empathy and all the emotional and intellectual ferment going on in your head right now. You are like a charged-up battery right now and you don’t know it: unleash that force on your dream project, see if I’m not right and that you’ll be amazed how much you accomplish in a short time with it.

I do my best and fastest writing when I am spitting mad. Use that energy. Tap into your muse.

[Steve Myers]

Thanks Mark. Will do (the self financed project). Had several planned (went on hold for the tyranny of the urgent).

On clients and the process. For the big ones (proposed this to one recently)- since they were so involved in the approval steps (copy, video, audio) I proposed to edit on location (in their offices). To expedite the process (of review copies). That $85,000 would have been really welcome – (could have passed on the $450.00 troubled client.) They liked the idea but passed (due to time restrictions and not willing to dedicate employee time to the project with an Oct 1 deadline – bid in late June).

I remember those ‘creative spaces’ of the 80s/90s. Pretty much disappeared past 2001.

For smaller clients (I could see renting office space by the day/week) in one of several ‘public’ places. Pre Cor America (here) is a facility with a few offices for rent, a conference room, and a phone line system (answered by a live voice sounding like a larger company). Identifies what line is being called and a script for the receptionist. Could easily factor it into the budget.

I need to retire $35k of debt. Sounds easy. Wish it were. I may leave the industry (for a while) to retire it (and come back later to produce for clients of my choosing). Or solely my projects. A friend’s company in El Paso does just that. He makes his income off DVD sales. And Documentaries are really where I live.

Thanks for the suggestions. Shy of real counseling (and able to afford a good massage therapist) I am ‘fragemented.’ Feel a little better (inwardly) about filing the basic report. Don’t feel like he just ‘got away with it,’ and yet didn’t press deep (him not being questioned or harassed per se – as he might see it). Gives me legal options. Feel better about that.

Just not sure what to do for a living now. To retire that $35k. Tied here (caring for the parents). Had a rich relative pass recently. Will won’t be read for another few weeks. Not banking on anything. Would rather have him alive. He was a good soul. And one good client could erase that $35k in a heartbeat. The good motivation though it not to settle for ‘whatever’ and retain some dignity in the process. Hard to do with pressing bills but still the wisest thing over all.

Thanks again for the suggestions.
Steve

[Grinner Hester]

ADD kept me from reading every word but you summed it up yourself. You had bad vibes from him from the get-go. Don’t do bidness with people ya get these vibes from. Walk away, run away or let voice mail take their calls but life is too short to do great work for somone you hope will appriciate it.
nay… it’s too damn long for that.
I had a grinder that simply could not come in without trying to leave with a freeby. He first started trying to charge it to his client and then trying to make me eat it. Dude represented 6 figures of my income so it was real easy to “suck it up” for a long time. It endied burn out and I just didnt like working for him anymore. Simple enough. I just stopped doing that.
I had another client that wa relativly famus and the every project I did for him made t to my reel because it was so glamoros or high end. The thing was, nobdy else in town would work for him because he was such a tirant in the suite. I’m a people person. I can get along with anybody but his dude really enjoyed belittling people. Again, easy to suck up for a while, impossible to do it forever. One day he decided to chunk a beta tape at a brother. Just before it hit me in the face, I raised my hand and the corner of it cut my wrist.
I let him know that at that point I was not an editor but a man and that because I could run faster than he could, he should get started right freakin now.
My point is the customer is not always right. As a metter of fact, they seldom are, which is why they come to experts. I have found doing business with only people you elect to mks for a better environment both at work and then at home and of course makes for a better product, which then feeds your bottom line in the long run.
Listen to those little voices when ya meet someone. They are ALWAYS correct. This is a built in defense sense that should not be ignored.