[Tim Wilson]

[David Roth Weiss] “lawyers and agents make both politicians and voters seem like angels.”

I couldn’t disagree more. Lawyers and agents are just like you and me – paid to work for clients. All part of the process…and I trust the process. The worst lawyers and agents know that there are limits. They have to ask a favor tomorrow from their opponent today. If they break the process, it’s broken for them too. The wheel of karma rolls.

It’s also why people can successfully switch from prosecutors (go after bad guys – even if the case is weak and they might have the wrong guy) to defenders (give the small guy a fighting chance – even if they might be guilty). They trust the process, and the rolling of the wheel.

I knew a lawyer whose law degree was paid for by a govt ageny, after, as a scientist, he had secured a huge patent that they used. His first case won a huge settlement for them from a corporate bad guy, still the largest of its kind. A few decades later, in private practice, he sued this same agency on behalf of some citizens who wanted to limit the scope of its powers.

I asked him how he could do this, and he said he loved EVERYTHING about this area of the law, and could see, and live with, both sides of it. The govt agency continued to work with his staff on other issues while he was suing them on this one.

I found all this while working with both the agency and this lawyer. Both paid me well. Nobody involved saw any conflict.
The wheel, man. The wheel.

It’s why agents can move into management, even ownership – negotiation is negotiation, regardless of the side of the table they’re on. Give this time. Receive next time.

Voters don’t respect the wheel. They’d rather it bend to their whims.

That’s all I’m going to say about that…but regardless of our mutual positions, I’ve never had a bad experience working for a politician or lawyer, or the couple of times I’ve worked with agents…or AS an agent. Their checks and balances move in real time, around the rolling of the wheel, as it both goes around and comes around.

That’s also why I won’t work for some specific positions on some specific issues…but more generally for officeholders and other clients, including lawyers, the rest takes care of itself over time.

The sermon endeth. Go in peace to love and serve.

Tim Wilson
Creative Cow Magazine!

My Blog: “Is this thing on? Oh it’s on!”

[Tim Wilson]

1) Cash on the barrelhead for sure. Every candidate I’ve worked with has assumed this anyway, so it has never come up.

2) Heinous is heinous, and you’ll know if you don’t want to do a commercial for somebody.

Otherwise, I’m with Todd – you can’t overthink this stuff. I did a whole lot of political work, including for my wife – still the only politician I ever entirely trusted. 🙂

But that’s the thing. You have to trust the PROCESS…which is tough, because the only people more mean, stupid, venal, greedy, ego-driven and short-sighted than politicians are voters.

Once I did some consulting for an election re: an area possibly incorporating as a town. One of the biggest fears was the peril of electing to a new town council their ACTUAL NEIGHBORS, known beyond any doubt to be MORONS.

In the heat of one meeting, this guy who was strongly in favor of creating the new town said, “I promise that, if this comes to pass, we WILL elect idiots. We always do.”

Huge laughter from all sides.

Which is why you can’t split these hairs too fine. Would you do an ad for a restaurant you don’t like? For a car you don’t drive? Do you make sure that the furniture store delivers on time? Or that the nightclub follows noise and occupancy rules? Or that the hospital has never fallen out of compliance with any regulations? Any funky insurance claims or drugs gone missing?

From the client’s perspective, do they ask YOU what YOUR politics are? Do they have to pay you only if they win?

It doesn’t work that way.

I had one election where I did a commercial for a candidate who lost his primary….then worked the general election for the person from the other party…who won. Both of them continued to work with me, and neither had a problem with me working with the other. It helped that they never ran head to head, but that’s how it goes in the political world. You do good work. Word spreads.

I’m not saying that politics don’t matter, or that all candidates are the same. I certainly know folks doing political work who limit themselves to one party, coalition or issue. If you want to vet potential clients as closely as you do candidates, that’s fine.

But you can drive yourself crazy with this stuff. I know that this may put me in the “bad man” pile with Todd, but my iron-clad rules for clients have always been the same: 1) Will they pay me for this job? 2) Will they be glad that they worked with me? The rest tended to take care of itself. Like whether or not we ever worked together again.

The wheel of karma never stops turning. No act need ever stand alone. If you’re sorry your work helped get somebody elected, volunteer for an organization that supports a cause you believe in. Offer discounted services to their opponent. Whatever you need to do.

But the wheel also knows that if you act in good faith, good faith returns to you. Trust the process.

Tim Wilson
Creative Cow Magazine!

My Blog: “Is this thing on? Oh it’s on!”

[Tim Wilson]

[Kai Cheong] “I hit the gym at least once a week and always work on my back, with deadlifts and pull-ups. Mostly functional exercises, rather than those designed to pump up the vanity muscles”

Great point! I’d add squats to the list – but that’s really it. Skip leg presses (no need if you’re doing squats), curls (you don’t need those muscles to be any stronger than they already are), bench press (ditto), and all the others. Squat, deadlift, chins.

Lazy bastard that I am, I usually skipped the chins. 🙂

But nothing like squats and deads to keep your back protected when totin’ gear…or sitting. As we’re all discovering, sitting can be hazardous to your health too!!

Tim Wilson
Creative Cow Magazine!

My Blog: “Is this thing on? Oh it’s on!”

[Tim Wilson]

[Joe Krause] “1. Can I use a Firewire Hub off the 800 port:
-(1) for the Mojo
-(1) for the 800 Firewire Media Drive?

No. Again, the issue is the bus – the part of the motherboard that the connections come out from. Mojo and the FW drive will each want 100% of the bandwidth.

This is true for any “big” firewire device, any NLE, any platform. For example, if you try to digitize from a camera to a FireWire drive using Sony Vegas, it’s a no-go.

Your only choice is USB. Of course, if you’re up for some networking, you can use Ethernet, but that’s a whole other story.

2. What FORMAT should I format the Media Drive theres no NTFS on MAC like windows, right now using FAT Format. Is there a MAC Format for Hard Drives thats like NTFS format on windows?

Don’t use FAT32 for the long haul. It’s great for small files (MP3s, photos, etc.), and you’ll bump up against its limits fast.

There are two ways to format. If you’re using the drive with only the Mac, plug it in, and use the Apple Disk Utility to format it. The default is fine.

There are also programs that let you use drives from one platform on the other…but if you’re going all-in on the Mac, just let the iMac take care of the formatting.

I’ve been testing the I-MAC with Mojo off the 800 Port and a USB-Firewire External Hard drive seems to work fine ===occasionally I get a slight stutter but barley

Good! That’s what I’d expect. You may find better performance once you’re no longer working in FAT32…but hey, if this is working for you, go for it!

Tim if you wouldnt mind sometime would like to talk if you had
5 minutes some time. Just have a couple of questions, if not no problem.”

We have now officially exhausted my knowledge of this stuff. 🙂 I’ve been gone for years, and even when I was there, wasn’t actually editing. I just happened to witness other people’s desks with iMacs, and some USB drives in action. These days, I mostly edit the Creative COW Magazine.

Better to keep the conversation here, where others can chime in.

Best,
Tim

Tim Wilson
Creative Cow Magazine!

My Blog: “Is this thing on? Oh it’s on!”

[Tim Wilson]

[Ian McBain] “I wouldn’t run your media through a USB connection. Is there a spare firewire connection that you could use for that?”

The issue isn’t a spare firewire PORT – you need a separate firewire BUS. iMac only has one.

USB is fine. When I worked at Avid, we had all our media on USB 2 drives. Of course, media matters. But the very first demos of DNxHD were all on USB, and, like I said, pretty much everything else most of us did.

Also worth noting – iMacs were VERY popular at Avid when I was there (through 2006, right before I came to the Cow)….and those were much lower-powered. The ones today are amazing. My next desktop is definitely going to be one….

Best,
Tim

Tim Wilson
Creative Cow Magazine!

My Blog: “Is this thing on? Oh it’s on!”

[Tim Wilson]

I love hitting a bag, and the jumping rope I mentioned earlier is boxing-style. But I really miss getting in the ring. Nothing to clear your mind like getting punched in the face.

It’s generally true for me that ANY exercise is a great mental booster: I’m more focused, productive and creative when I’m working out, riding a bike or gardening.

As you can tell, I’m currently doing none of those things.

Tim Wilson
Creative Cow Magazine!

My Blog: “Is this thing on? Oh it’s on!”

[Tim Wilson]

I’ve only been to Nova Scotia once (on the ferry from Portland Maine), and loved it.

Thanks for being part of the Cow!

Best,

Tim Wilson
Creative COW

[Tim Wilson]

[Richard Kuenneke] “I guess it’s worth the peace of mind – but it alters the landscape for the super local, like me.”

No, it keeps your landscape from being altered.

Anybody working in any kind of media that deals with facts, especially if self-employed, NEEDS E&O insurance for the work you create. That means a small amount of money to INSURE that you’re not spending the rest of your life paying for one small mistake.

Even if all you’re doing is commercials for furniture stores and used car dealers, you still need general liability insurance to protect you from anything like, say, a customer in the store tripping over your tripod and breaking their arm when they fall. The store won’t pay that claim. Their insurance company will make sure that it all falls on you.

You better pray that customer has health insurance, because you can bet that they’ll find a lawyer to make sure you pay. (In most states, lawyers can ONLY get paid for liability cases when they win, which gives them a lot of incentive.) You could even find yourself on the hook for their lost income.

That’s a physical thing – but the work you do is far more than physical. Even local commercials carry images, ideas and facts — not just yours and your clients, but anything related to any company you deal with. E&O is what INSURES that any mistakes – even those made in good faith, with the client’s support and direction – don’t fall on you.

This kind of thing is the same reason electricians, carpenters, masons, mechanics, doctors, lawyers, landscapers and other craftspeople carry INSURANCE – to protect THEM from any mistakes they make when they’re working for you. To INSURE their landscape from being altered, perhaps to the point of never being able to practice their trade again.

It’s the same reason you INSURE your house, apartment, car – to INSURE that your landscape never becomes altered beyond your ability to recover.

Without insurance, you can never INSURE that you have a financial future for yourself and your family. You insure your life so that you INSURE that your family has at least a year or two to stay afloat.

(Not married yet? Perfect time to start a life insurance policy. The premiums for the rest of your life will be much lower too.)

You may not want to play in the big leagues. Doesn’t matter. If you want to be an adult in this business, you need the appropriate insurance. Adding E&O to a general liability policy costs a few dollars. It’s your responsibility to take care of yourself, your business and your family.

Tim Wilson
Creative Cow Magazine!

My Blog: “Is this thing on? Oh it’s on!”

[Tim Wilson]

Hello Abdelgadir,

Please follow the “Training” link at the top of the page. You will find that both Amazon and the Creative COW Master Series DVDs may ship to the Sudan.

[Tim Wilson]

Note re: insurance in general. This is a great time to look for new policies for EVERYTHING. If you can show that you’re even vaguely solvent, and have kept up payments on your old policy with no or only minor claims, you can save big.

We wound up at companies with much higher satisfaction ratings who are also pleasanter to deal with….and saved well over $1000 on home and auto. Took care of it in a little time online and 2 phone calls.

I bet you’ll find the same for bidness.

And to underscore: look for new insurance that includes what you’re looking for. Adding individual pieces can cost more than the base policy.

Tim Wilson
Creative Cow Magazine!

My Blog: “Is this thing on? Oh it’s on!”