The Five Cs

My manager, Aaron Kogan, came up with “The Three Cs” to clarify some things one must weigh when beginning project. These are handy things to keep in mind as an entrepreneurial artist, for we must always compare priorities and choices and must fight for some and give up other aspects of our vision to make things happen.

(Somehow I have no photo of just us two, so here we are with the brilliant Roya Weiner,
 me on the left and Aaron on the right.)

The Three Cs are:

• Credit,

• Compensation, and

• Creative Involvement.

Credit: Varying levels of “official” credit – are you a producer, co-producer, associate producer, no credit at all?, do you fight for a “story by” credit for your idea or no, etc. – can be valuable in and of themselves, as they often correlate to levels of compensation and can help establish your position on the project.

Compensation: How much will you be getting paid? In cash? In revenue or profit participation?

Creative Involvement: How much do you contractually obligate your partners to involve you in – or have you lead – the creative development?

Each of these things must be weighed. (This is also true for small projects you’re doing with friends – you could be doing a different small project with friends, so why choose a given one? Assuming small projects have little Compensation, can they give you Credit for real leadership and a true chance to express your voice through Creative Involvement?) If a company is pushing down your money, can you push up the other Cs….?

Now, in managing me – yes, Aaron, I’m taking some credit for this – Aaron has had to expand The Three Cs to, count ‘em, The Five Cs. For the Actor-Producers among us, we can add:

Casting, and

Communications.

Casting: Are you cast? If so, how large a role? Is it the right size and type of role – getting you what you need as an actor while also being smart strategically for the scope of the project?

Communications: Poor guy, it's the only C with a slightly awkward name. When public announcements, interviews, etc. about a project occur, are you mentioned, included, interviewed? Is this contractual? Are you allowed to make mentions or announcements on your own? Like credit, this is a “soft” or indirect value, but it is always better to be conscious of these potentialities than to let them unfold without clarity.

Now go make something. (I say also to myself.)