As I began to navigate through the studio system and rise through the ranks, there was a very important aspect, which up until then, I didn’t have to concern myself with – working with talent. However, it’s inevitable, especially in the entertainment industry. It’s just bound to happen. Along the way I’ve worked with some very well-known and established directors, actors, and performers - people like Sidney Lumet, Martin Scorsese, Glenn Close, Mickey Rooney, Burt Lancaster, and Sidney Poitier.

Then there were some who were just on the verge of breaking out and beginning to make a name for themselves – Brad Pitt, Reese Witherspoon, James Gandolfini, Alicia Silverstone, and Andy and Larry (Lana) Wachowski.  Whether they were famous or they were soon to become famous, the successful outcome of their projects had a great deal to do with our working and professional relationship.The working and professional relationship, successfully launching their film or video, that and nothing else, was and had to be my primary purpose from the very beginning

In many instances, people have often come up to me, knowing some of the famous artists I’ve worked with. More often, it had to do with their celebrity status than the projects we worked on together. Regrettably, there were also those I worked with who could not get past the fame and adulation of the person, the star fuckingmindset which never helps in producing any project successfully.

For the most part, I would have to say, I’ve been very fortunate in the opportunities I’ve had and some of the distinguished artists I got to work with. That’s not to say there haven’t been some instances, that no matter what I did, I could never make it right – the manager, screaming at the top of her lungs because her client’s name was first on the photo shoot call sheet or the actress, who kept cancelling taping sessions, costing thousands of dollars in unused studio time. Thankfully, instances like these were few, but in every scenario it always came down to my approach from the beginning, acknowledging the fact this was the normal course of doing business and not taking it personally.

As my involvement with celebrity talent became an integral part of my overall responsibilities, I gave myself some ground rules. With the potential of so many mishaps in the course of creating a campaign, I decided to give myself some hard and fast rules or imperatives to go by, which in the long haul served me very well.

Imperative 1:

First and foremost I was working with an artist and in most cases, a very talented one. The reason they chose to do the film, play, album, etc. is that they are invested in the project emotionally and have a connection to the material. They also see it as furthering their career and in many cases have a financial stake in the project.

Imperative 2:

I had to meet them on common ground, as one artist to another or as one professional to another. In whatever capacity I worked with them, they had to feel comfortable being around me, knowing that whatever resources I had at my disposal, I would do the best job humanly possible to present them in the most favorable and positive light.

Imperative 3:

Any working relationship is bound to have social aspects attached to it. It might include dinner, drinks, or in some cases traveling with them.Being sociable and diplomatic comes with the territory, but I never lost sight that my first and primary objective was to make the project as successful and creatively fulfilling for them as possible. With every step in the processI never lost sight of that.

Imperative 4:

Never, ever alienate or piss off members of their entourage, especially assistants, agents, managers, and publicists. They are the gatekeepers. Treat them well and with respect and they will, more often than not, provide invaluable assistance to you, especially in difficult situations.

Imperative5:

Show your gratitude. One of the mandates when I worked at Spelling Entertainment was honor the talent and show your appreciation, even if there were difficulties. I was the face of Spelling Entertainmentand a reflection of how that company did business. A gift to express our appreciation was always the order of the day.

At one time, during my tenure at Spelling, I got to work with the legendary Mickey Rooney, who starred in one of our productions. I was with him when he was honored at the Palm Springs Film Festival and then in New York, as a special guest of the Hollywood for Children Film Festival.

During the Golden Age of Hollywood, he was one of the biggest stars in the world. I constantly had to have that in mind as we worked together.Mickey sometimes could do the unexpected and I had to be prepared for it. At a party held at the ice skating rink in Rockefeller Center there was Mickey walking on the ice to do a photo op. “Holy Shit, if he should fall and break something, the results could be disastrous.”

I walked out on the ice, diplomatically suggested it might be more advantageous if we did the op in front of the restaurant so more people could be in the photo. He agreed and grabbed my arm as we walked off the ice to the restaurant.

Over the years, these rules served me well. If I learned anything, whenever possibleput a positive spin on something that could be potentially calamitous. It’s not about you and who you’re working with as much as achieving a successful outcome on the project.