Securing the Deal

The entertainment industry is has many different dynamics and is very competitive in nature.  In past posts I discussed the double edge sword of freelancing and doing independent contracting.  Although I love this type of work because it offers flexibility that a 9am to 5pm could never offer.  The problem is that this type of work is a constant uphill battle.  South Florida is a very competitive market as are countless production companies and graduates. This week I interviewed production industry location manager Lyndell Pedis.  He has worked on countless productions with some of the industry’s leading creative minds.  He has scouted locations for more than 10 years working as an independent contractor. 

When discussing how he makes deals and works to create beneficial client relations, he said one thing he had to learn was to refer jobs or turn them down when conditions were not beneficial for both parties.  When faced with the positional bargaining he learned that it is rare a situation like this where both parties prevail.  When dealing with the all or nothing client sometimes it’s best to remove yourself from a situation where you may end up working for free.  Although developing relationships is a vital part of the deal making process, some relationships are not beneficial for the independent contractor.  It may be best to walk away from deals that will cost you instead of yield return.  He further explained that in the event you can accommodate the clients requests without giving away your time ensure you get all agreements in writing and never verbally accept terms as documentation is all that can truly clear miscommunication.

One example he recalled was working with bring a large production company to South Florida.  The company had countries bidding to get the company to move to their area.  They were very interested in taking their business out of the country, but that had certain requirements.  Pedis helped show them locations here in South Florida and showed the many benefits moving to this area had to satisfy their requirements.  His negotiating skills worked perfectly to mutually benefit both parties.  He also said that sometimes people can be very direct or not direct at all, so make sure that you keep personal feelings from business decisions.