The Secret Sauce of Collaboration

If your finished product could be even better — would you do what it took to get there?

What if it meant letting go of control, and moving towards collaboration?

Here’s my truth. I’m a storyboard artist AND I’m a collaborator. Why? Because I believe that collaboration results in the BEST outcomes. So today, I just want to talk a little bit about collaboration, what it looks like, why it might be worth a shot, and what that means for directors.

My most collaborative clients say things like:

• “Hey Joe, tell me if you have any ideas!”
• “How would you do this?”
• “Here’s the treatment. Do your magic.” 
• “I was picturing this … what do you think?”
• “How can we make this feel more ______?”
• “What will make this scene work best?”

The funny thing? Most of these super-collaborators aren’t new to the industry. They are seasoned pros. They aren’t asking for help because of a lack of chops. 

I wonder if they were collaborative from the beginning — or if this approach evolved over time? Maybe collaboration is part of how they got better in the first place? 

And if you’re more of a do-it-yourselfer — who wants someone who can express exactly what you see? That’s cool, too. I will listen carefully, and give you precisely what you want. 

Some of my clients know exactly what they want — or exactly how to do it. Ultimately I want my clients to get EXACTLY WHAT THEY WANT — whether that’s a product of their mind, or a beautiful collaboration. While I personally love collaborating, I will never force it on you. 

Over the past 20 years, I’ve had clients move from control to collaboration — and that’s been really fun and rewarding on a personal level. This is because over time, they learned to really trust me and my instincts. They began to see me as a partner.

Directors, I want you to know:

• I’m in your corner. 
• I know it’s tough as hell to be a director.
• I’m here to serve your creative vision.
• I want you to look like a freaking rockstar. 
• I love what I do. 
• I love stories and subtext. 
• Working with great storytellers like Jim Shooter, Dwayne McDuffie, Chris Claremont, and Denys Cowan — I was paying attention. And I learned to be incredibly helpful to their creative process. 

What if you rely on me a little bit more? What if that could take some of your stress away — and result in an even better outcome? 

When it comes to collaboration, I’m down if you’re down. 

And no matter what, the ideas we come up with together will always be YOUR IDEAS.

My long-time directors don’t call me their best kept secret for nothing. 🙂

Working on a project? Give us a call and let’s collaborate.