The look of surprise

Entrepreneurship begins with the look of surprise. Whenever I describe a new idea for a program, show, or class I know right away how well it’s going to do by the look on the other person’s face. If there’s no change, chances are it has been done or that the idea’s just not that impressive. If there’s a raising of the eyebrows, a slight laugh, or a clearing of the throat usually it means that I’ve hit on something exciting and new. Ken Davenport has been quoted as saying that when someone laughs at him, he knows he’s on to something and I would agree. If you’re going to be an entrepreneur, prepare to be laughed at, to have people tell you that there’s no way you can do what you say you want to, and that you’re downright crazy. I’ve had every one of those responses usually directly following the look of surprise.

So why keep going?

If we don’t come up with new ideas for the arts, nothing will change.

Let me say that again.

NOTHING will change.

Our industry cannot become stagnant. The arts survive based on the fact that there is always something new and exciting being offered. Something buzz-worthy that gets us talking injects more life into our industry than you can imagine, and arts entrepreneurs are the architects of that buzz. It’s for this reason that new ideas need to be nurtured and that those who are the mavericks in the arts have a place where they can test their ideas.

Over the summer I created a new course for arts entrepreneurs to respond to what I felt was lacking in the industry. There are plenty of seminars and panels out there, but there is no model that allows you to have a one on one interaction with the speaker or speakers. I decided to create a course that focused on that idea and for that reason, I kept it VERY small. Everyone got individual attention for their project and I had a really great time teaching it. The class also taught me a number of lessons about developing a new project that I’ll share with you now:

1. Be smart enough to admit when you’re ignorant- In developing this class I made sure to include speakers who had done more in the business than me. I also encouraged speakers with completely different knowledge bases and learned plenty along with the class. The reason for this ties to a basic rule for education that I have learned while teaching high school:

Never pretend you know something, because the students will always see through you.

The same applies in classes. I always see myself as a facilitator rather than a lecturer and that has helped to make things so much better. I never pretend that I know it all or that I am the expert on anything and as a result, I find that I develop a much better level of connection with those I teach. In all of my projects I have always been up front with anyone that I’m working with about the fact that I have a certain knowledge base, and that there are things I don’t know. To put it very simply, Don’t B.S. the people who are on your team or you won’t have team when you’re finished.

2. Assessment is key- At the end of every class I asked each class member to give me their feedback on a small index card. I picked up this trick from one of my professors in grad school. When I read those cards, I was able to see what my students were enjoying and what they did not like. I also got to see what they were hungering for and used that information to structure the class for the following week. It’s important to see every project as something that is in a constant state of flux. If you never ask people what they think about the job you’re doing, you’ll never know if they are dissatisfied. This is the reason that we see so many surveys out there. Companies have picked up on the fact that we can shift our product to appeal to our customers and if you’re launching any new project, that information is the lifeblood of your organization. Even if people have bad things to say, that information is vital and we need to make ourselves aware of it. So whether you use index cards, surveys, or just sit and chat with people, make sure there is some form of assessment involved.

3. There is nothing more valuable than personal attention- The most gratifying part of teaching the class was getting emails from class members who were thrilled about the fact that they had met with one of the speakers and had come closer to accomplishing their goals. It was also amazing to watch each speaker talk with each person about their project and provide advice. After witnessing this, I realized that there was no way I could have the class be any more than 8 people. The experience was so concentrated and if the class had been any bigger, each person would have not gotten enough time to ask their questions about their project or establish a real connection with the speaker. This highlights a much bigger concept though, in terms of all projects:

Your team needs a personal message from YOU . People need to feel appreciated and they need to feel like they are respected as individuals and are not just another number. Entrepreneurs get a ton of people behind what they do because each person feels like they are the only one in the room.

4. Never be afraid to ask for what you want- As the class progressed, I would get emails from participants who had told me that they had been contacted by the speakers to meet and sometimes they had created business arrangements. Some got the chance to work with companies that they never thought they’d be able to work with before. The interesting thing about this was that there was no magic pill or secret password. They simply went and asked for what they wanted. The worst thing anyone can say is no, so why not at least ask? Too often we worry about the fact that someone is too high up on the ladder to contact. It never hurts to ask. We’re all still human and we all need something.

5. Find people with problems and help solve them- The final thing that I learned while teaching this class was the importance of looking at what other people need and thinking about how you can help them. I encouraged each member to talk to each other about their specific goals and problems that they were facing and the results were amazing. There were people in the comedy world assisting people in the visual arts world, companies that dealt with acrobatics supporting companies that were developing art installations, and the list goes on. There are plenty of people out there looking for help and who will be more than happy to return the favor in the future. Find those people.

6. Just do it- If you have a new idea and you have a passion for it, there’s only one way to see if it will work. The looks of surprise will keep coming and some people will tell you not to. If I had a dime for every time I have heard someone say that something can’t work, I’d be able to capitalize Spider-Man myself.

Entrepreneurs do.

So now that you’re done reading this blog post, go do something and get that look of surprise.

The Arts world is waiting for you.

Hurry up.

Excelsior!

Michael Roderick is the artistic director of Small Pond Entertainment and is a proud member of Fractured Atlas. He has worked as an office associate for Davenport Theatrical Enterprises and has Off Broadway producing credit as an Associate Producer of the musical ROOMS a Rock Romance at New World Stages as well as an Associate Producer of The New Hopeville Comics at The Chernuchin Theater at ATA. He is currently the program director for Self-Producing Artists at Theater Resources Unlimited. Michael is also a graduate of the Commercial Theatre Institute’s 14-week Program as well as the Six-week Creative Intensive Program. Michael is the organizer of the Independent Producers Alliance of NY and he holds a BA in Secondary Ed English and Theatre Performance from Rhode Island College as well as a Masters in Educational Theatre for Colleges and Communities from NYU.