Of Course Exceptions Prove the Rule
That doesn't mean there isn't a rule
In response to my post about being nice, Bill replied:
Sure...I know that worked for Joel Silver and Scott Rudin!
My first boss in Hollywood was Jeff Wald - and everyone old enough to remember knows what a "teddy bear" he was! I believe there's a famous story how he once gave Rod Stewart a "Love Tap" over a hotel room in Hawaii!
Yeah, okay, there are exceptions to ever rule, but this is one case where you don’t want to be exceptional. That being said, maybe some clarification is in order.
Where do you fall on the scale?
I had said in that post that you are still required to meet a minimum level of quality in your work, or you won’t get hired no matter how nice you are. The flip side I didn’t mention is, if you’re really, really good at your job, people might be willing to put up with more of your shit. It’s a bit like the Barney Stinson crazy/hot scale.
How good you are at your job is independent of how nice you are to others. Here’s a little chart to explain—
The most successful/talented/productive people probably will find employment somewhere, even if they’re assholes. But this is still not advisable, because the moment you stop bringing in money to the studio, they’ll drop you instantly.1
The other thing to keep in mind is, this stuff runs both ways.
Paying a Premium
Most of my readers are young and hungry. I’m trying to explain to you how to make yourself hirable. But one day, hopefully, you’ll be in a position to hire people, as well. And if you’re a jerk to work for, you’re going to have to pay more.
No one wants to work for someone who’s shouting all the time, blaming their underlings, throwing stuff. The very best crew can find jobs where they won’t be abused. Those a level or two below that will demand hazard pay. Sure, they don’t call it hazard pay, but there’s a reason why every director who has a reputation for being shitty to the crew also has a reputation for paying well. They have to.
Contrarywise, one of the best, most efficient AD’s I ever worked for was also the nicest. He never yelled, never manipulated, never treated anyone rudely. Yet, the shoot always ran on time, and many days we even wrapped early.
I asked him how he did it, and he just said, “you catch more flies with honey than vinegar.”
It really is as simple as that. The best people hired him, and he hired the best people, both in term of work quality and personalities. Some producers may be willing to spend extra money so they can get their jollies yelling at some poor grip or hapless camera assistant. But I think you’d be better off, now and in your future career, being one of the good ones.
Notice how many people who got MeToo’d were no longer at the top of their game, and how few moneymakers were taken down.
I would also argue that the times, they are a changin’… there’s a lower tolerance for shitty behavior now as opposed to before because of the sheer volume of creative talent that has flooded the zone. The gatekeepers / decision-makers have their pick of the litter and - all other things being equal - why WOULDN’T you hire a “kind person” over a “big personality”?
Yep. I worked much of the final two seasons on "Will & Grace" during its initial 8 year run, and the 1st AD on that show was absolutely one of the best I ever saw on set -- and he was also one of the nicest people, period.
Then there are guys like Joe Pytka -- about whom stories of bad behavior are legion, including breaking the arm of an agency guy during a lunchtime game of pickup basketball, and nailing a hapless PA in the head with a perfect-spiral football throw as the PA was walking across the set -- but who has fat resume of highly successful commercials with a trophy case full of Clio awards. I never had to work with him, but know several crew people who did, and yes, they were all paid a lot more than the rest of us, because they had to be. He was famous for being a brutally confrontational asshole with a mean streak. Then there's Michael Bay -- again, I never worked for him, but every story I've heard about how the man treats people on set has been ugly.
So that's Hollywood -- so long as you make the suits buckets of money, they'll put up with your shit ... but as soon as you begin to slip, look out.