May 2022
Project Development 101
One of the most important aspects of a project is the talent. In this article we discuss the casting of creative talent. Skills play an important role however there is so much more that goes into assembling a team.
Casting the Creative Spirit
I recently had the opportunity to produce a series of interviews with creatives.
During my career, I have often had the task of developing project teams. While there is a set formula to filling the project positions, the real skill is bringing the right people, the storytellers, together to create a well balanced team that you hope will be able to work cohesively to insure a successful outcome.
My current position here at Reveal Studio is Director of Project Development.
Getting to know people, not just their skills and experience is just as crucial. While I don’t consider myself a casting director, the process is very similar to casting a play or a movie or a TV show. And yes, skills and experience are highly valued however, the key is knowing the correct pairing. And the secret to that, is getting to know the creative spirit.
So how do you identify the creative spirits? Does everyone have a creative spirit? Yes! Everyone that puts their minds to task is creative. It is not exclusively those who express through the traditional arts. I’ve looked at 100s of portfolios, websites and Youtube videos with 1000s of images that express the designs of artist, designers, graphic designers, writers, and technical engineers just to name a few. In interviews I often spend most of the time getting to know the person across from me. I can scan a body of work quickly to know if they have the chops. Resumes and portfolios tells me the skill level of the designer but it still doesn’t tell me the core of the creative spirit. How is that possible, it’s right there in black and white or in living color. Sure, however as I mentioned, creativity is not exclusive to those that represent their visions in a physical form.
Creativity comes in all forms. Communication, critical thinking, problem solving, verbal & physical expression. Everyone of these interactions are forms of storytelling. I look for the individual that brings the story to life in dynamic, compelling, exciting and inspirational ways. The foundation must begin with creating. And the creating, in all aspects must be creative!
I have a tool box. And in that box, among many things, there are four questions. During the course of our conversations and interviews, I will asked those four questions.
1. What’s in your toolbox?
2. If you had no boundaries, no constraints and a blank space, what would you do with those tools?
3. Of all the things you have heard, all the opinions you have dealt with, what is the one thing you would tell others to ignore?
4. And finally, who has or who does, what has or what does inspire you the most.
We all have tool boxes. Thoughts, experiences or things we have gathered through the years that we have found to be of great service to us. Some are simple reminders of situations that have resulted in great wisdom, others send up the red flag! Many times I have thought to myself, Ah ha! I’ve been here before! Let me take a look inside the box and see if I got a tool for this situation! Most of the time I do!Wide open spaces. Filling the void. What would you do with nothing? There is a great App for the Oculus called Horizon. It’s in the Beta state and is accessible only via a code. FaceBook developed it. In this space you can create anything you want. I call my space Heidi’s Sandbox. Let’s call your space, the sandbox. What would you do with your tools in your sandbox?
Opinions. We are plagued with opinions. Everybody has one. Through the years those opinions can help or deter us. Make us feel grand or make us feel small. Support us or abandon us. When you look back, what opinion was the one that stood out as the worse, if you had the chance to shout it to the world, what would you tell others to ignore?
Inspiration. Inspiration is the greatest motivator. Most of the time we might not even know how, who or what ignites us to stoke the fires. You might look back and realize that the point of inspirational combustion it was a movie, or a speaker or a teacher or friend. A book can set our world in motion. Inspiration is magical. Share the magic in your life. Who, what, when, where did or do you find your inspiration?
Now that I have asked you the four questions in my tool box, I hope you will take the time to send me your answers or comments. Email me at heidi.hirsch@revealstudio.com.
I promise to share mine in the next Blog. For now, cut loose! Enjoy the sandbox!
By the way, the project is called “Casting the Creative Spirit”. Once we have it in the can, I’ll post it here!
Remember everybody has a creative spirit. What’s yours?
June 2022
Our industry is changing every day! New forms of entertainment are on the horizon. During my incarnation (Housebound due to the Plague) I discovered the Oculus and became enamored with Walkabout Mini Golf. Recently my colleague Don Carson, Senior Art Director for Mighty Coconut, the developer of WalkAbout Mini golf, invited Karen Thompson, Art Director and Colorist at THG and me to be interviewed on the course discussing the thematic elements and importance of storytelling to enhance engagement of the players.
Please click on this link to watch the video produced by Mighty Coconut.
Thank you for your interest! Let me know what you think! feel free to email me at heidi.hirsch@revealstudio.com
Heidi