Creatives Working Together: Communication and Cooperation for Media Professionals

With this book, filmmaker Jeffrey Michael Bays utilizes a range of professional leadership experience with his background in creative collaboration to guide today’s media practitioners in getting along harmoniously. This book begins by exploring the unique personality traits that make it difficult for artists to work together, then offers solutions with expertly guided tutorials on leadership, motivation, and conflict resolution. Readers are then guided through the intimidating waters of business communication, including how to manage their inbox and send clear, effective emails. The text includes case studies featuring content on real media practitioners, ethics scenarios, writing exercises, as well as surveys and data to back up each chapter’s assessments. Providing a framework for success in today’s media businesses, this book will be an integral reference guide for creative professionals and students who want to gain leadership skills, resolve conflicts, and maximize the efficiency of the creative teams they work in.

Table of Contents:
Ch 1. Creatives Working Together Creative Collaboration – Business vs. Art – Success Stories – Collaboration vs. Competition – Starting with Empathy and Understanding – Embracing Cultural Differences – Resisting the Urge to Give Up – Assembling Your Competent Warriors – Ethics: Being an Honest Creative Ch 2. Navigating Creative Personalities The Personality Landscape – Understanding the Creative Process – Artist Personalities – Artist Psychology – Artists Working Together – Embracing Differences – Ethics: Don’t Try to Diagnose Ch 3. Protecting the Actor Bubble Understanding the Self-Conscious Performer – Actor Personalities – Actor Psychology – Creating a Protective Actor Bubble – Documentary Subjects and Podcast Guests – Toward a Stronger Team – Ethics: Breaching the Actor Bubble Ch 4. Leadership and Teamwork A Team of Self-Leaders – Team Etiquette – The Roles of a Leader – Having Influence – Styles of Leadership – Mixing Leadership Styles – Ideal Qualities of a Leader – The Nuts and Bolts of Leading – Moving Forward – Ethics: Influence Gone Wrong Ch 5. Motivating the Cast and Crew Propelling the Purpose – Motivation Begins at the Top – Most Creative Projects Feel Bad – Showing Footage as a Motivator – Motivation Theories – What Motivates Creatives? – Needs of Creatives Working Together – When Creatives Procrastinate – Your Team Takes Shape – Ethics: How Not To Motivate Ch 6. Flow of Information and Authority Knowing How You Fit In – Flow of Information within the Team – Organizational Design – Anatomy of the Organizational Chart – Chain of Command – A Stronger Collaboration – Ethics: Jumping the Chain Ch 7. Overcoming Team Negativity Team Negativity – Causes of Negativity – Preventing Negativity as a Team – When it Turns to Conflict – Solving a Conflict – Approaches to Avoid – The Importance of an Apology – Solving an Actor Conflict – Violence, Harassment, and Bigotry – Moving Forward – Ethics: Another Look Ch 8. Basics of Communicating Professionally Starting with Empathy – Being a Smart Communicator – The Communication Model – Choosing the Right Channel – Timing of Your Message – Barriers to Communication – Responding to Senders – On a Smarter Path – Writing Exercise: Say No Ch. 9 Crafting the Message Writing the Message – Using the Direct Pattern – Persuading with the Indirect Pattern – Writing the Reply – Special Goodwill Messages – Going Forward with Confidence – Writing Exercise: Revise an Email Ch 10. Anatomy of a Good Business Letter Paying Attention to Tone – Recipient Fields – Subject Line – The Greeting – The Email Body – The Closing – Signatures – Attachments – Writing a Paper Business Letter – Looking Good – Writing Exercise: Invite Someone to Collaborate Ch 11. Navigating the Spam Epidemic The Spam Epidemic – Keeping Your Emails Out of Filters – Finding Accidentally Filtered Messages – Discerning Real vs. Fake – Ways to Reduce Spam – Competent Warriors Going Forward – Writing Exercise: Rewrite a Spammy Email Ch 12. Sample Emails for Media Professionals Apology Note – Request a Podcast Interview – Letter of Recommendation – Cover Letter – Follow Up – Saying No – Quitting a Job – Writing Exercise: Write a Recommendation Ch 13. Holidays to Avoid January/February – March/April – May/June – July/August – September/October – November/December Ch 14. Film Production Communication During Development – During Pre-Production – During Production – During Post-Production – Release and Thereafter – Sample Communication

About the Author :
Jeffrey Michael Bays is an American filmmaker and radio producer, best known for his SiriusXM radio play ‘Not From Space,’ the first to record its actors remotely over the Internet. With a Master of Arts in Cinema Studies from La Trobe University, he is a frequent speaker at film festivals worldwide, including places like Los Angeles, Atlanta, Toronto, St. Louis, Palm Springs, Boulder, Buffalo, Santa Cruz, and Bern. Jeffrey is a contributor to MovieMaker Magazine, producer of the collaborative Hitch20 docu-series exploring Hitchcock's twenty works of TV, and author of two filmmaking books: Between the Scenes and Suspense With a Camera.

Review :
“Creatives Working Together uncovers the human qualities of filmmaking that we don't talk enough about. Every creative person needs to read and study this book, whether you are a newbie or a seasoned professional!" Peter D. Marshall, Director of Fox’s 21 Jump Street and CBS’ Wiseguy, 1stAD on Butterfly Effect and Happy Gilmore “This is a fantastic book, breaking down the collaborative process from so many interesting angles. Just about anyone who needs to work collaboratively with others will discover gems of knowledge here.” Sam Price-Waldman, Director of Photography for HBO’s The Vow and Showtime’s The Lincoln Project “Creatives Working Together gives a fascinating insight into what goes on during the creative process and how creatives achieve their goals. I highly recommend this book!” Alex McColgan, Executive Producer, Astrum YouTube Channel