My favorite word is “Yes.” It has so much promise, it’s positive (by definition), and it feels good to say. To me, saying “Yes” means possibilities, opportunities, work, progress, relationships, the sky is the limit. When you say “Yes” things happen and that’s exciting!
Whenever I’m approached to do a project, participate in a panel, guest lecture, offer advice, whatever it is, I try to say yes and do it. Sometimes there’s an obvious up side to saying yes, like a great paycheck. But that’s not the only reason to say yes. Sometimes the money isn’t that great, but the opportunity to work with new people and build new relationships is worthwhile. Sometimes it’s a project you may be very interested in, dealing with a topic that’s close to your heart. Sometimes it’s a credit that augments your resume in a meaningful way.
Whatever the case, unless there’s a compelling reason to turn an opportunity down, say yes! You never know where it might lead.
When Danny Elfman was tapped to score the Errol Morris documentary Standard Operating Procedure, I was asked if I would be willing to work on it for very little money. I was available at the time and looking forward to a break after a long stretch of non-stop work, but I knew of Errol and wanted to work with him (not to mention I had an ongoing relationship with Danny, which I wanted to nurture) so I said yes. During that project I ended up flying to Boston to work with Errol at his Cambridge offices, which afforded me the opportunity to visit my alma mater Berklee College of Music. We did the final dub in New York, where I spent a couple of weeks and was able to bring my then soon-to-be wife along.
She had never been to New York, so we took an extra couple of days after the project was done to spend together in the city, meet up with friends and be tourists. That experience alone was worth it. Add to that how wonderful it was to work with Errol, and how interesting the project was, creatively, musically, technically and the subject matter, and when I was done I felt I was privileged to have worked on it. Saying yes to that project was also the beginning of a relationship with Errol, who has since used me on Tabloid and again with Elfman on his latest documentary film, The Unknown Known. So perhaps the paycheck wasn’t stellar, but it paid off in many ways that are priceless.
Here’s another example – a few years ago a former intern of mine asked me if I’d be willing to guest lecture at a new film-scoring lab he was helping create in Rome, Italy. The dates weren’t set, the details were vague, nothing was set in stone, and we discussed lecturing via Skype. I said yes. A couple of years later he called again. The International Film Scoring Lab in Italy’s National School of Cinema in Rome, Italy was finally a reality and I was invited to come speak in person. They weren’t offering any pay, but they did offer to cover the cost of the flight there and back and put me up in a hotel. I had never been to Rome, and my brother lives in London, so I accepted and had them book me a flight with a stop-over in London for a couple of days. It was a fantastic trip, which was then repeated twice more for two subsequent labs. I even got to bring my family along one of those times.
I have had plenty more cases where saying yes for reasons other than the paycheck has led to wonderful things. Saying yes to Hustle & Flow earned me a Golden Reel Award Nomination and cemented my relationship with director/producer John Singleton, who has called me on every project he’s directed or produced since. Saying yes to helping Danny Elfman out with his concert work Serenada Schizophrana led to a trip to Toronto to work on IMAX: Deep Sea, a visit to IMAX headquarters, meeting Graeme Ferguson (one of the original inventors of the format), working with Howard Hall with whom I continue to work to this day and a Golden Reel Award. Saying yes to Ray McKinnon on Chrystal lead to him hiring me on Randy & the Mob where I met composer John Swihart who is now a close friend and frequent collaborator. On a personal note, saying yes to a coffee date, even though I don’t drink coffee, led to 7 years of married bliss & 2 wonderful kids.
Taking chances and saying yes for reasons other than a paycheck will often pay off in spades. And at worst, if it doesn’t, you’ll have one more experience under your belt.
If you have any questions, feel free to contact me, or add a comment.