Re: Changing the Standard

Ron Lindeboom There's a restaurant here in Paso Robles that is downright terrible. They are even truthful in their marketing and call it Big Bubba's Bad B-B-Q.

Well that must be a California thing, because that would NEVER happen here in the midwest. Large chains come and go like the wind in our part of the country. Don Pablo's has consistently been rated the best Mexican chain restaurant in the U.S. by the industry's own trade mags. They came to Evansville and built a very cool restuarant. My family ate there many times and the food was outstanding...but the service was terrible. In fact anyone you talked to had the same experiences...great food, ungodly service.

They lasted about a year. That was with the backing of a national advertising campaign that was clever and highly produced.

Ron Lindeboom And success is ALMOST NEVER based solely on talent. Some of the most talented musicians and songwriters that I have ever heard are so obscure that few would know them if I named them.

Just to be clear...I pointed out that I agreed with the premise of Franklin's post. And I didn't say success was based SOLELY on talent. What I said was you couldn't have one without the other.

I've met and worked with quite a few high profile artists (actors and musicians) in my 25 years in this business. And the things that stand out about almost all of them is:

1. They're good people. Cordial, thoughtful, and unbelieveably professional in everything they do...even when asked to do arguably stupid things.

2. They're incredibly talented...in fact, they make what they do look positively easy. But they also work incredibly hard and have unending energy, passion and determination.

Now certainly there are some oddballs and outright pricks out there in the entertainment world and other professions. And there are certainly people with MORE talent than some of these folks who've achieved next to nothing, but to suggest that people achieving at the highest level in this or any profession don't possess an incredible amount of talent is unfair.

Hard work and enthusiasm and drive and tenacity pay off in knowledge and experience. These people achieve not only because they work hard, but that hard work makes them good at what they do.


It's like saying Kobe Bryant or Lebron James are good only because they're talented or only because they work hard. It's both! But they also are gifted physically and mentally well beyond other athletes.

In the regular working man's world, I think you've gotta have all three of those to achieve at a very high level.

We've used some freelancers over the years that I've considered sort of our "go to" guys. But as we've improved and the quality of our work has gotten better, I've become frustrated with them. They're still incredibly hard-working and dependable to a fault. But they don't bring that extra little "spark" to projects that I think is necessary to take us to the next level. So in getting back to the original post...if the freelancer wants to expand his client base while firing one of his "go to" clients...he better be prepared to wratchet up his skills and abilities. He can do that partly through hard work and tenacity and drive. But just like how I've become frustrated with out freelancers...if this guy doesn't have that little something extra that a client is looking for...he won't get hired.

So in the end...I agree with both you and Franklin...but I don't think you achieve at a high-level without both hard work and talent. What's the old saying, "the harder I work the smarter I get?" That's probably true, but if you were a dope to start with, you'll still lag behind the "smart guy."


I've told people for years that I achieve because I work harder than almost anybody I know. But you know what...I think I have some innate skills that help tremendously.... things like having a good eye for framing, a good ear for music and dialogue, a good feel for the rhythym and timing of edits etc. Some of it you can learn, some you can't.

But good discussion of what it takes to succeed! It's what I like about the Cow!

Chris Blair
Magnetic Image, Inc.
Evansville, IN
www.videomi.com