Designer Times
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Believe it or not, I found that the business stuff was kinda fun......I could see how financial control is absolutely crucial when you are dealing with crackpot creative types chasing a wild gig. I learned how to do detailed cost estimating along with weight estimates, just like what I had been doing since 1954. When Universal Studios Tour asked for a fixed price estimate in 1985 on a 30 foot tall Gorilla, I jumped right on it. Every detail piece of something is gonna cost something and it's gonna weigh something. Who better to figure this out than the designer. Extra work I know, but it's the heart of real business design. We came within 1% on weight and 3% on cost at the end of that job!

Interesting point; in a big organization you get paid every week whether your design works or not. You get paid even if you don't ship a product on time. In the real world, bum design, no delivery to the client, no invoice, no receivable, your family faces starvation. Boy, I can tell you that you learn practical expert design right now, something that can be built to cost and delivery schedule. I met a ton of very bright folks who produced no-nonsense great entertainment products during those years.

The next big thing to learn out of the nest is how organizations work, how they negotiate and compete, and who the crooks are. The most vital knowledge is to learn who is competent and who is a flake. Every gig will teach you something. Your reputation is only as good as the success of your last gig. When a team is gathering for a new project, the big question is "who else is on it?" I learned when to avoid a job if certain folks were involved. I had no reluctance to decline to bid on giant jobs if I thought the idea was too risky. Once, as a VP in a Themed Entertainment Company, I no-bid a monstrous job in Florida that had sharks in it. That one later had to be built twice before becoming successful.

What I really enjoyed during this period from 1981 to 2000 was working with some of the industry greats. Steve Wynn and Steven Spielberg guided their fabulous projects much the way Walt Disney did. It was a joy to see that great guys still do business today, just like Walt.....directly and with no MBA army of drones. Practical creative decisions right now, no dilly dally committees to wait on. Walt would speak directly to the person doing the work, not thru an interfering command structure......the same with Spielberg and Wynn. Gosh how I enjoyed their projects.

The next series of Designer Times stories will look in detail at some wild and fabulous gigs, some of which survived to near classic reputation. And we'll also tell some funny business tales along the way.

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Next month: RiverTowne Restaurant Animation