Most if not all negotiations are a combination choreographed dance, manipulation and fear of loss. The latter stems from our own inbred animal instincts which exert a strong influence over negotiations; even those where one side objectively has more leverage than the other.
From knowledge comes strength and while you can’t entirely eliminate fear from negotiations, the zen of knowing that it’s there minimizes its influence.
We spend an inordinate amount of time in service of our fear to our detriment. Seth Godin sizes it up nicely:
. . . . Chipmunks, wolves and other wild animals rarely get jealous…
Unlike anywhere else in the world, Oscar weekend has the greatest impact in Los Angeles. Aside from traffic closures and the heartbreak and envy of Oscar parties to the uninvited, Oscar weekend provides the creative community with a weekend of self-reflection, profound anxiety and (dashed?) hopes for the future. The dream of so many here is that they too will be thanking the Academy for their own Oscar someday.
Mindful that so many may be inspired after the Academy Awards to take a different approach, the following post, originally published on DealFatigue offers some guidance.
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If you want to get anywhere in any aspect of the entertainment business you need friends in high places.
But this business is a business. Friends can easily become enemies even if you make business decisions that in any other context might be appropriate.
This is true for most business cultures but it’s all the more acute where, as here, there’s a high concentration of emotionally driven, exceptionally creative (but oftentimes, profoundly insecure) people all fighting for far too few opportunities. …
Peter Kaufman
Lawyer navigating the entertainment business landscape and deal-making culture.
