do they become viable stars with productive careers over an extended period of time . More often , they stumble onto a great opportunity , maybe even two , only to find that at least for them , lightning seldom strikes twice , let alone thrice .
This unfortunate phenomenon of “ one-hitwonderdum ”/ flash-in-the-panism ” is not exclusive to any gender , any particular race or ethnic group - on the contrary . Hollywood is an equal opportunity nonemployer . You can find all sorts of people , from every social strata , from all walks of life , who never “ made it ” or saw “ making it ” come and go so quickly ( and usually so unceremoniously ) that their heads were left either spinning or even worse , exploding .
Not to sound too much like that cat on those TV commercials , Captain Obvious , but what ’ s needed is staying power . The term is pretty self-explanatory but I define it as the “ art ” of one sticking around long enough to have created a body of work ; to have accomplished some of one ’ s creative / artistic goals in the process and have had the opportunity to enjoy the fruits of one ’ s labors . Forget about the two Ls : legacy and legend . No matter what we do or how great we become – even if we are the ones that get the conversation going – it ’ s going to take other people to make that whole legend / legacy thing happen . We may even be long gone , when and if it ever does happen . Better to do great work for as long as we can and let the ones who experience and witness it make those kinds of decisions . We just want to do great and let people enjoy it now and for many years to come .
Some artist might say that staying busy and more importantly , staying employed , is what ’ s really important . I can dig it . But what if we take it a step further ? What if we resolve that the only way to assure steady employment … is to become your own employer ? What if we create work , marketable projects for ourselves , while still pursuing our mainstream , industry goals , instead of wondering why the phone doesn ’ t ring like it used to , anymore ?
Producing is not easy . After more than 30 years as a producer of live entertainment , as well as film and TV , I can tell you from personal experience that producing is hard . But what aspect of show business doesn ’ t come with its share of challenges ? Hard is part of the journey and it beats being out of the game that we love so much . How do you think your favorite movie stars , TV stars and music stars have survived the test of time ? Do you think it ’ s because they ’ re adored so much ? Or maybe because they ’ re superior talents and cream always rises to the top ? Well maybe it does but what then ? It ’ s a long way down !
Mega stars like : LeBron James , Denzel Washington , Tom Cruise , Brad Pitt , Shonda Rhimes , Jay Z and Beyonce are all at least part-time producers . So are a lot of people who are not quite so famous . Some are not famous , at all outside of their peers . They ’ re just making that famous-level bread . Those people know how show business works . They know how fast the industry and fans will forget about them and move on to the next hot thing , if they don ’ t produce .
Producers create work for themselves and those they enjoy working with , while being key decisionmakers in a collaborative process that yields quality content for public consumption . Some mostly perform and only produce intermittently . For others it ’ s the other way around . Either way , careers are extended , in some cases , indefinitely , when producing is added to one ’ s skill set and resume . If you really want to stay busy constantly ( and you better ) and want to have an extended career you need to seriously consider learning how to create a project or a concept for a project for yourself and then shepherding that project to fruition .
That ’ s what producing is all about . If you ’ re doing this already , if you are already the driving , creative force behind your projects and you complete them , my friend , you are already a producer . Be sure to get your credit … and your check ! Keep on auditioning . Keep submitting and selling yourself . By all means , keep on seeking out opportunities for yourself as a talent in the mainstream . At the end of the day , when it comes to opportunities , the more the merrier and the better your chances are of hitting and lasting . Now put it in the mix with great ideas , writing , casting , crew / technicians , marketing and sales . The downside is you ’ ll most likely have less free time . But you ’ ll probably also have a longer career . You ’ ll have developed some staying power . So , produce and stick around ! Thanks for reading . Huge success ! All the best and God bless !
Tony “ Phruishun ” Spires is a filmmaker ( writer / director / producer / actor ), recording artist , musician , playwright , event producer , manager , and featured columnist for Humor Mill Magazine . He ’ s Producing Artistic Director of Full Vision Arts Foundation . Known as The Comedy Doctor in comedy circles , and “ Coach Tony ” to teens from The Bay to LA , he is perhaps best known as the founder of the nationally reputed Bay Area Black Comedy Competition & Festival . Check out his latest album , “ WEYUZ2LUV at PHRUISHUN . COM . Join him on social media at : @ phruishun .