Putting the “We” in “Awesome”

When we talk about projects in Hollywood, we tend to assign them to one person.

"Have you seen Tom Cruise's new movie," we might ask, or, "Did you hear what Christopher Nolan’s working on?"

This same naming process happens in business. Mark Zuckerberg is near-synonymous with Facebook; Jeff Bezos is always mentioned in the same breath as Amazon. In media, television, and even common conversation, we tend to apply the whole scope of an undertaking to a single person.

As someone who has worked in the entertainment industry for several decades, I can tell you that the one-name habit is one that needs breaking. I don't care what field you might work in; nothing creative comes to light in a vacuum.

The entertainment industry is one of the most interpersonally-dependent businesses there is. Stars like Cruise might earn the attention, but the work is inherently collaborative; to successfully execute a project, you need every producer, writer, actor, and overtired production assistant to pour their effort and belief into the undertaking. Moreover, leaders in the field need to recognize the value of their contributor's voices and imaginations if they want to succeed. After all, there's only so many ideas one producer or executive can bring to the table before the pitches begin to sound repetitive.

I'm not pushing collaboration's cause arbitrarily; I've lived its value firsthand. While, yes, my production company, Brian Graden Media (BGM), does bear my name, I know that its true personality and potential stems from its crack team of musicians, pop culture junkies, sports fanatics, fashionistas, and debate geeks. Without them, BGM wouldn't have the same ability to produce its trademark out-of-the-box creative content.

To make my point in micro: BGM’s greatest successes have come from ensembles, where each individual contributes to something more than the sum of its parts. Our shows “Finding Prince Charming,” and “Gay Skit Happens” had some standout personalities, but the soul of each program was found in the interplay between characters, a quality that drives the best productions in every genre.

Creative collaboration drives success in Hollywood, but its importance isn't confined to the entertainment industry, either. Team-powered innovation is a vital part of every field, from writing to entrepreneurship to accounting. Implementing and encouraging shared creativity, however, is often easier said than done.

I'll quote Forbes writer Dinah Gachman on the matter: “Creative collaboration, whether it’s in the arts or business, can be inspiring, fun, and invigorating [...] It can also give you an ulcer, bring on insomnia, and lure you into occasional daydreams about tearing up your collaboration agreement or your LLC paperwork and throwing it in your partner’s face.”

If you're lucky, the only thrown objects are sheets of paper and not whatever unlucky prop or production assistant happens to be sitting nearby.

Jokes aside, though, Gachman is right; real barriers to constructive teamwork exist in every industry. Let's investigate a few in greater depth.

Poor Structure

It might sound counterintuitive, but creative collaboration demands structure.

Consider a film set. While the buzzing area might seem chaotic to an outsider, it is in reality highly structured. Every person in the room has a set schedule and role to play; they know who they should report to if they have a problem and what they'll need to do for the rest of the day. If the set didn't have those organizational features in place, you can rest assured that the film would take longer to produce and be of far less quality.

The same goes for every product launch, business start, and presentation; without structure, ideas will never have a sturdy lattice on which to grow.

Ego and Arrogance

Ceding total control is difficult for creatives. In those thrilling early stages of idea development, we feel as though the project is entirely ours; we alone have a vision for its execution, and we know exactly what needs to happen to make the final product perfect.

Our perfect visions, however, usually don't stand up to reality. Sometimes, ideas need to shift and evolve beyond what we originally intended; if creators are unwilling to facilitate that change, they run the risk of stifling their pet projects into nonexistence - and as a bonus, few industry professionals will be inclined to work with them again.

The most successful creatives can overcome their ego and embrace collaborative work; after all - the name of who came up with the original idea is rarely as important as the final product's quality.

Undervalued Team Members

On a similar note: every collaborator needs to receive credit where credit is due. This is especially necessary for the entertainment industry, where creatives might work 12+ hours a day in pursuit of a project. However, it is equally important to recognize an engineer who pulls several all-nighters to ensure that a product is ready by launch day or an administrative worker who gives her all to make a CEO's day more manageable. When that recognition falls flat - or worse, when contributor efforts are taken for granted - that collaborative energy can quickly turn to negativity.

As business researcher Teresa Amabile explains the matter in an article for Harvard Business Review, " People can feel used, or at the least under-appreciated, for their creative efforts. And it is rare to find the energy and passion of intrinsic motivation coupled with resentment.”

Value your team - otherwise, the project you hold such high hopes for may never see the light of day. No accomplishments occur in a vacuum. For great ideas to truly thrive, only a capable group of talented individuals can give them life.