Will you work for anybody that comes calling for our industry?
Everyone is hopped up on the current presidential race, and if you’re not posting memes on Facebook, you’re talking about it at your gigs. Would you work for a campaign you didn’t like if the gig came calling? Well, how professional are you? Can you keep your mouth shut, do your job, and collect that fat paycheck for someone you don’t agree with?
Political parties call on our services for events. I have lit a former president, it was a great experience, and Secret Service are some intensely cool folks! I jumped at the chance to do it, and he was on the opposite side of my political views. Who cares, it was a recent former president. It is a pretty fun little badge of lighting designer honor!
Lines in the Sand
I think that everyone in our industry has a line they won’t cross, but for some, it may be way down the political spectrum from your particular line drawn in the sand. We all also know who and what we won’t work for, what kinds of clients are unacceptable. I guess I’m a bit of a materialistic weasel, because if I had a gig with the DNC on Monday and the RNC on Friday, you better believe I’m taking ‘em. I have bills.
But I do draw a line in the sand. I don’t work for bigots, and I can’t suffer racists. You may get opportunities to work those kinds of gigs in your career. Extremists and fanatic groups of all kinds, along with companies with varying levels of scruples, they all need somebody, it’s just not gonna be me.
You’re gonna discuss these kinds of gigs at the office, and some of your colleagues are going to have worked those gigs you turned down, and they have opinions, too. They might have worked the gig because they believed it, so when your opinion is contrary, approach with caution, lighting friends!
There really is so much political trash talking to be had right now if you are in any industry — we happen to work in the entertainment industry, where intellect, our personal productivity, enthusiasm, and our die-hard belief in points of view with our colleagues at the “office” all does this magic and dangerous dance like a big delicious bowl of Sean Cagney’s chili macaroni and cheese and the tense hours following. It sometimes goes well and it sometimes turns into a storm of septic proportions.
Whichever way those kinds of discussions go, one thing is for certain — everyone will remember that particularly pertinent or sticky discussion, and your point of view on it. One thing you can always count on is that people will always remember you — especially if that discussion spoils!
A Practical Approach
What’s a good rule of thumb for talking politics at work? You’re going to make decisions regarding where to hold your tongue, and you’re probably going to get mad at someone’s point of view once or twice.
I tend to be a loud voice in the discussion, and I’m not always right. That’s how it goes for all of us! I reached out to some of our industry’s top people to find out what they had to say about getting into political chit-chat at work. Here’s what Joe Cabrera II, who is half of Joe and Cat (West) of Flash and Trash Works, Inc., had to say when I asked him for the advice he’d give to someone who wanted to know the best way to work a gig for a client with clashing political views.
“If you find the environment of the gig you’re on turning nasty in any way, don’t poke the bear,” Cabrera advised. “Often, the best course of action is to just not say anything. Don’t let yourself be baited into mud-slinging, no matter how tempting it may be.”
I then asked him what he’d tell someone who says that they’d never work for Client X.
“If someone is in the position to be able to refuse work based simply on the client or the organization, more power to them,” Cabrera said. “In my experience, it’s rarely an entire organization that is problematic, but rather just one or two cogs in the wheel. If you can go about working the gig in spite of the poison pills, you might find everyone else is amazing, and the work you’re involved with justifies the minor annoyance of dealing with political animals.”
The Beer O’Clock Remedy
I reached out to Ruben Laine, and he said in his wonderful Ruben way: “I haven’t yet been offered work yet by an ideology that can be so unnatural and destructive that I would turn down the gig. Sure, there may be a thing or two about them that might drive you insane in the process, but there’s nothing “Beer O’ Clock” can’t fix. After all, it is all part of the human condition, and we must learn to accept others if we ourselves expect to be accepted in return.”
Ruben’s one of the main brains over at DMD S7udios in Miami, who is one of the genius people in our business doing projection mapping. Ruben also has a kind of “pull up your big boy pants and do your job” positive attitude.
Ideology vs. Tolerance
Sean Cagney from Amazing Industries also trumpeted what seems to be the smart person thing to do, which is your job!
“Let’s skip political and go religious,” Cagney began. “I’m an atheist. I’m not buying any of it, but I think most people who do belong to a house of worship are just trying to make sense of their lives same as me. Live and Let Live.
“That being said, when I get calls about houses of worship, I look up who just called. If nothing particularly offsetting to me comes up… let’s do a sale, we’ll go on whatever that religious stock media site is and get them a gorgeous collection of media, and otherwise do what we do as best we can (within budget) and keep the economy going… into my bank account. And If I’m hungry enough, I won’t fool myself into thinking I can afford being picky.
“Running a camera or building a deck for the ‘other political team’ is not your endorsement. If anything, you’re dragging their dollars back to your team and should do it often,” Cagney continued. “Not pointing a camera at Hillary or refusing to build a stage for Trump isn’t a far cry from the bakers that won’t sell gay people a wedding cake.”
Tortured Artists
One of my favorite pros talks politics and gigging. Nook Schoenfeld of Visual Ventures Design, said this: “Contrary to what many people in our business will say, we are whores. I charge clients accordingly if they fall into the ‘tortured artist’ category, because I really don’t want the gig. But if I’m sitting on the couch, I won’t think twice about taking that gig lighting up the NRA convention. They’ve paid me well to shut up and light some clowns.”
He adds, “Mind you, one must always leave their political views behind in pursuit of the dollar. I have one artist who is a staunch Republican, while I’m a liberal guy. We hit Cleveland to play at the GOP convention. The best way for me to deal with a scenario like this was to keep daydreaming that I’m the new replacement for Jon Stewart and I’m just mining bits of info I can use on Comedy Central. Of course, everyone has one line you have to draw when it comes to personal beliefs. Mine is ‘No amount of money is worth working for Kanye.’”
Jim Hutchison, editor of the blog www.JimonLight.com is too professional to make a big deal over his political preferences, but the the boot on his head is a pretty obvious giveaway.