Читать книгу Creative Courage - Altidor Welby - Страница 7

When I met Welby for the first time, one could say that part of the setting was somewhat familiar to the world I was creating in the script of the TV show CSI. There was obscurity surrounding us, even if we were not in a dark alley. Then the shadowy, tensed atmosphere was sporadically disturbed by shots of light and music, video projections, dances, and incredible acrobatics and by a flurry of activities onstage and in the working theater, filled with computers, artists, technicians. As I sat with my team at the back of the house, I felt the whole energy of Las Vegas concentrated inside the performing space where Welby was busy creating the show Michael Jackson ONE with Jamie King and a talented team from Cirque du Soleil and beyond.

I grew up in Las Vegas, where my love for music and live stage performances started. My mother worked at the Riviera Hotel, where legends like Bill Withers and the 5th Dimension performed. Music never stopped inspiring me. So, it was extra special for me to meet with Welby at that moment. He was in the middle of creating a hit show, although he didn't know it back then. That too was familiar; I was catching him as the work was still in progress, in flux, in that fragile and vulnerable place where you are not sure if it's going to work or not, your heart full of hope and caffeine.

I should know a thing or two about being vulnerable and about dancing with the unknown. When I first imagined, dreamed, and created the TV show CSI, nobody knew about me in Hollywood. As a young guy from Las Vegas, I was representing in many ways the cliché of the misfit with not much more than a dream and a few dollars to his name.

Creating something new that resonates with many is hard. It's never an exact science although the process is always exacting. And at the core of that process lies a subtle, often overlooked question: Can we create something amazing, innovative, without crushing our soul and the spirit of our team in the process? Is it inevitable to do great work at a great cost to you and the team that surrounds you? Is leadership, creative and otherwise, only about sacrifices?

I pitched the idea of a TV script following a team of forensic experts investigating in Las Vegas (and subsequently in New York, Miami, and even the cyber world!) many times before someone said yes. I had to absorb many “NOs!” along the way, uttered at times in the most impersonal way, as body blows coming from left and right. I was lucky to meet through it all talented, visionary, and courageous people who decided to bet on my potential, starting with celebrated producer Jerry Bruckheimer and acclaimed TV executive Nina Tassler.

I love that Welby explores in this book two concepts that are fundamental to my vision of success. Creativity, of course, and courage. As an artist and an outsider in Hollywood back then, I aimed to break the rules by offering a different approach to storytelling on TV that changed the standards and the paradigm of that era. So much so that it inspired a generation of shows that adopted and were inspired by it. That creativity and thirst for innovation are at the heart of what drives my work, whether I dream of new TV series, Broadway shows, or a celebration of cutting-edge diversity through the medium of comic books.

As a producer, I can never take for granted courage, a quality that is critical to lasting and impactful success. It's a mind-set that I have in part acquired thanks to my childhood in Las Vegas, where I learned the value of risk-taking. The risk-taker can be reckless of course, mindless or arrogant, but I prefer the courageous ones who – like some of my mentors – never shy away from taking a chance on the misfits, the odd man or odd woman out. It takes courage to zig when the world zags, but this truism is also at the heart of creativity, innovation, and success.

Since that first day where we met in the theater of the Mandalay Bay hotel in Las Vegas, Welby and I continued to foster a precious friendship, peppered with dreams of collaborating together on projects and mutual support, admiration for our respective work and ethos.

Through the last few years, I've known Welby to be passionate about creating beautiful live experiences and shows with Cirque du Soleil, but I also discovered his passion for improving the way that beauty and innovation is created. Welby's obsession covers not only the output of work but also the process that leads to its creation. Said differently, he's driven to create amazing things amazingly. Fearlessly, he wants to improve not only the “what” but also the “how” of innovation.

I've had the privilege to work with incredible teams of supremely talented showrunners, producers, and actors. I know firsthand how much the quality of our process or lack thereof affects the final product, the story, the result. The way we treat people and the way we find productive ways to work together and harmonize our individual styles and beliefs all contribute to making our shows and our businesses great – or not.

And for every project and each new milestone, that quest needs reinvention through courage, creativity, and humility. In my industry, we are never completely in control of the destiny of our work. We are constantly waiting for a yes, for the green light of someone else on the project on which we are working. Although this is a reality that can't be completely erased or contoured, Creative Courage: Leveraging Imagination, Collaboration, and Innovation to Create Success Beyond Your Wildest Dreams invites us beautifully and convincingly to start by saying yes to ourselves and the potential of our dreams.

In that way, Welby's thoughts represent an expression of what I tried to convey years ago when I named my production company Dare to Pass. I invite you to join Welby's vivid explorations and in the process, refuse to pass on your wildest dreams. Whether you are moving on something new, closing a chapter of your life, going deeper into your current practice, or searching for the meaning of your next quest, the stories and insights that you will discover in Creative Courage will make a difference for you and your teams. Wherever you are and whatever you do, it will inspire you to write and rewrite your precious story.

Anthony E. Zuiker

Creator and Executive Producer, CSI