The Artist vs. The Businessman

This a pretty big step for me because I normally do not put alot of things online other than traditional business things, but this is actually all about business, but I’m going to be very real here. There is so much that happens in business that usually, those in leadership just don’t really get to talk about, but in this, I’m going to talk about them. A buddy of mine told me that I should speak up more about what actually happens in this company and industry, so I thought long and hard about how to do that. So here I am.

I own and run a production company and advertisting agency called C&I Studios Inc. The company is 14 years old and has really grown from starting in the 2nd bedroom of my apartment to a 40 person staff with offices in Fort Lauderdale Florida, New York City, New York and Los Angeles California. The main services of the company are Video Production, Photography, Web Development, Tv & Film Production, Graphic Design and Branding, Digital Marketing and, Distribution. We do it all. We also have a clothing line called The Uncreative Shop, a non-profit called C&I Reach, a magazine called Frame Magazine, a coffee shop and bar called Next Door (which is attached to our studio in Fort Lauderdale) a radio show called Uncreative Radio, a bunch of other initiatives, I could go on and on. It’s a very busy studio and there is never a dull moment. All of that sounds really awesome and if you went on our website you would see all these amazing things I’m talking about. But what looks great always takes a ton of hard work. And that is where the business side comes in. Running C&I is hard, because it takes people to run it. People are always the variable. You have to manage personalities, feelings, emotions, and most commonly among all “creative” men (not women) that I have dealt with over the years…. EGO’s. The thing about C&I is if you looked at our company, our studio and our instagram, it looks really fun, like a great non-traditional place to work. And it is, BUT its also a lot of work. And that is where I have found several things. First, the studios headquarters is in South Florida, in Fort Lauderdale and the talent pool there is just god awful. I’m from DC and up north, people know how to actually grind and work hard. People in South Florida don’t understand how to really work. Now there are some diamonds in the rough. We have some peole from Florida who are spectacular but we have gone through soooo many people because the work ethic just is rarely there. Being at the top of the company is really hard, you’re constantly damned if you do, damned if you don’t. But I think the biggest thing is unique in my business is, I’m an artist too. I write, shoot, produce, plan, and create all sorts of things for all parts of the company. I have no ivory tower, and I grind harder than anyone I work with. Not because its a competition, but becsause that is how I work. I have a camera on my shoulders, I’ll get up in the ceiling to fix the ac, clean toilets, and just do whatever it takes because we don’t have millions in the bank to throw at things. So, I constantly have to work at being really creative and innovative and also be very logical and strategic. As I like to say, you have to know when to be Yosemite Sam, and when to be a tatical trained sniper. Know when you need to kick the door down and go for it, and also know when you need to stop, plan and think. So, in these posts, get ready for real examples from a real business person that is still working hard, not rich, and fighting to get to where I want the company to be.

Our goal is simple. Change peoples perspectives with the media that we create. Our vision is to Creative Inpsiring Art with Exceptional Quality to reach Humanity 2.0. Meaning we are going to make things that move people, change the way people think, and inspire them. Then, we are going to do it with excellence with the best gear and the best people. We are not a cheap $500 dollar studio or anything like, we are expensive, like all good things are. You won’t see our staff running around out with little Sony A7s and tight jeans, who care more about what they look like than what they are producing. And we are going to do it all to make people better.

We got rid of the work “creatives” at our studio, because “creatives” are petty have ego’s and can’t produce unless they are inspired. They need to work at 2am, post constant photos fo themselves, cause they think it makes them sound and look more creative. They don’t deliver on time, nor do they do what they say they are going to do, and from my experience, every single “creative” that we have hired, when they get here, with real people that actually know things, boys its funny to talk technically with a creative, cause they don’t know basic things at all, lighting, frame rates, how to write an email, do administrative tasks, find out where the closest fedex is, its mind-numbing to watch. They know enought to post on instragram, but ask them what kelvin this light is at and “uhhh uhhh”. At C&I, we are professionals. We can create anytime, anywhere, for anyone in any industry. And we call ourselves An Idea Agency, because that is what we do first. We come up with great ideas. Our ideas for you brand or company will be better than anyone elses. That’s not me bragging, thats just facts. Try me if you think I’m lying. We fall asleep thinking about how to be better, dreaming about your company, our company and how to develop our craft more.

We are craftsmen (and women).

We are C&I Studios.

-joshua