Sara Livingston is guest blogger for The Idea Hive.  She is an Associate Professor in the Television Department of Columbia College, Chicago and is the Director of the Television Arts Learning Community. Sara holds the title of Distinguished Teacher, and had been the recipient of the Teaching Excellence Award. She is a nationally exhibited video artist as well as a media activist who consults with organizations on using media as a tool for social change. Her work has helped numerous cultural and civic organizations use social media to achieve their institutional goals and make vital improvements in their communities.

In a business known for it’s toughness, what do Hollywood Studio Executives look for in a new hire? Heart!

I teach Television Arts at Columbia College in Chicago and was invited to take part in a three-day seminar for educators sponsored by the Academy of Television Arts and Sciences. This yearly event chooses 20 educators from around the country and offers them access to industry leaders on the cutting edge of creative development.

The conference, we felt, offered us peek behind the curtain and might reveal the secrets of medium’s new direction. We would then bring those secrets back to our schools.

I expected to learn about the impact of technology, the changes in the commercial and financial models, and the problem of the eroding viewership…and I did. But their projections, figures and innovations did not impress me as much as the answer to a simple question posed to a panel of studio executives: “In these times of turbulence in the industry, what are the most important skills you look for when hiring new employees?”

This is the crucial question for educators, since we are charged with the task of preparing the next generation of media professionals. The answer would have significant impact on our advising process, our curriculum design, and could even influence our hardware and software purchases. I waited for the answer, ready to transcribe all the words of wisdom the panel might offer.  Every one of them said essentially the same thing.

• We want someone who’s a good collaborator, good team players.
• We need people who can leave their egos at the door and work for the project not for themselves.
• People who are kind—not just to the producer but also to the crew.
• I will hire someone I want to have lunch with…someone who has a life, a sense of humor, is a good conversationalist, who is well read, who keeps up with current events.

What a surprise! Not a word about technical skills, writing ability, or creative problem solving. When pressed about these things they said that everybody who shows up at their door has talent, skills, and creativity–so how to choose among the best? Who knew the thing they wanted the most was collaboration and kindness—and from an industry that Hunter S. Thompson describes as:

“The TV business is uglier than most things. It is normally perceived as some kind of cruel and shallow money trench through the heart of the journalism industry, a long plastic hallway where thieves and pimps run free and good men die like dogs, for no good reason.”

This answer should have been completely obvious. The Television business, like many other businesses, is one that demands collaboration and cooperation. The industry runs on teamwork because producing a good product is virtually impossible to do alone. Have you ever seen the credits on a TV show with over 100 “collaborators?” The executives evidently understood something essential about their business.

I took this information back to my colleagues and we began to put together an experimental program in which collaboration was the central focus. We don’t skimp on the skills and creativity; those are a given and are still present. What we changed was the behavior that was rewarded. The assignments are impossible to do alone, so anyone who goes solo will have a deficient product. Some quizzes are taken with a partner to reinforce the belief that combined knowledge is powerful and efficient.

All homework projects depend on negotiated collaboration among student teams and are based on the “writer’s room” concept. The writer’s room is a model in which a script is read aloud and the whole team (rather than just the teacher) evaluates and contributes notes for improvement. This practice not only yields better scripts but it helps people practice giving constructive criticism in an atmosphere of team solidarity.

We called this experiment the Television Arts Learning Community. It is unique in the country and has been flourishing for five years. The first cohort of students graduated last year and many are working in Hollywood for the industry that requested professionals just like them.

I’ll be writing about the joys and challenges of creative collaboration and transformation over the next few weeks and invite you to comment about your experiences here on the Idea Hive Website.

For more information about the Learning Community, The Television Department of Columbia College Chicago, or our Semester in LA you may contact me at slivingston@colum.edu

Sara Livingston
Associate Professor, School of Media Arts
Columbia College , Chicag0

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