Don’t let the rumor, ‘NO ONE WAS ARRESTED,’ throw you. The LA Comedy Shorts Film Festival Opening Night Gala did NOT disappoint. Beers went down easy at the Angel City Brewery and people lined up to chat with the likes of Laraine Newman, Wendie Malick, Jon Huertas, Cedric Yarbrough and Jordan Black to name a few. Tasty morsels from Umami Burger and Cool Haus food trucks kept everyone happy. I didn’t get a chance to enjoy any of this because the Vegas-like heat made travel impossible and I didn’t get to LA until after 11 PM. However ……

By the looks of the “I’m not a morning person” crowd, fun the previous night was epic. Disabled bodies zombied about, muttering, vats of coffee clutched, eyes hidden behind dark glass.  Why then, you ask, would someone subject themselves to morning after such an indulgent night?  The kick ass Producing Powers, ACTIVATE! panel, that’s why!

Comprised of such luminaries as Troy Miller (Arrested Development,) Hend Baghdady (Fox Animation Domination,) James Myers (Lionsgate,) and Michael Swanson (Universal,) this panel summed up years of production wisdom in a nutshell. Speaking of which, Crazy Go Nuts and Blue Diamond Almonds are some of the sponsors keeping folks sated while movie watching. But I digress.

The finer points of the panel were basically, and I paraphrase, “Don’t Be a Douche!” Repeated concepts were “humility, respect, preparedness and the ability to collaborate.” While not rocket science, it was still mind blowing to hear producers bring it all back to storytelling and ultimately, relationship. These are the two of the most essential elements and rarely discussed, let alone with such candor. Talent isn’t that big a deal if you’re a royal pain in the ass to work with, so check your ego at the door.

More and more people in the business have limited the names in their Rolodex to hold only a handful of people that they like to work with. When you take a look at tight knit companies like Pixar, it’s no wonder why they get shit done. Sure, there’s talent, but these are respected creatives who enjoy working together because of a genuine ability to collaborate.

Another great piece of advice was the ability to digest a note with flexibility and a THANK YOU! There’s no need for an argument, only the desire to bring projects to fruition and knowing you can’t do it alone.

Tonight at the Downtown Independent, there’s another block of shorts “Friday Krypto-Night” showing at 8 PM immediately followed by the Kyoto Rooftop Garden Party, I suggest you get your ass down here … the mashed potato bar is NOT to be missed. Networking and comfort food, it doesn’t get better than this.