I recently had to do something I really hated.
I am had to recommend someone for a position I wanted them to fill. Not because anything the did, in fact, they are a wonderful, young stage manager. It was because the project changed, got bigger – the more I learned about the scale and scope of the show and the personalities involved, I just thought this person and this position were not a good fit.
Some some notes . . . and other things from a recent hiring burst . . .
It’s hard – I find that some younger stage managers don’t quite get the value of experience. When you are offering a position that pays $XXX amount of amount, the goal is to hire the best person, with the best experience – because ultimately, that’s what you do when you hire a stage manager, you are renting their experience, their skillset and their personality, and banking they are the right person for the position.
Here are some hard truths.
It’s very hard to go to a producer/general manager and pitch that a 24 year old ASM with 2 years post-college experience is better then a 30 year old ASM with 8 years post-college experience – all things being equal. But remember, rarely all things equal.
Now, at the level I am working at, I am hiring an ASM who can take over for me in a heat beat. So, I am basically hiring another PSM. That’s a mind shift for me now – when I go in and pitch a ASM to producer/general manager, I need to make sure in the back of my head, this ASM can take over for me if I step out of the room, are gone for the day, or just step away from the production.
As much as we hate to admit it, not all stage managers are right for every job. There are some stage managers that can do a wider array of gigs, there are some who are much more specialized. (I never get hired to do simple, small cast, unit set shows – IT NEVER HAPPENS. That’s not what I am know for.)
Jobs are not rewards for the past success . . . not directly. (I mean, success builds experience, which leads to better jobs). But just because you worked for me before, doesn’t mean I am going to hire you for the next job. As much as I would like to work with the same people over and over, now that I am working on a larger variety of projects, I need to diversify the team I work with – and to be honest – in NYC – calendars NEVER line up.
Also, this is sad, but in a huge flood market in NYC, one bad impression, can hurt for a long time - - - if I am looking at seven people for one gig, and I have all glowing recommendations, except one is lukewarm, that person is off the list, and probably off the list for good.
And just remember, that often times, it is not just the SM who will be making the choice, General Managers / Production Managers / Producers / Company Managers all may have some sort of choice that weigh in.
