Leadership Principles I Currently Exhibit:

“Learn and be curious”

This is easiest the leadership principle that I can give the most examples for. If you recall from my previous blog post, I was dropped into a high-level role at SIFF as the Technical Manager with minimal training. I had to continually learn a lot of new things on my own. For example, I needed to transcode a lot of video and needed a ton of processing power in order to crank out all those goddamn films in a timely manner. After doing extensive research, I figured out that I really needed a custom-built PC to meet all of my specific needs, but I had never built a computer before. So I dug in and did my research and taught myself how to build my own machine. Most recently, during quarantine SIFF, like many film festivals, decided to do a virtual festival on-line… So, I taught myself how to use OBS and stream live events, with auto generated captions, to their streaming service.

“Hire and develop the best”

At SIFF I managed the projectionist team, which is a high-pressure frontline position. The tip of the spear, so to say. In order to ensure that my team didn’t lose any shows, or get over worked, I needed to set this specific role up for success. The first step was to hire people with experience in working projection in a festival environment, and most importantly, whom give a shit about the job. The second step is to make sure that they are trained on all of the equipment and have all the resources they need to perform their duties efficiently. The final, and most important, is to make them feel supported, so that they know that I have their back and they feel comfortable to reach out to me with any problems.

“Insist on the highest standards”

Again, at SIFF I was in charge of quality control for all the films before they went on screen. Getting the best possible presentation for every film was an everyday priority. Oftentimes I would receive film files from first time, or novice filmmakers, whos’ films would need to be transcoded and reformatted in order to get the best presentation on screen. If something is off by even a few pixels, it becomes a glaring mistake once it gets blown up and projected onto a 35 foot wide screen. 

Most Difficult Leadership Principle for me to Adopt:

“Customer Obsession”

In my general life experience, anticipating people’s needs has always been a struggle for me. I also have a difficult time hyper-focusing on details and overlooking others, which can have a negative impact on customers. I’m also just an introverted person who has difficulty engaging in conversation with people I don’t know. This will, by far, be my greatest hurdle in this program and afterwards when I join the actual marketplace.

This post turned out to be much harder than I thought it would be… my first thought of a “yes”  I was not prepared for was my marriage, and subsequent divorce, but I have a feeling that is not what was intended for this assignment. From a more professional standpoint, I think the most recent example of saying “yes” to something I was ill prepared for would have to be when I accepted the job of Technical Manager at the Seattle International Film Festival (SIFF). The technical manager heads up the AV department who primary manages the projectionist team, quality control, and print deliveries. 

I had been working as a projectionist for about 15 years at various organizations and venues around Seattle that included SIFF. I started working for SIFF full time when they reopened the Uptown theater and ingratiated myself with the organization. Eventually I was offered the role of Quality Control Technician, which worked directly under the then Technical Manager… Within a week of me taking the job, the Technical Manager quit and they rush-hired a new person to fill the job. One week after that, the rush-hire put in his notice… The Operations Director was upset at the situation and venting to me about how difficult it was to find another person on such short notice, so I just said, “I’ll do it, if you want.” The next day he gave me the job. The day after that was the rush-hire’s last day, so I met up with him to train. He gave me a quick tour of the office, gave me a rundown on some current projects he was in the middle of, then he said, “Anyway, I have to go now and catch my flight.” I was like, “WHAT?” I had received maybe 3 hours of training on how to manage an entire department, and we had not even discussed any administrative duties or workflow for our large annual festival, which was only a few months off at that point. The Operations Director told me not to worry and that he would help guide me through the admin parts and and most importantly our annual festival. A month before the festival, the Operations Director told me he was quitting… I went on to be the Technical Manager for the next 6 years. During this time I acquired some of my greatest career achievements and by far my most spectacular failures. 

In this blog! Hailing from White Center “Rat City”, Washington at two hundred and some odd pounds! It’s MARK “Senior Silencio” ALLLLLENDERRRRR!!!