Pitfalls of a Client's False Deadline

I write and produce industrial videos. Deadlines and budgets comprise my primary professional challenges. Budgets and deadlines are intertwined and inseparable.

Lately I've worked against a rash of false deadlines imposed by clients. These clients are really covering their own backsides by dictating extremely premature deadlines. They also think they're being clever by manipulating the producer, and the entire production process, into a very tight box. What such clients don't realize is that these schemes, and their underlying motivations, are extremely transparent, and ensure disaster. This doesn't make them easy to address.

Usually these false deadlines arise out of the clients' insecurities, inexperience, and/or unprofessionalism. Without doubt, lack of planning on the part of the clients is the primary driver of the deception. Projects like these almost always materialize at the very end of a quarter, or right before a major project launch or marketing campaign. It's usually pretty obvious that the project is either an afterthought, or it might be somebody's idea of a total sales & marketing solution, or it's a way to burn leftover budget monies. Clients shepherding projects like these typically want to hand their problems off to someone else, usually someone equipped with an enormous magic wand, who will elevate the client's status or career by waving the magic wand and fixing everything.

Here are some repercussions of lack of planning and ridiculous deadlines:

Artificially short deadlines result in insufficient time to budget and plan a successful production.

Lack of pre-production planning results in higher costs. These higher costs usually arise from the fact that you are improvising on location, inefficiently sourcing resources, or "fixing it in post."

Lack of pre-production planning compromises quality because there's no time to do it right.

No amount of wishful thinking and/or prayers will save time and money on your short-deadline production.

Insufficient time causes poor communication.

Poor communication causes nothing but trouble.

Video and multimedia production are time-consuming, collaborative, and expensive endeavors. I often compare production to building a house. I ask clients, "How would you want your house built? Fast and good? Fast and Cheap? Cheap and Good?" The example is a bit cliched, but it's true.

If a deadline feels suspiciously short or unreasonable, question the client. Ask hard questions. Demand honest answers. Paint a very clear picture of the bad things that will happen without sufficient time. Manage expectations. And don't be afraid to walk away from the project.

Ultimately, it's the producer who's on the hook for the repercussions listed above. His or her reputation is on the line, not the clients'. In fact, in short-deadline situations, clients usually vanish. They only show up when the deadline arrives. And despite your very best efforts to bring the project in on-time, on-budget, and with high quality, you'll probably fail. You can never underestimate the value of time on the planning and pre-production side.

One of my oldest and wisest clients often recalls what one of his clients once told him. "There's never time to do it right. But there's always time to do it over."

Local Flavor: Hagerstown, Maryland

It's not a good sign when the first seven locals you poll for a noteworthy "local flavor" dining experience refer you to the Ryan's Steakhouse. It's definitely not local, and flavor becomes a relative term. The biggest draw for these queried locals was the volume of food available at Ryan's. It was as if "all you can eat" proves the existence of God, or least offers overwhelming scientific support to the theory of intelligent design.

With some digging, my crew and I did discover a Hagerstown gem in the Grille at Park Circle. Located adjacent to a truly beautiful city park, this re-modeled drive-in offers a dim and cozy dining room with plenty of privacy. This privacy, however, did not prevent our table of six from overhearing a heated conversation between a cocksure young man and an old flame he was trying desperately to rekindle. This foible-filled drama served as a satisfying dessert to a surprisingly good meal.

Even though the Grille at Park Circle is nowhere near the coast, it did offer a wonderful entre of thick, meaty crab-cakes with tender, pan-fried red potatoes and green beans. The pie we ordered for our real dessert was obviously boxed but good, if not excessive.

The bar area appeared to host a diverse mix of locals, and the steady murmur only added to the small-town atmosphere.

A genuinely warm conversation with the Grille's owner capped off a relaxing evening for a tired video crew.

Picture-phone evidence of an affair of the heart ended the evening for the amorous young man trying to spark an old flame. Instead of a warm glow, he got fireworks.

The details: Grille at Park Circle, Hagerstown, Maryland. 325 Virginia Avenue. 301.797.9100.
It's just off a traffic circle in an older part of town, with easy access from Highway 81 and I-70. It is near a large, old and beautiful urban park.

Local Flavor: Southern California

One of the only pleasures of business travel is the opportunity to seek out local flavor. On a recent trip to Southern California I found several great eateries that I strongly recommend.

In San Pedro, California, visit Sixth Street Bistro: 354 W. Sixth Street, 310.521.8818. Try the Seafood Paella, and eat on the patio. You can watch the sailors hit the bars. The live music is good if there's a crowd. The musician drifts toward street musician fare from time to time.

Near Commerce, try Tamayo's Restaurant: 5300 E. Olympic Blvd., 323.260.4700. The architecture and the art are incredible, as is the food. Here I tried my first Menudo. It was rich and spicy. The Shrimp a la Tamayo was wonderfully presented, with sophisticated textures and flavors.

Also look up Steven's Steakhouse at Atlantic Blvd. and Eastern. It's just off the 5. This is an old, family owned restaurant that understands fine dining in a casual age. The tournedos of beef, medium well, will melt in your mouth. The complimentary pasta is incredible, and just enough. They also have a great seafood special, and good desserts.

I enjoyed a great and inexpensive brunch with friends at Lulu's Cafe in Los Angeles. Here's a link to reviews and a map. I believe it's on Beverly, near La Brea & Melrose. This is a funky little area that's great for people watching.

In Pasadena, I recommend Chiara Brazil Italian Cuisine: 43 E. Colorado Blvd. This is in the Old Town shopping and dining district. While Old Town is a little bit touristy, it offers a number of excellent independent restaurants, coffee shops,bars, and other merchants. There are a few popular chain restaurants there as well, but why bother? Try the brazilian-style bar-b-que, and the dark Brazilian beer. Service wasn't great, but the food more than made up for it.

Sushi Roku in the same area serves excellent, fresh, and artfully presented sushi. I believe there's also one at Caesar's in Las Vegas.

My favorite place in Pasadena had to be Tutti Gelati in Old Town: 62 West Union Street, 626.440.9800. Forget the calories and get two scoops.

All of the above are reasonably priced, and I had no problem getting a table for 1-4 at any of them.

Next stop, Maryland.

Welcome to DeepWater

Creating a blog looks like a great idea. It feels like a great idea. I've spent weeks imagining what a great blog I can create.
I read a few blogs. Some of my friends post intelligent, thoughtful blogs on a regular basis. I'm a professional communicator with no shortage of opinions, so how hard could it be?

Like most things, it's harder than I thought. Technically, it's a snap for a hardcore Mac user like me. Notice that I said user, not hacker. Perhaps a better description of my computer skills is "consumer." But when it comes to consistently providing content that others will want to consume, I begin to feel the weight of the web on my shoulders.

The objectives for DeepWater are to keep it interesting, useful and hopefully entertaining.

I'll draw from my professional experiences as a freelance writer and producer of what I call corporate television, my involvement with a small advertising firm, my dabbles in commercial real estate, and generally concise observations about whatever catches my interest.

I'll keep things as anonymous as possible from my end.

And I welcome comments. My key admonition is not to submit in writing anything you wouldn't want your mother, my mother, or a child under 13 to read. Anyone can type profanity. It takes just a little more creativity to find a child-friendly way to make your point.

So, welcome to DeepWater.