Principles of Production

As the New Year gets off the ground, it's time to codify some things that have been kicking around in my head for a bit. I'd love to hear some feedback from the net community about these, and hope they are a living document.

This is a set of principles that I commit to conduct my own business by; after years of being in places where people are not treated appropriately.

Production Principles

I believe that how you do business, is as important as how well you do business.

For that reason, I work hard to adhere to a basic set of principles in every aspect of what I do; because media production is an often difficult and messy process, and it doesn't have to be.

1. I believe everyone that contributes to the production should be respected.
   
   I commit to respecting our teams by being fair in our compensation, and in work schedules.
   
   I commit to respecting our teams by making sure that I have done as much creative preparation as possible, and clearly communicating the creative objectives to all team members in a timely manner.
   
   I commit to respecting our teams by giving our them the appropriate resources they need to execute a successful production.
   

2. I believe that deals are made to stand by, not break.
   
   I commit to sticking to agreements made with vendors and freelancers.
   
   My word means a lot to me, I give it with full acknowledgment of the commitment I make, and expect members of the production team to deliver on their commitments as well.
   

3. I believe in surrounding ourselves with people smarter than I am.
   
   I commit to hiring excellence. I recognize that production encompasses many specialized talents, and strive to hire individuals who know their specialties well, and have a work ethic that enables outstanding production.
   

4. I pay production employees, vendors, and contractors on time.
   
   I believe that not only is this the right thing to do, it often results in directly lower costs of production.
   

5. I believe in standing up for what's right.
   
   I commit to zero tolerance of bullying, mistreating, and generally crapping upon of any of our production team members.
   
   If it's a problem within any departments, or even with our executive team, we give our team members full permission to help us find constructive solutions.

I hope that 2010 gives us all more opportunities to do our work in ways that honor good principles of production.