Last week’s Special Report on Production Companies contained a survey of production house executives regarding sales representation. Here’s a tongue-in-cheek response from Effie Samios to the questions posed:
Q. Why did you choose the type of representation, whether in-house or independent, that you have now?
A. Desperation.
Q. Which type of sales representation is best suited to a production company: an independent firm for each region of the country, a single company that covers the entire U.S., in-house sales or a combination of any of the above?
A. Interplanetary representation is the best representation. A good production company should never take for granted where its next job is coming from. We want to be sure that the first images those aliens see are Jeff Gorman’s Staples spots. The exception, of course, is Uranus. Uranus should always get its own rep.
Q. Is the type of representation a production company chooses dependent on the number of directors represented by that company?
A. In our case, the type of rep is very important, but we don’t mean independent or in-house. We mean passive-homicidal. JGF has a reputation that precedes it. Therefore, we require an absolute loon to rep for us. When we think of what type of person would make a good JGF rep, we think of television evangelists, WWF managers or members of the Reagan Administration. We want someone who doesn’t understand the word "no," along with the words "holiday," "morals" or "restraining order."
Q. What are the benefits of in-house representation?
A. The benefit is you see exactly how much time they spend trying to get the best quality boards for your directors.
Q. Are there any drawbacks?
A. The drawback is you see exactly how much time they spend trying to get the best quality boards for your directors.
Q. What are the benefits and drawbacks of independent reps?
A. The benefit is that you don’t have all the added payroll expenses that come with a staff employee. The drawback is that you don’t get that little rush of power that accompanies watching someone clear out their desk.
Q. As we enter the new millennium, which type of sales team do you believe will be prevalent?
A. Robotic and digital—as we all will be.
