You don't make a movie by yourself; you certainly don't make a TV show by yourself. You invest people in their work. You make people feel comfortable in their jobs; you keep people talking.
Vince GilliganRead
A big part of the job of being a showrunner is, in my way of thinking, being a good communicator because there's really no other way to have hope for getting what you want, at the end of the day.
Interpretation
Effective communication is crucial for a showrunner to achieve their goals.
This quote by Vince Gilligan highlights the importance of communication in leadership roles, particularly in the context of being a showrunner. It suggests that good communication fosters hope and clarity, which are essential for realizing one's objectives in a collaborative environment like television production.
In practice
A mentor addressing a group of aspiring showrunners during a workshop.
You don't make a movie by yourself; you certainly don't make a TV show by yourself. You invest people in their work. You make people feel comfortable in their jobs; you keep people talking.
I never thought anyone would come up to me and say, 'I like 'Better Call Saul' better than 'Breaking Bad.'' If you had asked me before we started, 'Would that bother you if someone said that?' First of all, I would have said, 'That's never gonna happen. And yeah, it probably would bother me.' It doesn't bother me a bit. It tickles me. I love it.
A typical TV show is always about protecting the franchise - it's all about stretching it out as long as you can take it. And it's about taking the characters in any given hour as far as you can take them, but then resetting them more or less back to zero so at the beginning of the next week, so they're still the character you know and love.
The sad truth is, there's more Walter White in me than I'd care to admit, because if I truly was as kind as people think I am, I wouldn't be able to write Walter White.
For many decades - and this was reinforced by the broadcast networks' standards-and-practices department - bad guys on TV had to get their comeuppance, and good guys had to be brave and true and unconflicted. Those were the laws of the business.
I'm very glad people love 'Breaking Bad,' but the harder character to write is the good character that's as interesting and as engaging as the bad guy.
It is the job of leaders to eliminate uncertainty.
It's alright to be Goliath but always act like David.
To win the people, always cook them some savoury that pleases them.
It is better to lead from behind and to put others in front, especially when you celebrate victory when nice things occur. You take the front line when there is danger. Then people will appreciate your leadership.
Leadership defines what the future should look like, aligns people with that vision, and inspires them to make it happen despite the obstacles.
Great leaders state out loud what they intend to do and in doing so, they get things done.
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