Sometimes Leading Means Following

In 1985, my wife and I were invited to a cocktail party to view promotional scenes of a would-be movie. More than half of the footage was to be shot in the Black Hills of South Dakota. It was the first time in more than 30 years a major portion of a movie had been filmed there. 

The producer was a South Dakota native living in Los Angeles. She met her husband, also the movie's screenwriter and director, in film school. They had one very low-budget movie under their belts and wanted to try another on a larger scale. They came home to finance it. 

I met Barbara Schock and husband, Rex Pickett, at the cocktail party. After hearing their presentation and looking at their film clips, I became enamored by their film-making talent and, more importantly, their tremendous sense of commitment to their film project. When they called the next day, we set up an appointment to discuss the marketing questions dominating their minds. 

During our visit I provided suggestions on how they could effectively market their limited partnership and also offered to invest a small amount. Besides relatives, I was their first investor. My investment was more focused on supporting their gutsy entrepreneurship than on a high return. 

Barbara and Rex, as much as any entrepreneurs I had met, deserved a chance to make their dream come true. I wanted to help. After considerable discussion, I agreed to become their executive producer, a title given the person in charge of the production's business side. By this time I had invested a little more money and considerably more time. 

My executive producer contract was for one dollar and the opportunity to have an impact on the movie and learn a new kind of entrepreneurship. Although the movie's budget was in place before I became involved, the three of us felt my primary value would be bean counting and marketing the movie to a distributor when completed. 

Rex Pickett had written what I thought was a great screenplay, counterpointing drama and humor. They raised the money. It was time to transplant the screenplay to film. The journey was long and challenging. We finally finished filming, after many detours caused by weather and budget overruns. Considering the circumstances, getting it completed was quite an achievement. 

The confluence of many circumstances removed me from much of the direct marketing involvement I had contemplated when the project began. It wasn't my movie, so I went with the flow. I stood on the sidelines waiting to be called into the game. Except for a couple of plays, I wasn't. The movie was marketed, ineffectively in my opinion. I stood by and watched it happen, uncomfortable with the process and aware of the probable result. 

I made a choice. I remained true to the philosophy that attracted me to the project in the first place. I tried to help two entrepreneurs who had deep commitment and substantial talent. Though naive in many aspects of the business, Rex and Barbara deserved a chance to prove they could do it. That was why I jumped on board and why I stayed there. For the first time in my entrepreneurial life I felt an unempowered need to follow, to let two new entrepreneurs learn for themselves. 

This experience wasn't a financial success for me or the many other helpful investors. But there are times to give something back. This was one of mine. I learned much and met many terrific people. I was there to see the movie was completed against heavy odds. 

From Hollywood to Deadwood played in theaters throughout the country and is available on video worldwide. I'm proud of it.