For my
interview blog I chose to contact an individual in my age range, who is already
fairly successful in the field that I am currently trying to break ground in.
Kayla (she preferred for her last name to be left off of the transcript) is a
25 year-old event coordinator for Dallas Summer Musicals. Her main job is to
coordinate/produce Musicals and various theatrical productions that DSM puts on
throughout the year. The only difference between what she does and what I want
to do is that she works for a theatrical company, whereas I want to actually
own my own business.
For her job,
it is a requirement that she makes negotiations with script holders for the
rights to actually produce the show. When I asked her how she separates people
from the problem when negotiating, her response was to remain calm, listen, and
to really have solid back up information for any argument that could come up
when making a deal. She explained that more often then not, she has to bring in
objective criteria when negotiating the price for which the company can acquire
the rights of the play. She used examples of deals that were made with other
theatre companies to back up her claims. Kayla also discussed that she always
has a BATNA ready in case she cannot get the rights for a play, and that is having
a back up play in case the first choice falls through.
I really feel
like I learned a lot about how not to be so shy when going into a deal. Kayla
explained that she used to be that way, but she grew out of it when she started
this job. She explained the importance of being confident and doing your
homework before going into meeting. Those two things really helped her and I
think that they are valuable lessons that I can definitely take away from this
interview.
