Lost art: trawling for talent
Guest column
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I know there's talent out there, in droves, just waiting to be discovered. Problem is these days Hollywood doesn't want to take the time to find them. Everyone now wants the talent dropped at their doorstep; they prefer scanning through videotapes to having to go out and find it.
I'm not even sure they want talent, just pre-sold stars. Someone who can guarantee the big first weekend, a bigger share in 18-49, a better package.
What people seem to forget today is that before performers reach that level they need to be nurtured. They need to be discovered.
Why don't networks and studios have people specifically looking for talent anymore? They've all disappeared in favor of the casting departments, which forgo discovery in favor of attracting specific talent for a specific project. We've created a vicious cycle where the talent is not as important as it should be.
That's great for the guys on top. If you're the No. 1 movie, book or TV, how everyone wants you. If you're down below or, even worse, off the list, no one has time for you.
Here's the part where I get a little cranky and reminisce about the good old days. Except those days were the days before my time. The days when Bill Paley believed in talent so much he bought Jack Benny and George Burns to save CBS, the days when Manny Sachs would go to clubs to find Frank Sinatra.
The old moguls who built Hollywood were in awe of the talent. The stars were their status symbols. Power and respect was based on a friendship with a Spencer Tracy or a Clark Gable. Today everyone's just chasing dollars.
Hardly anyone's reading anymore or going to Broadway shows. In the old days they knew they weren't smart and wanted to associate with people who were.
These days everyone thinks they know everything.
I know we're in a different time, but why did we have to lose the joy?
Chances are, you got into this business because you love(d) it. It's the kind of love that comes from being a fan, and who says that has to go away?
Now executives are happiest when they can say "we did a point higher (in the ratings)," but it really should be "I just saw this great talent."
Talent takes time to develop, very few things are overnight hits. No one gives it time anymore because they don't have time in their jobs.
There's not even enough time to check out potential talent in the flesh; everyone wants cassettes. You can't judge a future star based on what you see in a cassette, especially when there's not even time to watch the whole thing.
Maybe they see five minutes and a phone call comes in. Well, maybe there's more to life than a five-minute scene.
When the head of a TV studio turns a show down, all he's seen is the cassette, not a taping or audience reaction. That's where the magic is, that's what's been forgotten.
No one I know has found a star just sitting in a living room. It's too much effort, too dirty, and instead of taking the time to do things in person now, there's email and cell phones and computers.
Look at the excitement over "American Idol." Now plans for talent search shows are coming out of the woodworks. Why can't the networks do that themselves? What do they have these shows for?
The process today leads to an unfortunate lack of contact between execs and stars until they're on a show. If the interest was there originally, the relationship would be much better.
There are some good examples out there.
Cynthia Pett-Dante has been Brad Pitt's manager since the very beginning. When you see five minutes of "Thelma & Louise" you know he's great, but there's a difference when you meet him in person. You can feel by the way he talks and the way he is: He's a real star. It's more than five minutes of film, you've gotta be able to touch it. That's what she saw.
Miramax is one studio that is at least in the ballgame at all times. I may not always like their style, but they're willing to take a chance, to go to see things and to build relationships.
This isn't a difficult thing to do. There are enough bright people who love show business and have an instinct for it. For very little money they could be talent scouts. You'll know fast if they have good taste or not. As I was starting at William Morris in the late '50s-early '60s, that was our job: to go out and cover the clubs to find new talent. It was great training in those days, and it could be today as well.
This is a fun business. There's nothing like the thrill you get in discovering a real talent; it's a great feeling to share that discovery with the world. And to know you were there for the beginning.
-- Bernie Brillstein
