27. What’s the best piece of advice you’ve ever been given?
When I was gearing up to direct my first episode of One Tree Hill, I was shadowing a director who was on set with us, who I really respected. I asked about the vibe because, you know, a set vibe is incredibly important. It’s the thing that, you know, aside from knowing my lines here on Good Sam every day, a good vibe is my number one priority on set. Like, how safe people feel and how respected people feel, and that everyone is experiencing joy at work. So I asked this director how he cultivated such a great vibe, and he said, “Easy. When I was coming up and I was shadowing a director I really respected, I learned this: The best idea always wins.”
It was such a lightning rod moment. There’s an assumption of hierarchy and ego in this business, and those are two things I do not subscribe to, and so my motto on set every day is, “The best idea always wins.” Whether it’s my idea, the director’s idea, my costar’s idea, the grip’s idea, the second camera operator on camera B, the focus puller, the sound guy — it doesn’t matter if it comes from the person at craft services who makes a phenomenal BLT — it’s just that the best idea wins. By making that your foundation energy, you let everyone know that their opinions are valued, that their existence is respected, that who they are and why they’re here matters to you. The more diverse experiences and humans you have offering thoughts, the better ideas you wind up using. It’s the most glorious goal.
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