You Need A Strong Squad

Thoughts on building a support team for creative careers

Back in 2006 I sold a script to HBO Films called ‘Life Support,’ which was based on how my sister Andrea had survived contacting HIV and how that effected our family. Queen Latifah had tentatively agreed to play a character based on my sister. A conference call was set up with the head of HBO Films, the producers, me and Latifah’s long time manager Shakim Compare.

I knew Latifah and Compare from my days at Billboard, but I had never worked with them in a business situation, so I wasn’t sure what to expect. Well what I experienced was a forthright, no B.S. list of demands by Compare in terms of pay and working conditions for his star. By that time I’d been working in film and tv about fifteen years. Never had I heard a black manager be so assertive with a white executive. It wasn’t a curse out. It was simply made clear Latifah, who was already was a movie star, wasn’t gonna be treated with any less respect or given any fewer perks than any white star on the premium cable network.

It was an impressive display. If I ever had any questions about how Lafitah had moved from conscious rap star to sit-com lead, movie star, voice over actor, and respected national brand, I knew right then she’d had a fearless supporter watching her back. Since the two formed Flava Unit in 1989 Latifah has evolved from kente’ cloth wearing female MC to a multi-faceted artist equally capable at drama and comedy, talk show hosting, and singing. For ‘Life Support’ she won a Golden Globe and was nominated for an Emmy, anchoring my film with a strong, yet vulnerable presence

If all Flava Unit had done was cultivate Latifah’s talent it would have been a successful endeavor. However, Compare had bigger plans. First, they developed a label that signed the essential New Jersey rap group, Naughty By Nature, and the R&B duo Zhane. As a management company Flava Unit went on to handle the careers of music acts like SWV and Big Boi of Outkast as well as actors such as Terence Howard. As hip hop stars like Latifah transitioned into TV and film, Compare started Flava Unit Films, leveraging Latifah’s fame to launch a line of low budget features for cable outlets. A decade after I directed ‘Life Support’, Flava Unit reached out to me to helm a Movie-of-the-Week for the Lifetime network where they have produced several projects.  

Having worked with Flava Unit a couple of times its clear the key to their company’s longevity is trust. When Compare and Latifah met in the ‘80s they were both ambitious, smart young people riding the opportunities that hip hop was creating for generating capitol and brand building. In a sense hip hop was a gold rush for a whole generation of black artists and executives. It also meant there were a lot of people with short term vision who scammed artists who didn’t think long term. The history of hip hop is full of short, fruitful artist/manager/record label teams that broke up over disputes over money and ego. Because of their commitment to each other Latifah and Compare have managed to stay in a business together for over thirty years.

Having someone on the business side of your career that you are personally connected to, that shares your dreams and that can be trusted with your money is a dream scenario for a creative person. It is also exceedingly rare. Now the stereotype is that the businessperson rips off the artist. It is a stereotype fueled by a lot of truth. But there’s a flip side to that. Just as I have seen creative/business relationship destroyed by managerial malfeasance I have also witnessed insecure and or greedy artists leap from manager to manager, agent to agent, looking for the magician who will make them a star. It’s a tricky calculation, one that can make or break a career, and define a life.

I am torn about what is the right strategy: you could cite long term relationships examples like Flavor Unit and Latifah. Or you could follow the example of artists who moved on from their original managers and enjoyed massive success. Prince, for example, was first signed in Minneapolis by Owen Husney, the man who got him his record deal with Warner Bros. But Prince became a superstar while managed by the bigger management company of Cavallo, Ruffalo & Fragnoli. Of all the decisions a creative person makes deciding who has your back on the business side is absolutely the most challenging.

I think the best strategy is to have several people who have a vested interest in your career, but are not in business with each other. I believe the optimal situation is that your manager, agent, attorney, and accountant/business manager etc. should have you as their only point of interaction. Though much easier said than done you want to keep these various players in your career, if not adversarial, at least at arm’s length from each other. In the entertainment world, where the big agencies hold sway and good attorneys have lots of clients, this can be difficult to achieve.

Philosophically I think creating checks and balances between all your key business contacts is best. If everyone handling your career and money are old buddies and in business on multi deals, a lot can happen behind your back. In my career I have opted for some amalgam of the two strategies. I’ve only had a manager for brief periods. Instead I’ve had relationships with my film agent, my attorney, my business manager and literary agent that have all lasted over twenty-five years. And, yes, there have been various times I have been pissed with all of them and, likely, they with me. But, through honest talks and trust built up over the years, we’ve stayed together.