What Movie Production Can Teach You About Success

Somewhat obsessed with this website "The Numbers," its a huge database of film budgets, box office results, and star bankability analyses to assist production companies cast for movies. The most interesting thing so far...how much value do the most bankable stars bring to a major motion picture? Not as much as you'd think. Steven Spielberg for example, who is undeniably the most bankable person in Hollywood, on average only brings about $26M in value to a major motion picture. "But John that can't be right, his movies have bring in billions," so what gives?

What the data shows is that no matter how big a celebrity's bankability is, its nowhere near the bankability of when they team up with the right people. Not just any people, the RIGHT people. Scorsese and DiCaprio, Spielberg and Tom Hanks...these divine combinations along with the other smaller relationships within a production are what yield results whose sum is greater than its parts.

Which goes to show you, even if you are a celebrity, you are NOT directly responsible for your own success, no matter how big you are. Success is what happens when talented people team up with other talented people who thus enhance each other's talents.

Its about relationships, but not just any relationships, the RIGHT relationships. One of those universal truths I'd say you could probably apply to more than just movies.