Why you should treat a problem like an onion🧅
And much more great advice inside our April Newsletter!
Happy April everyone! It is truly amazing to see how much Sips & Motion Pics has grown in a little over a year. It’s my favorite part of the month, getting to catch up with friends, and seeing so many new people find their community here. I love hearing stories of how members made a new friend, found work, or left feeling totally inspired - and that is because of you! A community is only as good as the people in it, and what we have here is very special.
We also have a very special newsletter consisting of a great book recommendation about the contributions of LGBTQ+ filmmakers, the journey of Receptionist to Product Manager in which Marcus mentions listening to a coworker (me) have a bad, and the seasonal opening of my favorite rooftop.
Looking forward to seeing you at our next even on April 22!
~ Morgan Prouse, Co-Founder
APRIL HAPPY HOUR
Tuesday, April 22 | 7:00pm - 9:00pm
Join us for our April Happy Hour networking event on Tuesday, April 22, from 7:00pm - 9:00pm at The Mayfly and meet other professionals in entertainment, creative, and media fields. RSVP with the link below and spread the word - we look forward to seeing friends and new faces!
The Mayfly | 269 E Houston St New York NY 10002
COMMUNITY SPOTLIGHT
Problem Solve with a Product Manager — and why you should treat a problem like an onion
By Marcus Lazore
I started my career doing assistant work - PA'ing briefly, then a receptionist gig at a recording/mixing studio, followed by another one at a corporate media company. I'm glad I eventually was able to pivot towards something more interesting, but you'll never catch me saying that I regret it. Assistant work was a formative part of my career that introduced me to the corporate office ecosystem. It taught me the inner workings of an office and how best to service it so everyone can flourish without disorder. Wiping counters and windows, restocking snacks and coffee, opening doors, closing doors, setting up conference rooms, listening intently to a colleague having a bad day - I've had to do it all. It all lead to where I am today: A Product Manager at Cineverse, an independent entertainment company that owned and operates (O&O) a host of streaming services catering to niche communities such as horror, anime and good ol' fashioned cinema.
Despite not being behind a receptionist desk in over five years and working to differentiate my role from an admin role, there are still elements that remind me of being a receptionist, for better or worse. Product management taps into the fundamental core of day-to-day work: Problem solving. And I LOVE solving problems. And If I don't know what the problem is, I love learning more about said problem so that I can help solve it. Admittedly, Product Manager is a pretty a nebulous-sounding and broad role, because it is - but I can explain what the expectations are for my role at Cineverse:
If a person utilizing any of our streaming services encounters a problem that even slightly disrupts the UX (User Experience), whether it is a bug on the platform, a systemic flaw that needs to be patched in a forthcoming iOS app update, or even just a bad caption file on an episode of Hotel Hell with Gordon Ramsay; The Product Department ensures that the problem is accurately understood and is properly communicated to the rightful team so the problem, in the end, is rectified.
Our company is all work from home, so communication is key in this regard, and so is having frontend/backend knowledge of our software. Any middle manager can hand an entry-level employee a problem and order that they solve it, but that’s not productive. People want direction so that they can do their best work, but if you don't give them adequate direction then you're only setting them up to fail. That's why I say: treat problems like onions; cut 'em open and peel back those layers.
Our company has over 11 O&O services available across dozens of devices, so the job can be quite challenging! Thankfully, I'm not alone. I have an excellent boss who offers good guidance, and we're backed by an astoundingly talented team of Engineers & Customer Service caretakers stationed in Kolkata, India, as well as an equally talented group UI designers in the Creative Department. The collective efforts of these individuals are ultimately what keeps the boat chugging, the customers happy and the company as successful as it is. Truly, it takes a village.
Contact Marcus Lazore on LinkedIn or E-mail
BOOK CLUB
Gay Directors, Gay Films? by Emanuel Levy
Contributed by Will Thede and Ben Weiss
Gay Directors, Gay Films? dissects the works of five queer filmmakers to explore and interpret what it means to make a gay film or adopt a gay perspective in cinema. Through a combination of interviews and critical analysis, Levy charts his way through the filmographies of Pedro Almodóvar, Terrence Davies, Todd Haynes, Gus Van Sant, and John Waters. Gay Directors, Gay Films? provides profound insight into the evolution of queer cinema from the 1970s to the mid-2010s. This book is not only perfect for queer cinephiles, but it also is an enlightening reminder for all lovers of film about the contributions LGBTQ+ filmmakers have made to this medium.
CHECK IT OUT
The Met Rooftop
One of my favorite places in the city is the rooftop at The Met - great views, great drinks, and a beautiful art instillation. The rooftop reopens for the season April 15th with a sculptural installation by Jennie C. Jones called Ensemble. The project will explore the sonic potential of stringed instruments as well as their formal possibilities. This exhibit will run until October when the rooftop closes for the season. Be sure to check it out!