?Knocked into a Cocked Hat? and some Business networking!

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It started with a simple Facebook post from Bill Darby. ( I fully admit the link to business networking is tenuous! Stay with it though, as we do get there in the end!)

?Just came back from THE HUNGER GAMES ? yep, it knocks Harry Potter and Twilight into a cocked hat?, ?he posted

I asked Bill what the phrase meant and he replied with this:

E. Cobham Brewer 1810?1897. Dictionary of Phrase and Fable. 1898.

Knocked into a Cocked Hat.

?Thoroughly beaten; altered beyond recognition; hors de combat. A cocked-hat, folded into a chapeau bras, is crushed out of all shape.?

I just thought that the phrase was great, and it gave me a chuckle. It also gives me the chance to have a few words about Bill and his industry. Bill Darby is a location manager who has worked on a number of movies, that many of you will likely have seen in the last few years. To name a few; Robin Hood, Pearl Harbor, Charlotte Gray and others you can find on Bill?s IMDB page . Bill also now runs IMOVIE! which combines the essential elements needed in the early stages of film production. ?It is a new concept in online movie business resource, which is both database for all types of production information and a promotional platform for movies, movie locations and for the businesses and people that make them.?

Bill Darby

There you are Bill; plug done.

The great thing about being a location manager is you get to go to some great places. Just check out the fan page for IMOVIE!

So where does this go, and how does it link to networking?

Well, I?ll tell you. Pull up the chair.

Many years ago, I was new to, and really flapping around in the sales and marketing world. I moved back to Norfolk, pretty much by force. At around 30 years old I had left the police in London, travelled around the world, tried a few non starter jobs in the Midlands and then run out of money and options. I ended up back at home with a non too pleased Mother and Father. Not good!

From there the recovery has been made, which has proven to be an interesting ride. The first opportunity came with a local car hire company, that were seeking a corporate accounts manager. I got the Job!

Firstly, I made a splatter gun approach to all local business. Some were good and some not so, but one approach went on to great things. I went to our local TV station with a simple pitch.

Lucky moment in time, part 1

Anglia TV (being part of ITV network) were covering all UK Football broadcasts, at that time. My simple idea was based on the fact that it did not make much sense for them to take a car with Anglia TV written on the side, when Norwich City FC were playing away from home. Not that is if they wanted any wheels left on it, or windows left intact.

In simple terms, it worked. ?We started renting the odd car to them and soon a call came, to see if we would be interested in supplying cars for a new Drama production called, ?The Chief?

At first, I didn?t ?think too much about the 3 cars and a people carrier they asked for, until they mentioned they were needed for 19 weeks!. This was a great model. I now had just a sniff of an idea, and this was where the hustling started.

Next up was ?Lovejoy?. I went after this show as it was filmed by the BBC fairly close to where we were based. It turned out that geography wasn?t going to matter at all.

Lucky moment in time, part 2

The UK Public broadcaster is the BBC. They were going through changes, and had come up with a policy called ?Producers choice?. It allowed program makers to go direct to suppliers, rather than go through the ?BBC Transport Department?. In pretty quick time I secured the productions of ?Lovejoy? followed closely by ?The Choir?.

After that, I was invited to go and meet with BBC Transport in BBC TV Centre in London. I met with one of their senior managers in a Cafe within the BBC. Only way to describe this meeting, was a one way conversation, during which I hardly said a word.

The clear message from BBC Transport was that I would not be getting any further contracts with the BBC.

Nothing like a challenge, I thought!

It is fair to say that this lecture did not put me off. I continued to work hard, and some 12 months later we had some 200 cars out with various Drama productions. They included ?Pride and Prejudice? & ?Hettie Wainthrop investigates?. In real terms, the score was something like 10-1 to me. BBC Transport only managing to supply one Drama production to my Ten. This set the course for the following 3 years.

How was this done? Pretty much by making friends with the associate producers of each show, and from there on by word of mouth. Previously, the producers had no choice and the service levels provided by the transport department were low. At the same time BBC Transport had a monopoly, and consequently the price was through the roof. Without me knowing it at the time, they were ripe for the taking.

A fresh face that was friendly and helpful, (rather than difficult to deal with) made all the difference.

From that point there was no looking back. I went to the film studios and all the other TV channels, building a business model that Apex Car rental in Norwich are still working with today. The film industry is filled with creative intelligent people, that are focused on some very big projects. Like most people, they seek people out who can help take some of the load. They also (like most people) prefer to work with people they can get on with. All in all it is a classic environment for the networker to succeed in.

The film industry is a niche. At the time it had been badly served for some years. In these circumstances a friendly face, who is prepared to make the effort and work hard to develop the relationships, will do well.

If on top of that, you can provide an improved delivery and quality; then you will absolutely kill it!

Hope you had a great Easter and enjoyed the read. Please join your peers by signing up for our weekly updates. Just fill in the email box, top right. It?s free and always will be.

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