What's the LD on the QB?
by Marc Blake

The low down on the QB is written in the game plan. Business owners, performing artists, and in general, all my wonderful clients have a common request when they bring me on board to handle projects for them. They want me to take the ball and run (or pass) with it. Thus, over the years, I've become known in the working community as the Creative Quarterback.

It's said that some are born with a silver spoon in their mouth. I wasn't! I did, however have an alternate advantage as a youth and I've learned how to make it payoff "big time." I had a fairly normal upbringing — raised in a family of five siblings and parents that surrounded all of us with love and encouragement. Probably the most prominent argument amongst my brothers and sister would be each of us discerning who was "Mom's favorite." Even though the facts remain in place making it clear that "I was (my) Mom's favorite," the tongue in cheek argument continues to this day.

Both my parents were very creative. My mother used to dance (in Pittsburgh) with Gene Kelly before she married and began raising a family. Even after marriage, she continued creative endeavors with arts, crafts and music, including stage production. My father was a cartoonist, sketched for Disney and spent most of his working career drawing caricatures at many state and county fairs in the western United States. I began traveling with him when I was six years old and had my own booth at the fairs when I was fifteen years of age. I was a leather craftsman in those days (late 60's through the 70's). My next door neighbor and I, partners in the leather business, grossed over a million dollars in sales during our twelve year stint which wasn't too bad for teenagers turned entrepreneurs.

There were tremendous lessons to be learned during these times. Basically, you take nothing but an idea, a game plan, and turn it into something by designing, building, producing and executing your plan.

This was a handy lesson since it exemplified time after time that you can do something you enjoy, be it creative in nature or not, and then find ways to do "it" for others professionally (meaning getting paid for what you do).

I've executed this formula for many years now and continue to learn new skills, normally creative, and then offer them for hire to my clients. As a result of this methodology, I've learned a number of things that I can bundle together to help produce and do things for those that seek my services.

I spent many years as a photographer in the music industry while living in the Los Angeles area. I had the opportunity to work with a number of major artists and bands. It was enjoyable for me to be around these prominent acts since I was a self-taught musician — playing guitar and piano and writing songs since age thirteen.

I worked with a great variety of acts including, The Beach Boys, Jethro Tull, Paul Simon, Donovan, Stephen Stills, Graham Nash, Don Henley, Toto, Randy Newman, Michael McDonald, The Doobie Brothers, Michael Bolton, Cyndi Lauper, Brian Wilson and many others. I was one of the photographers for MTV doing west coast events like the MTV Video Awards and their private celebrity parties. I also did a few jobs in and around the network television stations. I always got along well with the celebrities I worked around probably because I was able to get the job done without seeming obtrusive. Performing artists are unique and typically tire easily from photographers and the media. I fit in nicely though and was more like family than media. Don Henley walked up to me at an event and said, "Hey man, you're a pretty painless photographer!" That was a high compliment coming from one who wrote about his hatred for the media ("Dirty Laundry").

Years later I started working in other areas of the music industry. Since I had maintained good relationships with a number of the artists I previously worked with, I had a good jump start inching my way into new areas of the business. Helping artists with CD production, design, photography, websites and more became a natural segue for the creative business offerings I brought to the game.

One of the main keys of the success that I've enjoyed along the way is my commitment to doing what I say I'm going to do — doing it on time and doing it well. If there are any deep rooted business secrets to share, that one would be high up on my list. Mixed with a friendly attitude, creativity, sincerity and a well executed game plan has continued to have clients come to me to be their creative quarterback.