There is nothing more rewarding than working for a company or for a person within that company that has your back in a sticky situation. I am usually very good at toeing the company line, but knowing that they entrust me to make my own decisions is a good thing. I've had management that didn't care about your own personal well-being and it sucks. A lot.
Being new to any organization brings trepidation in that you feel you need to say yes to anything and everything, especially when you are dealing with the bottom line, which is of course bringing commerce to add to their bottom line. The money is where it's at, so to speak.
Frank and I heard back from the head office regarding what these additional documents I was expected to sign off on with a particular tour. The clients are a production company in LA, with a film crew. For a television show and one of its stars who is taking a trip they would be filming for the show. The client dossier didn't mention this, and the home office was surprised to learn this so far into the planning. The fact that the home office had to inquire after receiving the paperwork from the clients is an unusual situation.
We were originally contracted for a group of seven, one of which was a personal security detail, I had known this much to this point. I wasn't going to find out who it was until close to the tour time for the possibility of disclosure reasons. The home office does this with high-profile clients: sports stars, hollywood types, politicians, media moguls, etc. It's understandable. I could have been blabbing on a blog or something (who me?) that I'm leading the Brangelina child army around Pinocchio World or something.
Frank and I were on a conference call learning about this. He's shaking his head and I'm trying not to crawl out of my own skin. I didn't sign up for this to be filmed. I am early into this career and am not comfortable with the idea of being filmed doing my job in the least. Doing group tours, there was always someone filming my morning breakfast mini-lectures, but it wasn't a "lights camera action" professional set-up. Somebody and their home video camera capturing it for their own posterity and to bore their friends and neighbors back home was more like it.
I told the home office that I wasn't comfortable with this and that if I have the choice I want to opt out, but I understood if it was a part of my job even though I didn't see it in my actual job description.
To my delight and surprise they completely agreed and told me it was my choice. If I don't want to do it I don't have to and if need be they would ask Frank if he was interested. Frank and I could switch tours for the month of March. And on the spot Frank said no, right then and there. This man is a seasoned professional, has been doing this for decades and even he isn't cool with it.
"Sounds like an ambush. I don't know this show but I am not much interested in finding out later that I am edited to look like a fool doing a job I love."
Well said, my friend. I asked if it was possible to still guide and lead them around without filming, but they could film on their own when we aren't around. I might be willing to do that. I still had a sick feeling about acquiescing to this; if these people were being slick and trying to slide a camera crew in as private client touring members, who knows if they would just film with a hand-held or a spy cam instead?
I have seen this show in passing, and I am not interested in this person. I can feel my IQ dropping just thinking about it. I envision the film crew consists of the security guy, boom mic guy, a camera guy, producer, hair/makeup (lots and lots of makeup) person along with the star and friend/relative/boyfriend as the travel companion.
Ack. Blech. Vomit.
At the risk of sounding like an intellectual snob, this person doesn't have two brain cells to rub together and trying to educate the history of Italy and its works of art would be a waste of my time. This may be the only time I get the chance to turn down a client based on my own preference and reasoning, and I would like to exercise this opportunity. I am sure the person is very nice but I am wary of my scheduled events and appointments involving the tour would not be met due to their histrionics, tardiness and fluffy demands. Just because you make millions does not mean your time is more important than mine, is all I'm saying.
For being in this business all of a minute and a half, I sound like I have serious standards, don't I? I just don't want to waste my time and efforts for a few soundbites on a crappy tv show. Take that, Seacrest! I didn't express my personal distaste for the person or the show, only stated that I was familiar with it and their editing of events may swing toward possibly showing us in a bad light.
Frank and I also brought up the fact that filming permissions would also need to be okayed by the locations I am going to. Unless the production company already did their homework and received the ok from the local film boards for Rome, Florence and Venice there was no point in this. You just can't show up to the Uffizi with a camera crew and expect to be let in. Special dispensations need to be obtained and usually those go to travelogue shows, not celebrity reality type stuff. (Can't wait to see how they film Jersey Shore over here. Oy.) Home office says they will be back in touch with the production company for some answers ASAP.
It just creeps me out and pisses me off, quite frankly.
The home office completely agrees with us. They won't make us take on the client if they don't straighten everything out in advance.
Frank says he doesn't like the celebrity clients and I completely understand why. They usually make you end up spinning your wheels in some way. He told me he has had quite a few that were absolute gems, but they are usually doing family trips between location movie shoots, or it is the family alone while the star is shooting on set somewhere nearby.
But enough about that mess. It will sort itself out. I have made my stance clear. Let's just see how it goes.
I am still adjusting to the time difference and am thankful I had a few days of lead time before starting a tour. I needed it. I don't feel quite as beat up thanks to a long night of very good sleep.
Frank and I had dinner together. I won't see him again during this stint, most likely, unless some emergency arises, but he's always available to me for consult by phone. Or unles we happen to be in the same city at the same time by some change in our itineraries. He has a private tour beginning on Friday, and mine begins Wednesday morning. Giuseppe is picking me up at 6:40 to go meet the clients at the airport for their 7:30 arrival from Atlanta. I also have to move my belongings across the street to the Excelsior before we leave for the airport.
No comments:
Post a Comment