Bossing It: Corey Tatarczuk Is Still A Latchkey Punk Rock Feral Child At Heart
Corey Tatarczuk is a partner at the New York City production company Cowboy Bear Ninja with over 20 years of experience as a filmmaker. She’s travelled all over the world producing and directing music videos, documentaries, and branded content. Her first gig was as a production designer (she will always put the art department first!). Some of her recent work includes the episode 'In with the Old, The Andes Hotel: Heart of the Catskills' now on MAX, and a brand anthem and advocacy video for The Acacia Center for Justice.
Corey’s commercial work includes projects for The Children’s Miracle Network, Condé Nast, Greenwich House (featuring Busy Philipps), Dupont, and Meta.
As a documentary-based director, Corey’s caring relationships with the cast and crew make audiences feel like they are witnessing friendship in action when watching her work.
LBB> What was your first experience of leadership?
Corey> I was an art teacher for a number of years when I was still in college. One might think that being in charge of classrooms full of young people, creating lesson plans and managing kids’ emotions is leadership, but I felt like I was training, observing, testing, and failing – I was really young and gloriously oblivious to imposter syndrome.
It wasn’t until I started my own programme that I felt like I stepped into a true leadership role: I founded and ran a youth filmmaking programme in New York City for many years. It came about almost by accident. I was asked to consult on a possible after school programme and ended up pitching them an idea for a city-wide after school and summer programme for kids at the New York City Recreation Centers.
I remember them asking me a question about camera gear and I just launched into this idea that I hadn’t even considered before. They went for it and all of a sudden I was in charge of building and sustaining a huge creative arts programme that I just made up on the spot.
My co-director and I had a lot of stakeholders putting up money, a lot of staff and parents putting their trust in us, and a lot of young people putting their creative hopes and dreams into the programme. It was really successful and a lot of those kids work in the film industry or the arts now.
LBB> How did you figure out what kind of leader you wanted to be – or what kind of leader you didn’t want to be?
Corey> Leadership means being in a relationship with a lot of people and managing a wide range of emotions. I figured out both what kind of leader I did and did not want to be in the same way: experiencing people in leadership roles in this industry behaving badly, and being mean and abusive toward people under them. I took notes. I remember how that felt and try hard to make sure I don’t make anyone else feel that way. We all have bad days and I’m certainly not perfect on this front, but I try.
LBB> What experience or moment gave you your biggest lesson in leadership?
Corey> Very early on, I was producing a big live event and felt like I was under a lot of pressure. Someone forgot to do something, I lost patience, and I snapped at them. My co-producer said something to the effect of 'yelling at them doesn’t fix the problem, it just makes everyone feel bad', and she was right.
I put myself in the other person’s position:
How many times have I forgotten something? (a million) How many mistakes have I made? (a zillion) Does it help me or the situation to have someone belittle me? (nope)
I think about that little moment every time I’m producing or directing a job. No one is there to ruin things. People screw up sometimes. The best thing you can do when you screw up is say, "I screwed up. How can I help make it right?". And, as a leader, the best thing you can do in that situation is say, "Copy that, let’s figure something out."
LBB> Did you know you always wanted to take on a leadership role? If so how did you work towards it and if not, when did you start realising that you had it in you?
Corey> I’ve spent a lot of years in Al Anon where I learned about a personality trait related to leadership that really speaks to me: actor vs. reactor. I am very much a reactor. I didn’t realise it for a long time – and even resisted it when I heard about it – because I didn’t really understand that there’s just as much creativity and leadership in being a reactor as an actor.
A person (actor) comes to me (reactor) with a creative idea and I jump. Tell me about a problem you’re trying to solve or a project you’re trying to get off the ground and I’ll have ten thousand ideas, people to collaborate with, locations to scout, the perfect crew, I’m building the set, making you a playlist, and lunch is ready. That scenario is what unlocks my leadership mode and I think that’s one of the reasons why people hire me.
LBB> When it comes to 'leadership' as a skill, how much do you think is a natural part of personality, how much can be taught and learned?
Corey> I’m very much a Generation X, DIY, latchkey punk rock feral child with a creative brain. If you want to be in band or make a movie or do some crafting with me, f*ck yeah. I like the challenge and the feeling of collaborating, but I also like making creative decisions when I’m a good fit to lead.
It’s a feeling, more than anything, and definitely a natural part of my personality. There are things where I go, “Oh I see how this could play out,” and I’m happy to take charge and make it happen. It just makes sense. I think one can learn and teach a leadership skill set, for sure, and I have definitely worked on specific aspects of leading teams over the years, but on a basic level it’s natural to me.
LBB> What are the aspects of leadership that you find most personally challenging? And how do you work through them?
Corey> Sometimes working with people is fun. Sometimes it’s not so fun because people have personalities and private experiences that they’re going through and they bring them to work, whether they know it or not (me too!). It can be hard to put personal feelings aside and focus on creating a good environment.
In those situations, I try to remember that it’s not about me. And by that I mean, people are complicated and you don’t know what they’re going through outside of the job you’re running. Give them grace. Give them space to take a break, let them know you support them. I try not to meet conflict with more conflict. I saved this Neil Brennan video for when I need to work through a challenging moment and it really helps, promise.
LBB> Have you ever felt like you've failed whilst in charge? How did you address the issue and what did you learn from it?
Corey> I never fail, I’m the best. Kidding! I fail all the time. We all do. In my work, I am required to remember 7,000 things simultaneously, to model a positive mental attitude for my team, to have answers or know where to find them, etc. etc. Of course I fail occasionally. I can’t think of a specific, epic example (I’m sure someone reading this can), but there are a lot of small ones.
What I learn from these failures is to:
1. Always surround myself with people who are amazing at their jobs so there’s always a failsafe when someone inevitably makes a mistake
2. Foster a sense of trust so that if someone does fail, they feel safe to point it out immediately.
The worst thing that can happen is if someone is scared to tell me they made a mistake.
I recently had a PA who was involved in a small accident (not his fault at all) driving a crew van back to the rental place. He immediately called me and told me what happened and what he was doing to sort it out. He kept in touch throughout the whole process and was super straightforward. At one point in the call he said, “I feel so bad. I feel like you’re never going to hire me again.” I was like, “ON THE CONTRARY! Mistakes happen and you have done everything right and that makes me want to hire you more.”
And now that kid is on almost every shoot and moving up in the camera department. (Shout-out to Kevin!)
LBB> In terms of leadership and openness, what’s your approach there? Do you think it’s important to be transparent as possible in the service of being authentic? Or is there a value in being careful and considered?
Corey> I’m super open – sometimes to a fault, sometimes to our collective advantage. I’m sensitive and I think sensitivity can be a strength. I think one can be transparent AND careful and considerate. It’s pretty simple for me: Be nice, create a safe space, and have fun. We’re making a TV show or a commercial or a music video. If it’s not fun and supportive, why are we doing it?
LBB> As you developed your leadership skills did you have a mentor, if so who were/are they and what have you learned? And on the flip side, do you mentor any aspiring leaders and how do you approach that relationship?
Corey> I’ve always wanted a mentor! Why don’t I have one?! I guess I have had mentors and we just didn’t label it. A mentorsituationship. ;)
I think the people I have learned from the most are those that have looked to me for leadership. My students over the years have called me a mentor and I accept that with immense gratitude because they have really mentored me. I approach those relationships with a sense of give and take and mutual respect.
I don’t know everything or maybe anything at all. What can we do together? What can we learn together? What mistakes can we make together? One of the things I love THE MOST is when people who work for me get better than me. My former art assistant became my art director and now that I’ve transitioned out of production design I hire her (shoutout to Claire!). It’s so funny to me to see her work and think, “Wow! How does she do that?” when I literally taught her how at one point.
LBB> In continually changing market circumstances, how do you cope with the responsibility of leading a team through difficult waters?
Corey> I care a lot about the people I work with and when I’m in charge – producing or directing a project – I do my best to make sure people are heard and taken care of. I also think setting boundaries is really important, especially on set.
Clients need a certain touch. Crew needs a different one. Talent, yet another. When things get stressful or something goes wrong in one department, it’s my job to keep those boundaries intact.
Everybody doesn’t need to know everything; they’re all busy doing their best. There’s no need to add stress to the art department if the sound department is having a malfunction. If something goes wrong – and something usually does – when it’s all sorted out I have been known to say, “If that’s the worst thing that could happen today, then we’re doing great!”
LBB> As a leader, what are some of the ways in which you’ve prioritised diversity and inclusion within your workforce?
Corey> I’m a woman in the film industry and I’m really sensitive to the disparity in opportunities afforded to those of us who are not, how shall we say, dudes in the film biz? I’m not shy about it. I have a really diverse crew roster that I work with, always. I’m also really intentional about hiring people that reflect the work.
I do a lot of documentary work and I’ve been told on MANY occasions by people on camera that they felt really safe and more comfortable sharing their stories because they see themselves in the crew. Like, if we’re making a series for a queer advocacy organisation, I’m going to reach out to queer department heads.
LBB> What are the most useful resources you’ve found to help you along your leadership journey?
Corey> I love Media Mavens. It’s a group of women and non-binary people employed in media – be it film, television, web, short-form, scripted, unscripted, development, casting, post, production, agency side, etc. – who are working to make the storytelling landscape a better place.
It’s such a supportive bunch who vouch for each other and provide an incredibly diverse network of resources and ideas and people. Any time I need to find crew or a location or production services in a place where I don’t have established connections, I reach out to Media Mavens and that community DELIVERS.
