Bossing It: Trusting Your Preparation with Stephen Orent

Stephen Orent is a founding partner of Station Film and one of the industry’s most well-respected production leaders. Since its launch in 2008, Station and its talented roster of directors have been honoured with Emmy and Webby Awards, AICP Honours, One Show and D&AD Pencils, and many other accolades. The company has also been recognised as a Standout by the AdAge | Creativity Production Company A-List and is a go-to resource for brands and agencies for campaigns across all disciplines – TVC, digital, immersive and productions utilising emerging tech such as AI.  

LBB> What was your first experience of leadership?

Stephen> I was a 12-year-old drummer and my bandmates chose me to be the leader of the band. I knew back then I was onto something.

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?

Stephen> I grew up in the business when it was ok to be a tyrant, and I worked for quite a few. I also worked with some amazingly awesome mentors who taught me you can treat people with respect and still get the most out of them. 'Treat those as you like to be treated' was always ingrained in my head at a young age.

LBB> What experience or moment gave you your biggest lesson in leadership?

Stephen> I’ve had so many but I think when I had my first big production as an assistant director. I was working for the first time with Bob Giraldi and we were shooting a big period piece for AT&T. We were working with a young actor named Macaulay Caulkin. He had just finished filming Home Alone and was about to be a huge star. We had 25 principal talent and 300 extras. Reality was I was over my head with such a production and star but Bob never tossed that in my face. We worked as a team with DP Fred Murphy and he gave me enough rope to hang myself. In the end it was an amazing day and somehow it went as smoothly as it could have. Lesson learned from Bob? Never panic and trust your preparation and the great people you have around you. 

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?

Stephen> I had a goal when I first got into commercial production as a young PA. The goal was to someday be an owner. My mom always said I had ants in my pants. I often realised I wasn’t the smartest guy in the room but I knew that I could outwork most. 

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?

Stephen> I do feel that most people that desire to be leaders have that in them from an early age. Along the road we meet many great leaders - good and bad - that help shape us as one moves and grows.

LBB> What are the aspects of leadership that you find most personally challenging? And how do you work through them?

Stephen> Having the hard conversation about work and life. I learned very early on at my first company that I couldn’t shy away from telling the truth as I saw it. We live in a world of sugar coating our thoughts and communicating the comfortable answer. You can’t always say what you think the person wants to hear. In the end it’s mostly opinion not always fact so you have to have your convictions and pick a lane. Tell the truth and call it as you see it. Am I always right? No but I’m offering a starting point for honest conversation.

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?

Stephen> I’m sure I’ve failed many times but most times I believed that what I was doing was right. Have I sometimes made decisions based on heart and not fact? Yes. Was I ever one to over analyse a situation? No. Understand the facts, talk it out with your partners and make the educated decision. Leadership is not for the faint of heart. There’s a great saying 'Paralysis by analysis'. I never felt that was the way to go.

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?

Stephen> It’s important to be careful and considered but you must be open and honest. Honesty and transparency is the only way to earn respect. In life, business and personal, it all works hand and hand. Either you are an honest person or you're not. I learned early on as a child the consequences for being dishonest. It hurt in many ways.

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?

Stephen> I’ve had so many mentors. Mike Cuesta Sr., Norman Griner and Maddy Carlton shaped me early on as a PA and all the way through producing and becoming an Assistant Director. They gave me opportunities as a young person not many would. For that I am eternally grateful. Jon Kamen and Frank Scherma probably taught me the most about how to run a company. I met my future partners at hungry man Bryan Buckley and Hank Perlman working with them early on at @radicalmedia. Jon and Frank were smart, funny and just really great guys. I learned a lot from my ex partners at hungry man Buckley and Perlman. As former ad guys they taught me a lot about how agencies function and how we could be an asset to them. I think the cool thing about what we do is you can never stop growing and learning. My partners at Station, Caroline Gibney who worked with me since the beginning of hungry man and founded Station with me, and Michelle Towse who was a long-time producer with us who later joined as an EP then partner at Station, teach me everyday. I like to say I’m the luckiest man alive to have such amazing partners. Station is a special place and I owe it to them. In terms of mentoring others? I hope I’ve mentored many. Whether directly or indirectly I hope I touched a few and spread some SteveO-isms around. 

LBB> It's been a really challenging few years - and that's an understatement. How do you lead a team out the other side of a difficult period?

Stephen> Never stop believing in what you're doing. Difficult times make you make difficult decisions. I have two amazing partners in Caroline Gibney and Michelle Towse. The three of us have very similar philosophies in business. Control what you can and make decisions for the company as a whole. We circled the wagons at the beginning of the pandemic and became a tremendous resource for our amazing partners and thrived through a very difficult time.

LBB> What are some ambitions and plans you have for the company and yourself in the coming year?

Stephen> An easy but tough question. We’ve been so fortunate over time to have such incredible relationships with our directors and creative partners. It can be a dangerous practice but we are truly friends, partners and resources to each other. Without our amazing talent and clients we wouldn’t exist. The plan is always to grow creatively and personally. We want that to continue to be our focus and mission in the coming year and beyond. 

LBB> What have you noticed as the biggest changes in the industry during your career thus far? And do you have any predictions for future trends or themes?

Stephen> Agencies and clients have grown to be all encompassing. They create, cultivate, manage, produce and can be a one stop shop. It’s healthy for everyone to have those capabilities. I can’t speak for other production companies but one trend we have continued to see the last few years is the 'Relationship'. For so many years if an agency or client trusted you they stuck with you. That went away for a bit as there are so many creative choices. Thousands of talented directors from all over the world. What we've seen the last few years is the return of the successful relationship. The appreciation of what we bring as partners. We deeply love what we do. Our directors are deeply invested in building those relationships. Love and trust are big parts of our personal lives. Why wouldn’t they be a big part of our professional lives?

LBB> How important is your company culture to the success of your business?

Stephen> It’s everything. It’s a cliché` but we are a family. It’s not business, it's personal. We care for each other. That will never change.

LBB> What are the most useful resources you’ve found to help you along your leadership journey?

Stephen> Sports and coaching. So many principles and values come from that world. There’s a reason why great coaches last a long time, they're doing something right.