IT'S FRIDAY!

We've almost made it to the end of another work week. Time to wrap things up. Traffic those final radio campaigns for next week. Make sure there are no creative revisions pending. Have all residual cycle payments been processed? Any estimates still need signing? Timesheets all up to date?
Hurray!

Okay then, take a deep breath. Soon it will be time to start thinking about next week....

LATE FEES

Late fees are costs incurred as penalities for not getting talent payments to our radio & TV performers in a timely manner. 

Each union we deal with has its own set of rules pertaining to payment deadlines.

For ACTRA (English radio/TV talent)

Payment must be received no later than 21 calendar days (weekends included) from the last work day on the session contract.
Payment for residual cycles must be received no later than 28 calendar days from the 1^st day of the broadcast cycle.

For UDA (French radio/TV talent)

All payments must be received no later than 20 business days (weekends not included) from the last work day of the session or 1^st day of the broadcast cycle.

For AFofM (musicians for radio and/or TV)

We have 15 business days to make payment for sessions and 20 business days for residuals.

For SAG (U.S. radio/TV talent)

12 business days for session payments, 15 business days for online and radio/TV residuals, and holding fees must be in the hands of the performers on the day they become due.

As mentioned in yesterday’s post, we can’t pay the talent in a spot until we have the Completion Report from the producer.

We also need the completed session contracts and music contracts before payments can be made.  When commercials are being shot in far-away places, in other countries or even just out of town locations, there is often a delay in receiving contracts.
If post-production is complicated and involves many edits, it can take time for the producer to recap all of the information in the completion report especially since the producer may be working on multiple projects simultaneously.  Regardless, the clock starts ticking as soon as the performers sign out on the day of their performance.

Paying late fees is never a good thing. Most often they become a “write-off” expense since it’s pretty difficult to justify billing a client for costs that have been incurred because we missed the submission deadlines.

COMPLETION REPORTS

When production is completed on a new commercial and the spot is ready to air, the producer provides us with a document called a COMPLETION REPORT. This document is the bible for the commercial and is essential in order to pay talent residuals properly.

A completion report packs a lot of information into just a few pages. Along with showing basic information, like the date and year of production, it shows all the important details: the production house, the director, the post production house, info pertaining to the music track and any specifics regarding talent or music buyouts, or purchased songs and terms of contracts. The completion report also lists all of the performers, their unions, performance categories, and scale rates.

We can’t calculate residual estimates or make residual payments unless this document is filled out accurately. Even though we’ve probably processed session payments to the performers already, we have no way of knowing if all talent contracts are accounted for or if any talent has been edited out of the finished commercial until we review the completion report.

It’s super important we receive this document before a new commercial goes on the air or online. If we don’t then we risk incurring late fees on our cycle payments.

More about late fees in the next post.

REVISING TELEVISION COMMERCIALS

Sometimes we have to “tweak” or change a commercial that has already gone to air.  We’re still advertising the same product and marketing the same selling points, it’s just a new version of the spot that’s already on TV or online.

If we make a major change, like adding a new voiceover, changing a super or a price point or adding/deleting a scene in the commercial, we call it a “revision”. A new ID code is issued and the commercial title is changed slightly so that stations can tell the difference between the original spot and the new revised spot.  When we change the commercial title and ID code we also have to submit for new regulatory approvals because the approval numbers are married to the commercial title and ID code.

However, sometimes the revisions are minor. It could be as simple as adjusting the sound levels, or the audio mix. Or perhaps the colours need adjusting- the reds might be too “red” or the grass in the background is “not green enough”. These are called “technical revisions” or tech-rev’s.  In this case, because no part of the message has been changed, we only have to add “TECH REV” to the commercial title, “TR” to the end of the ID code and no regulatory resubmission is necessary.

When changes are rushed and the revised spot has to be on air as quickly as possible, it’s really tempting to call a revision a “tech rev” and avoid all of the extra steps like new titles and ID codes and new regulatory numbers. 

But cutting corners is not a good idea. Spots that have been revised to change the message or an important legal detail need to stand out and a new ID code and approvals help make that happen. Those new numbers also help ensure that the old, original spot won’t be aired accidentally in the future.

It’s worth the extra time and effort to make sure that revisions are done properly.

THIS IS WHAT I DID YESTERDAY

PAJAMA PALOOZA RESULTS!

The Traffic Department is happy to announce that our Pajama Day fundraiser was a HUGE success! We were able to raise $237.93 for Free the Children thanks to your generosity and participation.

 Many thanks to everyone who cheerfully wore jammies in the halls, bought our baked goods, drank tasty mimosas and generally indulged our wacky ideas.

How about Hawaiian Shirt Day in the summer? No?

TALENT PAYMENT

Paying talent is one of the more complicated parts of what we do. 

There are 5 main talent unions to satisfy, and each union has its own set of rules regarding the numerous cycle types to be paid.

We are signatory to all unions, meaning we are required to abide by union rules, and only hire talent from the pool of union members.

 Here are the unions we deal with for paying talent:

ACTRA: Canadian English language Radio and Television performers

UDA: Canadian French language Radio and Television performers
SAG: US Radio and Television performers
CFM: Canadian Federation of Musicians
AFofM: American Federation of Musicians

 Performers receive 2 types of payments- a SESSION payment for the recording of the performance, and a RESIDUAL payment for the use of the performance.

There are several different types of residual payments depending on how we air the commercials.

1)      TELEVISION CYCLES-
Most common type of television cycle covers 13 consecutive weeks of use. For  ACTRA, & UDA, as well as both music unions one payment is issued for unlimited use during the 13 week cycle. However, SAG requires a separate payment for Wildspot, Cable and Network use, meaning you potentially have to make 3 payments to cover 13 weeks of use.
2)      RADIO CYCLES-
As with TV, a typical radio cycle covers 13 consecutive weeks of use with one payment.  And for ACTRA, UDA and the music unions, the 1^st 13 weeks of use is covered by the session payment.
3)      INDUSTRIAL CYCLES-
Cover non-broadcast use, such as Trade Shows, Stadiums, In Flight, Cinema, In-store monitors and Outdoor boards. For ACTRA this use is covered if you have paid a current 13 week Television cycle, but the other unions require a separate payment for this use.
4)      INTERNET CYCLES-
Each union has their own payment requirements for online use. And further, the payment differs depending on whether you have produced a commercial for online use, or are using a spot originally produced for Television.

Complicated- yes. Expensive-you bet! 

Often, more than 1 union will be involved when a payment is made.

Best rule of thumb- never assume that any use of a commercial will not have an associated cost, for any medium. Never assume that your use will be at no additional cost, because it was the last time you aired the commercial.  Always contact your traffic coordinator BEFORE making any promises to a client or estimating  costs for uses in any medium. The rules are constantly changing regarding the compensation of performers, so this can easily turn into a very costly oversight.

 We are here to help guide you through this ever changing landscape, so feel free to contact us at any time. It’s a great time to be alive with all the available methods of broadcasting your message!

It's been a while....

Sorry faithful readers, it's been crazy stupid busy around here as of late.
But I'm back, I promise.
I found this article today and it totally sums up how I feel about the MediaBrands Traffic team.

8 Qualities of Remarkable Employees

Forget good to great. Here's what makes a great employee remarkable.

Great employees are reliable, dependable, proactive, diligent, great leaders and great followers... they possess a wide range of easily-defined—but hard to find—qualities.
A few hit the next level. Some employees are remarkable, possessing qualities that may not appear on performance appraisals but nonetheless make a major impact on performance.

Here are eight qualities of remarkable employees:

1. They ignore job descriptions. The smaller the company, the more important it is that employees can think on their feet, adapt quickly to shifting priorities, and do whatever it takes, regardless of role or position, to get things done.
When a key customer's project is in jeopardy, remarkable employees know without being told there's a problem and jump in without being asked—even if it's not their job.

2. They’re eccentric... The best employees are often a little different: quirky, sometimes irreverent, even delighted to be unusual. They seem slightly odd, but in a really good way. Unusual personalities shake things up, make work more fun, and transform a plain-vanilla group into a team with flair and flavor.

People who aren't afraid to be different naturally stretch boundaries and challenge the status quo, and they often come up with the best ideas.

3. But they know when to dial it back. An unusual personality is a lot of fun... until it isn't. When a major challenge pops up or a situation gets stressful, the best employees stop expressing their individuality and fit seamlessly into the team.

Remarkable employees know when to play and when to be serious; when to be irreverent and when to conform; and when to challenge and when to back off. It’s a tough balance to strike, but a rare few can walk that fine line with ease.

4. They publicly praise... Praise from a boss feels good. Praise from a peer feels awesome, especially when you look up to that person.

Remarkable employees recognize the contributions of others, especially in group settings where the impact of their words is even greater.

5. And they privately complain. We all want employees to bring issues forward, but some problems are better handled in private. Great employees often get more latitude to bring up controversial subjects in a group setting because their performance allows greater freedom.

Remarkable employees come to you before or after a meeting to discuss a sensitive issue, knowing that bringing it up in a group setting could set off a firestorm.

6. They speak when others won’t. Some employees are hesitant to speak up in meetings. Some are even hesitant to speak up privately.

An employee once asked me a question about potential layoffs. After the meeting I said to him, “Why did you ask about that? You already know what's going on.” He said, “I do, but a lot of other people don't, and they're afraid to ask. I thought it would help if they heard the answer from you.”
Remarkable employees have an innate feel for the issues and concerns of those around them, and step up to ask questions or raise important issues when others hesitate.

7. They like to prove others wrong. Self-motivation often springs from a desire to show that doubters are wrong. The kid without a college degree or the woman who was told she didn't have leadership potential often possess a burning desire to prove other people wrong.

Education, intelligence, talent, and skill are important, but drive is critical. Remarkable employees are driven by something deeper and more personal than just the desire to do a good job.

8. They’re always fiddling. Some people are rarely satisfied (I mean that in a good way) and are constantly tinkering with something: Reworking a timeline, adjusting a process, tweaking a workflow.

Great employees follow processes. Remarkable employees find ways to make those processes even better, not only because they are expected to… but because they just can't help it

The 9th Floor Pajama-Palooza!

Traffic People like to have fun while helping others.   This week we are celebrating Pajama-Palooza at the office to raise money for Free the Children, with a bagel and mimosa breakfast and a bake sale.

Free the Children does very important work helping kids all over the world to succeed against the odds.

To learn more about this worthy cause please check out their website.

http://www.freethechildren.com

The 9^th floor

Pajama-Palooza!!

Today

Comfort = Increased Productivity!!

(Right?)

For an affordable $2 donation, you can have

boss-sanctioned jammied coziness at work!

All proceeds to Free the Children.