At this point in my career, I am far more willing to turn down work than I used to be. A foundational part of that is due to how fortunate and privileged I am: As a dual-career (software-engineering is my other job), I simply am not 100% reliant on show production to pay the bills. Not everyone is as lucky as I am, and I need to acknowledge that immediately.

The next chunk of the foundation is that I believe very strongly in high-quality clients being a HUGE factor in becoming (and staying) a high-quality craftsperson. The evaluation of the quality of a client is not necessarily a set of hard-and-fast rules, but there are several metrics that come together in making a decision that is – at the very least – well informed.

• Is the effective day-rate worth the trouble?

  I’m in the camp that says, “Any show basically requires a whole day.” If the pay isn’t enough to compensate for a day’s worth of effort, then either other metrics fill the gap or the gig is declined.

• Regardless of any promised amount, was it easy or hard to get paid?

  This one’s a bit tough, due to it often being a bit of “ex post facto” experience, but it’s a great determinant for sticking with something or moving on. You can sometimes be surprised here. I once landed a house gig in a well-appointed venue sitting in the very fancy town around these parts. (The place where they have that big film festival every year.) Things seemed okay for a bit, and then my payroll check bounced. I was a bit shocked…and I didn’t hang around long. In contrast, my not-fancy-but-filled-with-love neighborhood-venue job that I had before? They never, ever failed to pay me on time and in full, even when they were just barely hanging on by their fingernails. I did five years there, and I miss that place.

• Is this going to be a repeat client that I can build a real relationship with?

  You can’t always know if a one-off will turn into something else, but you can take a guess. Established acts and arts organizations are better bets than random callers. The best “initial contacts” are the ones that say, “we want to hire you for a series of shows.” Gigs where they just need you to fill in can sometimes turn out well, but tend to be pretty weak in regard to this measure.

• If the gig involves an installed system, is the install decent?

  An in-house system need not be the latest and greatest, but it should be something that you’re interested in working with and fits your workflow. If the install doesn’t contribute to your success, or worse, is built in a way that impedes your ability to execute, that’s a big reason to walk away from a potential job.

• Are the people going to be great to work with?

  Great people make jobs of lesser swankiness anywhere from tolerable to desirable. One bad attitude makes the “room you’ve heard of with a band you’ve heard of” into a situation that I ignore calls for. The quality of the people involved with a gig is so critical that, in the cases of folks I’d rather not work with, they could offer me three times my day rate and I’d still have to think long and hard about taking the job.

• Am I able to bring a sense of quality to the table?

  The very best prospects are the ones where I can make improvements and take the show to a level where it hasn’t been before. If they just want someone to push the same buttons in the same ways as the last person, that’s far less worthwhile.

• Do they want to work with me, or just “generic A/V operator 975623?”

  This is very similar to the previous point. If you’re being brought into an opportunity where your specific talents are needed and desired, that’s an excellent possibility. If a client merely desires that you step in as an equivalent replacement, that’s not so enticing.

• Are the events going to be a blast?

  If you’re going to work with new technologies, do interesting work, learn a lot, and create art you can be proud of, that can be worth significant tradeoffs on the monetary side. On the other hand, a gig with decent pay that’s a grind will soon not seem to be a decent situation at all. If the day is going to be un-fun and not pay very well, there’s no reason to bother.

Please understand that none of this is meant to be “snooty.” I think it’s good to work some less-than-awesome gigs in order to get a sense of appreciation for the great shows. At the same time, the faster you learn that high-quality work is done for high-quality clients, the better.