We caught up with the brilliant and insightful Austin Sepulveda a few weeks ago and have shared our conversation below.
Austin, thanks for taking the time to share your stories with us today So, let’s start with a hypothetical – what would you change about the educational system?
First, I think teachers are the true heroes of our work force. It takes a tremendous amount of self sacrifice and care for others to take on what is really one of the most important jobs that we have as a society. It’s also one that is dreadfully underpaid, underfunded and under-appreciated. One of the things I feel like American society gets wrong is the concept of work life balance. While it is certainly a dream to look forward to Monday the same way you look forward to Friday, I don’t think this will be the reality for 99% of people.
I myself, have had many moments where I could not wait for the work week to start. And when that happens there really isn’t a better feeling. But that’s not the case every week, in fact more often than not the start of the week requires a new injection of self motivation to keep forging ahead. I think there is too much emphasis on this idea of a dream career, where every day is sunshine and rainbows and not enough emphasis on a dream environment. I say that meaning build a company or join a company and find those you want to interact with on a daily basis that enrich your life because I promise you that is something much more attainable and rewarding than a quote “dream career”.
Austin, before we move on to more of these sorts of questions, can you take some time to bring our readers up to speed on you and what you do?
My path to the industry wasn’t completely linear, like most. I started out with the intention of being a sports agent and through a series of jobs and internships along with a graduate degree, ended up landed in the world of producing. The term producing may be one of the most overused words in our language. It essentially can be summed up as the person or group of people that gets the job done. And the job can vary greatly.
To answer the question of what I am most proud of…I would say my ability to problem solve. It’s both the best and worst part of the job. Ideally there aren’t problems that need solving, but that’s a fantasy. The truth is every day brings some level of problem and there is a joy in having the confidence to handle anything.
What’s worked well for you in terms of a source for new clients?
Word of mouth. Always word of mouth.
Nearly all of our clients on the commercial side have come this way and we take pride in doing work at such a high level that they never test the waters with another company again.
Any advice for managing a team?
I feel like leading by example is necessary to maintain high morale. Leadership at the top trickles down to the rest of your employees or in my case crew. It’s painfully obvious when stepping on a set if the leadership in place is strong or problematic. I personally try to show that every position from bottom up is vital and will often start my day by doing the most menial tasks that are often perceived as entry level or “below my position”. I feel like this sets the tone that we are all in this thing together.
That comes along with striving to be the first in and last to leave on every job. I want everyone on my team to know that if I am asking you to run a mile it’s because I’ll gladly run five. I think when people see their leader working their tail off and doing so in a positive manner, that they are inspired to do the same.
Contact Info:
- Website: www.watchmakers-ent.com
- Instagram: @austinsep
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/austin.sepulveda/
- Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/austin-sepulveda-90759a16
- Twitter: https://www.instagram.com/austinsep/?hl=en