Alright – so today we’ve got the honor of introducing you to Kelly Bayett. We think you’ll enjoy our conversation, we’ve shared it below.

Kelly , thanks for joining us, excited to have you contributing your stories and insights. Have you ever had an amazing boss, mentor or leader leading you? Can you us a story or anecdote that helps illustrate why this person was such a great leader and the impact they had on you or their team?

The best boss I ever had, is probably the worst boss I ever had. There is opportunity in everything, and the worst boss can teach you so much. He would start every employee review talking about how replaceable we all were, and God forbid something ever happened to him he was replaceable. Everyone was deflated and no one asked for what they really wanted and they would always think about leaving, or they would become complacent in their work.

In that, I learned that you have to make people feel valued and important. You get the best from people when they feel like they have ownership in their job, they are seen and appreciated.

When I quit, he fired my boyfriend who also worked for him. He asked me to lunch where he told me that he couldn’t hear I was unhappy because I was a woman, and men don’t hear women unless they yell at them. He offered me a one time only $10k apology bonus for not hearing me, he would hire my boyfriend back and give me a small raise.

In that, I learned that these situations and opinions of us as women and as people do not define us. We can not be weighed down by that and it’s ok to know your value, your worth and walk away. Maybe you are broke AF, but you can always start over, make a life that you are proud to live and succeed beyond others boundaries.

As always, we appreciate you sharing your insights and we’ve got a few more questions for you, but before we get to all of that can you take a minute to introduce yourself and give our readers some of your back background and context?

I started acting and producing radio, then an actors strike happened and I needed to get a full time job as I was living project to project at that time. I picked up an Adweek and answered an ad for a music producer in advertising. I thought it was close enough to what I was doing to be capable for the project. I brought a mix tape (to show taste of course) and a resume. They hired me and it become about just figuring it out. We have a project with an orchestra, where do we get one? The Hollywood Bowl? (Answer: NO) but you just move through, make mistakes, learn from them and move on.

25 years later, I had my own award winning music company. What made us great was a focus on creative and talent. We managed to always focus on getting the best creative without alienating clients in the discussion. We focused on doing work that people cared about and noticed, which brings you more work and ultimately gets you noticed more than bulk work you do for the money.

I then opened Love Song, a production company with my partner, director Daniel Wolfe. We focus on the highest level creative, best directors and staying involved through the post to make sure that we have the highest creative standards in advertising. We focus on new voices, diverse roster of talent that excites and inspires us. We have won every major adverting award in our very young two years because of our hyper focus and diligent attention to detail.

Learning and unlearning are both critical parts of growth – can you share a story of a time when you had to unlearn a lesson?

One lesson I had to unlearn, was that you have to be really hard and aggressive to make it. I could approach things so intensely and over time I realized how exhausting that is. It wasn’t who I was. I can have firm boundaries and also be true to myself. I can listen, build and lead effectively. My Nana used to say “you catch more flies with honey than you can with vinegar” and that is the truest phrase. Being kind and endearing while being strong and confident is a recipe for success. Never lose sight of who you are, authenticity is everything.

In your view, what can society to do to best support artists, creatives and a thriving creative ecosystem?

The first part is really creating value for what you do. Be smart and reasonable and know why your work commands a certain price. The world doesn’t want to pay for art. They are used to seeing things free on the internet. The general public is not saving up for an album release anymore, it’s not an event. It’s released on your favorite streaming service and you listen until you are over it and you move on. It loses value to people, they think art is free. So create and hold your value. If you do a collab, be a good partner and offer something financially up front or offer back end. We are all artists and must support each other. Another artists success is also your success. Never forget that.

Contact Info:

• Website: lovesong.tv
• Instagram: @kellybayett
• Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/kelly-bayett-8142805/