Becca Falborn has six years of experience in the niche corner of audio & sound design. In her current role, she's the executive producer of business development specialising in new business, developing & expanding services, offerings, and relationships for both LA-based audio post house, Lime Studios and NYC's budding post production colour, finishing & VFX house, Assembly. Becca's career path began over 10 years ago working in reality TV for 495 productions, went on to work at companies such as Nice Shoes, Hogarth, and Sound Lounge.
Becca> I remember when I began as a producer in 2017, I was told upon being hired that I would be in a more 鈥渟ales-based鈥 producer role due to my willingness and ability to meet new people and network. I hit the ground running, I won a big PlayStation campaign within my first month that was pretty epic to be a part of. It was pretty intense, I remember feeling pretty emotionally invested once I had gone through multiple rounds of bidding and adjusting the numbers to align perfectly with the clients needs. The other campaign that I have to mention that stands out in my career as one of my most proud moments is the Dilly Dilly Bud Light campaign. It was one of the most well-known & iconic campaigns since Budweiser鈥檚 鈥榃azzup鈥 in the late 鈥90s/early 2000s. Andrew Cravotta from Arcade Edit and I used to joke when he鈥檇 reach out to me that it was kind of 鈥渢he gift that keeps on giving鈥 for about two years. I was so proud, I remember telling my friends & family about it and them being so impressed with how quickly I was excelling as this came only a few months into my producer career. These kinds of campaigns definitely shaped me as a producer - the bigger the campaign, the more challenging. You have to be more innovative & more in tune with your problem-solving skills and push yourself to think outside the box. I learned that there鈥檚 always a solution to every 鈥減roblem鈥; if your client is freaking out over something, whether it鈥檚 your problem or not, you get to help ease their worries and be their solitude. That鈥檚 what creates long-running, meaningful relationships.
Becca> The best advice is kind of two parts, one tidbit I got early on was pretty simple: to just be a good person, be good at your job, work your ass off, and work with people that make you proud. Clients will want to work with you and bring you business if you鈥檙e exuding positive energy and enthusiasm while representing the artists and companies you鈥檙e working with. The other was advice I got from my cousin Jackie the year I was promoted to EP and that was: 鈥渄emand to be more self-aware鈥 and I remind myself about that regularly. Next time you find yourself in a position where you鈥檙e reaching out to someone, ask yourself, 鈥淚f I were them, would I bring myself business?鈥
Becca> If you can believe it, I鈥檝e actually gotten more bad advice than good advice. One that stands out was when I was out with clients early on in my producing days, the EP I reported to at the time told me that sharing my similar experiences with clients could come across as me 鈥渙ne-upping鈥 them and that I shouldn鈥檛 be sharing my own previous experiences. You could tell this was coming from a place of insecurity and intimidation because the client in question had followed up texting me, mentioning how nice it was to talk to someone who shared similar experiences and how it made them feel like they weren鈥檛 crazy. Yes, it can come across as one-upping if you鈥檙e not careful, but we were simply relating to the fact that we had something in common. I learned that there鈥檚 different ways to connect with your clients and not every way works for everyone and that鈥檚 okay. As a leader, you shouldn鈥檛 ever dull someone鈥檚 light, acknowledge their strength and help them fine-tune, don鈥檛 ridicule unnecessarily.
Becca> Well, when I started it was years before the pandemic. So, yeah quite a bit has changed! People are all over the place, literally and figuratively, so your methods have to be as well. Some people still don鈥檛 want to come out of their newfound comfort zones and may not be interested in socialising, some people moved to remote areas where it鈥檚 much more difficult to connect with them in person over the traditional coffee, lunch, drinks, or dinner. You have to have a versatile, limitless product & service to sell them. You, as a business development specialist, need to be moving in the direction of a more creative approach so you can retain and grow your relationships despite these obstacles. Just send the LinkedIn message/email/Instagram DM. What鈥檚 the worst that can happen? They say no? At least you know you tried.
Becca> I personally think it definitely suits a certain personality. I have people tell me all the time, 鈥淚 could never do what you do!鈥 or ask me 鈥淗ow do you do it?鈥 鈥淒on鈥檛 you get tired?鈥濃he answer is that I genuinely enjoy it (also, of course, we all get tired). I love my job. I tell the artists I represent that I couldn鈥檛 sit in a room with clients all day. Some of them love the social aspect, some of them lean toward the more shy & reserved personalities that are less inclined to participate in the 鈥渟chmoozing鈥 or the outreach 鈥渃ourting鈥. And that鈥檚 ok! We鈥檙e all different and that鈥檚 what builds a strong team, differing strengths & weaknesses & supporting each other through them. I genuinely enjoy and thrive on helping others, connecting with new people and introducing people to each other. It only further expands your network.
Becca> I don鈥檛 think it should be done away with, it鈥檚 definitely not a thing of the past. I love doing screenings and participating in speaking engagements. I think that the industry is evolving and creating a wider creative space for ideas and personalities of all kinds. I conducted my first screening since pre-covid in September 2022 and it was considered a 鈥渃reative showcase鈥 and I had a lot of fun with it. Regarding businesses/parties who refuse to engage: I personally think it varies, I have encountered people who don鈥檛 even want to hear a pitch, or entertain your 鈥渟piel鈥 and then others who LOVE to learn about what you have to offer. I also have won brand new business without any real 鈥減itch鈥 involved and just being good company to someone in the industry who wants to try a new restaurant & meet someone new. To those who are less willing to hear what us biz dev professionals have to offer/say: be open minded to the possibility of engaging with new creative & new talent.
Becca> This is *kind of* letting people in on one of my sales secrets - but I do intense research on the people I鈥檓 meeting, from their Instagram or Facebook accounts, to their LinkedIn, googling their names to see what they鈥檝e been featured in, searching for credits on recent projects. I鈥檝e found that people just want to be acknowledged and feel seen. I remember once a client talked about how much she loved the SmartFood white cheddar popcorn (which we bonded over) and when she was in the thick of it on a campaign - I sent her a family sized bag to her office and she was floored, emailed me a picture of it and everything. Another time it was a client's birthday and I wanted to appeal to her vibrantly colourful and eclectic style and personality so I sent her one of those rainbow, confetti-sprinkle filled cakes. Again, you have to appeal to your audience & make them feel seen, no matter how big or small the gesture.
Becca> Oof, I鈥檝e definitely developed thicker skin over the years. It wasn鈥檛 always easy. It isn鈥檛 always easy. I still get discouraged sometimes. I always tell myself, 鈥渋t鈥檚 not personal, it鈥檚 business鈥 and that there鈥檚 enough work to go around for everyone. The rejections just motivate me to do better, win the next one, and improve my skills. I also meditate a lot, to help keep my head on straight and level. Highly recommend it to anyone who is under pressure.
Becca> It鈥檚 definitely a fine if not blurry line. I鈥檝e developed incredibly meaningful friendships with people in the industry who fall into the category of 鈥渃lient鈥. I think it depends on the person. We all know what the ultimate goal is - and my industry friends know what I do and that I have goals and numbers to reach and meet. I鈥檇 say it鈥檚 50/50 depending on the person - for some it鈥檚 easier, for others it鈥檚 a more fragile thing.
Becca> First thing that comes to mind is to compliment the project鈥檚 creativity, show them you鈥檙e excited and invested in being their partner in the journey of this project. Throw in a joke, share a personal story or experience that may relate to the brand or subject of the project. Ultimately, we鈥檙e all consumers - eating, drinking, virtually experiencing, buying, absorbing all the same products we鈥檙e marketing. It鈥檚 validation and that translates into a successful campaign and partnership.
Becca> I think social media is an incredible way to connect with existing and prospective clients. I have created new client relationships with like minded people through Instagram DM鈥檚, comments, and follows. Just a few weeks ago I had a client come up to me saying 鈥淥h my gosh it鈥檚 Becca! We follow each other on Instagram!鈥 Having said that, I think LinkedIn is one of the most useful platforms in our industry and you don鈥檛 need to have the paid version. You don鈥檛 need to be posting everyday or even every week. It鈥檚 all about engagement and building people up. I know I definitely stay aware of who is cheering me on and who is not, and others are very likely doing so too.
Becca> First and foremost, it鈥檚 all about positive reinforcement. Tell people on your team when they鈥檙e doing a good job. Be supportive, not combative. Happy employees who feel appreciated and supported by upper management do good work, put out good work, and bring in good work. Don鈥檛 let all the feedback for team members be when you need to provide critique or address something negative. Don鈥檛 put someone down just because it鈥檚 not exactly the same way you鈥檇 approach a situation. Acknowledge that not everyone you work with is going to have the same exact style. Getting people to a place of independent confidence and building them up only helps you be a better leader. This gives them the ability to better navigate through situations so that you can collaborate, easily delegate, and grow a stronger team to reach more potential clients. It鈥檚 a numbers game & there鈥檚 no reason to hoard the connections, introduce your team members, include them, promote them, support them. Clients love knowing that there is more support offered to them, and that they鈥檙e working with a company that recognises their people and encourages them to be their best selves.
Becca> Be confident, speak with conviction, and don鈥檛 be afraid to ask questions. Take the advice from the people who you鈥檝e looked up to in the industry, be open to honest & sometimes brutal feedback, and above all, don鈥檛 be defensive. No matter how long you鈥檝e been in this industry, you can always learn something new from someone regardless of their experience level. As I mentioned before, I鈥檓 of the mindset that you can always provide a solution to a client whether it be through your own team or a team you鈥檝e networked with and can refer them to. Garnering meaningful connections is one of the most important parts of this industry - and that is how you garner results. Slow and steady wins the race. Don鈥檛 burn yourself (or your team) out.