Angelina Jolie And Picking Projects

One of my writer friends
likes to write purely artsy novels.
She refuses to,
as she says,
‘sell out.’
She has challenges keeping a publisher
because… well…
while her stories rock,
her sales suck.

Another friend writes stories
that are in demand.
This makes her publisher VERY happy
and earns her a decent living.
Every once in a while,
she throws in an artsy piece,
displaying the width and breadth
of her creativity.
These pieces sell more
and are wider read
than my other friend’s
because she has a larger reader base.

Angelina Jolie has a similar approach
to her movie projects.
She makes the big blockbusters
like Salt
(which grossed $289 million U.S.
world-wide)
to give her the credentials
and the fan base
for her smaller projects.

In December’s Cineplex Magazine,
she tells Kevin Williamson
“You do need to balance things
to make sure
you can always continue
to do different types and sizes of films.
You have to be conscious of that balance.”

Sometimes you have to give
your customers what they want
before giving them
what you want.