Stephen Rutter
Founder, The Scale Institute
I want to tell a story about how I came to be a Provocateur. For those that don't know the Mad Max story, it is an Australian dystopian action thriller film directed by George Miller. Mad Max 4, Fury Road, was shot in Namibia, Southwest Africa, over 15 months. I was responsible over a 7-year period for getting 1200 crew in and out of the Namibia desert, as well as 140 tonne of break bulk cargo, and over 5000 freight movements. We lost crew members ... let’s just say it was “high risk” action filmmaking.
What I came to learn from that experience is that a plan is only as good as the execution, and the environment that you're working in. We were dealing with shifting standards (and sands), creative geniuses, and plans changing so fast and often that it was very difficult for the production staff to deal with. Working under these extreme circumstances, I came to learn about being agile, adaptive, and most of all honest. Honest with my team. Telling staff that they have to spend an extra six months in the desert, shooting long days, where temperatures reach 45 °C and nights are freezing ... all because George Miller needed to have a few extra takes ... was not easy.
But I was hired by the studio and so it was my responsibility, just like it is many of yours, to keep the shoot to a reasonable timeframe and reasonable budget. Mad Max taught me to be an Innovator in Residence. It forced me to have difficult conversations, the conversations that really matter. There was always tension ... and as it turns out, tension is a pretty big deal – not just for strengthening muscles, but for growing a business.
For my “real” bio, go here.