Working with a Partner or Collaborator

The tradition: Mostly, a twentieth century phenomenon, unusual before the days of songwriting (one lyricist, one composer); performance (a duo), advertising (one writer, one designer). Comic acts were often collaborations (e.g., Laurel & Hardy; Abbott & Costello; the Marx Brothers), but these are less common today. Pairings are made for movies, but the performers don’t otherwise work together: Tommy Lee Jones and Will Smith in the Men in Black films, for example. Collaboration was perfected for songwriting (Gilbert & Sullivan; Lennon & McCartney); Broadway (Rodgers & Hammerstein, Lerner & Loewe), but creative/business partnerships are common in all media, including television (Klasky-Csupo; Carsey-Werner-Mandabach); and motion pictures (Coen brothers, Farrelly brothers).

Comedy and music groups sometimes become a collaborative unit and work together for a long time. Examples include the Monty Python performers, and many rock bands, from the Beach Boys and the Grateful Dead to Phish and Radiohead.

More often, in today’s world, collaborators come together for specific projects or groups of projects, but also work on their own. Screenwriter Charlie Kaufman and director Spike Jonze collaborated on Being John Malkovich and Adaptation. These were specific, short-term projects in the midst of careers that also involved other types of projects with other creative people. Kaufman also wrote for television and other movies, and Jonze directed music videos and other motion pictures. Jazz musicians have played on one another’s recordings for decades; the practice keeps the musicians sharp and the music fresh.

Collaborators may deeply affect one another’s work, even if they don’t work together directly, as Howard Gardner explains: “In a word, Picasso and Braque invented cubism… For many months, the two men were virtually inseparable. They painted during the day and then, at night, came together and studied each others works. At times, their works were so similar that only an expert can tell them apart…The two men appreciated one another’s company; they jokingly referred to themselves as ‘Orville and Wilbur Wright.’”

The really good parts about working with a partner or collaborator:
The best collaborations turn out far better work than either partner could or would contribute on his or her own. If the work is good, then the team gets the credit, and because the team is small, the credit and gratification can be huge.

The good parts about working with a partner or collaborator:
1. You’re not alone. Somebody is there to encourage, cajole, criticize, stroke and make it happen alongside you.
2. When one of you is down, the other may be up. That allows you to work more productively and to neutralize the inevitable depressing moments that accompany any creative adventure.
3. It’s fun. A lot of fun when it’s going well. Far more fun than working alone.

The bad parts about working with a partner or collaborator:
1. You’re going to share the money. Teams are not often paid as two people, but instead as an expanded version of one.
2. You’re reliant on another person to do the work. Nobody’s perfect. Some people are difficult, unreliable, crazy, out of step, erratic or simply unsuitable partners. Finding a good fit can be challenging.
3. Both parties must be committed to the marriage. If the commitment is out of balance, then problems can pile up quickly—and these problems may directly affect the work.

The really bad parts about working with a partner or collaborator:
1. In today’s world, the partnership or collaboration ought to be defined in a legal agreement. That means roughly that a business negotiation must occur before the creative work can begin. There’s no better way to ruin a beautiful relationship than to start out by discussing what happens when things don’t work out.
2. Few partnerships last forever. When things don’t work out, the hurt can be long-lasting.