Rethink the Way You Think: Lessons in Resiliency from a Creative Fixer
Can the sparks of creativity ignite the furnace of professional grit? Esteemed thinkers like Adam Grant and Angela Duckworth have written volumes exploring this intriguing intersection. I am fascinated with the studies that dissect the traits of formidable leaders—the Jeff Bezos and Bill Gates of the world. The one characteristic that all great leaders share is an ability to make great decisions amidst uncertainty.
In pursuit of these insights, I turned to Simmy Kustanowitz, a venerated Emmy-nominated producer and the visionary behind reality TV series Impractical Jokers. At the helm of Clock Tower Innovation, Simmy crafts bespoke solutions, melding creativity with operational prowess, all the while fostering collaborative spirits in the often rigid corporate landscape. Simmy and I engaged in a candid dialogue, where he shares his secret sauce for tackling big problems amidst the frenetic pace of television production.
Wendy: Greetings, Simmy. You're lauded as the "creative fixer" within the entertainment industry. Could you enlighten our readers unfamiliar with your work about what this entails?
Simmy: Any good producer can solve problems, but a creative fixer is someone who is at their best in moments of crisis. Of course, I need to put “crisis” very much in air quotes – we’re talking about entertainment here – but in the production world there can be millions of dollars on the line, and my favorite moments are when the stakes are high. In those high-stakes moments, when people are scrambling for solutions under tight deadlines, that's when I'm brought in to course-correct and get everything back on track. And the more I work outside the entertainment industry, the more I see that creative fixers are needed everywhere, especially in the corporate world.
Throughout my career, I’ve noticed a clear trend: challenges that teams face both in and outside the entertainment industry are often due to either communication breakdowns, or inefficiency. So when a company feels stuck – either getting a project off the ground or landing the plane or anything in between – I’m able to come in, quickly take stock of the situation and find solutions, fast. That’s what being a creative fixer is all about.
Wendy: When did you recognize that the creative problem-solving and decision-making skills from a writers' room could be effectively transposed into the corporate boardroom?
Simmy: I used to think creative problems were only the concern of creative industries or creative people. But the more I spoke with friends in other industries – finance, tech, branding, real estate – the more I realized how universal these issues are. If a financial PR firm needs to communicate the hiring of a new CEO, or execs at a health care company are struggling to streamline their internal communication, or a tech startup wants their new product to break through the clutter, these are all different versions of storytelling. At a certain point it dawned on me – the same skills I’ve been using to get TV productions back on track could easily be applied to any company and almost any problem those companies are facing, from C-Suite executives to the interns and anyone in between. Because at the end of the day, time is money, and my workshops help participants save both.
Wendy: Time has certainly been an important factor in decision making for Silicon Valley. The “Move fast and break things” motto has been the startup ethos for decades now. This approach has led to transformative new technologies, but often with lack of consideration given to unintended consequences. How do we strike a balance between experimentation and bad decision making?
Simmy: I've always loved working in live television, because you're forced to make split-second decisions and you don't have the blessing - or the curse - of time. On a live TV show, you sometimes have to pivot to a new idea in a matter of minutes. This means some of what you put on the air won't work, but you know what? A lot of it will work even better than it would have if you had weeks to think about it. There's simply no time for paralysis by analysis. And that's an amazing thing - I've found there's a magic that happens when you have limited time to consider alternatives.
Lorne Michaels, the legendary "Saturday Night Live" executive producer once said "The show doesn’t go on because it’s ready; it goes on because it's 11:30." I think about that quote a lot, not just as a TV producer, but as a human. When we're crunched for time, our brains unlock in really surprising ways, and I believe people in corporate jobs can learn a lot from that idea and use it to their advantage. Keep your eye on the clock, set a timer, force yourself to come up with ideas or solutions in a short amount of time. It's striking how often time constraints yield surprisingly positive results.
Wendy: Your workshops, with their celebrated use of demonstrative videos, breathe life into abstract concepts. How do these visual aids clarify complexities for corporate minds more effectively than conventional methods?
Simmy: I’m all about simplicity. So many people, especially those in corporate jobs, get caught up in trying to solve problems in complex or abstract ways, while I often find the best plan of attack is to just simplify everything. My favorite podcast right now is Derek Thompson’s “Plain English”. The host breaks down incredibly complex issues in simple, easily digestible ways, and that’s the same approach I take in my presentations.
The clips I play are from comedy shows I’ve produced, and the lessons I’ve learned from those shows are simple but effective. For example, my time at MTV’s “Total Request Live” taught me the value of working under time constraints, how to embrace rather than fear ticking clocks and deadlines. Acting as the network executive for Adam Conover’s “Adam Ruins Everything” helped me learn how to make dry, sometimes difficult subject matter entertaining and laugh-out-loud funny. My time running “Impractical Jokers” has taught me so much about the value of repetition; finding something that works and then leaning into it the right way.
My workshop is titled “Rethink the Way You Think”, but it could just as easily be called “All I Really Need to Know I Learned By Producing TV Shows.” Each TV project I’ve been a part of has taught me invaluable lessons in creative efficiency, and I’m finding those lessons can be helpful for any company, and for any department within those companies.
Wendy: In the realm of visual storytelling, there's a common adage: "Show, don't tell." How do you apply this principle to your workshops to encourage a deeper understanding and retention of the material?
Simmy: My workshops are essentially “Tell, then show.” I start off by taking participants through the most important lessons I’ve learned through my career; I call them my Four Rules to Think By. These include a focus on time and volume as invaluable creative resources, followed by various tricks for how to think, work and problem-solve more creatively and effectively, no matter what you’re trying to accomplish.
Once the presentation part is over, that’s when the fun starts. The participants and I roll up our sleeves and work together to apply the rules we just learned to their company’s challenges. It’s a lively and interactive experience – we’re brainstorming, but it’s a structured brainstorm, which I think is crucial. So often, people try to generate ideas or solve problems by throwing everything against a wall to see what sticks. My brainstorms are more targeted, more efficient, and because of that structure, we accomplish a lot in a short amount of time.
Wendy: You are a very funny guy. It seems that humor plays a pivotal role in your videos and overall teaching style. Can you share how humor aids in not only capturing attention but also in facilitating a conducive learning environment?
Simmy: Well, thank you! Humor’s a big part of my life, and I’ve made a career out of it. At the risk of oversimplification, people want to laugh, and they want to be happy. My workshops are informative and effective because they’re also comedic and entertaining. When people are enjoying themselves, they’ll open themselves up more, and retain more of what they learn. I was a pretty poor student as a kid, mainly because I rarely felt engaged in school. Engaging people through humor is the perfect entry point for what I’m trying to accomplish, and I can’t imagine approaching what I do in any other way.
Wendy: The rigorous demands of production—long hours, travel, sleep deprivation, challenging conditions—necessitate sustained team motivation. What strategies do you employ to maintain morale under such demanding circumstances?
Simmy: It might seem obvious, but leading with empathy and kindness is really so important, and it’s something not everyone does. In every project I oversee, I try to be the boss I always wanted to have. Staying positive, keeping everyone light and having fun makes a world of difference. Of course you also need to stay focused and get the work done smartly and quickly, so again, it comes down to efficiency. So much of what causes delays and those long hours can be remedied by remaining focused and efficient when working as a team. Once I started leading workshops and presentations for corporate teams, I made sure to use that same approach – kindness, levity, efficiency, focus – and it really does work, for everyone involved.
Wendy: With screens now an extension of our very selves, how do you foresee the evolution of AI and next-gen technologies like the Apple Vision Pro shaping the future of teamwork?
Simmy: Oh, I can’t even begin to predict where AI will take us. But I do feel confident in saying that there will always be a value in humanity. I mentioned the “Plain English” podcast earlier – in a recent episode, Derek Thompson’s guest was talking about AI and the music industry. Their consensus was that even if we get to a point where AI is generating entirely new songs – from the writing to the performance – listeners will always seek out material created by humans. I believe the spirit of that idea applies to what I’m doing as well. My workshops are all about humanity, how to think more creatively and problem-solve more effectively. These are lessons that would have made sense 50 years ago, and I believe they’ll be just as relevant 50 years from now, no matter where AI takes us.
Wendy: Amidst a backdrop of generational shift in values that include a desire for a more balanced life, how can we foster a workplace that champions both dedication and innovation?
Simmy: The work/life balance has always been a hard nut to crack, and Covid only made it harder. We all got used to spending more time with our loved ones – which is great! – but it also made us all question the work/life balance we had grown accustomed to. I think flexibility is key – people need to get their work done, but it’s also imperative to leave enough time to deal with whatever life throws your way. On “Impractical Jokers” we have a fantastic, collaborative team that picks each other up when someone can’t be on set for whatever personal reason. I think it’s important to avoid work totally taking over your life, although that’s often easier said than done.
Wendy: The pandemic has shuffled the corporate deck. What's your ace for reinvigorating a culture of collaboration in this new, hybrid game?
Simmy: I don’t think anyone has perfected the hybrid game. This is something my team on “Impractical Jokers” is dealing with now, in real time. Last season, we were still in a bit of a Covid world, and on days we weren’t shooting, everyone worked remotely and we spent our days on zoom and text chains. The consensus was that our team just wasn’t nearly as effective remotely as we would have been in person.
This season, we’re all back in the office, which is amazing in a lot of ways, but the world has definitely changed. Some people live far away, others have little kids to take care of, etc. There’s no easy answer. We’re all winging it, to be honest, and I’m trying to strike a tone of cohesiveness even on days we’re not all together in person. It hasn’t been easy and it’s far from perfect, but we’re all trying.
Wendy: As the tides turn increasingly towards data and algorithms, the art of storytelling and narrative development stands out as a vital, yet often undervalued skill set. What counsel would you extend to students to encourage the cultivation of these qualitative skills amidst the current shift towards more technical disciplines?
Simmy: Whether you’re planning to go into the entertainment industry or a completely different field, the world has always and will always need storytellers. Learning the right way to tell a story, sell a product or win over a client – these are incredibly valuable skills to cultivate. Of course AI is going to change the working world, in ways we can’t quite predict. So instead of throwing our hands up and saying “this is all obsolete, AI will take all of our jobs”, I think it’s best to control what we can, foster strong interpersonal skills, learn to work smartly and efficiently, and lead with kindness and empathy.
Wendy: Nearly every company relies on collective decision making. How can your workshop heighten ones awareness to group biases that may lead to conformity and other undesirable dynamics.
SIMMY: In my workshops I preach the importance of independent working when it comes to creative thinking and problem-solving. When I oversaw the writers’ room on the comedic game show “Silent Library”, I tasked each member of my writing team with generating ten ideas on their own each day. Many shows have their writers sit around a table and brainstorm together – and that can be great – but I’ve found that on many of my projects, people writing and thinking on their own can often yield stronger results than collective brainstorms.
I always make a point of helping corporate teams recognize the importance and value of independent thinking, and we practice solo brainstorms for that exact reason: to avoid the traps of conformity.
Wendy: Lately, I have been reading a lot about “collective effervescence” – a process of synchronization of emotions among individuals that occurs during participation in collective rituals, like dance, music or even sports. Evidentially, studies have shown it can unite people in unexpected ways. Do you participate in any practices or daily rituals that stimulate your create energy?
SIMMY: Well I definitely think the Taylor Swift concert I went to with my daughter last year counts as collective effervescence, but unfortunately for her, we can't afford to make that a daily ritual. I do find those types of collective, large gathering moments inspirational, but on a daily basis I've always been someone who prefers a little more solitude when I'm trying to get the creative juices flowing. I love taking long walks so I can clear my head and just think. Long drives are great, too. When it comes to thinking creatively I believe an introvert/extrovert balance is key - spend some time brainstorming with colleagues, but make sure to find some quiet time so you can do some thinking on your own as well.
Wendy: Your wisdom cuts deep. Clearly, storytelling transcends entertainment and can become a strategic tool in business. How can those eager to explore your innovative approach to problem-solving learn more?
SIMMY: Call me or send me an email! I love talking about this stuff, and I always welcome the opportunity to meet new people and collaborate with new companies. As I often say: if your company is humming along beautifully and you can’t think of any areas that need improvement, I might not be your guy. But if there’s any area of your business that’s lacking in efficiency, or a department that could use a boost in how to think or function more creatively and effectively? Let’s talk.
If you would like to learn more about Simmy’s “Rethink the Way You Think” workshops, please visit his website www.clocktowerinnovation.com or email him at simmy@clocktowerinnovation.com.