Nicholas Tabarrok of West Hollywood on Life, Lessons & Legacy

We’re looking forward to introducing you to Nicholas Tabarrok. Check out our conversation below.

Hi Nicholas, thank you so much for joining us today. We’re thrilled to learn more about your journey, values and what you are currently working on. Let’s start with an ice breaker: Have you ever been glad you didn’t act fast?
Yes it’s a valuable lesson I learned earlier in my career. I used to take pride in responding right away, on always being accessible and online and that no one would ever be waiting on me. Those are still good qualities and tardiness is something I can’t stand – but there are certain situations where it pays to take some time before responding instinctually or rashly. The two places I have learned (the hard way) to wait a beat before responding is 1) if you are emotional or angry at the time – wait until the emotion passes and you can respond with a clear mind. We all get annoyed and frustrated in business and personal life, but it never pays to respond when in that state. That negative emotion coming through the message will weaken the way you are expressing yourself. In 100% of the time, it pays to wait before responding. Take a day or two and once the anger has subsided, respond from a place of calmness. The second instance to take some time before replying is when it’s an important negotiation that could have long term consequences. I’ve learned that taking 24 hours to let the issue marinate, even subconsciously, your brain is still working on it and will come up with additional thoughts that might not occur to you right away. When I read an offer or contract or proposal, I immediately can form an opinion and response. It comes quickly, but if I wait a day or two before responding, over time more nuanced or detailed or creative ideas come to me. I almost always revise and hone my response in a negotiation when I have taken 24 – 48 hours to consider it. Often it’s subconscious, I don’t actively think about it in that waiting period, I go on about my business taking care of other things, but in the back of my head the wheels are churning and I come up with additional, typically more thoughtful, ideas.

Can you briefly introduce yourself and share what makes you or your brand unique?
I am a film and television producer. My company, Darius Films, has been in business for about 25 years. We started in Toronto Canada, where I’m from originally, and opened an LA office nearly 20 years ago. We now operate and have a staff in both countries. Our films have premiered at some of the worlds best festivals and been sold all around the world. In the television space, we have sold and developed series with streamers and broadcasters in the US, Canada, the UK and Europe. We currently are developing projects in both the the feature and series space which we are passionate and excited about.

Thanks for sharing that. Would love to go back in time and hear about how your past might have impacted who you are today. What breaks the bonds between people—and what restores them?
Trust. A good relationship can be built over decades but one moment of broken trust can destroy it overnight. That and thinking long term, this business is a marathon, projects takes years to come together. If you have a meeting today, don’t expect it to pay off immediately, that may be a relationship which comes to fruition a decade from now.

If you could say one kind thing to your younger self, what would it be?
Be patient during the downtimes. The entertainment business is never smooth, it’s never without setbacks, for anyone. Even the most successful individuals go through tough periods. If I could speak to my younger self I would say be prepared for that. The good times won’t last forever, nor will the bad. It’s a roller coaster, don’t think the highs will go on forever and be prepared to make it through the lows.

Sure, so let’s go deeper into your values and how you think. What are the biggest lies your industry tells itself?
That all is takes is talent and hard work, or that talent will always rise to the top. Sadly, I’ve learned that’s not the case. I know some tremendously talented writers, actors, directors, musicians etc who have not had much success. So much more goes into success than talent alone or even hard work. It’s luck, circumstances, personal relationships, happenstance…That’s not to say that talent isn’t a factor, of course it is, no matter how lucky one might be without talent you won’t get far (we’ve all seen those people who get a fantastic lucky break but can’t sustain it). Of course hard work is also a requirement, and I believe the old adage that ‘the harder your work, the luckier you get’. So my point isn’t that talent and hard work don’t matter, it’s that they aren’t enough. Many more ingredients go into success.

Okay, so let’s keep going with one more question that means a lot to us: When do you feel most at peace?
Sunday morning, coffee in bed reading the newspaper (on my iPad).

Contact Info:

• Website: https://dariusfilms.com
• Instagram: dariusfilms
• Linkedin: nicholastabarrok
• Youtube: @DariusFilmsProductions

Image Credits
Darius Films Inc.