Road Test: Strong Technobeam, page 40 - PLSN.com

TECHNOLOGY ASSOCIATION
EDITOR’S NOTE
PROJECTION LIGHTS & STAGING NEWS
The Road to Happiness:
Techs versus Reps
That giant fluttering sound you heard
last month was the sound of 600 million
American eyelids opening at once. Such
was the reaction to Mike Wallace’s report on
60 Minutes highlighting a study from Leicester
University in Leicester, England about
happiness. The study reported that Denmark
was the happiest country in the world. In fact,
it has ranked first in Eurobarometer surveys
for the last 30 years.
What makes them so happy?
If you’ve been following the latest earnings
reports from Schouw & Company, the
main shareholder of Martin Professional, you
might think it’s because of the money the
Danes — at least those who own Martin stock
— are making. They’re showing more profit
than Willie Nelson’s dope dealer. But according
to Mike Wallace and Harvard professor Tal
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Ben-Shahar, the key to happiness has little to
do with money.
“The number one predictor of well-being
is close friendships and close relationships in
general; that’s a much better predictor of wellbeing
than affluence is,” Ben-Shahar says. But
close friendships don’t tell the whole story.
There are several other important factors, according
to Dr. B-S, that influence our happiness.
Each of them is listed below. Let’s see how
we as an industry might rank in each area.
According to Mike Wallace and Harvard
professor Tal Ben-Shahar, the key to
happiness has little to do with money.
Simplify!
Dr. B-S says, “More is not always better.” And
who knows that better than a roadie? On the
road you can carry everything you and 17 other
guys can fit under the bus or in your bunk. That
typically amounts to a carry-on, a backpack,
and if you’re lucky, a Halliburton case. If you’re
in sales, however, that big house, nice car, and
By RichardCadena
fast boat doesn’t qualify under “simplify.” Score:
Techs: B+; Account Reps: C-
The Mind-Body Connection
“Thirty minutes three times a week” of
vigorous exercise, Dr. B-S says, will keep your
mind sharp and your body happy. Loading
in a show, you might get thirty minutes of
vigorous exercise in about five minutes. But
for those of us behind the desk and on the
phone, we need to make an extra effort to
get to the gym. That goes for roadies on their
days off, too, and techs on shop days. Score:
Techs: A-; Account Reps: C-
Permission to be Human
Dr. B-S says that those of us who aren’t
afraid of showing our emotions are higher
up on the happiness scale. Unfortunately,
there’s no crying in baseball or in the entertainment
production industry. Score:
Techs: D-; Account Reps: C-
Appreciation for What We Have
To be happy we should express gratitude
whenever possible, so says Dr. B-S. We seldom
see an interview in PLSN where the subject
doesn’t thank just about every bus-mate
and tour-mate in the tour book. And you’d
be hard pressed to find a roadie or account
rep who doesn’t fully appreciate good sushi
and great beer. The industry, it seems, shines
in the gratitude department. Score: Techs: A;
Account Reps: A
Happiness is a State of Mind
Under normal circumstances, the doctor
says, our happiness is a reflection of our state
of mind. In other words, a positive mental attitude
(PMA) is more important to your happiness
than is money. Few people with a bad
attitude last long in this industry. The natural
selection results in some pretty good PMA
and much less PMS than your average gig.
Score: Techs: B+; Account Reps: B-
Meaning and Pleasure
Dr. B-S says that happiness comes with “the
experience of both meaning and pleasure.” Few
things in life are more meaningful and pleasurable
than sending throngs of people home
with a smile on their faces. Even account reps
experience it vicariously through their connection
with rest of the industry. Score: Techs: A+;
Account Reps: B+
Americans in general score very low in
the happiness scale. In fact, we scored 23 rd ,
behind Canada and Costa Rica, according to
Wallace. But as an industry, my guess is that
we’re a solid B or a B-.
If your job doesn’t bring meaning to your
life, then perhaps you’re in the wrong business.
But if you want to bring more meaning
to your job, then consider taking it up a
notch by becoming an ETCP Certified Rigger
or Entertainment Electrician. And if you want
to add meaning to your job and have a really
pleasurable time doing it, join us in Costa Rica
for the PLSN University Training Seminar in
the Tropics June 7-9. It’s less expensive than
you think and it’s going to be a lot of fun.
Check it out at http://plsn.webex.com.
If we can’t beat the Costa Ricans at being
happy, we might as well join them.
The Publication of Record for the Lighting,
Staging and Projection Industries
Publisher
Terry Lowe
tlowe@plsn.com
Editor
Richard Cadena
rcadena@plsn.com
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Frank Hammel
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Associate Editor
Breanne George
bg@plsn.com
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Schiller, Nook Schoenfeld, Paul J. Duryee
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