There's an expression I used to hear on a radio program in my youth that goes "I see by the old clock on the wall" etc. That's' my cue to soon relinquish my time in the Penderized Presidents Chair. So, first I want to thank everyone for helping me and the chapter this past year. I especially appreciate my fellow board members who gave their time, energy, effort and on more than one occasion their money in pursuit of the goals of our chapter. David Haneke who has worked many many hours to create high valuable meetings, Stephanie Smith who entered the national organizations arcane database and came out the other side intact with additional information, Nathan Green who improved our website, Scott Preston for the article writing and promoting MCAI #44 to the Arizona media community and especially to Jason Wolf, with help from Greg Wolf, they Lewis and Clarked their way through our Wells Fargo financial trail and mapped where we had been as a chapter financially so our books are in much better shape.

I would be remiss if I also did not also mention the folks, all friends from the "Kitchen Cabinet" whose judgement and help I have relied on these past two years. So, to Bob Rue, Ginny Temple, Dan Crapsi, Steve Pender, Skip Neeley, Steve Wargo, Mike McFadden, Lou Hunt, Alan Thursby, Mark Silverstein, Mitch Ives, and Miss Karen Lodoen for her tireless efforts in editing our newsletter and correcting my spelling. Also, "The Tech Trioka" of Palmer-Weisman- Shook, for their dedication, expertise and willingness to make possible the high technical quality of our meetings; and last but not least, my favorite lady of the hills, Heidi Capriotti. A BIG BIG thanks to all of you!!! If by chance I have overlooked someone I apologize. Now onto another matter of import.

"Up to this point we are very pleased!" so said Mike McGinn, president of the Arizona Film and Media Coalition last weekend as word spread that both the Arizona House and Senate passed SB1347 the Arizona film / media incentives bill by wide margins. The Governor is expected to sign the bill sometime in the next two weeks. Perhaps more interesting was a brief conversation I had with Harry Tate, our state film commissioner, this past Thursday (12 May). Harry indicated that our efforts may already be bearing fruit as he had received over a dozen calls from Hollywood film and television producers looking for updated information on the status and effective date for utilization of Arizona incentives. I also spoke with fellow AFMC board member with union affiliation he indicated some increase in calls from producers or representatives inquiring about crews and in state equipment availability. I believe what we are seeing are very early indicators of some renewed interest in productions moving to Arizona. Although these inquiries don't mean anything concrete to us today, they likely will in the near future.

Finally I ask any and all of my fellow chapter members to seriously consider becoming an officer for MCAI Arizona. It truly has been rewarding for me these past three years. Through my affiliation, my own small business has started to grow so I need to devote some time to my business. I don't intend to disappear, I will come to meetings and participate, might even do a committee but it is time for other folks with other ideas to helm AZ 44 onto new horizons. Whomever decides to take this on, you will have my support. Again, thanks to all of you for your help, advice and suport.

But Wait There's More and this is Really Great News! Friday, 20 May, Governor Napolitano signed into law the Arizona Film & Media incentives bill. Only Arizona and Louisiana have laws with "Transferability" of tax liability. Louisiana's film production went from a meager few million in 2000 to over 400,000 million this year. We hope and expect this same outcome for Arizona. MCA-I has been at the table from the beginning helping to keep digital video and associated crafts in the mix. Now we will see if the energy and commitment in time, effort, and money was worth it. Look for a photo op sigining of some type in the local papers in the next week or two. Also expect the film commissioner to show up to meetings this fall.

       But wait, there's more!

       Duncan

Firms' investment in employee training is the single most powerful predictor of future financial performance, says Lauri Bassi. The CEO of McBassi & Company Inc. and former VP of research at ASTD has spent the last decade researching the connection between organizational performance and investment in training. Today, she uses that research to run an investment company that invests in firms that invest in their people. TDF e-Net spoke with her recently about her work.

TDF E-NET: Why did you embark on this research?

BASSI: Historically, there has been a real absence of information and a lack of understanding on the part of analysts about training and its impact on the marketplace. The economies of the stock market are such that firms that do make significant investments in their people are penalized in the short run for doing so -- when the opposite should be happening. When I left Georgetown University and went to ASTD to become VP of research, we set up benchmarking systems and used them to generate data on thousands of organizations around the world with the goal of using that information to set the analysts straight.

TDF E-NET: How much better do firms that invest in their people do in terms of market performance?

BASSI: Through our research and investment activities, we have discovered that a firm's investment in employee training is the single most powerful predictor of stock price that we can find. Also, historically, [McBassi & Co.'s overall] portfolios of large investing firms have beaten the market by about 33 percent per annum. That's significant, especially when you consider the principle of compounding interest. If you can consistently outperform your competitors by one-third each year, within a matter of only a three- year period you can double your performance relative to theirs.

TDF E-NET: What type of culture typically exists in companies that understand the importance of training and development and view it as a strategic priority?

BASSI: A lot of it has to do with a leadership team that values the investment and truly perceives employees as an asset and not a cost. These are the kinds of companies that do not resort to layoffs as a first reaction to any small downturn in their business. (After all, if they are investing in their people, the last thing they want to do is lose an important asset.) There also are practices and behaviors associated with a culture of investment that move beyond treating people as costs and toward the creation of a behavioral and institutional mindset that focuses on optimizing people as assets. These are companies with a long-term-investment culture and a culture that has the strength and resilience to withstand the pressures to which so many companies fall prey, such as maximizing this quarter's earnings to the detriment of the organization's long- term health.

TDF E-NET: Trainers already understand the value of what they do, but how can they use this information to convince executives who don't necessarily share their viewpoint?

BASSI: One thing to do is size up your leadership team and determine whether the people on it are, in fact, capable of changing. Some organizations are helpless, and the only option is to look elsewhere for work. At other places, they just get it, and those are wonderful organizations for trainers to be part of.
     If you're in an organization that may swing either way, another option is to work internally to change your culture. What do you do? In the past, we have found that the research-based evidence we have presented in articles can be attention-grabbing for execs because the publications speak their language. That kind of evidence, our credentials and the authority of the publications themselves all can help to garner attention.
     Beyond that, as an industry, trainers need to fundamentally change the way they seek evidence. Trainers who are pursuing the same tired old Kirkpatrick approach to evaluation are not serving the industry. We need to figure out new mechanisms for measurement that go beyond asking, Does the course work? to asking, How is our learning strategy supporting our business goals and how might we demonstrate that? In short, we need to seek out alternative measurement strategies and quit using the tired old ones that we have used for the last 50 years and that haven't worked.

TDF E-NET: Do you think that this research will revolutionize training and development and finally give trainers the recognition they deserve?

BASSI: Yes, I do. But the revolution will be somewhat evolutionary in nature. Training will not be dramatically different 12 months from now, but it will be significantly different five years from now and very significantly different 10 years from now.
     The fundamental economic force at work here is that we are in a globalized economy where capital moves quickly, technology changes rapidly and is rapidly replicated, and commodities are created quickly. For highly developed nations such as ours, the only way to compete in such an environment is through superior human capital management (HCM) -- of which training is a very important component. Firms that don't take HCM and training seriously in this environment are going to either go out of business completely or just fade into irrelevance.

http://www.trainingdirectorsforum.com Bassi will present the keynote "At Last! Proof that Training Works" at Training Directors' Forum conference, May 22 to 24, 2005, in Phoenix, Ariz. To learn more, visit the above URL. [NOTE: Her presentation is from 3:30-4:30 Tuesday, May 24.]

After a big day in production, I called a friend on his cell phone. He was apparently coaching a baseball game and thought he was muting the ring, but in reality he opened the phone line so I was able to listen to him, as coach, give cues to his little league players. "There's a man on second, so hit it hard and get him home" he shouted. "Good hit! Go all the way! Hustle! Don't stop on second, take it to third - Go, Go, Go!"

I see MCA-I similar to coaching a game of baseball. It's a place where we can cheer others on. A place where we can recognize the strengths of our peers and either hire them or cheer on their success. It's a privilege to be involved in the lives of others through MCA-I and I hope that several of you will step up to the plate and go from team player to coach.

All of us are on the team together, working to get better at what we do, strengthening our skills, increasing our creative skills. Being on the MCA-I Board gives each person a chance to step up to the plate as more of a coach than a player. We're not all coaches, but many of us are, and those who have the desire, I encourage you to make the step.

Recently I've asked several from our chapter 44 team to step up. If I've missed you and you want to be involved in cheering on the team, and you possess those skills to make it happen, contact me. Cheering on your peers and developing better relationships is something you'll never regret.

David Haneke, VP, is Producer at Opening Moments Media, producing motivational and training videos for businesses and organizations. He can be contacted at dhaneke@openingmoments.com.

Considering that we live in the land of the free, there sure are a lot of restrictions on our freedom. Speed limits, tax laws, and fine print make life very difficult. One of the worst "fine print" surprises is called a restrictive covenant, or a promise not to compete. Usually, you don't read it or understand how it affects you until you are fired, quit or on the verge of accepting a much better offer from someone who will really appreciate you.

A restrictive covenant is nothing more than a promise that one party makes not to do something that they would otherwise be legally entitled to do. Usually, you can open up a business that competes with any other businesses just about any place you want. The free market system values such competition. However, the law also recognizes that if you go to work for someone and learn a bunch of secret stuff that the employer worked hard to develop, or you take a client list, the employer may suffer if you can take what you learned and compete directly.

As in most legal situations, there are dozens of exceptions. A restrictive covenant will be enforced by the court if it is reasonable in scope and duration. The court will try to balance your right to earn a living against the potential economic damage to the employer. For instance, in the area of employment contracts, both the length of time and the scope of the restriction must be reasonably related to the marketplace and to the needs of the employer who imposes the obligation. The more ordinary the service, the less need there is for protection .In most situations a restrictive covenant between six and 12 months, and a geographical limit in the range of 5 to 25 miles would probably be enforced by the court. This is true even if there is lots of competition, and the business is very common. In other words, some restrictions will almost always be enforced.

If you signed a restrictive covenant, you should try to abide by it, even if in retrospect it seems like a bad deal. If a provision is too broad, it may be legally unenforceable, but that does not mean that you can simply disregard it. You need good legal advice before deciding what to do. You could ask the employer to be excused from the restriction because you really won't be a threat. This works well if you were fired for being unproductive. Another way is to file a lawsuit to be excused from this legal restriction. In either case, you could argue that the restriction is overly broad or unduly burdensome as to scope or time. Of course, you can always do it the Homer Simpson way, by deciding to ignore the contract, the law and any good advice and choosing instead to simply suffer loudly through whatever consequences may happen. But then, we all know what happens to Homer.

Don C. Stevens II has more than 25 years trial experience in a wide variety of civil litigation, including tort liability, professional negligence and complex commercial cases. Don also serves as a judge pro tempore for the Maricopa County Superior Court. Don is Of Counsel at Shughart Thomson & Kilroy, P.C. and has agreed to answer our questions in this column.

Collins College, a school of design and technology, and Earl Jones Institute for Film & Television are conducting seminars at no charge for individuals on "Grip and Lighting Basics" used in film and television production.

The seminar provides individuals with hands-on, professional training on the basics of television and film production. Seminars include introductory training on how to light a set, adjust sets and props and basic camera techniques. Industry film professionals from Phoenix and Los Angeles instruct students on equipment use. The hands-on, professional training is open to students and the general public.

Earl Jones Institute for Film & Television is donating a fully equipped professional grip and lighting truck for the free monthly seminars held on the Collins College Tempe campus. Film and television professionals often rent a grip and lighting truck when they are filming outside a production studio. A fully equipped grip and lighting truck typically has a generator, power cables, a dolly, and lighting equipment. Additional equipment can include camera packages and camera support. The equipment would normally rent for approximately $1,200 per day, but is being donated by Earl Jones Institute for Film & Television. The Institute hires and pays for the film professionals conducting the seminars.

"Hosting the seminars at the Collins College Tempe campus is a perfect fit for our students. Collins offers a Bachelor of Arts Degree in Media Arts and an Associate of Arts Degree in Media Arts. Our objective is to train students for a career. Access to a professional grip truck provides students with the basic technical and project management skills required in film and television production," said Steven Bradford, Department Chair Media Arts, Collins College.

According to Mathew Earl Jones, President of Earl Jones Institute for Film & Television, "We selected Collins College to host our workshops because of the caliber of its media arts degree program. Through our training seminars we hope to promote film and television production in Arizona and attract more business here. We also chose Collins because of its diverse student population. As a non- profit entity, we are dedicated to training students, minority and disadvantaged filmmakers in Arizona."

The next seminar at no charge is scheduled for Saturday, June 4 on Collins College Campus in Tempe. The workshop is from 9:00 am - 6:00 pm. Seating is limited and participants must RSVP. For more information on the workshops, call the Earl Jones Institute for Film & Television at 480-732- 1700 or Collins College at 480-966-3000.

Next month, these ads will link back to the advertiser's individual web sites. Until then, clicking on any of these ads will bring you to the MCA-I website. I apologize for not getting this done this month. Thanks for your patience!

Also, Last month, I called these companies our sponsors, but in reality they are The Communicator advertisers. Regardless, please know that both sponsors and advertisers are very important to us!

Your E-Newsletter Editor
Karen Lodoen