Getting accepted into this year's (this article was originally published in 2010) PGA Diversity Workshop was thrilling in its own right.  The experience was magical from the moment I received the phone call that my project and I were selected.  I was walking on air for days afterward.  The idea of workshopping a project with other “emerging” producers aided by seasoned veterans certainly sounded like a golden opportunity.  (I use quotes because several of the 2010 mentees were already working producers.)   Little did I know the entire experience would exceed my highest expectations.

At the first meeting of the 2010 Diversity Workshop, the air was already electric with excitement.  The meeting was called to order, the core committee mentors were introduced and then Vance took the helm.  His address to the new mentees was more than a welcome speech and it certainly wasn't conversational.  Vance's performance was much more like that of  a high-energy, infectious preacher one sees on television, like Robert Duvall's mesmerizing sermons in “The Apostle.”  It was an all-out call to action and a head-on confrontation to rise to the occasion.  We were admonished to step out of our comfort zones and not shirk our duties as this year's “chosen.”  The best of the best were being assembled for our benefit, to aid us in seeing our projects to fruition and the success of our projects rested solely in our undying commitment -- our passion.

Vance then put us all on the spot and made us each stand up and pitch our projects in 3-4 sentences.  He warned us he wouldn't be kind.  This was a boot camp of sorts.  None of us felt prepared to be thrust in the spotlight like this.  But, that was the point.  We needed to be ready on a moment's notice to sell our projects and ourselves, and if we weren't... Well, then what was really the point of taking time in our lives to create projects to begin with?  He was absolutely right.  And he always will be.  Who's going to take a project seriously if it can't be described simply and in a dynamic way?  Lesson #1 learned.

So, how did each of us fare?  Generally very well.  I think the adrenaline coursing through our veins created some miracles that day.  Vance said he was impressed with our projects and complimented the Diversity Committee in their selection of mentees and projects.  But, just because we performed well under pressure, didn't mean we had no work ahead of us.  In the ensuing weeks, we learned from industry luminaries like Bruce Cohen, Wendy Japhet and Ralph Winter that our pitching skills and projects could still be fine tuned.  And the topic of passion came up again and again.  Perhaps Vance said it best when he referenced Simon Sinek's TED Conference address and told us to take a look at it.  “Don't be shy about your passion,” he advised.  “Passion is really the only thing people buy.”

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