Bossing It: Seeing Things from Different Angles with Asori Soto

Asori Soto, an accomplished producer/director and the founder of production company Easy Mondays. Based in New York, Asori founded Easy Mondays to oversee the management and production of commercials and content featuring historically underrepresented directors in the US. With Easy Mondays, Asori has executed successful campaigns globally and established an extensive network of international production partners. 

Emphasising the significance of representation in storytelling, Asori believes in curating the EM roster to contribute to a contemporary vision of the world. His primary commitment lies in supporting creatively and economically underrepresented artists to share compelling stories that resonate with global audiences.

Currently, Asori and Easy Mondays are focused on developing content and advancing the commercial careers of the directors they represent.

LBB> What was your first experience of leadership?

Asori> Growing up with a spy as a father teaches you a few things at a very early age. My earliest memory came when I was about eight years old. It was a "game" I used to play with my mom and dad; while she drove as a crazy taxi driver through the streets of NYC, I had to keep an eye on a car that was trailing us; as soon as I didn't see it anymore, I would say, "Clear," my mom would stop, and my dad would storm out of the car into a subway station, and we would keep driving. Little did I know, what I thought was a race game, was actually spotting and being responsible to clear his tail.  

LBB> How did you figure out what kind of leader you wanted to be – or what kind of leader you didn't want to be?

Asori> I haven't thought about it so consciously. It has been evolving and will keep developing as I grow as a human being. I believe a key element for me is caring, listening, being honest, humble, working hard and always being observant. Being open to adjusting to the lessons and learnings that come with life. 

LBB> What experience or moment gave you your biggest lesson in leadership?

Asori> In 2018, we had the world premiere of my last feature film, "Cuban Food Stories," at the Berlinale. Although by all standards, the film was a success - we had a good festival run, and we secured distribution through Amazon and other prestigious distributors - for me, the film made me realise that I was not the director I wanted to be. After so much effort, this was not my path. Recognising this freed me from that "burden" and allowed me to refocus my creative energy on what I had realised were my true passions, working with directors to further develop their careers and goals, and always looking for a way of adding value to every project we get involved in, whether it is a commercial, a film project, or the new tech initiatives we are working on. 

LBB> Did you know you always wanted to take on a leadership role? If so how did you work towards it and if not, when did you start realising that you had it in you?

Asori> Ever since I can remember, I have taken on production roles. I recorded my first radio show at ten years, started to co-produce clandestine electronic music parties at 14, convinced my college professors to accept scrappy docs instead of essays, produced video art installations, dropped out of college to direct/produce my first documentary through Cuba, Spain, and Italy at 21, produced/directed probably the cheapest feature-length movie in the world at 26, co-owned a BBQ sauce company and the list goes on and on. … I never planned for any of it; none of it was a deliberate decision. The shift in my view of leadership started maturing as I began to feel responsible for the people around me: our crew, our team, our directors, our clients, and the projects we would get involved with. I guess I realised that "I had it in me" when it was filled with purpose.

LBB> When it comes to 'leadership' as a skill, how much do you think is a natural part of personality, how much can be taught and learned?

Asori> The baseline comes as a part of your personality and your vision of everything around you. The rest comes with non-stop hard work and perseverance. Picasso said, "Inspiration exists, but it has to find you working." The same applies to leadership. 

LBB> What are the aspects of leadership that you find most personally challenging? And how do you work through them?

Asori> Knowing when to let go and when to take a stand. When you’re lucky to work within your true passion, you have struck gold, but your work can also become very personal. I breathe production; this is my life. So, I pay close attention to look at things with perspective. Seeing things from different angles becomes a super skill that you must hone to stay objective at any point.

LBB> Have you ever felt like you've failed whilst in charge? How did you address the issue and what did you learn from it?

Asori> Yes, I have; it comes with the art of being in charge. It's not a matter of if it happens but how you go about it and how you recover. You have to take responsibility, dive in, and learn from any failures. These experiences become a part of your textbook, and the more you learn from them, the more you can spot cracks from miles away. I also try to share any knowledge I have gained with my teams; that way, they can also spot them ahead of time. Being open about any pitfalls you have can save the day in the long run. 

LBB> In terms of leadership and openness, what's your approach there? Do you think it's important to be transparent as possible in the service of being authentic? Or is there a value in being careful and considered?

Asori> I think being honest and transparent is critical. We are in an industry based on trust; the entire creative/production chain is based on that trust, and in this chain, your word (as an individual or as an enterprise) becomes a valuable currency. At the same time, we’re in a people industry, so you must strike a balance, be mindful and thoughtful of everyone you engage with. It’s not a one-size-fits-all recipe; you have to adapt and comprehend situations and people individually. 

LBB> As you developed your leadership skills did you have a mentor, if so who were/are they and what have you learned? And on the flip side, do you mentor any aspiring leaders and how do you approach that relationship?

Asori> "Who came first, the mentor or the mentee?" For me, it’s a two-way street; it’s as much about receiving as it is about giving. Yes, I’ve had some outstanding mentors. Some were peers when I was a PA, others were bosses, directors, crew members, and clients, and I’m proud to call many of them friends. I have learned deeply from them; they have stuck ideas in my ethos like "kill them with kindness," "visteme despacio que estoy de prisa," and many more that have made me the person I am today. I have also given them my 100% in return. I like to think that I was and still am a mentor to many friends, and I keep learning from them every day of my life.

LBB> In continually changing market circumstances, how do you cope with the responsibility of leading a team through difficult waters?

Asori> I think of this often. I try to be supportive and empathetic to the team, in the end, there are more important things also happening in people's private lives. So, I try to reassure them and make them understand that it’s ok and that regardless of what happens, we do not need to panic; we just need to go back to the drawing board and understand our role in an ever-changing market. We create space for innovation and experimentation. We iterate, scrap whatever is not working, and keep going at it. Our industry will evolve, and we need to grow with it; we need to stay focused and understand the external and internal factors at play, so we can power through it as a team.

LBB> As a leader, what are some of the ways in which you've prioritised diversity and inclusion within your workforce?

Asori> We are diverse and multicultural from the source. Our entire roster is based on diversity. Being from an underrepresented group myself, I think representation is vital. We strive for inclusion in our roster, the teams we engage with, and the clients and agencies we work with. We want them to appreciate the same values that are important to us. I am the father of a multicultural 4-year-old daughter, and I always think, "What kind of world do I want her to live in?" I do everything possible for that world to be diverse and inclusive. 

LBB> How important is your company culture to the success of your business? And how have you managed to keep it alive with increases in remote and hybrid working patterns?

Asori> Company culture is everything for us, from our name, Easy Mondays, and our motto to the way we care about each other. It sounds like a cliché, but we are a family. A big part of it is knowing that you can work with people you like and want to be friends with. You can decide who you want your extended family to be. You need to surround yourself with like-minded people, people you care about, and be open to understanding each other. The rest is easy. You have lunches together, you travel together… and most importantly, you support each other. That's it; we are doing this because we love it, so let's enjoy the ride. We don't need to see each other every day; we just need to know that we’re there for each other every day.

LBB> What are the most useful resources you've found to help you along your leadership journey?

Asori> To Listen, trust, learn, rinse, repeat.