Hi Everyone,

Happy Friday! Thanks for spending part of it reading The Lake Street Journal.

This week we’re talking about Ben Affleck’s production company, John Steinbeck’s journal, and a few book recommendations. Let's get into it.

Give a Shit…and a Bonus

"If you make people feel like it matters and you give a shit they'll die for you," said Ben Affleck in a recent interview. "They'll go all the way, and it changes the whole dynamic."

"And if you bonus them," Matt Damon chirped in with a chuckle.

In 2022, Damon and Affleck founded a production company called Artists Equity with the idea that the blue collar workers behind a movie deserve to be treated like the A-list actors on the screen.

"We're not saints or philanthropists," said Affleck. "It's completely self serving. In order to do the job well, everybody who's working on it has to be really invested and give a shit about the results."

"Also because it's fair," said Damon. "When we started this company, we knew who makes our movie better. In success, the people who made the movie should participate in that success."

He was talking about the painters, drivers, camera people—everyone "below the line" as they say in the business. The 1,200 blue collar men and women you'll never see on the screen but who make the movie possible.

For their most recent movie, The Rip, Affleck and Damon codified an incentive structure where if the movie hits certain milestones, everyone who worked on it gets a bonus. They know the targets and the rewards in advance.

In order for actors to do their best work, they need excellent people around them. And what's the best way to hold on to the best people, film after film?

Make them feel like you give a shit. Treat them like they matter. Thank them for their contribution.

And pay them like they deserve to be paid.

This idea pops up a lot with great leaders. Tom Brady and Bill Belichick were great at making every player feel like they mattered. Navy SEAL commander Jocko Willink had men literally willing to die for him because he cared about them. David Senra talks about how paying unreasonable salaries is a reasonable cost to retain unreasonably talented people.

It checks out. Not only is it the right thing to do, it's the right thing for your business. Show people you care and pay them fairly—even generously. Affleck and Damon weren't the first to do it, but they're proving again it's the right way to lead.

Journal of a Novel

This is a very niche recommendation, but if you're a writer or a Steinbeck fan, you'll appreciate it.

When Steinbeck was writing East of Eden, he warmed up every day by writing a letter to his editor. On the left hand side of the notebook, he wrote the letters. On the right hand side, he wrote his greatest novel.

Journal of a Novel is those letters. Steinbeck's procrastinations, notes on his life, and musings about the plot fill the pages.

There are a lot of interesting things about this book. A couple stand out to me:

First, he didn't actually send these letters every day. His editor didn't receive them until Steinbeck was done writing the book. So it wasn't about correspondence at all but about having an interested party to write toward.

Second, it's clear he does a lot of serious work, but he also does a lot of putzing around. Whether it's thinking, tinkering, inventing, or running errands, he spends a lot of time doing things other than writing. As a writer, I find it reassuring to know someone of Steinbeck's stature also has these tendencies.

Finally, it's so cool to see the book take shape over the course of the nine months he spent writing it. He shares updates on page count, character development, and his struggles in the writing process. But most of all, you see him show up pretty much every day and make a little bit of progress. Seeing him do it this way takes the intimidation out of writing.

This book isn't for everyone. Most people would find it dreadful. But if you're a writer or a fan of East of Eden, I think it's a must read. 

Top 10 Books of 2025

I love book recommendation articles, and this is a good one from my friend Jack. He read 41 books last year and narrowed them down to his top ten in this piece.

He gives a very detailed explanation for each of the ten, which I find helpful when deciding if I want to read them.

I've read a handful of his recommendations on this list and enjoyed all of them, so I'm sure the others are good too.

Workout of the Week

This workout looks much worse on paper than it was in reality.

"North Country"

For time:

• 10 cal ski/bike erg/or row

• 10 burpees

• 10 cal ski

• 20 alt db snatch (50)

• 10 cal ski

• 30 situps

• 10 cal ski

• 40 kb swings (53)

• 10 cal ski

• 30 situps

• 10 cal ski

• 20 alt db snatch (50)

• 10 cal ski

• 10 burpees

• 10 cal ski

This one took me 12:56. Let me know how you do.

Quote of the Week

“The tools required to gain greatness often prevent someone from enjoying it.” - Wright Thompson

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Talk soon,

Joe