“It does not matter how slowly you go so long as you do not stop.” – Confucius We all know big results come from small changes, applied consistently over time. But have you ever considered the opposite? That big failures come from small failures, endured consistently over time. Last week Tim Thompson and I were walking…
Joel Pilger
The Video of the Week Nordstrom makes some fascinating creative decisions for a “top-of-the-funnel campaign” This two minute ad, “An Open Mind is the Best Look”, stars part-time actors and non-professionals and is built around ad-libbed dialogue from Carol Hickey, an acting coach. Nordstrom asks viewers to “Be receptive, be flexible, be present”, and wants…
In my last email I offered to share a few example exit strategies, or more to my point, “conversion strategies.” With that, my inbox promptly blew up. 🙂 Warning: whenever Tim Thompson or I speak in public on this topic (escaping the work-for-hire model / converting your business into an asset), owners get upset. Someone in the…
“The biggest boom” for animated content from Amazon, Apple, Hulu and especially Netflix And studios are now struggling to keep up with a limited talent pool Back in October I wrote about how Dreamworks’ reboot of She-Ra was a next-gen animation business case study, because of how heavily it was relying on Netflix for survival….
We’ve all said it: “We need a rep!” But a sales rep is rarely the solution to your real need. Why? As a studio / prodco / agency principal, your real need is this: to learn how to position your creative firm, perform powerful (and authentic) outreach at scale, built trust, and share your killer expertise. Once…
Studio and production company owners keep asking me how to deal with client underlings and their shrinking budgets. My short answer is: The antidote to a poor client is a better one. I shared this in my private Confab group last week and – as you might have guessed – they weren’t impressed. “Thanks, Joel. But how?” Then…
The Video of the Week Netflix and Liverpool FC worry about Fortnite, and they are right A virtual concert by DJ Marshmello within Fortnite attracted 10 MILLION concurrent players and 60M estimated total viewers on Saturday. So when Netflix states in its quarterly earnings that “We compete with (and lose to) Fortnite more than…
Thanks for all the positive feedback on my previous email about brevity mode. But I felt I should share this bit of constructive criticism, too: “TLDR” – Tim H. Touché. This got me rethinking. And then revthinking. When communicating as an expert, use brevity mode. Yes. But there’s something even better you can do: jump on a plane….
Good grammar and punctuation are essential habits of good communicators, right? (Or should I have ended that sentence with “correct?”) When I was running a busy creative studio, I always presented myself in emails to clients as courteous, enthusiastic, and detail-oriented. This meant I would always start with a salutation and the person’s name, speak in…
I’d like to start with a thank you for the nice feedback I received on my previous email. I especially enjoyed this one: “I’ve always felt the same way about the melancholy of winning. Thanks for sharing this nugget to start my Saturday.” – Ken Now let’s explore what I hope is another valuable nugget. A few…