The Art of Landing - During Heavy Traffic

So, I attend this industry event the other day on "How to Survive and Prosper During a Recession". I thought it would be interesting enough, and that maybe they would provide some original insight, or some in depth forecast of the road ahead with anecdotal memories of how each of the panelists had then survived themselves during previously challenging times in the industry. But,... no such luck. It was a step above a resume writing conference which left me feeling like whaa..? As in, "What were YOU thinking?" I'm glad I spent the $25 though, because as an entrepreneur, it was a great reminder that my destiny ( God willing ) continues to remain in my own hands. I wasted funds on a reality check that I should have given myself before I came.

The flying lesson hear folks, in case you missed it is that we are each responsible for saving ourselves and a few others along the way. When the runway is crowded full of unemployed denizens that all look like people you know, we all have to ask ourselves, what sets us apart, what makes us unique, what particular skill sets do we have or can we acquire in combination that will help us to stay above the fray? Of even greater importance ( and almost ridiculously so ) we need to ask ourselves WHO we KNOW... YES, THAT'S RIGHT! WHO WE KNOW? And how can we partner strategically with those we know and compensate by building fresh relationships with those we don't. Yes! This is absolutely the time to be passing business cards around, but more so to be making deals, to be collaborating, to be following up, to be forging partnerships and strategic alliances. I heard that a lot of agents at WMA and Endeavor were doing the same ( forming teams ) in order to hold onto their jobs during the merger and their clients as well. Hat's off to them!

One seasoned commercial producer told me that she had been laid off and out of work for three months and was thus panicked and ready to practically volunteer. Personally, I thought it was a great idea. But more than volunteering at her age and experience level, I think she should have been creating reasons to collaborate. Find the writer, the dp, the art director etc. who're in the same position and clear the runway ahead of you by taking off in a different direction. Put a story together that you can sell, or at least draw some attention to you and your craft or your business on Youtube since all of the studios and networks are now looking there anyway. Be proactive. Be the pilot that you are! Most of us didn't get this far by simply waiting in line, so why stay stuck in the traffic jam?

Making the ... "Marketing" 4

Genius. That's all I can say... GENIUS. At first when I started watching "Making the Band" it was a little hood for my taste but still interesting - the artists trying to make it, the executives trying to deal with their nonsense and still meet their objectives, yadda, yadda, yadda and the short list goes on. However, when you really look at it from an entrepreneurial perspective, Puff has developed one of the best marketing schemes on television that a number of people are still trying to follow. Sure, it's not American Idol, but he has had 9 number one albums as proof and the ratings are ... obvious to say the least. They have one of the best and most passionate stories on television for a reality series, they have stellar web based traffic with the community site, artists blogs and the whole nine. Even better, Diddy invites you to follow him on twitter, and he keeps finding ways to keep it fresh, whether it's a multi-ethnic band in the pop genre, or he has smartly aligned his business with a presidential election, resulting in the sale of millions of t-shirts. Genius. I've never been a fan of his, but have always had respect for his accomplishments. Sometimes he's been a little over the top to me, ( okay, a lot ) but at this point in the game, (actually a while back ) he has taken his marketing and entrepreneurship to the level of an art form.

Futhermore, as a CEO myself, I can say that I now look forward to his weekly 'pitch meetings' with the viewer. I'm actually watching to learn something. He turns on the charm, delivers a few unapologetic laughs, and then digs in to the meat of what he needs us to do, and how we need to respond. Even better, yet I love it when he checks his employees. Don't get confused because they're artists or the fact that he has on a hoodie with a platinum chain. He let's them have it on national television in a way that's no where near as rehearsed as Heidi Klum's "Auf Wiedersehen" or Donald Trumps predictable weekly exit. He keeps it REAL. Frustrated curse words and all... Whew! How many CEO's would love to get away with knocking their employees in the head on national television. Better yet, to catch them red handed in their foolishness and make a few million off of it. Thank you Mtv.

You can keep up with his geniusness at www.twitter.com/iamdiddy .

I give him a triple landing ( times three ) with no skid marks...

Time and Temp

So its 12:56 a.m. and the weather is partly cloudy, and there are signs of rain as we just had the biggest thunderstorm in history ( hyperbole ) it gave the building a good shake though... Regardless, I'm trying to out guess another network executive in the morning - ( having pitched a concept without a treatment on Friday ... shhhh). But I'm good at it. The pros aren't supposed to do this but it happens all the time. You look into their starry eyed, but ever venomous faces and try to turn into a mind reader when the first idea doesn't go over so well. You feel them out and keep talking until the perfect sentence pops out and they say those magic words, "Send it to me." Then you smile cunningly with the ever confident "Absolutely" - a canned response - and exhale on your way out of the door or off the end of the conference call. Mental Note: I don't do this all the time, but it sure does sound like it...

Well, what are you supposed to do? You spend days and lifetimes on a pitch that they can xnay in a split second, then you take it to another network or studio or wherever you're pitching until the poor idea runs out of gas; OR if you're chops are really up then you might sell the thing on your first try, but either way its a crap shoot! So, you prep the best you can, iron out the wrinkles and sell that possibly used shirt, like its brand new... armpit funk and all. Follow me?

So, I'm going to create a pitch book tonight for one of the ideas that I hope that she thought I had on Friday, and hope that's the one she picks while I finish writing the rest to send out before 5... just in case.

Okay, I guess I'm getting too old for this...