Tuesday, June 28, 2011

Queen is still popular

Last night I watched a two hour biography of the band Queen on the Bio Channel. I was a teenager when Queen released "A Night At the Opera" and "Bohemian Rhapsody" I became a big fan, and their songs remain on my favorites list on my ipod.

The documentary included recent interviews with the three surviving members of the band and lots of archival footage. For some years even after they began releasing albums Queen made very little money. Their management told the drummer to stop breaking sticks in concert because they couldn't afford to buy new ones. But they kept working,creating new music and eventually became fabulously wealthy stars.

Once they became famous, they lived a rock star life. But despite the temptations of stardom, they kept working: writing new music, recording, touring, and pushing themselves to get better.

The takeaway for you is this: Stars work hard. Creating hit songs and movies, bestsellers, and viral videos may be fun work, but it's still work. It requires an enormous investment of time and creative energy. Are you happy with the response to your content? If not, how hard are you working? Try putting more time into your content creation, and see how much the end product improves.

Saturday, June 18, 2011

It's not about You

A few years ago I heard a lecture from poet laureate and teacher Ted Kooser. He told the story of a student who came up to him after class and showed him some poems, saying, "I wrote this for myself. Would you mind taking a look?"

If you're creating content for yourself that's great. We all have hobbbies. You never know, someday your novels or videos may be found by historians or critics and you will become famous for your art after death, just like Emily Dickinson, who never sent her poems to be published while she was alive.

But if you want success while you're alive, keep in mind Ted Kooser's advice about writing poetry. It is great advice for creating stories in all media. He said to "write with the reader in mind." Remember, at some point you're going to share your video, your story, or your film with someone. Is it going to make sense to them? Will your work engage your audience, transport them to a place they'd always wanted to go, and give them a satisfying surprise when they're there? If not, you might want to revise your work.

It's great if you want to express yourself. But creating successful content -- content that reaches the audience and moves them -- is not about you and your feelings. It's about the effect you have on your audience. Can you make them laugh? Or cry? Can you change the way they think or feel about their lives? Can you make them forget their problems, even for a few minutes?

Create your content with your audience in mind. Think about the effect you want to achieve. How do you know if you've achieved it? You'll know when your audience starts recommending it to their friends either buy e-mailing links, buying books as presents, or just posting positive reviews on Facebook.

Wednesday, June 15, 2011

Copycat shows

How many talent/singing competitions have launched on television since 'American Idol?' I can list at least a dozen without searching the internet. How many can you name?

I am looking forward to Simon Cowell's latest: the American version of his British hit, "the X Factor." The pre-show publicity has been great. Without giving away details of the show, they've let us know there might be a judge even meaner than Simon! I can't wait.

Why do networks keep creating similar programs? Wouldn't they get more viewers if they only aired unique, original programs?

I'll answer the second question first: no. In general, viewers prefer familiar forms of story telling. TV history is filled with innovative formats that didn't catch on with viewers (look up "Cop Rock" on the internet for an example). It makes sense for networks to put their own spin on formulas that work for viewers.

Remember, too, that most television networks are headquartered in New York or Los Angeles. Because of that, most production companies are headquartered in one of those cities. The production heads and programming executives attend the same parties; rumors run rampant about shows in development. Also, shows are usually pitched to several networks, so most executives know what shows are available.

Therefore, if a development executive at one network hears there's a singing competition show in the works at Fox, they may start development one at their network, just in case. Then, if it becomes a hit, the other network has a concept ready to go.

Say you don't live in Los Angeles or New York, and you believe you have a completely original idea that will transform television as we know it. Good luck with that; those are the most difficult ideas to sell. Think about trying your concept on the internet first.