50 Million Frenchmen

50 Million Frenchmen was a hit Broadway show in 1929 with music by Cole Porter. In 1931 Warner Brothers released a movie version starring the comedy team Olson and Johnson and Broadway musical star William Gaxton. Olson and Johnson were one of the most successful comedy duos of that era. They starred in several films and Broadway shows and are most famous for starring in the Broadway revue Hellzapoppin which ran for three years 1938-1941. I DVR'd this film from TCM last week. I was curious to see one of the most famous early 20th century comedy teams and a man who starred in several great musicals. My regular readers know I love old movies and love film history. Imagine my disappointment when, ten minutes into the movie, I realized I could not stand it. Ole Olson's signature high pitched laugh was more annoying than funny. The gags hadn't ripened with age, they had soured. Gaxton may have moved audiences on stage, but on on film he came across as stiff and old. Warner Brothers had cut the songs out of the movie, having decided in 1931 that the era a of musical films were over. But why am I telling you this? Not just to help you avoid watching 50 Million Frenchmen in the future. it's to point out that tastes change. What was popular in one generation will not necessarily endure. It's only the rare works of art and extraordinary artists whose works last. That's why you shouldn't worry about the legacy of what you're creating. Perhaps it will be Casablanca, and perhaps it will be 50 Million Frenchmen. You can't control how future generations will feel about your work. You can only control what you're doing now. Focus on making each piece of content as good as you can, and let the future take care of itself.

Disney Buys Lucasfilm

It's now been approximately two weeks since the news broke that Disney bought LucasFilm for a little over four billion dollars. Many of the arguments and controversies that exploded on the web after the news broke have died down. After all, George Lucas had the right to sell and Disney had the right to buy. And who among us doesn't wish they created characters and content worth four billion dollars? I think it was a great deal for both sides. Some fans were concerned that Disney will "Disnify" the Star Wars franchise, but in fact Disney has a great record of letting their acquired companies create their own identifiable content. Look how they handle Pixar, for example. Disney got a bargain at $4 billion, because they own not only an iconic franchise that will continue to generate income, but also Industrial Light and Magic, one of the most innovative special effects companies in the business. That will bring in income and provide more expertise for Disney films. George Lucas will still have influence on the Star Wars franchise, but no longer the burden of maintaining the brand by himself. Some collaboration on the Star Wars brand might even improve the quality of the next three movies. Disney's resources will ensure that the Star Wars brand will endure for a long, long, time, even in galaxies far, far, away. For those of us who create content, this deal underscores the value of our work, and the importance of believing in your vision. When Lucas pitched the first Star Wars film, his previous two films were a flop sci fi picture, THX 1138, and a hit teen nostalgia movie, American Grafitti. Studios would have eagerly purchased another film in the American Grafitti (in fact, a sequel was released a couple of years later) but Lucas wanted to make Star Wars. Only one studio head, Alan Ladd, Jr., at Fox, thought Star Wars worth buying. Today of course, we have many more ways to get our content directly to our audience. So keep creating. You never know which idea will turn into the next Star Wars.

St. Deluxe - how to market yourself

St. Deluxe is a Glasgow-based fuzz-pop rock band. I interviewed them a little over two years ago for AOL and St. Deluxe was appearing a SXSW in Austin. They were a lot of fun to talk to -- they took their music seriously but not themselves. I've kept in touch with them over the years. I joined their mailing list, liked their Facebook page, and dropped Martin Kirwan, their spokesman, an occasional e-mail. Martin and St. Deluxe do a great job of getting their content to the pubic. They are releasing a new album December 3rd and are reaching out to all of their fans and friends. I received an e-mail directly from Martin. The news is also on their Facebook page, Twitter feed, and of course, their web site. Their web site isn't fancy, but it has everything they and their fans need: bios, news releases, testimonials, and of course, videos. The great thing about the internet is that we can reach our audience directly. But so can everyone else. I've heard that every year the world creates as much content as was created from the Babylonians through 1980. Standing out is a challenge. it's important to create compelling content possible. But it's also important to find your audience. If you can do both, you are well on your way to making a living from your content. You can check out St. Deluxe on social media and their website: www.stdeluxe.co.uk

Spirit in the Sky

Norman Greenbaum, the writer and performer of the iconic hit, "Spirit in the Sky," turns 70 this year. His story provides hope and inspiration for all of us who create content. Norman was born in 1942 and raised Jewish. He dropped out of school to become a singer/songwriter, and after watching Western movies came up with the fuzzy guitar riff and gospel-style lyrics that became "Spirit in the Sky." Warner music released the single and album in 1969, and the single sold two million copies in 1970. The song is still played today on adult contemporary, oldie, and even gospel channels and is featured prominently in several movies and commercials. You may remember it being used in Apollo 13 and other films. Norman released other albums and had some other charted hits like "Petaluma" although his other most famous song is the novelty hit "The Eggplant that Ate Chicago." Norman's royalties from "Spirit in the Sky," and ancillary products available on his website, support him to this day. Norman still writes and performs -- if you go to his website you can get information about his upcoming concerts: www.spiritinthesky.com. I'm sure after Norman recorded "Spirit in the Sky" he and Warner thought they had something -- but I'm also sure that no one predicted that the song would resonate as long as it did. Something in the music and lyrics makes the song timeless. I believe they'll be singing and playing "Spirit in the Sky" far in the future, when people live throughout the solar system and are sailing for the stars. That's why you must keep creating content, and doing your best with every piece. We never know which song we write is the next "Spirit in the Sky," which television series will be "Seinfeld," or which movie will be "Titanic." If you keep working, your content will become more compelling and your instincts for good work will improve. But we can never know until which one of our creations will be a hit until we send it into the world. So keep working -- perhaps your next work will be the one the Spirit in the Sky smiles on.

When is my content protected by copyright?

You're protected as soon as you write it down. According to US Copyright law, your work is "under copyright protection the moment it is created and fixed in a tangible form that it is perceptible either directly or with the aid of a machine or device." Therefore, if you've just composed a hit song in your head, it's not protected by copyright until you write out the sheet music or record it on an audiotape, digital file, or digital video. The same for your novels, poems, films, and any other content you create. You must create it in a fixed and tangible form to have protection. Once you do this, you are entitled to put your 'c' copyright on your work, whether or not you register the work with the copyright office. So why would you want to register your work? Because you can't sue anyone for copyright infringement unless your work is registered. The best protection is to register your work within five years of creating it. That is considered prima facie evidence for a court of law. If you don't know what prima facie evidence is, you haven't watched enough legal shows on TV. You don't have to pay a lawyer to register your copyright. The US government has put your tax dollars to work and created a website, www.copyright.gov, that is full of information on how to register (and is also the source for this post). I urge you to look at it if you are concerned how US copyright law helps protect you. Don't assign your copyright to a corporate entity, record company, manager, or any other person. The owner of the copyright owns the work, and the only way you can maintain control is to maintain ownership. There may be times when you are working for a company that the content you create is 'work for hire' and is owned by the company. Other than that special case, if you are writing a novel, creating a web video, a new song, cartoon, poem, or any other personal content, it belongs to you by law. Don't give it away.

The Story of Rodriguez - Why we create

The story of Mexican American folk singer Sixto Rodriguez should give hope to all of us. His story was told in the documentary "Searching for Sugar Man," and also on '60 minutes' and various cable news outlets. In brief, Rodriguez released two folk albums in the early 70s, 'Cold Fact,' and 'Coming from Reality' on a small label owned by Buddah records. The albums didn't sell, the record company went out of business, and Rodriguez worked as a day laborer in Detroit to survive. Unbeknownst to him, both albums became wildly popular in South Africa. South Africans who grew up in the 70s and early 80s said that Rodriguez's albums were the soundtrack of their lives. His songs gave hope to those struggling against apartheid. Since Rodriguez didn't have the money or record company support to tour, rumors persisted in South Africa that Rodriguez committed suicide. This only increased his mythic status. Of course, Rodriguez wasn't dead, just poor. Finally, in the 90s, some South African fans tracked him down and he gave some concerts to screaming fans, before returning to his life as a day laborer in Detroit. A few years ago an unknown Swedish documentary filmmaker, Malik Bendjelloul, learned about the story and made a film called "Searching for Sugar Man." Benjelloul took four years to complete the film, because he had no funding and no distribution. Last year some producer friends submitted it to Sundance, which not only accepted the film but also opened the Festival with it in 2012. Rodriguez' story captivated the festival, and at the age of 70 he is finally a hot property in the US as well as South Africa -- touring, making and selling music. Malik Benjelloul is also finding it much easier to get his next job in film. If someone had written this story as fiction, I don't think anyone would have believed it. Yet it happened. This is why we need to keep creating our own content and send it into the world. Yes, the competition is fierce and the odds of earning a living at your art small. Like Rodriguez, you may never know what positive effect your work can have on other people. If you believe in what you're doing create it anyway. Maybe, just maybe, you will be recognized for it in your lifetime. It's a sure thing that if you don't create your content, you certainly won't be recognized. The poet W.S. Merwin summed it up beautifully in the last stanza of his poem "Berryman," which relates his meeting with the great poet John Berryman. In the poem Merwin asks Berryman if one can ever be sure that what you write is really good and Berryman answers, "you can't you can never be sure you die without knowing whether anything you wrote was any good if you have to be sure don't write."

Stan Lee: Top Ten All-Time Movie Box Office Star

According to the web site "The Numbers," movies in which Stan Lee have appeared have grossed 3.44 billion (with a 'b')dollars, averaging a gross box office revenue of $191,565,937 million. That puts Stan ahead of Daniel Radcliffe in total and average box office gross for his films, which are, of course, all the Marvel blockbusters. Of course, Stan is not a professional actor. He's the legendary former head of Marvel Comics and creator of such great Marvel characters as Spider-Man, the Fantastic Four, Thor, Daredevil, and of course, the Avengers. Stan no longer heads Marvel, but to honor his contribution (and probably a contractual obligation) the producers cast Stan in cameo roles in all of the Marvel super hero blockbusters. You can see him as a librarian in the current reboot of Spider Man with Andrew Garfield and Emma Stone. The Numbers' list is not adjusted for inflation. Still, Stan Lee's inclusion demonstrates the power of creating compelling content. Stan Lee created Spider Man in the early 1960s, over 50 years ago, yet Spider Man still makes hundreds of millions of dollars for Marvel and for Stan. But when Stan created Spider Man, he was just creating another character for a disposable pop culture magazine aimed at kids. How did he do it? He adhered to two main points: 1. No matter how fantastic the stories got Stan made sure the characters' reactions remained as real as possible. Yes they featured super powers, super villans, amazing inventions, and space travel. At the same time, Spider Man had real problems -- making a living, taking care of his elderly aunt, finding a girlfriend, etc. 2. Stan never patronized his audience. He was writing comic books for kids, but he led his team to make each story as rich as possible -- filled with character details, nuanced reactions, and believable situations. No matter what type of content we're working on or what audience we try to reach, we should apply the same two principles to our work.

How to get an Agent

If you want to sell your content or program idea to a traditional media outlet -- television network, movie studio. record company, etc. -- it helps to have an agent. Agents, especially those associated with large agencies like CAA, IMG, or William Morris Endeavor, among others, have access that ordinary people lack. They can help target your content to the right buyer, and get it in the hands of a decision maker. If your content is represented by the right agent media companies will review it. They may pass -- they pass on a lot of good material -- but at least they'll look at it. The best way to get an agent is to get an audience. In his book, "On Writing," Stephen King says he didn't have an agent until his third book, although he also says he didn't make as much as he could have from his first three books. Still, I'm sure that when he went looking for an agent he had his pick of the best. Your first book may not be as successful as "Carrie," or your first movie as successful as "Blair Witch Project," but you should try to expose it to as many people as possible. Agents, like everyone in show business, need to make money. If you can help them make money they will fight to represent you. But what if you haven't written a best seller or a blockbuster film? You can still get an agent, but it will require research. You need to research which agents are looking for someone with your talents. Once you find them, you need to call yourself and your work to their attention. You can do that through letters, e-mails, invitations to your performances, samples of your work, etc. It will be a long, slow process, but if you persist and you have the qualities the agent is seeking, you will find one. While you're looking for an agent, remember to keep creating content.

American Idol Producers take my advice

I was pleased to see the American Idol producers take the advice in my last post and keep Randy Jackson as a judge. He's a link to the glory days of Idol, when it was the most popular show on television and watching it was a national duty. That will keep us long-time fans of Idol happy while the new fans tune in to see Nicky Minaj, Keith Urban, and Mariah Carey. I hope the new judges help Randy raise his game; he seemed a little tired by the end of last season. These new judges help American Idol appeal to a broader demographic, and bring some contemporary artists to the picture. However, new judges do not always result in new ratings -- the X Factor ratings are down year over year, even with the addition of Britney Spears. In their zeal to join the celebrity judge "arms race," I hope the producers haven't lost sight of who the real stars of the show are -- the contestants. After all, the show is called "American Idol," not "America's best talent Judges." More time for the judges means less time for the contestants. If I was producing the show I'd spend most of my time figuring out how to make America empathize with and root for my contestants. The most important task the judges have every season is picking the contestants that will make the most compelling personalities. The judges and producers need to remember they're casting a television show, not necessarily picking the best singers. When we create our own content, it's easy to lose sight of the central spine of our work. Especially in longer works things come up, other pressures come to bear, and we make adjustments. It's only when we step back to review the final piece that we realize we went totally off the rails, and need to fix the problem in revision. The American Idol shows are live; there's no chance to go back and fix them. In order for the show to succeed, the producers need a strong focus on the show's stars - the contestants. For your content to succeed, you need to keep the same strong focus on the key aspects of your piece.

Idol Rumors

The X Factor added Demi Lovato and Britney Spears as judges this fall, to ratchet up audience enthusiasm and increase ratings. The producers also want their star power to fight NBC's hit show, The Voice. Meanwhile, as of this writing Mariah Carey remains the only judge signed for American Idol in the spring. Rumors are flying that Randy Jackson, the only remaining judge from the original group, will be forced into a mentor role so Idol to sign big name judges to compete in the musical competition show arms race. Why did X Factor sign Britney Spears and Demi Lovato? The answer is not because they wanted pop stars who could truly judge whether or not the acts will become stars. The answer is demographics. If you were a young Britney Spears fan in the late 1990s or early 2000s you are now probably in your mid-twenties, an audience demographic networks crave. Fox is hoping that the kids who loved Britney will watch X factor. If they do, Simon Cowell will reach the 20 million audience goal he set for himself last year. American Idol aims at a slightly older crowd, so they're hoping Mariah Carey's fans in the early 90s will watch her on Fox. There are rumors Idol's producers are negotiating with Enrique Iglesias and a male country star to round out the demographics for the audience. I think it will be a mistake if Idol hires stars without regard for how they will interact with each other, the contestants, and the audience. I hope they're testing the potential judges in front of a camera before signing them. After all, Randy and Simon were unknown to the American audience when Idol started. Paula Abdul was the biggest star, and she hadn't had a hit in years. Let me give Idol creator Simon Fuller, and all of my readers, some advice. Television makes its own stars. I recommend he sign someone like former Idol contestant Adam Lambert (another rumor) who can identify with the contestants. Adam will bring his outrageous personality to judging like he did to his performances. Of course you have to keep Mariah Carey in her $18 million part time job at this point. But let the audience discover that they like the other judges after watching them. That will result in higher ratings. I would keep Randy. We've grown used to him in our living rooms -- there's a comfort factor to television that drives repeat viewing. Two new judges -- whoever they are -- will be enough for us. People love to discover new talent. Remember, television makes its own stars.

The Surprise #1 Rated Network

The last week of August is traditionally a slow time for broadcast viewers. The week of August 27, 2012 to September 2, 2012 was no exception. There were news events: The Republican Convention and Hurricane Isaac. But there were almost no new programs on broadcast networks. So which network delivered the most viewers from the highly coveted Adults 18-49 and 18-34? The answer: Univision. That's right, the Spanish-language network was #1 and it wasn't even close in those categories. Univision delivered 17% more audience than its nearest rival, ABC. It's ironic that while the Republican Party scheduled speeches from several Hispanic politicians in an attempt to woo the Latino vote, they might have been better off buying ads during Univision's most popular telenovelas: Por Ella Soy Eva (For Her I'm Eva) and Amor Bravo (Fierce Love). This won't last, of course. Football starts this week, and the fall television season soon after that. But, as I've said in other posts, this is a revolutionary development in American broadcast. A niche channel with a large, dedicated audience, like Univision, can outdraw the general entertainment channels. What's true for Spanish-language television may also be true for your niche content. Does this mean we should all learn Spanish and make telenovelas? No, although it never hurts to learn a second language. If we all made telenovelas the competition would drive the price down. However, it does demonstrate that popular success can come from unexpected areas. Aiming your content at a dedicated niche audience may lead to more popular success in the long run than trying to create content that's all things to all people. There are many different routes to become #1. Find the one that works best for you.

No More Jersey Shore

The announcement that this was "Jersey shore's" last year on the air was greeted with glee in some quarters. My rabbi, for example, gave the news a big thumbs up. The antics of America's favorite group of guidos and guidettes have been evidence exhibit number one that the coarsening of American life has gone as far as it can go. MTV's decision to cancel the show is seen as proof that America has come to its senses. Both observations are obviously wrong. If the history of television has taught us anything, it's that networks and producers are always pushing the envelope in every conceivable direction to increase ratings. Some time soon, a show will air that will make "Jersey Shore" look like "Leave it to Beaver." We have not seen the last of the cast either -- I'm sure MTV has spinoffs planned with every single cast member. Snooki, the Situation, and J-Wow will be with us as long as networks believe people will watch their shows. MTV executives confirmed my suspicion that budget was one of the factors behind their decision when they specifically said budget was not a factor in their decision. Understand that budget is always a factor for media companies -- that's why they keep airing reality shows, because they are generally less expensive than scripted shows, and the ratings are comparable. But a hit reality show like Jersey Shore is an exception. The cast made money similar to actors in scripted shows. With the show in its sixth season the production company almost certainly got a big bump. So MTV execs were faced with a familiar situation: The show cost a lot of money, but its ratings were declining. Should they continue for another year or two, or cut their losses and use the news that this is the last season to maximize the ratings for the season? Clearly, they decided to cut their losses. The statement that MTV just felt that it was time for the network to move on is self serving and I don't agree. No network drops a hit show unless they think the show is no longer profitable. It's a problem we should all have -- if you're a program producer you hope you have a hit show. If you can sustain the show for six years like Jersey Shore you should be happy. If you want to sustain it for longer, do your best to keep the costs under control and do everything you can to make each season seem fresh. Eventually, no matter how hard you try, your show will be cancelled. That's why I said almost from the beginning of this blog, make sure you're working on several projects at the same time. Once you've had a hit show, you'll find most media companies very eager to hear your next idea.

Sometimes Less is Less

I couldn't wait another year to find out what happened in the third series of Game of Thrones. I went back to the original source and read the third book in the series, Storm of Swords. George R.R. Martin's book is over 1,000 pages long in paperback. I read it all as fast as I could to find out what happened. All of the books in the series have been long. They have to be to cover the sprawling story set mainly in the land of Westeros, covering many different stories and characters. I devoured every page, and when I got to the end I wanted more. That's the mark of a great story teller working with a great story. In general, publishers, producers, and even poetry editors prefer shorter pieces. They don't cost as much to publish or produce. They also believe that the audience's attention span shrinks every year, and in order to find an audience their content must be shorter. In some cases, telling more details can make your story better. The books in the Game of Thrones series proves that's not the case (I know the overall series is called, "A Song of Fire and Ice" I just call it "Game of Thrones" because I first came to it through the HBO series, not the novels). In the right hands a long story can be even more commercially successful than a short story. It's a truism that less is more. Even if that's generally true, it's not true all the time. Sometimes, less isn't more, less is less -- making a story shorter can sometimes lose its heart. How do you know? Trust your instinct. You've spent more time with the material than anyone else. What do you think? Ask the opinion of one or two trusted readers (or viewers if it's a video). Are there parts of the story they think you should cut? If you think your story works better at length, keep it. Don't cut just because someone said "less is more." Should you make cuts if your publisher or producer requests it? I'll address that in a future post.

Screenplays

Screenwriters make a lot of money. According to the current Writer's Guild agreement, the minimum for an original screenplay for a high end theatrical film is $122,000. Of course, that's the minimum. An established screenwriter, or a hot script from a newcomer, can net an author much, much more. $1 million for a screenplay used to be news; it's not any more. Screenplays are short -- one rule of thumb allows one minute of screen time for each page, so a two hour movie can be told in only 120 pages. And those pages aren't covered with dense prose. There's lots of white space for dialogue and shot descriptions such as "Int. Joe's shack on the St. John's River. Evening" that don't appear to take a great deal of creative brain space. So screenplays are short and pay a lot of money. Why aren't more people writing them? Actually, there are a lot of people writing screenplays -- but most of them aren't making money. I've read some estimates that only 5% of the Writer's Guild members can support themselves on screenplays. Most of them have to work other jobs to live. That's not unusal for performing unions. The vast majority of members of the Screen Actor's Guild, Actor's Equity, the Dramatist's Guild, etc,. don't make their living from their art. So if you want to make a living writing screenplays, what should you do? First -- move to Los Angeles. That's still the center of the film industry. Make connections with production executives, directors, agents, actors and other players in the film industry. I'm assuming you don't have other connections in the business. The most important thing is to make connections and find an agent, so that the screenplays you write will be read. You can't do that sitting at home. You might protest that William Goldman, who is one of my writing heroes, didn't move to LA. He got all his screenwriting jobs while living in New York. That is correct. But Goldman was already a successful novelist and Broadway script doctor before he sold his first screenplay. He had an agent. If you're a successful novelist, get your agent to sell your book to a studio with the stipulation that you write the screenplay. For the rest of us, making the right connections remain the key. If you can't move to Los Angeles, then at least get an agent who will represent your work in LA. How do you get an agent? See my previous posts. But essentially, it will help immensely to get a connection to an agent and not submit blindly. They receive a lot of material, and a recommendation from a connection will help get your script to the top of their pile. There's another option: Make the movie yourself. That approach worked wonderfully for "Paranormal Activity" and "The Blair Witch Project." It has never been cheaper or easier to make a quality film. If you don't know how, partner with someone from your local film school or production company. You can even distribute the movie on the internet. You may lose money on this first effort. However, you will show the worlde that you can write a screenplay and make a movie. Assuming the movie is good, you'll have an easier time making the next one.

Words from Michael Jordan

The Olympics are over. Most people in TV and film are taking vacation before the fall season starts. Fall films, full of adult situations and deep meanings will start airing in September, after studios clear out the last of their action films, like The Expendables 2. Now is a good time for you to assess your projects. Are they ready to pitch? What work remains to be done? Have you set aside time in your day devoted to creating content so you can continually improve your work? There are four and a half months left before the end of the year. Plan to finish a project a month until the end of the year, and you'll have four projects to pitch starting in January. You may not do everything perfectly the first time. No one does. Keep going. To encourage you I leave you with some words from Michael Jordan, two time Olympic gold medal winner and still considered by many to be the greatest basketball player in history: “I’ve missed more than 9,000 shots in my career. I’ve lost almost 300 games. Twenty-six times, I’ve been trusted to take the game winning shot and missed. I’ve failed over and over and over again in my life. And that is why I succeed.” - Michael Jordan, gold medalist in basketball in 1992 and 1984

Content worth $1 billion

As they say in the movie "The Social Network,"$1 million isn't cool. $1 billion is cool." NBC announced before the Olympics began that they sold $1 billion worth of advertising for their Olympic coverage but they expected to lose $150 million because of the cost of coverage. Today, they said higher than expected ratings (20% more than the Beijing Olympics)means they will probably break even. Would you like your content to be worth $1 billion? What if you had to spend $1 billion to get the value from it? So if you have to spend $1 billion and not make any money on the Olympics, why televise them? As a network programmer, I can tell you that if NBC breaks even on the Olympics they're getting a great deal. Olympic ratings for the NBC network are in the 20s -- far above NBC's regular prime time ratings. Ratings jumps on CNBC, MSNBC, and the NBC Sports network provide a promotional and advertising platform that will drive business to these networks for the rest of the year. The Olympics are an unparalled opportunity to promote network programs. How many times have you seen Mathew Perry's face during commercial breaks? How much money would it cost NBC to get that many eyeballs if they didn't have the Olympics on? NBC is a billion dollar media company, owned by a cable company worth multi-billions. It makes sense for them to spend $1 billion to own the airwaves for two weeks. But you don't have to be a big media company to create content worth $1 billion. When JK Rowling was on the dole in England, wheeling the pram with her baby to the coffee shop so she could write the first Harry Potter book, she probably didn't think it would be a $1 billion idea. Yet it was. The difference is that the Olympics are an established property -- the multiple story lines, the world class athletes, heir 100 year history, ratings success -- all make them worth the money. It makes sense for media companies to pay $1 billion for it in rights and production. But JK Rowling's story shows that you can create your own $1 billion content, if you have the right idea and execute it properly. So keep working. Even if your idea isn't worth $1 billion, you can make a good living on $1 million.

What Will They Remember You For?

You spend a lot of time creating your content. It takes days, hours, weeks, and in some cases years of thinking, creating, and editing to make something worth other people's time. It may take only a few hours to write a poem or a short story. It can take years to finish a novel, or polish a screenplay to become a 'go' project. Which of your projects will people remember? You may be surprised at what resonates with the audience. Shakespeare spent a great deal of time and money preparing his sonnets for publication. He didn't bother to do that with his plays. After his death, the actors in his company published the quartos and first folio. If Shakespeare didn't know for which writing he would be most remembered, don't assume you know. I own a 580 page book of Robert Frost's complete poems. How many can you name? "Stopping by Woods on a Snowy Evening," and "The Road Not Taken" are still studied in grade school, but those are two out of hundreds of poems. Mathew Arnold was a famous critic during the 1800s who wrote many critical essays and poems. We remember him, if at all, for one poem, "Dover Beach." It's sobering to realize that even if our work is popular now, its popularity may not last. The point is that we don't know which of our works people will remember. If we're lucky, we'll have enough fans so that we can support ourselves through our work. There are no guarantees that our work will find an audience. I can guarantee that no one will remember the work you don't create. And since you don't know which of your pieces will outlast you, it's important to do your best on every one. Keep creating, and your legacy will take care of itself.

An $18 million part-time job

American Idol announced Mariah Carey will be a judge this season, replacing either Steven Tyler or Jennifer Lopez, both of whom decided not to return for the fall. Ms. Carey will reportedly receive $18 million for her first year on Idol; not a bad salary for a part-time gig. The arms race for pop icons on talent competition shows continues. Yet while they are willing to pay Mariah Carey the highest judge salary on television, they are also mandating layoffs on the production staff and looking for ways to cut costs. Rumors are that the third judge will be someone priced much lower than Mariah Carey -- perhaps runner up Adam Lambert. American Idol was still the highest rated non-sports series on television last year. Why is the show acting like it's in tremendous trouble? In a word -- money. The overall audience for the show dropped significantly last year, and as a result so did ad revenue. The program still brings in over $700 million in ad revenue to Fox, but it also costs a lot. Competition from other singing programs like "The Voice" are cutting into its audience. So if they want a big-name star to bring attention to the show, the money has to come from somewhere. If I was the show runner, I would first be looking for judges who can contribute to the show, regardless of how big a pop star they used to be. American Idol still hasn't replaced Simon Cowell, the judge we hated but respected, because he told singers when they weren't good enough. We didn't always agree with Simon, but everyone wanted to know what he had to say. That's the quality American Idol needs to find in their judges. If Mariah Carey can deliver the type of sound bites live that will help the contestants and entertain the viewers, she's worth every dollar Fox spends on her. If she can't, she'll soon follow Steven Tyler, Jennifer Lopez, Ellen DeGeneres, and the other judges that "decided" to leave the show. As a fan of the show, I hope that whoever the third judge is, can bring back some of Simon's acid judgements. After all, when American Idol started, most viewers didn't know who Randy Jackson, Simon Cowell, and Ryan Seacrest were -- and Paula Abdul hadn't had a hit in years. They helped make the show a success, but the show's success also made them. The lesson for us as content creators is that stars can draw attention to your show or movie. But if the content doesn't work, it doesn't matter who's in it -- the audience won't watch. Content remains king.

Creativity and Riding the Auto Train

I recently rode the Amtrack auto train from Virginia to Central Florida. It seemed like an economical way to bring a used car back to Orlando without putting a lot more miles on it. The trip from Lorton, Virginia (just south of Washington, DC) to Sanford, Florida (about a half-hour north of Orlando)took about sixteen hours. It included dinner, continental breakfast, and a movie. The coach seat provided more room than Business class seats on planes. I was able to plug my computer in at a convenient socket, and lean almost all the way back to sleep. Not only did I enjoy the trip, when I factored in the cost of gas, motel room, and meals, the trip was cheaper than driving. It wasn't that long ago that most people took trains for long trips. Now train travel is a specialty item, except for commuters into a major metropolitan area. It also gave me time to read, think, and work on some of my current projects away from the bustle of a busy office. How does this relate to creating content? Sometimes your best inspiration can be to do something different. Although I was traveling by myself I met people at meals that I would never have met otherwise -- a nurse that was moving to Tampa, for example, and a retired couple of motorcycle enthusiasts who were transporting their bikes on the train. We never know when we're creating something what is going to spur our creativity. But I do know that you can't create something new using the same routines. We need to get out into the world and do something different. That's a great technique to use if you're stuck on a piece, but it's also great if you're starting out. You don't have to take the Auto Train. That worked for me. Do what works for you. But do something. Take your dog down a different street for your walk. Ride your bicycle somewhere you've never been. Or just go for a drive in the country and stop at the first small town you find. Or go bungee jumping. Just make sure the cord is fastened tightly. Break your routine, break your old habits, and find new inspiration.

Find a Fanatic Audience – Tony Award Ratings

Viewership for the 2012 Tony Awards was at an all-time low – by most accounts only 6 million viewers watched this year’s show on June 10, down from 6.9 million in 2011 and 7 million in 2010. This despite another great hosting job by Neil Patrick Harris, and a show that emphasized popular musical numbers like the opening from “Book of Mormon” and the live performance of numbers from “Hairspray”, live from a cruise ship. The show cut popular features like the tribute to recently deceased theatre artists, and relegated speeches from theatre icons like Bernadette Peters and Manny Azenberg to bumps leading to break. The stories after the Tonys emphasized the audience decline. But another story emerged after all the ratings came in. The Tony Awards finished 16th in the ratings that week, with a very respectable 6.0 rating. Moreover, the demographics of the show are excellent – theatre fans tend to be high income individuals that are hard for advertisers to reach. It’s my feeling that the show would have rated higher had it catered more to the theatre audience, and not tried so many populist tricks. That’s because there’s two ways to get a rating in television – you can have a lot of people watch for a short period of time, or you can have fewer people watch longer. When you have a lot of viewers watching for a long period of time, you generate Super Bowl ratings. Most shows are better off following a strategy that keeps viewers longer, rather than reaching out for new viewers. Therefore, the Tony Awards would probably increase their ratings if they aimed the show squarely at theatre lovers, and produced the show to keep them glued to the set, rather than picking strategies that alienated theatre buffs. The overall audience has also shrunk. Thirty years ago a 6.0 rating would merit an automatic cancellation; these days it gets a show in the top 20 for the week. That’s why I think CBS will continue to air the Tony Awards, and not put it on PBS like they did in past years. For those of us who create content the lesson is clear – Aim at an audience that’s going to be passionate about your work, seek it out no matter where it is, and will recommend it to their friends. We’ll talk in future posts about how to build that audience.

Why There are so many talent competition shows

The answer to this question is obvious at first -- talent competition shows dominate the ratings. Dancing With the Stars, American Idol, the Voice, and America's Got Talent are among the top rated shows every week. More competition ideas keep being announced -- Duets is on the air, The Glee Project has returned, and more are in development at every network. Cost is also a factor. Even with the outrageous salaries paid the top judges, reality competition shows cost less per episode than scripted dramas. The major broadcast networks are no longer very profitable -- some regularly lose money. They are no longer the flagship businesses but instead part of a portfolio of channels owned by major media companies -- Comcast (NBC), Disney (ABC), CBS/Viacom (CBS) and Fox (Fox). Broadcast networks provide a valuable platform for these networks' sports and news properties. They have value for these media companies even if they lose money. Understandably, the corporations want them to lose as little as possible. Hence, the move to reality competition shows. I've predicted this move in this blog. Variety shows used to be a staple of network broadcast schedules in the 60s and 70s. The Ed Sullivan Show is the most iconic, but other popular variety show hosts included the Smothers Brothers, Flip Wilson, Sonny and Cher, and Dean Martin. Howard Cosell even hosted a variety show on Saturday nights for one season, the show that introduced the Bay City Rollers to America. In television, everything old becomes new again. It's the time for variety shows, updated to include modern competition and new judges. When you're looking for content ideas, try giving an old idea a new twist. After all, how many variations of Romeo and Juliet have we seen since Shakespeare first penned the play the in 1500s?

Get in the Game!

A friend of mine who is between jobs visited me and said, "You should make a reality show about job searching." There are a lot of us out there with interesting stories." It's a shame that my friend, along with many other Americans, is still looking for work. He means well, but his suggestion shows that he hasn't really examined his idea in depth. He assumes, that if he doesn't see his idea on television, it's because no one's ever had the idea before. In fact, there's no shortage of ideas to create great content. What's lacking are creators with the skill to make their story compelling, whether they're writing a novel, making a movie, shooting a TV show, or creating a video game. That's why you can't copyright an idea -- you can only copyright an expression of an idea. Creating a believeable world with characters so striking the viewers are compelled to watch takes time and effort. Your idea is just the start. You must sit down and flesh out your characters and setting in detail. You have to be willing to spend months writing your novel, pitching your story, polishing your screenplay, detailing your character bibles. It's a cliche because it's true: You may have to work for years to become an overnight sensation. You can't create anything unless you get in the game. Carve out time in your day to create. Make progress every day. Don't suggest an idea for someone else to create; go make it yourself.

Fixing American Idol

If you've followed my blog you know I'm a fan of American Idol. I've used examples from the program to show you how to incorporate what works about it into your content. It remains one of the most popular shows on television, and its success and the success of its imitators have spawned even more music competition shows -- Duets is the latest. However, both the network, Fox, and the show's producers, are concerned about the show's 30% drop in ratings. They can't blame it on the latest Idol champion, Phillip Phillips, who had an inspiring personal story and an engaging personality. Last year I told broadcast networks to revive the variety show, and it seems like they did listen to me. Since I want to help save my favorite show, here's how I would fix the show. First, change the judges and judging. Steven, Jennifer, and Randy's supportive comments didn't help the contestants improve. Phillip and Jessica, the two finalists, were the same in the last show as they were in the first. When Simon was the judge, the audience wanted to hear his comments, because they knew he would tell the truth. Because the judges hardly said anything critical, the producers included Jimmy Iovine's taped comments to the results show. That didn't help the lack of criticism in the performanceee shows. The producers should encourage Randy Jackson to be more critical. They should replace Steven Tyler, whose comments very often were incoherent, with someone of equal stature who's going to say something interesting. The judge's comments are a big part of the show, and they were just fluff this year. Second -- promote conflict. More critical judges would help in this area. The contestants are fighting for their professional lives and the audience needs to see that pressure. They shouldn't be nice all the time, like this group was, or pretended to be. We want to see them really want this. If the contestants don't care, why should the audience? Third -- show more work. One of the best parts of Hollywood week and the auditions are watching singers make mistakes. Let's see our Idol contestants struggle more to achieve their performances. Let's have the celebrity guests tell the singers they may never make it. Wouldn't it be great to see the Idol mess up in the rehearsal and nail the performance? Essentially, I'm tellling the Idol producers the same thing that I tell all of you -- Raise the stakes. You'd think they wouldn't need to be reminded, but the main problem I see is that American Idol, after eleven years on the air, has become too comfortable. Everyone was happy on the show this year: the judges mostly said nice things, the contestants loved each other, and the celebrities kept being "amazed" at how good the singers were. No one had any problems. That makes a fun experience, but also makes bad drama. Make the contestants uncomfortable. Make the judges more critical. Make the stakes higher, and that will make American Idol #1 again.

How to End a Series

When I was growing up in the sixties television series did not usually have a finale. With rare exceptions (the two part finale of the original Fugitive series comes to mind), series just ended, going off TV. The castaways on Gilligan's Island, for example, were not rescued in the last episode of the series. That took the TV movie, "Rescue from Gilligan's Island," which wasn't aired until several years after the series was cancelled. In the 70s show creators and network executives learned that series finales could generate great ratings and critical acclaim. The finale of the Mary Tyler Moore show, where the cast finally exits the newsroom singing "There's a Long Way to Tipperary," may have started the trend. The finale of MASH, whose series run lasted much longer than the acutal Korean War, was the highest rated series episode and remains one of the highest rated shows of all time. These days, almost every series that's been on the air for more than one season trys to plan their finale in a way that will satisfy fans of the series and tie up loose ends. Of course some series, like The Sopranos, end controversially. As a fan of that series, I thought creator David Chase didn't honor the series with his jump cut to black at the end. I didn't like the Seinfeld finale, a bizarre fantasy that made no sense to me. Which brings us to the finale of House. Spoiler Alert. I'm going to talk about what happened. I loved House when the series launched. I own the first four years on DVD. Like many viewers, I found the lead character fresh, funny, and interesting. I enjoyed the non-so-subtle Sherlock Holmes hints. I did think the series lost its way the last two seasons, and it was time to end it. I am glad that it ended with House faking his death, just like Sherlock Holmes did at the end of the first series of stories. I liked the character of House, and am pleased that he chose life, even if he had to kill his old persona to find it. Endings are tough, particularly in episodic television. When you're running a show, you're doing everything you can to keep it running by keeping the audience interested. A series that lasts several seasons leaves loose ends dangling all over the screen, making it difficult to tie them up. When you're creating your content, you should be thinking about how it might end, even at the beginning. I'm not saying you need to chart the plot, or outline it in detail. But if you know where your characters and story are going, you can shape the characters and events to make them get there. I hope we all have the success of a long running series, and the chance to end it gloriously.

Create Great Characters - Game of Thrones II

What your characters do is ten times more important than what they say. As a program executive, I read character bibles for proposed sitcoms. They would include each character's backstory, which is their history before the show starts. Backstories often include the character's feelings about the other people in the show. That's standard. However, a great proposal -- one that would move along in the development process -- always included information about the actions the character would take, based on their feelings. There's a reason they call it Acting, not Feeling. To act is to do. Hamlet, one of the most famous "indecisive" characters in English literature,in fact does a great many things during the course of the play. He goes to the top of the battlements to confront the ghost. He feigns madness. He hires actors to play the play and writes an additional scene for them, while also delivering some of the most lucid instructions to actors in the English language ("speak the speech, I pray you, trippingly on the tongue"). Hamlet kills Polonius, sends Ophelia to a nunnery and gets in a big fight with Ophelia's brother over her grave. The one thing he doesn't do until the end is kill his uncle, Claudius -- but that's because he wants to be sure, not because he's afraid to act. A character's behavior is what makes them memorable. Tirion Lanaster, played by Peter Dinklage in Game of Thrones, certainly looks different from the regular-sized characters in the show. But it's not how he looks, it's what he does -- saving Lady Stark from Barbarians, weaving a web of spies around his sister, the Queen Regent, slapping the boy king, hiding his mistress in plain sight -- that makes us root for him. You're a creator, but you're also an audience. When you're creating behavior for your characters think about what you find compelling about characters you like to watch. Are your characters as interesting? If not, it might be time to do some revisions.

Why it's hard to find people to run film studios

There is a remarkable sentence in the middle of today's NY Times article about Rich Ross' resignation as head of the Disney movie studio after just two and one-half years on the job. Reporter Brooks Barnes writes that it will be difficult to find a replacement for Ross because "running a movie studio has become one of Hollywood's least coveted jobs". Did you know that? It surprised me. I'll declare right now that I'm interested in the job, if Bob Iger or anyone at Disney is reading this. Of course, that's not the point. They'll find someone to run the studio. What I want to write about is why Head of the Film Studio is no longer a plum job. After all, studio heads still get fabulous salaries, tremendous perks, invitations to all the big Hollywood parties, and most important, the ability to greenlight movies. It's the greenlighting of films where the danger lies. A studio head must make decisions about whether to spend hundreds of millions of dollars or not on films based on a script and the elements -- director, star, subject matter, track record, etc. They have to decide if this film will be popular and successful two, three, four, five, or more years in the future. No one makes the right choice every time. The pressure is tremendous because the stakes are so high. A cheap movie costs $50 million, and a flop like "John Carter of Mars" can cost a studio hundreds of millions of dollars in losses. The pressure causes studio heads to make the safest choices possible. They make sequels, adapt popular books, comic books, plays and television shows. They choose films with stars, because stars "open" movies -- except when they don't (see my post on why good people make bad movies). In the end, the quality of the script is one of the least important factors in the decision. They're not greenlighting scripts, they're greenlighting movies. If you're being considered for a studio job, you probably have other options. You may be the head of a talent agency, or, like Rich Ross, a very successful head of a television channel. Ross got the studio job because as Head of the Disney Channel he developed lucrative and popular franchises like "Hannah Montana" and "High School Musical." That didn't help keep him in the movie business after two years of posting $200 million losses. That's why its tough to find a good studio head. The best people are already doing well in their current jobs. Why take a chance? Of course people will. The glamour of the movie business weaves a powerful spell. But if you want to create content and you're offered that job, think twice, if not three or four times, before accepting it. After all, the studio head gets to pick the films, but he doesn't get to make them. He depends upon the producers and directors to create them. The fate of your job is ultimately in the hands of other people. One other point for content creators -- understand that you're going to fail as well as succeed. Persevere. If studio heads don't pick the right films all the time, why should you expect everything you create to work perfectly? Keep working on several projects and keep trying to improve them. If the audience responds positively, that's great. If they don't keep on working. And if they do, keep on working.

Making Championship Content

In today's fragmented media world, sports coverage remains one thing that cuts through the clutter. Live sports in the US consume billions of entertainment dollars. The Super Bowl is usually the highest rated television show every year. Local sports networks receive ratings for games routinely higher than entertainment programs in their markets. Major League Baseball, Football, Basketball, and hockey all have their own channels; the number of collegiate sports leagues with their own channels continues to grow. The Pac-12 channel will launch this year. There are reports that even the Ivy League plans a post-season tournament for their major sports. Sport teams remain a great investment. According to news reports, Frank McCourt stands to make a $1 billion profit on his sale of the LA Dodgers franchise. He bought it for $430 million of mostly borrowed money and recently sold it for $2.15 billion to a group led by Laker great Magic Johnson and former mlb executive Stan Kasten. He got this price despite the fact that the Dodgers were in bankruptcy at the time. By the way, this enormous price should, but probably won't, silence any future complaints from team owners that they're not making money on their baseball teams. If you can invest $430 million in a franchise, run it into bankruptcy, and still make $1 billion on the sale, baseball teams must be a pretty good investment. It's not only sports teams but also sports media outlets that continue to rise in value. When I moved to Orlando to launch the Golf Channel as its first director of programming many friends in the business told me I was crazy. A channel based on one sport would never make it, they said. That's another example of why you shouldn't listen to the nay-sayers when you have a conviction. Not only did Golf Channel thrive, eventually being valued by Comcast at over $1 billion, but sports niche channels are becoming profitable -- the Tennis Channel, Soccer Channel, and Speedvision are just a few of the channels turning an excellent profit these days. The number of online media sources has exploded. In addition to official sites like mlb.com and nba.com, fan sites like Deadspin, and recruiting sites like Rivals, are worth big money. Reporters from sports blogs routinely receive media pases from pro teams. Do you remember when that was controverial? I do. Fans complain about the money players make, but how can you complain about paying $20 million to a player who helps generate billions of dollars in revenue across all platforms? I became a sports programmer and producer because I love working with live sports. Sports have drawn big audiences since the Ancient Greeks got together to hold competitions to honor the gods of Olympus. There's something tremendously compelling about watching people strive to do their best in an arena where there is a clear winner and loser. You're probably saying by now, "Okay, I know sports are popular, but what does that have to do with my content?" I'm glad you asked. Frankly, I'm in the sports media business because I love it, but even I was surprised about the size of the business and amount of money at stake. It's motivating to realize that if you create or own content that commands this large an audience, the financial rewards are large, too. Even if you're not a sports fan, you can bring some of the lessons to your content -- create clear winners and losers. Keep the stakes high, and have the characters strive hard to do their best. Make sure the audience knows the rules. Give them someone or something to root for. Include these elements in your content, and you'll be on the road to popular success.

Create Great Characters -- Lessons from Game of Thrones

I have to admit I'm hooked on HBO's series "Game of Thrones." This adaptation of the popular George R.R. Martin has built audience steadily since HBO ran the first series last year. Viewership for the first episodes was below expectations, but increased steadily throughout the run. The premieres of the first two episodes this season rated even higher. What's the secret? The premise is familiar to any fan of Sword and Sorcery epics -- a bewildering cast of royals, nobles, and pretennders to the throne fight over the fictional land of Westeros. Meanwhile, across the narrow sea a former member of an ousted royal family plots to take back the throne -- and she has dragons! There have been many other series of sword and sorcery books that have mined this territory for material. What makes Game of Thrones cut through the clutter? It's the characters. We are fascinated not by the medieval backdrop of castles, ships, and swords, but by the characters in the foreground. Every character consists of unforgettable traits and hidden motives. Each of them is in relentless pursuit of their character's objective, whether it's power, pleasure, or a combination of both. The television Game of Thrones cast wonderful actors in every part, who are able to make the characters on the page live for us in the audience. Particularly memorable are Peter Dinklage's Tyrion Lanaster, a dwarf who uses his brain and knowledge of people to gain power, and Richard Madden as Robb Stark, leading the forces of the north against the Lanasters to avenge his father. If you watch the series you probably have your own favorites; it's difficult to pick one. Plot is never enough. In order for your program or content to work, a great plot must be matched by a great character. A great character can even make up for a poor plot. So the lesson of Game of Thrones is: take time to develop your characters. Make the stakes high for them, so they have to strive hard to achieve their goals. Give them interesting traits and identifiable habits. Tyrion, for example, has a marvelous sense of humor. Then, get the best actors you can find. They don't have to be stars, but they need to be able to inhabit the characters so they live for the audience. A good actor will develop behavior that even the author didn't think of, but is still true to the character. There are other lessons from Game of Thrones I will blog about in a future post.

How Do Good People Make a Bad Movie

This should never happen, yet it does all the time. Talented, successful, writers, directors, and actors make bad movies all the time. Steven Spielberg made 1941 right before directing the first Indiana Jones movie. Academy Award winning actors Dustin Hoffman and Warren Beatty made Ishtar. The Marx Brothers made At the Circus. Yes, this is really an article about the Marx Brothers. Groucho, Harpo, and Chico remain recognizable icons more than 60 years after their last movie. Groucho's rapid fire wisecracks still sting, Harpo's mime still is a wonder, and even Chico's fake Italian dialect comedy still gets laughs. Writers are still mining the lives of the brothers, particularly, Groucho, for material. Their best films, including Duck Soup, A Night at the Opera, and A Day at the Races, are considered some of the greatest comedies of all time. Yet just a couple of years after they made A Day at the Races, they appeared in At the Circus. I'm a huge fan of the Brothers, but even I had never seen all of At the Circus until today. The movie has virtues -- Groucho sings "Lydia, The Tatooed Lady," and there are some funny lines. But by and large, the film is an arid exercise devoid of wit and wisdom. Not even shooting Margaret Dumont out of a cannon can save it. Several things went wrong in the making of the movie. The Marx Brothers were under contract to MGM and so had nothing like the control modern actors have to pick their projects. Irving Thalberg, who signed the Brothers to MGM and supervised both A Night at the Opera and A Day at the Races, had died. His successors did not see the Brothers as a big asset, and didn't work as hard to supply them with first rate material. They did not allow the Brothers to try out their material in front of a live audience as they did with their last two films. That might have exposed some of the problems with the script. The result was a movie I can now say deserves its reputation as the worst film the Marxes made. At least their last film, Love Happy, had a cameo by Marilyn Monroe. A movie is a collaborative effort. No matter how talented the actor, and how sincerely he tries to make his role believable, an actor can't overcome a bad script. Even with a good script and actor, a bad directing job can kill a film. So can poor editing, cinematography, or musical scoring. All of a film's elements need to work together for a film to have a chance. In fact, the question shouldn't be how good people make bad movies, but how does anyone make a good one? Because it's so difficult to make good, popular films, the artists that do so consistently deserve the millions of dollars they get paid. If you're going to create content for a living, whether as a writer, director, actor, designer, musician, etc., you have to be ruthless about your material. Keep editing out the bad, and strive to make the good better. Challenge your collaborators to give you their best work, and hope that they demand the same from you. Expect this work to take time to complete. And after you've done everything you can to insure your work's excellence, let go. If it's a success, enjoy it. If it fails, forgive yourself, and move on to the next project. The Marx Brothers, Steven Spielberg, Dustin Hoffman, and Warren Beaty, didn't quit after their failures. Neither should you.

Don't Be Afraid to Ask

My son Ben is a singer/songwriter. Last week, he traveled to Austin, Texas, for the South by Southwest music festival, one of the biggest gatherings of indie musicians in the country. Ben was there to make connections and learn, but he did bring a guitar. One night he went into one of the many bars in downtown Austin (all of them with a stage and sound equipment) and saw that the stage was empty. So he found the manager and asked if he could play for awhile, and the manager said yes! So Ben and his friend Jeremy played for an hour during the SXSW festival, and made some tip money. All because he had the nerve to ask. By the way, you can download Ben's CD, "Soft Watches and Altered States," on itunes, or buy the CD from Amazon.com or CDbaby.com. Just search for the CD title. When I first started in television programming, I didn't know anyone in the business outside of HBO. I knew that if I was going to learn, I needed to make connections outside of my company. I sent letters (this was in the days before e-mail) to people I admired in the business asking if they could give me 20 minutes of their time to answer some questions. I met several people in the programming business by doing this, including the VP of Programming for USA, David Kenin, and Bob Greenway, who later became my boss at Golf Channel. Again, this only happened because I asked. Creating content is a collaborative business. Even if you write, direct, and star in everything yourself, you will still need people to help you get your content distributed. Whether you're hoping a network executive will sign you, or you want frieends to forward your video so it goes viral, in every case you need to reach out to people. People will tell you "no" a lot in the entertainment business, but if you don't ask for what you want, you have no chance to get a "yes." Don't be afraid to ask for what you want and need from collaborators, distributors, agents, and even your audience. Who knows, you might get a "yes." In a recent post I talked about dealing with rejection. You must learn to deal with it, because it's a certainty that you will get rejected sometime. But don't let the fear of rejection stop you. The answer is always 'no' until you ask.

Take Time to Revise

My first job as a programming executive was with Cinemax. My boss, Luke Beermann, trained me on the process. Each schedule took one month to create, because we built time into the schedule for review and revisions. I asked Luke why we couldn't get the schedule completed in two weeks. He told me, "You never get it right the first time. Even when you're sure you wrote it perfectly, you will always find a mistake when you look at it afterwards. That doesn't mean you're not good; it just means you're human. The company depends on our schedule, so we take time to make sure it's as good as possible when it leaves our office." In these days of instant posting on the internet, Facebook, and twitter, these words ring truer than ever. Make sure that you take time during your creative process to revise and edit. It probably won't be perfect the first time. That's why movies shoot for six weeks, but edit for six months. Similar examples abound throughout the arts. Picasso took months to paint The Guernica, and throughout the process changed the way the individual figures looked, and where their eyes focused. If Picasso had to edit his work, why should you expect anything different? Great art -- great content of any kind -- isn't a news story; you don't make it better by being the first to air. Make sure you plan for revision time in your project. The best creators are the best editors. Remember, anything worth writing is worth re-writing.

Everyone Gets Rejected

One of the hardest things to understand and prepare for in the world of creating content is the certainty -- not the probability, but the certainty -- that your work will be rejected at some time or other. That happens not only to people starting out but also to established artists at the top of their game. I've read interviews with some top producers who say they still pitch ten ideas to networks for every idea that gets accepted. That's a great percentage in the world of television -- it's not uncommon for some producers to pitch a lot more ideas before one gets accepted. Rejection is the norm; acceptance of your idea is the outlier. And while many people understand that fact intellectually before they begin creating content, it's a very different situation when the work you spent years developing gets rejected with only a cursory read, or sometimes no read or all. How can you deal with that and continue to sustain your efforts? First, it helps to know you have a lot of company. Read Stephen King's book on writing -- before he became one of America's best selling authors he was barely supporting his family in a small apartment in Bangor, Maine. It's well known that JK Rowling was living on the dole in the UK when she wrote the first Harry Potter book. All the networks rejected Survivor, until Mark Burnett had the chance to re-pitch the idea to the head of CBS. Every record company except one rejected the Beatles music. They didn't give up, and neither should you. Second, it helps to think of your work as something that will find an audience, even if it hasn't yet found one. The rejections aren't the end of the creative process, they're part of the process. Expect rejections, and when you get one acknowledge it and move on. If you get constructive feedback, try to incorporate it in your work. Third, work on multiple projects. If one gets rejected, you still have others to create. That keeps you from putting all your energy in one creative basket. Hal Prince, the Broadway producer, said he always scheduled a meeting on the next show for the day after the reviews came out for his current show. If the reviews were good, they had a new show to develop. And if the reviews were bad, they had a new show to develop. Even if you want to spend most of your time on your new novel, make sure you spend a little time outlining your next story. That's a good thing to have ready in case a network or publisher asks, "What else do you have?" Finally, consider ignoring the gatekeepers and going straight to the audience. The internet has made it relatively easy to self-publish books, post videos, poetry, music, etc. It's possible that a network or publisher will discover you from your internet post. In previous posts I provided examples of viral content that made its creators famous; you probably know some, too. However, understand that if you are self-publishing on the web, you need a plan to market your material, or it will drown in the sea of content already available. You work will be rejected, and it will feel like you were personally rejected. It's your ability to overcome rejection and continue to create that will determine your ultimate success.

Creating Lin-sane content

If you had submitted a script about the Jeremy Lin story before the last two weeks, I guarantee you that every publisher and movie company would tell you it could never happen. For those anthropologists in the future who are reading this to learn about early 21st century culture, I'll recap. Lin, a Harvard graduate, is the first Asian-American to play in the NBA. He languished at the end of the bench of a couple of teams before the New York Knicks picked him up in December, 2011 to sit on the end of their bench. Injuries to Knick guards forced the team to play Lin, and in his first eight starts he scored more points than any point guard in NBA history in their first 8 starts. The Knicks, who despite having two of the highest paid players on their team, won 7 of 8 games where Lin played, and now have a winning record for the season. Jeremy Lin is more than a basketball story -- he's been covered by the major news organizations, magazines, blogs and you tube. Mark Twain once said, "Truth is stranger than fiction because fiction is obligated to stick to possibilities; truth isn't." It's true that the stories we create need to establish a plausible reality for our readers. In addition to that, a successful story will connect with our readers or viewers. That's why the Jeremy Lin story is so popular. Who doesn't feel unjustly neglected at some time? Many times we feel that we're on the end of the bench at work, or in life. We believe that we can become stars like Lin, when we get the chance. Jeremy Lin's story resonates because it taps into this universal yearning for a chance to shine. Lin-sanity is also a positive story. Jeremy Lin is a nice young man, who gives his faith and his teammates credit for his success. Most people prefer a positive story to a negative story. We want to believe that hard work will be rewarded, that good behavior is rewarded, and happy endings are real. Even in a horror story, where the monster kills a lot of characters, our hero eventually kills the monster. If the stories you create end happily, you have a much better chance of their being popular. So to create Lin-sane content, follow these three principles: 1. Tap into your audience's deepest desires 2. Stay positive 3. Stay original -- tell us a story we haven't heard before.

Creativity and the Republican Primary Debates

I usually try to keep my subjects evergreen, but every now and then current events provides such a teachable moment I can’t resist. One of these moments occurred during the recent Republican candidates’ debate in my home state of Florida.

During the debate Speaker Newt Gingrinch said that he wanted to establish a settlement on the moon by the end of his second term as President, or by 2020. The Speaker came in for some immediate ridicule by Governor Mitt Romney, who said that if any of his executives came to him with an idea like that costing millions or billions of dollars that he would be fired immediately.

It certainly sounds like Governor Romney likes to fire people. Mr. Gingrich received a great deal of ridicule about this pledge over the last few days. Perhaps it was the offhand way he made the comment during the debate, or the obvious pandering to the many people living on the Space Coast who are now looking for work after the end of the shuttle program. Politics aside, I believe Governor Romney was too quick to dismiss this big idea.

After all, the United States had a working road system in the 1950s. Why spend all that money to build the interstate highway system? In the early days of the 20th century, when automobiles regularly broke down, people laughed at Henry Ford’s plan to pay his workers enough money to buy one of his mass-produced cars. Who besides Steve Jobs thought people wanted ipods, until Apple started producing them? Last quarter, Apple made more money than almost any company in American history.

Governor Romney apparently doesn’t know there are already several firms in the U.S. and around the world working to make space flight practical and profitable. Richard Branson, owner of Virgin Airlines, for example, is considered a successful entrepreneur. Why is he investing money in Virgin Galactic, if he doesn’t think it will pay off someday? I would rather have a CEO willing to explore big ideas, like Mr. Branson, than one that rejects them out of hand like Governor Romney.

One of the first things you learn when leading a corporate brainstorming session (I’ve led and participated in many over the years) is never to crush a big idea at the start. You consider it, and analyze the pros and cons. Bad managers crush ideas at the beginning, and as a result, miss out on a lot of great potential. So many creative and profitable products come from unexpected sources. For example, post-it notes were created because a glue researchers at 3M discovered failed – objects could easily be peeled off the paper.

To use an entertainment example, Comedy Central discovered South Park in a video Christmas card someone commissioned from Trey Parker and Matt Stone. They didn’t ask agents to bring them an idea about a poorly drawn cartoon featuring foul-mouthed fourth graders. The best ideas, the most original ideas, usually occur because someone says, “I know this is crazy, but let’s try it anyway.”

When you’re creating your content, whether it’s a novel, video, movie, or painting (or anything else) say “Yes” to the big idea. After all, you are in control of your own process. See where the big idea leads you. Who knows? Maybe your work of art will someday be exhibited on the walls or a copy will live in the library on Luna City.

Less is More

The third of Sondheim's principals is a phrase that you may have heard before: "Less is More." If you've spent any time in a group critiquing a poem or novel,play or movie, or a song, you've heard someone say, "less is more." That means that a simple, straightforward expression of your idea can be much more effective than a more elaborate, fancy expression.

Creators like to overstate. Actors love to show more emotion than their role calls for, because they think that's the way the audiences can see how good they are. Writers and lyricists love to show off their facility with words. Larry Hart once rhymed "company" with "bump a knee." In general, your audience finds simplicity and honesty more compelling. Doing less allows the true feelings of a scene to emerge. Less does really create more impact.

Of course, you always have to be careful to make sure that less doesn't mean less. If you are letting the form dictate content, and taking care with the details, you'll know when less is more for your piece.

One other lesson learned from Sondheim is to keep refining your work. You'll probably not get it right the first time, the second time, the third time, and maybe not even the fourth time. Keep working until you get your content right. Your audience is giving you their time and sometimes even their money for your art. You owe them your best effort.

Keep these principles in mind, and maybe you will be a vital artist when you hit 80.

Sondheim's First Principle

Form Dictates Content. The format of your piece will influence how you create it. If you're writing a musical, you should include some songs. If your program is about a group of twentysomethings living in New York, they're going to talk differently than a group of twentysomethings working on oil rigs in West Texas. If you're painting a picture in watercolor, it's not going to look the same as if you used oil paints.

Those extreme examples may seem obvious to most of you, but the principle applies to the most subtle details. If you're writing a play and you need to add some dialogue to cover a scene change it's important to remember what the play is about so your dialogue fits the characters and advances the plot. Sondheim says in his book that he can't write songs for any play until the librettist provides him with the characters and dialogue. The songs grow out of the characters' actions and passions, and become an integral part of the show.

What form are you using for your content? Let the form inform the content you create.

God is in the Details

Let's start discussing the second of Stephen Sondheim's principles: "God is in the details." That's another way of saying something I've said several times in this blog -- it's how you express your idea that matters more than the idea itself.

For example, I might want to create a comedy about a group of friends in their 20s living in New York. But depending upon the details of who the characters are I might create "Friends," or "How I Met Your Mother." If I make the group older and have one of them be a comedian I might create "Seinfeld." All of these shows have a very similar basic premise, but became hits because of the character details that the writers, producers, and the actors created that made these characters live for the audience.

The great creative artists care about every detail when they create a show. Not just the words of the script, but the set and costume design. Not just the design, but the props that the actors use - - what brand of coffee they drink and what type of coffee maker do they use? A compelling, memorable story is the accumulation of lots of evocative details. No detail is too small for you to ignore; every detail you choose to put into your story is significant.

You may not get everything right in your first draft of your content. (I hope you do, but not everyone does). Stephen Sondheim keeps looking for ways to improve his songs even after his shows open, and sometimes after they close. As you keep working to improve your piece, think about how the details you're adding advance your story and make your content more compelling.