Leeching off someone's success
The right and wrong way to be a creator in 2022
Armory of contents:
Stealing Like An Artist. A piece of content that inspired us to create this week
Our Response, Unfiltered. Responding to a controversial comment.
Mind-Blown. Something that provoked our thoughts.
Early to the Party. A small creator on their way to stardom.
Zoom Out. Thinking big picture for our brand
Roasted. A light dig at each other’s content.
Good day Pioneers!
Welcome to WEEK 3 and boy oh boy… one of our Captains failed their challenge, someone you wouldn’t have expected. And what a horrible punishment, more at the end.
If you’re new to the newsletter, we have 6 Bites for you down below, all topics that will inspire and provoke your creative minds. Without further adieu - gitty up!
Jordan Studdard answers the question “where do lost things go?” with fascinating childlike wonder. Expertly navigating production design, VFX and storytelling is no easy feat, but Jordan tells a tale worth listening to. This type of multimedia filmmaking is an example of the options we have when it comes to telling stories. Enormously inspiring.
When scrolling the comments on one of my promotional videos for CATCH’N Ice Cream, I came across this comment. At first, it pissed me off. How can they just undermine the 14 months of work I put into the company? One realization I’ve had, the hate comments that hurt, have a bit of truth to them. I realized that I never explained to my audience what exactly I do as the Creator Partnerships Lead, so… I made this hate comment into a video idea.
Jesse Driftwood, one of the first creators that genuinely impacted me years ago, makes YouTube videos that help creators become better storytellers. I happened upon this video he uploaded last week where he details the dos and don’ts of making engaging videos in an unexpected way. It’s gripping from start to finish, and a breath of fresh perspective in the ego-driven industry that is filmmaking.
A difficulty many new creators have is a lack of time, equipment, and crew. But Jon Ryan says fuck it, and asks “what if that’s my whole thing?” With every video simply being an inner monologue in one static location, Jon’s self-constraints encourage so much imagination in his writing. If you’re keen on restricting yourself to actually move forward, Jon is an interesting case study.
Honestly pioneers… I’ve been fucking proud of myself lately. Last week, I posted 3 short-form videos and a long-form video, and I put everything into them. My editor, Liz, and I are getting more and more in sync and our process is almost indestructible *knock on wood*. Process is always step one, now it’s build mode, making better and better content.
Roasting Danny is like trying to light a puddle of water on fire. I look up to him with such reverence - his videos are literally perfect in my eyes. But, as we’ve all found out in some way or another, that’s only half the battle. Danny, you’ve done an amazing job at establishing your brand through videos, but I’d love to see a tune-up, maybe just a little update, of your visual identity across all platforms. Maybe start with a professional headshot (that isn’t shot on a smartphone 😉). Love you buddy.
Tejas’ W2 Update
I mentioned this in my Zoom Out section, but I’m extremely proud of myself! It took me a long time to get to the point of posting three short-form videos and a long-form in a week but now… I have to convince my mind that THIS is the baseline. Rolling into WEEK 3 strong!
Sean’s W2 Update
Feeling a changing of the tides with my content - and I can’t be more excited! I uploaded This ≠ That this past week, a video that I could definitely feel a change of tone with. I felt like I was speaking from my heart for maybe the first time… ever?
Daniel’s W2 Update
Well, well, well. My excuse is I’m on holiday. Lots of beer and lots of sun = less energy for tapping away at a computer. But the one quick video I did manage, I thought came out nicely! Back to the grind this week.