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Show 5: Las Vegas Style Energy Packed Into a Keynote Style Talk Filmed in a Basement Broadcast Studio!
Daily Inspiration: “Work hard enough, and eventually you’ll find your canvas of creativity!”
“Work hard enough, and eventually you’ll find your canvas of creativity!” – Futurist Jim Carroll
You’ll know that you clearly have turned the corner on how you are dealing this ‘this thing’ when you are at the point that you wake up in the morning, eager to get your to your work, full of ideas on the innovations that you can explore during the day, and the opportunities to pursue.
I’ve reached that point. And yet, it didn’t come easy. Way back in March, I found myself, like many, in a state of panic, stress and terror as my 25 year speaking career shut down at blazing speed. Like millions of others, I found myself staring into the abyss of uncertainty and worry.
And yet I was never unwilling to confront the truth. Working my own ‘7 stages of economic grief’ model, I knew I had to quickly force myself into the ‘acceptance’ stage.
Priactice my own mantra – ‘innovate, change and adapt.’
Live my own truth – ‘think big, start small, scale fast.’
Hence began the basement studio project. I had one before this began, which I had been using for filming raw material for my pre-event and leadership videos with my awesome overseas partner Armine aka Alex – take a look at our work here and here.
So I set out to ramp up the sophistication and capabilities of what I could do. On a budget, using existing equipment where I could, and investing elsewhere when I should. Wins came with patience and knowledge – I discovered I could turn an $80 9 year old video camera I bought online into a high quality live broadcast camera!
It hasn’t always been rosy with multiple bumps along the way. But I sent out to learn by doing – going live, taking risks, making mistakes in full view. Living what I preach on stage. Taking a deep breath and going for it, just like I did in the old world where I would walk out in front of 5,000 people in Las Vegas.
It’s working. I’ve reinvented myself a new future, and I am so darned excited for the opportunities in front of me.
Is it finished? I’m almost there – and yet, as my wife knows – I will never stop building I! I’m already looking longingly at one unused corner, knowing that it could become a 2nd cool desk-based second studio shot. I’ve got some Phillips Hue lights for background lighting, and with a little bit of imagination and creativity….
Old World “Not Hot”: Phoning it In. New World “Hot”: Not Zooming It In!
Through my 25 year speaking career, I have had the opportunity to form close relationships with many of the top speakers bureaus in the world. They are important and invaluable partners. And with that, I always have my pinch me moments when I find myself talking with the same agents who are booking Barack and Michelle Obama, George Bush and Condoleeza Rice, Richard Branson and Magic Johnson. I’m blessed by the opportunity – but I also worked darn hard to get there.
These companies play an important and valuable role in providing companies and organizations with critical, niche oriented insight on a massive number of topics. And they too are hurting; and are working fast to reinvent their business models for this new world. The problem is that many of the folks they represent might not be moving fast enough.
With that, I filmed a number of video clips for a bunch of them to show how I’ve reinvented myself in my basement broadcast studio. Check the video below. It was filmed in one take – and has just one minor tiny edit. This particular one was for my good friends at the Washington Speakers Bureau – wsb.com. I filmed others for my many other global bureau partners.
Reinvent like your future depends on it. Because – it does!
Here’s the thing – filmed in one non-stop shot. 1 small video edit. Stage level performance! From my basement!
I’ve found my stage!
Daily Inspiration: “Innovate like your future depends on it. Because it does!”
“Innovate like your future depends on it. Because it does!” – Futurist Jim Carroll
Innovation isn’t optional anymore. It’s your path to survival. It’s also your ticket to the future. If you don’t focus on it, you might not be around.
‘Might’ needs to be emphasized, as the outcome has moved on the ‘certainty meter.’ The fact is, what you did in the old world – three months ago – won’t cut it in this new world. All the rules, assumptions, concepts, plans, strategies and visions are most likely gone. You’ve got to come up with new ones.
And if you don’t challenge yourself with different actions and attitudes, you’ll find yourself in the 90% of organizations and leaders who look back, 5 or 10 years from now, asking yourself why you didn’t change.
Inaction is a dangerous thing – in the old days, it would fuel an organizational sclerosis that would clog up your ability to succeed. Today, it can kill you.
I had a long conversation with one potential client the other day – they are having a senior leadership meeting for their global company. This is one of a few I’m having – people are starting to think, strategize and plan once again. He’s moved beyond the shock, anger and denial phase, into acceptance, but he’s not sure the rest of the global team has. He knows that dramatic action and bold thinking is critical to carve out a new future – others might just seem prepared to ‘zoom it in,’ just as they might have ‘phoned it in’ in the olden days.
Opportunity now comes to those who can change, adapt, morph and mutate. Innovation is now your very own action virus.
It’s interesting to observe what is happening out there. Some people get it – the old economy is not coming back, and a new one is being built. Others click to the belief, desire, delusion that a magic ‘switch’ will be flipped and the economy will come roaring back.
The future is looking back at you right now, and is giving you a message from Winston Churchill: “I have nothing to offer but blood, toil, tears and sweat.”
Innovate. Now. Your future depends on it.
Daily Inspiration: “Of course, the whole point of your new initiative is lost if you keep it a secret!”
“Of course, the whole point of your new initiative is lost if you keep it a secret! Why don’t you tell the world?” – Futurist Jim Carroll
You know you’re having fun when you’re bringing Dr. Strangelove into your online talks on the future, disruption and innovation! This is a clip from last week’s ‘show’ (as I’ve come to call them!)
For the youngsters around here, here’s the clip. Great movie!
At this particular moment in my show, I was speaking to the issue of speed, moving fast, innovating hard. That’s the only way to become part of the 10% of breakthrough performers who will smash their way through this ‘thing’ into new success.
And at the point of the show, I was observing that many organizations have actually gone through the process of establishing ‘war rooms’ in order to bring their teams together, work fast, collaborate directly and get things done. No interminable committee meetings, groupthink discussions, memos shared, reports written.
Talk, share, get it done. Now.
There is no time to waste. There is an entirely new economy being built all around us, and there will be winners and losers. If you want to succeed and have reinvented in these last two months, let people know.
I realized yesterday that what I have done with my home broadcast studio puts me miles ahead of my competition, and so I should work aggressively to let my partners and potential clients know of that fact. Yesterday, a 5 minute call with one of my speaker bureau partners turned into a 45 minute exploration of how we could take this to their clients and achieve some dramatic new forms of business.
The challenge is getting the attention of your partners. I’m in rare company with some of them: some of those who booked me in the old world also represent folks like Barack Obama and George Bush, Richard Branson and Magic Johnson. Those types of high profile speakers will be in demand because of their unique level of insight. Me? I’m a small fish in a big ocean. I’ve got to work harder – it’s a big, complicated world out there, and I need to stand out in order to get noticed when there are so many people in this new and complicated future.
And that’s where my home studio has come in – I’m pretty convinced that there are few other speakers who can offer up the ‘special sauce’ in terms of layout, background, scene setting, production values and powerful customized content that I can deliver.
And so, my new goal is not simply to tell my partners about this – but to get them on a studio call with me. I’l give them a tour, walk through what we can accomplish together, and how this gives them something powerful to sell.
Tell the world. Educate your partners, Get your customers on side. Inform, educate, inspirate!
Because there is no time to waste.
We’re on a race to a new future, and the winners are those who can get there first.
Speakers Bureaus, Event Planners, Association Events: The Biggest Industry Disruption Ever Needs Bold Online Moves!
The meeting and events industry as we know it is likely dead. It will be for quite some time.
And the steps that have been taken to move it online are FAILING. FAST. Your headshot Webinars are not working.
Why? What’s happening?
Many speakers are obviously trying to reinvent themselves with ‘virtual Webinars.’ Suddenly, every speaker is a virtual speaker; every event Is by necessity, online.
And they’re all the same. A talking head, on a talking Zoom room shot. Too many are ‘Zooming it in,’ i.e. phoning it in.
And it is all FAILING in DISMAL fashion.
People are Zoomed out. If you keep giving them this crap, they won’t come back.
Here’s why: What is being delivered so far is a hot dog with a bun. Two months in, people don’t want any more hot dogs. They’re totally and completely Zoomed out.
To keep their attention, you need presentations that grab the attention of the new online participants. Better production values, intense productions, fast moving visuals delivered with powerful content – and LOTS of interaction. Their diverted attention is but a mouse click away.
There is a HUGE opportunity to reinvent this hot dog – and I’ve done it.
People have been getting a hot dog, but they want relish, mustard, sauerkraut, hot peppers, spicy stuff, delivered in a funky food truck. Heck, they want sausages, veggie dogs, new food ideas!
I’ve done it.
Lots of speakers and bureaus are going to disappear. I plan to be at the top of the surviving group, front of the pack. My basement has become my creative engine of inspiration. And it’s working. I’m getting calls.
With that in mind, I hacked together a short clip from my broadcast to Australia this week. A gourmet hot dog. With lots of fixings!
I could write more, but I would just suggest that you join me in a Zoom call this week. 5 minutes. Let me give you a tour. Let me give you this new future, live and in real time.
What have you got to lose, other than realizing that the hot dogs via a talking Zoom call aren’t working.
Watch this. Then contact me. Let me give you a show!
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