Creating Separation

In football, one of the requisite skills that turns a receiver into a playmaker is the ability to get open. A guy will use his quickness or his strength or sometimes just his sheer speed to make some space between him and his defender, creating a window for the quarterback to deliver the ball. The same goes for basketball; guys develop a stepback or a crossover to get an open shot, or they lower a shoulder into a defender on the drive to secure a lane for a layup… it’s all about creating separation. So most all of my analogies are sports-based. I watch a lot of sports.

I think the same applies to the entertainment industry. It’s a case of different but the same. Music and TV and film - they’re so saturated that it can feel impossible to make a mark. Some people are able to achieve massive visibility through a massive marketing budget, but not everyone is so flush with resources. Even then, you can’t really guarantee the results you want just by throwing money at the campaign. (I think we may have reached the point in time where we have to stop assuming the audience is dumb. This might not be a novel idea, but it’s one I’ve been thinking about recently. Everyone that has a phone or goes on the internet can recognize an ad, and their bullshit meters are getting more and more refined. They live online and are inundated with information so why would you assume they don‘t know what they’re looking at?) The one thing you have to do is find a way to stand out.

“I’m working on it,” I screamed into the digital abyss, head spinning, back aching, and tears welling up, wondering if I’d ever be heard.

I’m just kidding. It’s not that bad. Yet.

-J.P.