“The Seven Million People” Day Four Update

Where we go from here is up to you.

This is no ordinary Monday. This is the day that we cross the halfway mark of our groundbreaking social media experiment. Make no mistake you are pioneers. We are just entering the technological age. An age that even in its infancy has changed commerce, communications, medicine, education, national security and governance. 133 contacts have access to seven million people all over the world and in a unique way we are attempting to define what that means. This is also the ideal place to examine what we’ve accomplished, what we’ve learned and how to use that knowledge to garner results.

Your Day Four To Do List.

1. Reflect. What worked well? If it worked really well then, I’d love you to share it with the group. How can you focus your efforts to get results? You know your network, and you know where your time is best spent contacting and following up.

Q & A

1. Andre (technology wrangler) wrote; “…I’m not really connected in your space, so I’m not sure to whom I would forward.”

A. Obviously I replied to Andre on a personal basis but its important that we have clarity on our goals. The experiment is to discern the power of social media. The answer we are seeking is what opportunities that never existed before does one possess when connected to seven million people all over the world?

The key in a changing world is the same key as in all other times of great change. See the opportunities that no one is fulfilling. In a global economy and as our resident guinea pig, I want people to look at my profile, discern the talents I have and then re-imagine those strengths in a new environment and faced with new challenges.

Google is the template. Started in 1996 at Stanford by Sergey Brin and Larry Page. Both men saw an opportunity and melded skills and ideas in a way that had not been done before. If one looked at Google and thought search engine with a twist, then one was being myopic. Google never was one thing; it was and is a living breathing company adapting, innovating and constantly on the move seeking to establish new frontiers in wearable tech, robotics and so much more because people are combining skills and talents in new ways.

Andre continued, “It’s hard to discern much from the LinkedIn profile. You have three positions without descriptions of the work you did while you were at those positions”.

A. Excellent question Andre and thank goodness you asked it because if it crossed your mind it must have occurred to other people, as well. Every profession has key words that employers look for. In regards to story producing, an employer looks at which companies you worked for, how long and what were the shows that you worked on. The companies will tell the prospective employer if you are any good or not and the names of the shows will tell them how current you are. As shows are project based, the duration of time at a company will indicate that you have worked on more than one show for the company which once again points to your being good at your job. The recommendations by editors who are critical to the success of any show are important as it shows how well you work with others on tight deadlines and in ever changing circumstances.

The difference between a producer and a story producer is large. As a producer (named one of the top 100 in the U.S. by A/V multimedia magazine) I was responsible for every facet of a show. I had to Secure a project, raise monies, establish a budget, hire personnel, locations, and coordinate all elements of pre-production, filming, post production, and distribution. You must be meticulous in your planning and adept at changing on a dime, and improvising when needed to ensure the project is completed on time and on budget. When you see someone leaving a project for creative differences it is usually because the producer two days into a project sees that the director is not coming anywhere close to his or her shooting schedule. A producer must not hesitate when a big decision is needed.

A Story producer is further down the creative chain. He or she must take a huge amount of visual information, listen to the wishes of the executive producer and supervising producer and “string out” the raw footage into a compelling show. If the show is a “60 minute show,” then you are creating give or take a minute a 43 minute show complete with act breaks that make the viewer want to stay on your show’s channel to see what happens next. The other 17 minutes are for commercials. A good story producer is going to come in with a 46 minute first cut and then listen for further notes on likes/dislikes before going back to the footage with the editor (s) to make that happen. Story producers may well be working on four shows at once each with different requirements and deadlines. The work is well paid the standards are high, and the people are a pleasure to work with and be around.

Looking beyond the profile and summing up my abilities for this experiment.

Michael Savage, is an award winning writer producer, and an expert in media and communications. He has extensive experience in marketing succeeding in one of the toughest markets in the world (Beverly Hills, CA). He has a strong work ethic, believes in the future of online everything and loves a challenge.

Tomorrow. The BIG thank you awards, the launch of a fun contest with three winners and ???? I cannot wait!

Thanks everyone,

Michael

P.s. Patricia asked if I’m available for Skype. Yes, I am I love Skype. What I would like to do to allow for myriad time zones is to say lets make Thursday Skype day. All contacts will receive my Skype number today via a separate e-mail.