Superhero Lessons In Analytics — Ep. XXI
Survival & Under Appreciation — Lessons From Blade
Remember when we all learned that a Rated — R movie about a Superhero could be successful at the box office? Or the first time that a successful Superhero movie featured an black hero? It was two decades ago and it was Blade. Shocked? I doubt it — the title gave it away.
Blade is not a movie that features a lot of analytic parallels. Not too directly anyway. But most analysts can appreciate being overlooked, underappreciated, and watching the new guys take all the credit. It is sort of what we do.
The media (and the marketing department) have a bad habit of thinking everything is new. And if it isn’t new, it just isn’t that interesting. Blade wasn’t only the first successful R-rated superhero movie. It was a successful franchise. Neither guy above can claim that (depending on when you read this…). Deadpool 2 coming real soon…
Blade Also Dealt With The Rather Mundane Issue Of Daily Survival
Most superheroes (on TV or movies) spend little time addressing issues like budgets and funding, aside from the “millionaire playboy turned vigilante” meme (ain’t that convenient).
Dr. Karen Jenson: Oh, great. Now you’re robbing him. You gonna rob me, too?Blade: How do you think we fund this organization? We’re not exactly the March of Dimes.
In the original Blade movie, we are given an inside view of many tasks that might otherwise seem menial. Funding and tool creation stand out the most. He also engaged in some testing, a little more common for onscreen heroes and then, of course, there was the visit to…
The IT Department
Wait… okay, that might be a bit mean. Although many an analyst would like to take a UV ray to the folks in their IT support division. And oddly, many of them never bother to turn on the lights either. We can all enjoy the level of effort needed just to collect some data.
Not to be left out, the trip to the marketing department was a bit messy too. It always is. Can’t say I have ever noticed blood dripping from the sprinkler system before but the term blood suckers… well, lets just move along. I don’t want my next visit to marketing or IT to be anywhere near this eventful. Although something “new” will surely distract them soon.
So learn a lesson or two from Blade. Don’t skate uphill. Don’t sweat being forgotten or underappreciated, but do remember your history (even if no one else wants to). And always take care of the small things, sometimes they are most critical for survival. Thanks for reading!
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