An Olympic-Sized Video Success Lesson: How to Save $260 Million
Posted on February 16th, 2010 in Business Strategy, Getting Personal, Video | 3 Comments »
I felt like I had been hit broadside.
I absolutely did not see this one coming. But it really opened my eyes.
When I tuned into the Winter Olympics opening ceremony last Friday, I was expecting a bit of a letdown.
It wasn’t that I don*t LOVE Canada and my Canadian friends. (I do!) And I know Vancouver is one of the most beautiful cities in the world.
However, after the $300 million dollar (isn’t that staggering!) opening ceremonies in Beijing, what could this one with its $40 million dollar budget offer?
Boy, was I wrong!
And at the core of my come-uppance were some huge a-ha*s on how instrumental video is going to be the future success of each and every one of us.
The first major stunner was the staggering central role video played in the amazing ceremony.
Not only from the number of athletes carrying Flip (and other) video cameras.
Not only from the poet holding forth for 5 minutes at the center of the ceremony. (Discovered on YouTube, his life will never be the same.)
But the stunning role over 70 video projectors played in creating a visual spectacle that for me, nearly matched (at least in emotional wallop) the impact of the Beijing ceremony.
http://www.flickr.com/photos/mattmay/ / CC BY 2.0
Not in scale. Nothing could match that.
But in the amazing atmosphere created. The amazing canvases painted on the huge floor and the thousands attending in their white ponchos.
And here is the lesson for all of us:
Just as the creative use of video made up for a smaller budget in the opening ceremonies, it can do the same thing in our own businesses.
Because here is a fact: some of the most popular videos, the folks with the largest followings, and the biggest impact aren’t the folks with expensive cameras and fancy software.
They aren’t the folks with the biggest budgets. They don’t have stunning studios.
They simply have the best, most creative ideas. And the will to pull them off. Day after day. Week after week.
Because the biggest lasting impression of the Ceremony was not the amazing production. It was the fact that, for all of us, our own creativity and ingenuity, rather than what we can spend, may be the biggest determiner of our future success.
What do you think? Let me know by commenting below!
3 Responses
nice post Rob !! The ubiquitous access afforded to the common person via the medium of video hass truly leveled the playing field and is an invitation to deeply explore our creative genius AND allow it to shine …. Thank you for being a leading voice and teacher for those of us who are not as far down the path that you have traveled!
Love lights us!!! Peace is in you…
Amethyst
[Reply]
Rob Reply:
February 17th, 2010 at 12:17 pm
@Amethyst
Yes, those willing to do a bit study on the how-to*s will see their opportunities skyrocket. This was just one example.
@ Sandee
Yes, folks like us suddenly have the unprecedented ability to reach out and touch are audience. And if we get just a little creative, we can do it in ways the big dogs can’t match.
[Reply]
There is simply no substitute for innovation and creativity! With so much emphasis on money and technology it is easy to undervalue what a creative mind can come up with. ALL OF US can be creative. ALL OF US can have an impact.
Thanks for the empowering example Rob.
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