Dick Tracy was a household hit if you were a kid in the ‘90s. Your parents wanted to see it because it had Al Pacino and Madonna. You wanted to see it because Tracy had a watch/phone, guns, and enough gangster-bad guys to plug the Batman (‘89)-sized hole in your cravings. Everybody was going to … Continue reading Don’t Be A Dick (Tracy)?
Tag: business strategy
Podcast Of The Week: Outputs > Outcomes (Chris Distefano Edition)
Mike Birbiglia asked a comedy club manager for an example of a comedian who wasn’t funny at all when they started, but now is famous for being funny. She answered quickly and without hesitation, “Chris Distefano.” She said he wasn’t funny at all when he started, but now is funny “times a million.” When he … Continue reading Podcast Of The Week: Outputs > Outcomes (Chris Distefano Edition)
What A $5 Shake Can Teach You About Coaching
Empathy is asking “What’s going on beneath the surface with this person?” Not answering it. Just asking it. Being open to finding the answer. Letting that be the starting point. In Pulp Fiction, when Vincent Vega (John Travolta) and Mia Wallace (Uma Thurman) pull up to to Jack Rabbit Slims, it’s on the grounds that … Continue reading What A $5 Shake Can Teach You About Coaching
How To Be A Team Player: Stevie Wonder Edition
Stevie Wonder’s role in Netflix’s The Greatest Night in Pop documentary is as a secondary artist. He didn’t write the song. Yes, he’s a featured soloist, but a relatively minor one. And for all I knew before and after watching the documentary the first time, he’s just another pop star who was “there.” But then … Continue reading How To Be A Team Player: Stevie Wonder Edition
Perform In Front Of Your Peers
Netflix’s The Greatest Night in Pop documentary tells a story I’ve been amazed (obsessed? utterly fascinated with?!) for years. On a single night in 1985, the biggest pop artists in the world - from Michael Jackson to Bob Dylan to Cyndi Lauper + MORE, recorded the hit song, “We Are the World.” The documentary tells … Continue reading Perform In Front Of Your Peers
Pop Vs. The Underground: Community Wins (Jay-Z + Eminem Vs. Kweli + Common Edition)
Choosing to be a great artist is an investment. It’s an investment in time and passion and sweat - all poured into captured performances. Because greatness is achieved in the audience’s reactions and remembrances. You can choose more than one type of audience to invest in as an artist. It comes with tradeoffs. Some financial, … Continue reading Pop Vs. The Underground: Community Wins (Jay-Z + Eminem Vs. Kweli + Common Edition)
Sunday Music: Burna Boy’s Virgil Abloh Tribute
You don’t have to follow in someone else’s footsteps to benefit from the path they’ve laid out. Maybe it’s in inspiration. Maybe it’s just in knowing somebody walked that walk. But noticing who’s ahead of you, it counts. Noticing you can go forward, like them - but as you, it counts. Burna Boy was working … Continue reading Sunday Music: Burna Boy’s Virgil Abloh Tribute
The History Of Lobster (And An AI Lesson)
Lobster wasn’t always a high-ticket delicacy. And I’m not even talking about your fanciest New England friend’s childhood memories. A long time ago, lobster was little more than the Chinese takeout of rural Maine. The reason lobster “blew up” was the railroad. That’s right. No Red Lobster without Big Railroad. The story is simple, but … Continue reading The History Of Lobster (And An AI Lesson)
The 5 F’s Of Stress Response (Fight, Flight, Follow, Freeze, F*** It)
In Peter Atwater’s book, The Confidence Map, he says the situations where we are MOST stressed, are those when our feeling of certainty and control are the lowest. Makes sense. I remember sitting down for a class in high school and having the teacher say, “Clear your desks, pens and pencils only, I’m passing out … Continue reading The 5 F’s Of Stress Response (Fight, Flight, Follow, Freeze, F*** It)
Applying Atwater’s Confidence Map
It’s often as hard to make sense of “where’d we start” and “where’d we go” as it is to make sense of “where are we now” and “where are we going?” I can hear you thinking. “Matt, no it’s not. Or at least it’s not really that hard. Beyond simple cause and effect, there’s a … Continue reading Applying Atwater’s Confidence Map