Unlike real life where I'm accused of employing, shall we say, a somewhat "salty" vocabulary, I rarely--if ever--swear in this blog...which makes this week's headline so striking.
Here's the story behind it:
I'm currently working on a September presentation to the entire Just For Laughs/Juste pour rire employee group, one which will outline the creative and spirit direction I want the company to take, and unveil some of the tactics I want to use to get there.
Helping me in putting this all together is a creative whirlwind named Pierre Pilon. A couple of weeks ago, at our first meeting on the subject, he asked me for "the briefing," namely, what I want to this presentation to be.
And that's where the idea of 10 Minutes of Holy Fuck! was born...'cuz that's what the presentation would have to deliver if I wanted it to work.
I've said this before, and rung the bell of obvious each time, but the Internet has changed everything. It has contracted attention spans to an almost ridiculously-microscopic measure, and has sung the swan song for the concept of subtlety. For example, the old "speaker's adage" used to be:
- Tell 'em what you're gonna tell 'em
- Tell 'em
- Tell 'em what you told 'em
These days, the audience fidgets through the preamble, tweets during the middle and are out the door before the recap.
So the way I see it, I've got 10 minutes to singe my employees' eyelashes and emblazon my ideas on their collective craniums before they tune out.
No time for bullshitty, long-winded mission statements.
No set-ups, just punch lines.
No salad, just the main course.
And this ain't just my humble opinion. Two days after my meeting with Pierre, I was in another one about a pilot for a half-hour comedic show we're producing for a major television network.
Only thing is that they don't want a 30-minute pilot for the 30-minute show.
They've ordered a 10-minute sample.
Yup, once again, this is a job for 10 Minutes of Holy Fuck!
The entire concept, the yea/nay decision, the direction change for our TV department, the life-or-death of the show, is dependent on a mere 600 seconds...which tosses crucial televisual elements like multiple camera angles, rapid performer cuts, vibrant set design, punchy/familiar-esque theme music, sharp writing and stellar performances into a nuclear reactor with no option for failure. Make all these things move in unison and you've got boundless energy; if things bump into each other well...BOOM! Bombs away!
A few years ago, my hero and marketing guru Seth Godin said that most business books don't need to be books at all; a well-structured blog post can communicate the basic idea more efficiently and effectively. Same may go for speeches; when I was at TED last year, even the 22-minute ones--a 60% reduction of the usual 60-minute fare--seemed to drag.
10 Minutes of Holy Fuck! That seems to be the key to getting ideas across, to making the sale. (P.S. No relation to the band of the same name, whom I suggest you check out and stay with for a little longer than 10 minutes...but I digress.)
I'm all for it, and am currently carrying the torch in preaching its effectiveness as a tool of persuasion.
My only fear?
Someday soon, it won't just be the means to an end...but the end itself.
Until then...I've got a TV show to sell. And a company to inspire.
Holy Fuck, indeed!