Bonnie Gordon keeps on creating from her passions. She keeps on making stuff and making it public. Because of this pursuit, the phone keeps ringing with more work.

Being slowed down gives us new opportunities. Watch how Bonnie appreciates this gift.

World Record balloon artist Dave Brenn found a pandemic response that let him connect more, create more, and appreciate more. He’s rocking this moment.

A stage performer with TV appearances who now has a bigger fanbase off stage. A lesson in giving people what they want and giving generously.

Chris Ruggiero is a dedicated entertainment thought leader. He has a popular podcast called “Between Dreams” which goes beyond entertainment to open people up to the possibilities of following passionate lifestyles. In depth interviews with people who followed their dreams. For episode #100, he invited me to host the podcast and interview him instead. I love hearing about how much he cares about making something for others. It’s a guidebook for people who are on the verge of leaping into the unknown.

Robert Strong has found a new way to reconfigure his value into something that clients want. By developing long relationships with his network and continuing to connect, he’s been able to find new offerings that make him money now and keep him busy with creativity.

There is no lighting solution for every purpose. There’s no “tip” I can give you for setting up lighting. Everything changes all the time. This is a response to a magician asking for help in his home studio. Hopefully it will be useful to more people as they see all the problems I try to solve quickly.

These guys are not just getting by. They are having a great year for gigs. Ben Train & Jonah Babins teamed up to figure out online shows and they’re kicking butt in the pandemic. They’re able to do more shows, make more money, and spread more joy with less sweat.

Steven Banks has an incredible career as an entertainment maker and he isn’t daunted starting over. He has jumped into creating productions by himself online for his fans even though they may make him look crazy. He keeps giving and creating and it is paying off for him. I think we can all learn from his resiliency.

So many people in entertainment are trying to protect their reputations and their egos, while Steven knows that the next opportunity is just passed the next experiment.

I’m searching for what’s working in entertainment right now and what can we do to make it work better. Today I talked to Deirdre V. Lyons about her pivot into VR acting. YES! Immersive experiences that require actors engaging with audience members. She’s gotten a bunch of press and awards this year.

Deirdre V Lyons is finding press and awards in acting that she didn’t rake in when IRL theater was a thing. She’s finding success in Hollywood NOW thru VR immersive experiences.

When we’re in a business of getting past gatekeepers, they often defer us.

• “We’re going a different direction this time”
• “Next one”
• “Keep sending us your new materials”
• “We hope we’ll find a fit for you in the future”

I assume they’re telling the truth. They probably are hoping we’ll be better for them next time… that we have continued to grow in our careers and crafts. It would be way easier to stick with a relationship of someone growing than to make new relationships all the time. It’s also possible they loved us and wished they could have used us this time.

That doesn’t mean they’ll remember us.

The next opportunity might be a year or three later. If we leave them alone, it’s very unlikely we’ll be the first to get the call. The challenge becomes staying on their nice list.

Serve them.

Have empathy and serve them.

If I’m an author and I keep sending publishers proposals for my books they keep rejecting, I am probably not serving them.

If I send them periodic thoughts on the minds of great authors, they might benefit greatly. They might look at me as an advocate. They might enjoy hearing from me. They might have something fun to talk to me about next time they want to make contact. They might get a deeper knowledge of who I am and what I am like to work with. They might think my manuscript is open for adjustment. They might tell me what they’re looking for. They might give me more time for feedback next time. They might try to connect me with a publisher that’s a better match. They might understand my voice better. They might have me in mind for every opportunity until it’s the right opportunity.

Myq Kaplan interviewed by Scot Nery about what it means to pursue a single path in entertainment.

I’m fascinated by people who try to do one thing really well. When I’m coaching people, I advise them to go all-in on something that they believe in, so that they can…

1. do it well
2. track their success and feel fulfilled

Myq is funny all the time. Relentlessly. What’s that like, to live like that?

What are the sacrifices and benefits? What do we have to say ‘no’ to in order to stick to the mission? How does our career grow when we feel like nothing’s happening? How to we think about wasted time? How do we measure ourselves?

There are two traps for entertainment pros.

1. Being pristine and the best
2. Being raw and savage

People want to use us

Folks want to use us for our popularity, for our vicarious experiences, for our skills, for our “talent,” for our beauty, and whatever else is good about us. I’m talking about “use” in a consensual, “it takes a village” / “lend a hand” kinda way. It’s good to be useful and it’s good to use people. It connects us to each other.

People want to love us

Our audiences also want to love us. Love can only happen with vulnerability. They can only connect with us when we show them something that is deemed by the audience as imperfect. Love is an openness and acceptance of someone for who they are. We want our performers, creators, and characters to be flawed so that we can exercise our ability to love them. We love not because of the qualities of a person, but in spite of the qualities of a person.

Make a surprising move

There’s a book on screen writing called “Save The Cat.” Part of it talks about the importance of a hero doing a simple noble action. Many writers mistakenly think that a hero being tortured is enough to elicit love from the audience.

Saving a cat is a surprising action that reveals more about who we are. It goes against the grain of what the audience might expect.

Suffering is not a flaw, or a vulnerability. We need action.