Adventures #39: Fame and the Metagame
An email digest from the desk of me - Howard.
Hello
Over the last 6 weeks I’ve been running the first cohort of the Workshop Creator program. Yes, it’s a workshop on how to create workshops. Very meta.
Doing something meta inevitably comes with some discomfort. It can be hard to explain, tough to distill, and easy to get lost in the infinite loop. And of course, leading a program on how to do that exact same thing means imposter syndrome looms (extra) large.
However, the metagame might be how we become truly skilled at something: especially as metagames can only really be played if we've already mastered the basics of the domain.
Although we can feel out of our depth or just plain overwhelmed to go out and explore the metagame, perhaps it’s one of the best routes to enable us to unlock success. And metagames are everywhere - in finance and business; music and marketing; within games themselves. To paraphrase the ambitions of The Wire’s Stringer Bell; there are games beyond the game.
There's one caveat here: becoming successful at the metagame means we may face some degree of fame. I’ll leave it to the recently departed Andrew Weatherall to share his thoughts on the fame game; scroll to the bottom of this email to see what I mean.
Thanks for reading, and always I'd love to hear what's got your attention right now.
Howard
PS. I’ll be at SXSW next week - if you’re there, let me know.
// CAREER FUEL
Our next online cohort is now open for enrolment: you'll level up your skills in design, content creation, facilitation, and public speaking - along with a peer group and coaching team supporting you every step of the way.
> Register... now!
Looking for 1000 True Fans? Try 100
The concept of 1000 true fans still largely holds true, but what about 100? a16z’s increasingly impressive content team tell us why dropping a digit opens up new opportunities for creators.
> Read more
Also: Inspiration for the metagame from the Commonplace blog by Cedric Chin (it's also worth checking out his book summaries)
// MEDIA & ENTERTAINMENT
Behind the scenes with Baby Yoda
I saw the recent Star Wars movie and... well, I fell asleep twice. However, The Mandalorian was much more on-point: fast-paced, funny, and original.
The production itself was also a step-change; the video linked here covers it well, and for a deeper dive go for this article from American Cinematographer magazine.
Two thoughts from me: I’d love to see more behind the scenes content like this; and I want to borrow some of that tech for building learning experiences…
> Watch
Also: The woes of being a Hollywood assistant. Yup, it's as brutal as you think.
// CULTURE
I meant to do this with my parents when I saw them last month, but frankly we were too busy eating wonderful Spanish food. I really like this idea though, especially using voice recordings.
> Read more
There’s a first time for everything - eating frogs legs, sharing a Marie Claire article… getting conned by an Indonesian man posing as a female Hollywood exec.
This is one of those wild stranger-than-fiction tales - and I reckon it’s only going to happen more. And speaking of meta - this should surely become a movie.
> Read more
Also: Continuing the sub-theme of fame in this month’s digest, ever wondered what it’s like to have an oblique, personal view into the world of celebrity? Here's how it feels to see you ex-boyfriend hook up with Lady Gaga
// INNOVATION
I’m a coffee snob - strictly flat whites (although I do hit my office's caffeine vat), so I won’t be getting into this deal with Panera, but it’s smart: recurring revenue around a regular habit. The best innovations are often the simplest.
Also: the UK Met Office has just bought a new computer... for $1.6bn. It can forecast weather within a range of less than half a mile.
// JUKEBOX
Andrew Weatherall - Music is not for everyone
This is the second consecutive month the jukebox has featured a recently passed musician. However, rather than being macabre, this 2000+ song treasure trove from iconoclastic DJ and producer Andrew Weatherall is cause for celebration.
Also, his take on deciding to avoid climbing the greasy pole of fame is too good to omit:
‘The view’s pretty good. But it’s very greasy and there are a lot of bottoms up there that I might have to brush my lips against. So, maybe I’ll give it a miss’.
> Listen
// FOOTNOTES
Other things I've been up to this month:
- Working on some exciting new Fondo features, including the ability to build your own braintrust.
- Producing more video content in the last 3 weeks than the previous 36 years.
- Stitching together a few bits for standup open mic. I have commitment issues.
> Spread the word: Who are 2 smart and curious people you know who would find this email interesting? I'd be delighted if you could forward it on to them.
This is an email digest from me - Howard. I help people who want to make a difference get where they want to go.
This monthly dispatch collates a few of the things I've found interesting across education, entrepreneurship, and entertainment.
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