Ben Affleck Called And He Would Like His Fame Back (or How To Stay Famous In Todays Hyper-Media Culture)
Back when I owned Prisa with Lisa J. we used to have "Rock & Roll" classes. It was a series of classes where we would teach up and coming artists the Art of Being Famous.
My favorite class of the series was the "Un-Fame" class. People want to be famous so bad sometimes that they fail to realize all the ways being famous can hurt you.
The reason I bring that up is because of an article I read today by real genius Umair over at Bubble Generation. He talked about the snowball effect and how it's the new blockbuster.
Well actually, the snowball effect is the old blockbuster but that's beside the point. The point is how the media feeds upon itself and something which starts small ends up huge, picking up people as a snowball rolling down a mountain picks up snow.
It's hard to control.
But if you don't know how to control it it can end up destroying your career before it even takes off.
Take for example the Arctic Monkeys.
Ever heard of them?
They were built on the internet and then mainstream media (as it usually does) started hyping them even more.
Result.
A backlash from the cool kids before the 13 year old white girls can even get the spelling of the bands name right.
Everybody is going to get a chance to be famous.
Really.
But the art of staying famous is going to get harder and harder as more folks get blogs, webcams and just feed off of the same Technorati Top 100.
Remember Jennifer Lopez and Ben Affleck? Over exposure did more damage to them in a summer than years of bad movie and song choices.
Here are the rules to handling the new out of control hypermedia:
1-Only think about your core fans.
2-Only think about your core fans.
3-Only think about your core fans.
Forget all about the interviews requests. Think about where your core audience would like to see you interviewed. Do that and no more.
Think about where your core audience will like to see you perform. Do that and no more.
If you start showing up where you don't belong the same folks who made you will bring you down.
We won't feel guilty about it either. We'll just build another one just like you. But instead of bennifer we'll call them bradgelina.
original art by lulu
March 27, 2006 at 2:25 pm
Haha funny but true. Selling out is definetely a major no no for any carreer especially in the age of hypermedia exposure. I feel bad for Ben Affleck though, tough choices: pleasing the audience vs pleasing J.Lo. Then again, it’s how everything started… with a woman and a forbidden fruit
.
March 27, 2006 at 2:39 pm
Chicks. Can't live with them. Can't live with them…
March 27, 2006 at 4:25 pm
Another Beauty – I keep waiting for this to happen to Cramer on CNBC – for that matter the drunk putz kudlow as well. Talk about a long 15 minutes of fame.
March 27, 2006 at 4:40 pm
Good advice that I seem to keep forgetting.
By the way, the term “Brangelina” was already coined and is quite popular, unless you are trying to have your spelling catch on at this late date!
March 27, 2006 at 5:22 pm
“Brangelina” is the correct term. And the fact that it’s already popular is the punchline. Jeez Brian…
March 27, 2006 at 7:19 pm
Simple is elegant, especially in terms of thinking. Your class in how to be cool was worth attending. I’m glad I showed up for class. No one could have put it better.
Only care about your core fans. They are the only ones who give a damn about you–if anyone at all does. They are the ones who will drive 100 miles to see you and then tell your friends why they should some along the very next night when it happens again.
Excellent thinking . . . I have a really big grin.
March 27, 2006 at 7:23 pm
By the way . . . who is Ben Affleck? Is he that duck that sells insurance?
July 2, 2006 at 10:03 am
brilliant blog! http://www.butterfield.amissouri.com
July 13, 2008 at 6:41 am
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