photo – xetobyte
By
Hazel Speed
Horses for courses is a really valid expression when it comes to creative projects, the era, and whose desk an idea can land on.
When the film ‘New York, New York’ came out (starring Liza Minnelli), the great song, New York, New York was written as the theme song and as one can imagine, it was performed to perfection by the amazing voice of Liza Minnelli. That said, it did not become a palpable hit until it was performed as a cover version by Frank Sinatra. I recall a Cleo Laine song was also usurped by another performer in a similar way. Although the cover versions were, of course, good in themselves, that is not the point. The original renditions were performed by stars of their time and that time but that was not the right time for the market.
So it is within the creative industries. I recall about ten years prior to a celebrity being successful with the same idea as I had had earlier, when I approached a TV series about a time-line association with a real project (my project). “Oh we cannot do that, broadcast regulations, etc” but the truth was they didn’t want to test the market. The celebrity had the name so there was nothing to test and it made the news of the day and age.
Similarly, imagine how I felt to switch on the television one night and see in real time something being usurped from my original pitch (put on hold by the other party), being carried out by another celebrity in the UK. When I made my challenge the retort was “well the deal was on the table”, despite my edifying them about Intellectual Property Law. If I ever had the ‘wherewithal’ to seek restitution on that in the future, rest assured I will. But as we all know in Intellectual Property Law one has to have power and/or money to be successful, evidence is not enough!
Now the relevance of the above is to emphasize that what may work in one area at any given time will not always pan out successfully in another. Also, it may not be your ‘destiny’ (by any definition of that term), to be the one to take the concept to success.
What I would suggest is, if one sees an identifiable market that has a portal open, go for it, do not delay as the doors may close before you know it!
The music industry, as we know, changes throughout the decades. I recall years ago, one could almost guess when it was a good time to pitch a new song just by listening to the output of any given radio station. Those days are gone, as anything esoteric can get through at any time with a bit of luck.
Since the internet age the goal posts have moved as everyone has the market in front of them, search engines to define categories of potential openings. Even lateral thinkers need to move from that stance more to the realm of quirky or esoteric in the hope they can find their business opportunity/project partner who works by the same ‘feel’ regarding any creative endeavour.
What is submitted to one company or person on Monday may land on the desk of another person on Tuesday. I recall nearly landing a huge deal with a retailer who wanted 250,000 CDs of our early prototype magazine (sale or return) but we did not have the budget for it. He agreed with me that their download department was more appropriate but my interview/pitch with that person was dead in the water as incredulously he said (at the beginning of the internet era), that the internet was just a phase and would not amount to anything. He genuinely believed that, incredulous though it was, and even his colleague thought so.
Many things I have created in writing (invention ideas, etc) have come to pass, mostly for others. In one way I do not mind as I have achieved a lot in diverse areas. A friend of mine was of the view I received creative ideas to help others bring them about. I immediately registered my complaint with God asking Him to find another middle person and just to give me ideas that would work for me. God doesn’t work that way as we know.
Reminiscent of the young boy who apparently wanted a bicycle and prayed to God every day to let him have one. As nothing happened the boy grew despondent and realised he was addressing things from the wrong angle, so stole a bike himself and then asked God for His forgiveness. I believe that is called presumptive sin, presuming forgiveness.
Erik Johansson photo
If you do not remember anything else in this article, I would like the reader to remember one thing, there are still markets out there so do not give up.
Finding them is becoming more and more difficult. As the world of IT blends inevitably towards bio-technology (and we all joke that babies should be born with a mobile in their hand), then creativity is entering the realm more and more of sophisticated Intellectual Property meeting Patenting Law, thus requiring a new genre of Law, the markets will be unavoidably squeezed into realms never before considered.
If you have the facility to be your own creative source and production source combined, (the best invention product to progress), then that is one thing, but where creativity has to blend with another universe of outlet or product medium, with each time frame the rules move goal posts and one must follow the market trends. In creative terms that means the creative source must anticipate, time the potential exhaustion of the era, and work to endeavours accordingly.
We live currently, in my view, in the new multi-lateral era, but will soon move on from that. Therefore if you tap in a search in Google and nothing aligns with your enquiry, chances are you may be ahead of the market trend so line up your strategies accordingly.
Do let me know if any of this has been helpful. For what it’s worth, this is the area I am currently exploring myself.
It’s a tough competitive world out there so copyright/IP protect all your work and be very careful who you entrust with your concepts and inspirations. They used to say there was a Policeman on every corner, well there are rip-off merchants on them now.
At one stage within my animation project I had hoped to include an unusual concept. Once again, as if by tacit affirmation, albeit by default, I soon heard of someone winning an Oscar utilising the same concept. I had guarded disclosure so believe it was genuinely a co-incidence and not intellectual property theft so I had just been beaten to the chase. Lots of people can have the same creative ideas at the same time regardless of the medium so I took it that it could have been the case, in principle at least, that a lot of us theoretically could have won that Oscar simultaneously. At least it proved to me that I created an idea worthy of an Oscar. Close, even if not a cigar!
Hazel Speed
Photo (c) Hazel Speed – used by kind permision to Tuck Magazine
Great article Hazel. It does make you wonder how many things we have today that may of originally been first thought of by not the person we know to have created them. Intellectual Property is a very interesting subject as the more we digitalise work and ideas. The more the laws around IP need to change. But on the other hand where do you draw the line and not stifle creativity out of fear of copying someone else.