In Hollywood, studio executives would like to forget last summer. The “Summer of Hell” saw a more than $600 million decline in global revenue compared to the summer of 2016. Blockbusters featuring A-list stars like Tom Cruise and franchises like the Transformers and the Smurfs failed at North American box offices, although foreign sales helped […]
Why Hollywood needs Lean Media Read More »
This post is part of a blog series called Media Myths based on my book Lean Media and some of the questions I get from people interested in the framework. To see the earlier posts, check out the myths archive. Myth #4: Lean Media has only been practiced in recent years Lean Media techniques have
Media myths: Lean Media is a new approach to making media Read More »
Dean Wesley Smith is a prolific fiction author. He’s also a prolific blogger, and spends a lot of time sharing his observations about the craft of writing. Some of his advice is helpful, but in one of his recent posts (a chapter from one his nonfiction books) he takes aim at the practice of using beta
A misguided attack on beta readers Read More »
If you follow news about tech startups, you have undoubtedly heard the term “pivot.” It’s a hot idea in Silicon Valley and other tech hubs, and is closely associated with the Lean Startup movement. In The Lean Startup, Eric Ries defines a pivot as a “fundamental change to [a startup’s] business strategy” borne out of
What is a Lean Media pivot? Read More »
Thanks to all of the people who shared feedback on the first round of 9 cover designs for the Lean Media book project. I really enjoyed reading through your comments, which helped me see the proposed designs in a new light. Like any design-oriented Lean Media project, the feedback is not intended to be a popularity
Lean Media book covers: How we used feedback to choose 2 finalists Read More »
Last month, N.E.O. Bernhardsson, a Hong Kong-based publisher, reached out to me after reading about Lean Media online. Independently, he and his Modes Vu team have developed a system that uses Lean Media principles and processes to develop art photography books featuring relatively unknown photographers from China and elsewhere. This post and interview will describe
Modes Vu’s lean approach to art photography publishing Read More »
Regardless of whether they use Lean Media methods or not, media pros frequently rely upon surrogate audiences to understand the market for new media. Surrogate audiences are groups of people who like media that’s similar to what you are working on. Let’s say you are producing a new TV show, Rodent World, which explores the
Surrogate Audiences and Lean Media Read More »
I’m in the midst of writing my Lean Media book and today was working on a chapter about Lean Media feedback. Since the beginning feedback has been a central part of the Lean Media framework, and the last version of the flowchart had audience feedback coming back to the creative team after the idea, prototypes, and soft launch.
Lean Media flowchart 0.6: No more hard launch? Read More »
So I am working on a new chapter for my Lean Media book that covers the Lean Media flowchart (see an early version of the flowchart here). Conceptually I thought I was pretty clear on what the different stages entailed. A prototype was a rough or incomplete version of the media being developed. By the time
Prototype vs. soft launch Read More »
Over the weekend, I listened to Tim Ferriss interview Scott Adams, the creator of the Dilbert cartoon strip. Before hearing the interview, I knew about Dilbert. It’s a classic. Everyone who has worked in an office can appreciate Adams’ relentless satire of office life. But I knew very little about the history of the strip, or Adams’
Lean Media example: Scott Adams grows Dilbert Read More »
