Wednesday, 5 December 2007

The gospel according to ….Studio 60 On The Sunset Strip


When you're out there working for yourself or running your own business, there is no dress rehearsal – You are doing it and You have a limited opportunity to get it right, to succeed. That’s a pretty good motivation, knowing that no-one else is going to make a difference in your business success: it’s you or nothing. You have to pull it off, or else…

I was reminded of this when watching the excellent drama “
Studio 60 On The Sunset Strip” *. The new junior writers just weren’t coming up with good enough material to get a sketch on air. The senior writer knew why they weren’t succeeding; because they knew it wasn’t just down to them, and they lacked self-belief that their writing would make it to air:

“There’s no pressure. They don’t have to do anything. They know that. They’re trying but they know they are not getting anything on the air. Lesson One: they’ve got to live or die on Friday night. They’ve got to feel like success in a 3 minute sketch is the same thing as love and they’ve got to fear failure…”.


Substitute your latest project/ assignment/ product for ‘Sketch’; substitute your window of opportunity for 'Friday Night'; and the same applies.

'Cos we all need pressure...


* and that's the first time I have ever quoted a TV drama for inspiration...

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