I remember starting a note not that long time ago, trying to find the link between a radio documentary about foreigners in Switzerland, a TV one on some forgotten tradition in Sardinia – actually a beautiful horse race that celebrate Saint Constantin – the fact our brain works mostly on the unconscious, that our eyes only screen portions of “sight” and all is then recomposed including the idea of the movement, that TV is still the main channel for support when you want to share something widely, that adding ice cubes to a dumpling’s stuffing makes is lighter or that climbing the Everest kills a little amount of brain cells….
Well the link, never obvious, was partly revealed to me when I took part, last weekend, to a Masterclass on Transmedia. I went there pretty openly, having the intuition that some answers about the power of versatility could be revealed to me.
By the way, if you ask yourself what is Transmedia :
Transmedia is “the vanguard process of conveying messages, themes or storylines to a mass audience through the artful and well-planned use of multiple media platforms and brand extension that creates intense audience loyalty and long-term engagement, enriches the value of creative content and generates multiple revenue streams.” (Jeff Gomez, 2013)
When I look at my resume, I realize I studied Economics, became an expert in Product Supply, worked in Market Intelligence, developed my knowledge in luxury goods, FMCG and sportswear, that I am as well graduated from an Art College, speak 5 different languages and got 2 nationalities, and make photography and movies now with an ongoing project linked to a company I try to developp….And believe it or not, I very often feel like I don’t have an interesting profile. Actually I would say the right profile.
In a pretty structured society as is the continental western european , being a bit of everything is a hard concept to grasp. It even intimidates and cuts off some possibilities We recall the people who climb the highest peak or run the fastest….which most of the time requires an entire life of training and efforts to achieve it. Expert in a silo, easy to locate on the life’s game board. Or maybe just the post WWII mindset – that needed strong certainties – still being the major influence…?
So what about the average – or above average in many of those silos ?
Over that weekend I understood how much the future is about versatility !! And on how the articulation between ultimate experts and broad thinkers works : just like a sword , some have the prestige to be the tip and others are the sides. The most important is that both are sharp ,efficient…and needed for a long-lasting success !
The weekend really offered interesting perspectives on how we can move on, and even if the aim of it was to get highly pragmatic solutions to business cases, for me it reinforced the need of always seeing the big picture first.
In my days at Procter, one of my line managers told me once – helped with a nice drawing – that sometimes you are climbing a mountain – it was a triangle shape, like those famous chocolates – but it isn’t the right one and so you must start over. I always consider it as a strange lesson : the mountain was far too big on the sheet, and personally even if I am climbing the wrong mountain, it will always be a good training for next one, and in my case another piece of experience for the future.
So what ? Well there is no right or wrong profile but what is sure is that the future requires ideas and a lot of imagination, rather than solution on how to keep on with what we know.
One clue….: TRANSMEDIA !!!!
jpfuenzalidalorca 