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What Family Guy Can Teach You About the Business of CreativityJanuary 7

Family Guy

Family Guy. It’s crude, rude, and, according to its detractors… badly drawn.

But the show has a rabid fan base that’s brought it back from the dead not once, but twice. And it’s the basis of a $2 billion empire for creator Seth McFarlane.

Whether you like the show or not, you can learn a lot about the business of creativity from peeking behind the scenes. Seth McFarlane was featured in a recent issue of Fast Company as an example of the new breed of creative entrepreneur who plays by a different set of rules.

Here are 5 areas where Family Guy can help you succeed with your own business:

1. Catering to the Core

Trying to appeal to everyone is the kiss of death in modern business. Family Guy goes to great lengths to demonstrate this edict better than just about any other example.

Not only does the show stick to pleasing the core fans, it delights in offending the non-core (mainly the easily offended). Having a relatively small group of rabid fans is so much more powerful that a larger group of lukewarm people who you carefully avoid offending. The opposite of love is not hate, it’s indifference… and indifference kills.

2. Selling the Free

The Family Guy story is instructive to ever

Free E-book - How to Motivate Creative People (Including Yourself)January 5

Iggy Pop

Photo by alexsey.const

Happy New Year everyone! The Lateral Action team would like to wish you all a creative, productive and fulfilling 2009.

To help you kick start your enthusiasm for the challenges ahead, here’s a free e-book for you: How to Motivate Creative People (Including Yourself).

It began life as a series on my Wishful Thinking blog, and is primarily aimed at leaders, managers and others responsible for getting the best out of creative people.

But I’ve written it to be useful to anyone with a passion for creativity. So if you and/or your team want to do better creative work and enjoy yourself more in the process, download your copy now.

Topics covered include:

What makes creative people tick
Why motivation is crucial to creative success
Why you can’t motivate anybody - but what you can do instead
What Iggy Pop can teach you about management
Why offering rewards can harm creative performance
How to write 47 novels before breakfast
Why some people seem so weird - and how to deal with them

10 Creative Lessons from Bowie in BerlinDecember 29 2008

David Bowie is most famous for his glam rock creation Ziggy Stardust, but his best and most interesting work centres around his ‘Berlin period’ - the three years he spent living in Berlin, producing the experimental electronic albums Low, “Heroes” and Lodger. At least that’s what the man himself thinks, and I’m inclined to agree with him.

So you can imagine my delight when Santa left me a copy of Thomas Jerome Seabrook’s new book, Bowie in Berlin, telling the story of this period of Bowie’s career. It’s a great read and full of lessons for the aspiring artist and creative entrepreneur. Here’s what I’ve got from it so far:

1. Zag When Others Zig

In the mid-70s Bowie kept his audience on their toes with a series of changes of direction. He famously ‘killed’ Ziggy Stardust at the height of his fame, when it looked easier and more profitable to carry on down the same glam rock path. He then went to America and attempted an ambitious rock musical (Diamond Dogs) which he abandoned mid-t

The To-Do List Before ChristmasDecember 23 2008

Lou in Santa outfit Twas the night before Christmas, when all through Corp. House
Not a keyboard was stirring, not even a mouse.
The screens were on standby, the hard drives as still
As the stars in the sky and the snow on the sill.

The workers were gathered all snug in the bars
With visions of turkey and good R&R
So the office was empty, except for the sight
Of a solitary figure by monitor light …

With his nose to the grindstone, his foot to the floor,
His backups, his buckets, his charts on the door,
His 43 folders, his weekly review -
Who was working so late? Why none other than Lou!

He was missing the mistletoe, champagne and smiles,
He was ticking off items and tickling his files,
He was skipping the party and shunning the fun,
He was cranking out widgets and getting things done!

Till a voice from outside called: “Ho ho there my lad!
Good tidings! Good tidings! Rejoice and be glad!
For tonight’s the most magical night of the year,
So put down your checklist and join the good cheer!”

Lou snorted and answered without turning round:
“You slackers get on with your night on the town,
With your skiving and drinking and your antics gr

Will Jack Make a Deal?December 22 2008

Jack just gave two weeks notice to the boss.

He’s really looking forward to the freedom, travel, and new experiences his new business will provide him.

Lately, Lou has been giving Jack all this wonderful free advice about VC funding, staffing up, and getting big fast.

Jack didn’t think all that was necessary.

Lou says Jack needs to give him 50% of the company or risk certain disaster.

Will Jack make that deal?

See the shocking result for yourself in the fifth Lateral Action animated video:

Will Jack Make a Deal?

If you’ve missed the previous episodes, check ‘em out first: