25 Questions To Find Your Passion, Know It Alls & Jim Berger

Welcome to Potentially Focused! It's Tuesday morning, December?10th, and I hope your day is off to a good start! Today we... Share 25 great questions to help you find your passion, discover all there is to know about know-it-alls, and share some interesting media news.

And, we’ve got a great new interviewee, Jim Berger , who along with his partners Duke Hartman and Sonny Hutchison, founded unscripted powerhouse, High Noon Entertainment.

These days, Jim Berger provides wise advice and strategic guidance to content creators and platforms including traditional, digital, and social networks through Aspen Mountain Media, a consulting service he started a few years back. I’m also pleased to say he’s enjoying being able to spend more time with his family and living in a part of the US that allows him to get out in nature frequently.

In 1997, Jim started High Noon Entertainment. It was a risk, but in many ways, it was the culmination of everything he’d done to that point. Jim began his career in local news winning awards for his photojournalism at NBC’s Denver affiliate KUSA-TV. From there, he moved to Liberty Media where he became a corporate executive for the first time. One of his many accomplishments there included serving as the President of Intro Television, a sampler channel of 30 emerging cable networks.

In life, timing is everything. Even more important is the ability to understand when circumstances favor you. Not all of us have that ability. Jim Berger does, and at a time when he faced a career setback, he still saw and seized opportunity. Jim realized that as basic cable was exploding and dozens of new channels were launching, someone with his hands-on creative skills and business background was well positioned.

So, he took the leap.

Jim started High Noon and assembled a strong team with the goal of providing content for a market desperate to fill hours. Under Jim’s leadership, the High Noon Team went on a truly impressive 25-year run. Among their many hits were Cake Boss and Fixer Upper not to mention over 350 specials and series for platforms like Netflix, Amazon Prime, Hulu, Roku, Discovery, History, Food, HGTV, TLC, Animal Planet, and Discovery En Espanol.

In 2013, Jim sold his company to ITV remaining as CEO of High Noon and serving as a Strategic Advisor to ITV America. In 2021, Jim exited ITV with the satisfaction of seeing something he built succeed wildly and the prospect of beginning a fulfilling next chapter of his life.

All of that and much more from Jim later in this newsletter. I’m so glad for all of his success and that he’s here today to share his story and insights with us all.

Potentially Focused is a newsletter for busy people in the TV business (or not) who are curious. Everyone looking for a change. Anyone interested in new possibilities and potential. The stories we tell ourselves, the stories we tell others, and what makes us tick. Each edition shares at least one great piece of content on professional development and one centered on personal growth. It's all just a few short paragraphs away.

Please like, subscribe, and share with your favorite passionate or passionless person. This newsletter serves all.

Thank you,

Marco?

Off we go...

POTENTIALLY INTERESTING TV AND MEDIA NEWS

The entertainment industry is getting ever more competitive as the piece below from Cynopsis details. No surprise there, but check out the last (very long) sentence of the post. I've bolded it for emphasis.

We all know that younger audiences are finding entertainment in different ways than prior generations. But, where I see us currently coming up short is acting on that change. I think, on some level, and I've heard many people say it out loud, that we're banking on younger people to radically shift their behaviors (to something much more like ours) as they get older.

That's not going to happen. The time is now to fully absorb that and adjust to the coming new normal.

So, here's the piece in full:

There is increasing competition for share of mind in the entertainment ecosystem, as TV competes with gaming, music, social video, podcasts, radio, and more.

According to Hub’s semi-annual “Battle Royale” survey, in 2024 the average household is using 13 different sources of entertainment, the highest total since the survey launched three years ago. Young people (under age 35) use 16 different sources, and households with kids use almost 17 sources.

More key findings include: · Respondents rated 6.4 of their sources as “must haves,” and 6.7 as “nice to have.” While young people and families used more sources, their ratio of “must have” to “nice to have” sources was the same, a ratio that has been consistent across all 6 waves of this study since early 2022.

In general, respondents use six “premium video” sources (cable, streaming, virtual MVPDs, etc.) and seven other platforms (including social video like YouTube or TikTok, gaming platforms, streaming music subscriptions, etc.).

Among young people, premium TV sources are a minority of their entertainment ecosystem: only seven, compared to nine sources that provide other kinds of content. · On average, entertainment consumers under 35 use: 2.4 gaming sources, compared to just one gaming source among those age 35+, and 3.6 social or short form video sources (compared to 2.2 among those age 35+).

“These findings underscore how competitive the entertainment landscape has become,” says Jon Giegengack, Principal and Founder at Hub and one of the study authors. “In particular, video games, YouTube and TikTok are rapidly gaining share of mind among young consumers, who have an entirely different idea of what ‘entertainment’ means and are forming habits unlikely to change as they grow older.”

Our second item isn't so much news as an event...

There's a new film festival launching in Teaneck, New Jersey. It's called fliXfest and takes place this Sunday, December 15th from 10 a.m. to 10 p.m.?at?Teaneck Cinemas. I'm not connected to it, but it's across the river from the town I grew up in and I always love to see storytelling supported. If you're in the great state of New Jersey or nearby, stop in to check it out.

Finally, I'm only about a year behind, but I watched The Pigeon Tunnel over the weekend. It's the John le Carré documentary from Errol Morris. I liked it better than The Hollywood Reporter. It's a fascinating watch if you're interested in writers and how they do what they do. (Full disclosure, though I've seen some of the films based on his work, I've never read a le Carré novel. I'm not a spy fiction fan generally, but that may now change.)

Moving on to...

HOW TO FIND YOUR PASSION (IN 25 QUESTIONS)

If you're lucky, you've found and are pursuing your passion(s) in life and in your career. Doing so makes you much more likely to find your life fulfilling, can lower your stress levels, and improve your mental health.

All good things!

But, for some, finding a passion, let alone multiple passions is tougher. There are many reasons for this and of course, sometimes things just change. Something that you may have felt very passionate about years ago no longer "floats your boat", as an old friend used to say.

Harder still, you may in fact be pursuing your passion, but at a time when attaining your particular dream is proving really difficult for reasons almost completely outside of your control. For a lot of people in TV right now, the current environment feels that way. And, as a result, some of them are on the hunt for new passions to pursue.

So, for all of you out there, for whatever reason, looking to find your passion, here's a good article to check out from Very Well Mind. It's from Ariane Resnick, CNC , who is a mental health writer, chef, and certified nutritionist. (Her bio notes that her private chef and nutrition clientele has included an array of celebrities, such as?pop star Pink. Not a terrible name drop.)

In the article, Resnick lays out 25 very good questions to help you zero in on your passions. They are listed below in case you want an easy cheat sheet.

I've been asked and answered a lot of these questions before by some great career coaches. I've seen others in posts from people offering guidance here on LinkedIn and in other places. And, I've even asked myself a bunch of these questions over time.

So, I think it's a great exercise to go through to help open you up to some clarity on what your new possibilities can be.

For me, two of the 25 questions hit particularly hard.

I think back about what I wanted to be when I "grew up" as a child and remember outside of impossible or temporary dreams of being a professional athlete, or race car driver (till my favorite driver was killed in a track accident, that was sobering to an 8-year-old) or rock star (I have zero musical ability, but tell myself I have good musical taste to compensate for that), it was always writing.

And then, when I think about what accomplishment I always admire in others, it's getting a book published. Again, it goes back to writing.

Hmmm....

That seems to be telling me something.

Thanks to all of you for allowing me to indulge my passion for writing and sharing (hopefully helpful) information with people I care about and believe in this newsletter.

Now, it's over to you.

Answer these questions and let us know what you come up with. Wishing everyone great new dreams to chase. May you attain them all!

• What childhood activities did I love?
• What would I do if time and money weren't factors?
• How do I want to be remembered?
• What do others tell me I'm good at?
• What problems do I want to solve?
• What am I scared to try?
• Where have I wanted to travel?
• What career did I dream of as a child?
• Where do my values lie??
• What would I do if I couldn't fail?
• What do I see others doing that I feel envious of?
• What hobbies make me the happiest?
• What if you didn't worry about what others thought of you?
• When do I feel the most content?
• What do I enjoy learning about?
• What does my perfect day look like?
• What topics am I naturally drawn to?
• How do I most easily pass the time?
• What has life taught me?
• What would I regret not trying?
• What do I daydream about?
• Is anyone holding me back from my dreams?
• What have my biggest disappointments been?
• What do I admire in others?
• If I could start over, what would I do differently?

That solved, let's tackle...

WHY ARE SOME PEOPLE KNOW IT ALLS?

We all have them in our life. (Hopefully, I'm not one of them in yours...)

Those people who seem to think they know it all. They have no trouble sharing their "expertise" and presenting it as definitive even when they're talking with someone who objectively knows more about the topic at hand.

The know-it-alls.

This article from BBC Science Focus explains all you need to know about those who think they know it all.

According to the article, there are several quirks of human psychology that help explain the behavior.

Na?ve Realism

People instinctively assume that their perception of the world reflects objective reality. In actuality, everything we perceive and ‘know’ about the world has been filtered through a complex mesh of cognitive biases, sensory shortcuts, shifting emotion-infused memories, and more.

As a result, we regularly encounter people whose understanding of the world is very different to our own. But na?ve realism means we assume that those who understand the world differently are wrong.

For many people, this results in an irresistible urge to ‘correct’ others.

And there's more...

The Illusion of Information Adequacy

A lot of people believe others are wrong, but never do or say anything about it. On the other hand, the typical know-it-all rarely waits for you to be actually ‘incorrect’ before lecturing you.

This is where the illusion of information adequacy comes in.

Simply put, this describes how even though many people lack sufficient information to make correct judgments about something, they'll assume the opposite. This is because it's very hard to recognize and take account of what we don’t know.

As an example, someone might notice that their female co-worker keeps running to the bathroom to be sick every morning. Based on just this information, they could conclude “She’s pregnant!” and decide to congratulate her.

At this point, she could reveal her sickness is the result of chemotherapy. As the first person made a conclusion based on painfully insufficient evidence, they had the illusion of information adequacy.

A combination of illusion of information adequacy and na?ve realism can lead to people believing that they know more than they do. In their minds, their knowledge is superior to others and they must help correct it.

Status

We all deal with these kinds of cognitive biases, but not everyone is a know-it-all. Some people have a certain extra quality that means they have no issue with shoving their conclusions into other people’s faces.

Why?

Researchers think it could be a status thing. Some people are more sensitive to social status, and constantly pushing their ‘correct’ opinions onto others may be in their view a way of asserting (subjective) superiority, and dominance.

Autonomy

The human mind wants to have control over its environment. Some people may crave this more than others, and dictating what others think gives them an effective sense of control.

Finally, there's The Dunning-Kruger Effect

This cognitive bias has not only been used as a fantastic band name but is used to describe instances where people with limited competence in a certain area tend to overestimate their abilities. Their lack of intellectual insight means they struggle to recognize when someone else knows more than them. As a result, they’ll confidently argue with those who are better informed.

And sadly because people often respond more to confidence than accuracy, they often get away with it.

When this happens often enough, across enough subjects, you can convince yourself that you’re an expert on pretty much everything, even though the opposite is true.

So, what's the solution? How do you not become a know-it-all?

Be aware of how much you don't know, be open to others who may have demonstrated knowledge or experience in something that you don't have, and think twice before jumping in to correct someone. Ask yourself if you're doing it to help them or to help feed your ego?

And then I guess the next question is, how do you deal with know-it-alls?

In my experience, it starts with me asking somewhat similar questions: Why do I want to correct the person? Is it crucial to any situation? Am I adding value or scoring points?

Over the course of my life, I've jumped in to correct an ignorant know-it-all when I thought it would do some good. I've also done it for far less noble reasons. And sometimes, I simply walked away.

In all of those instances, I'm reminded that I am sure at times in my life I've come across as a know-it-all, and what an annoying behavior that is. And, I rededicate myself to keeping in mind that it's smart to realize how little you truly know.

Next up...

POTENTIALLY FOCUSED WITH JIM BERGER

It’s interesting to meet people who have started and run successful companies. There are times when you wonder just how the person in front of you managed to do it. Then, there are people like Jim.

From the moment I first met Jim when he pitched me back in my MTV Networks days, I could tell Jim was a doer. He is a clearly determined individual. He gives you the feeling that he really cares about making great TV and shows that fit for whatever buyer he’s producing for because he really does. Working with Jim, you very quickly find out that if Jim tells you something will happen you can rest assured that it will happen.

As a buyer, there’s great comfort with someone who makes you feel that way. That goes a long way to building strong relationships in a business based ultimately on relationships, which helps explain some of the secrets to Jim’s great success. It also fuels my deep admiration for someone who started their own company and built it outside of LA or NY into a major producer of unscripted content.

That is no small thing.

But before we move on to our discussion with Jim, one other thing has always stood out for me about him that I need to mention. While he is a seriously competitive person and deeply dedicated to all his business efforts, I was surprised to find out when I first got to know him that he regularly made time to play hockey. As someone who never played ice hockey but played what I’d call street hockey for way too long, it was inspiring to see Jim continuing to play competitive ice hockey long after I hung up my street hockey stick. It inspired me to keep striving throughout my life and was a good reminder that there’s much more to life than just your career or your business.

And with that…

Welcome, Jim!

What's one thing you're currently excited?about??

I'm super excited to take an upcoming course on meditation teacher training. I've been in and out of my meditation practice for more than thirty years. I want to deepen it and potentially share it with others.?

Wishing you a great experience with your course and all you take on in the future.

Looking back as someone who built a company from the ground up into?a dominant player in the unscripted space, talk to us about the roots of your entrepreneurship. Where did it come from?

My parents inspired me. After decades in his father’s St. Louis-based family furniture business, my Dad quit, completely changing careers, and learning how to be a stockbroker, despite the middle-class financial pressures of raising six children in various stages of middle school through college. That took guts on?both my parents' part. I began my career as a local TV news photojournalist, and I loved it. However, ten years?later – like my Dad - I burned out and quit, and was able to get hired into the biggest cable company of the mid-1990's, TCI, now Comcast. But three years after joining, our entire group was eliminated. With no plan and not much savings, I decided to start my own production company in?1997. Right place, perfect time.?

And, along the way, what were the key things that you believe made you and High Noon so successful?

We hired people from the business we knew -- local TV news: producers, writers, photojournalists and editors. Our show teams were small and we knew "story"; how to construct it and capture scenes authentically. In the mid-90's, when cable was breaking, we were able to create series on tight budgets and deliver on time. Also, I had previously worked at TCI's (now Comcast) Liberty Media, where I was the President of a sampler channel showing select programs for all the newest pending networks including Discovery, TLC, Animal Planet, HGTV, Food.... the list goes on. I became close with many of those channel's top executives just as they began. After three years, TCI rolled out these digital channels and our division was no longer needed, and just like that, we were out of our jobs. A close friend who was launching Animal Planet - Clark Bunting - reached out with a need for programming. I created a series called "Emergency Vets" for him. It did really well, and Animal Planet ordered 13 eps right away! I had no office, staff, anything; but I just ran with it and began?developing and pitching shows to all of my cable exec friends across the flourishing television landscape.?

What were your feelings after selling your company? And what were you most focused on as you entered this next chapter of your life?

Thrilled that we were desired, excited to monetize fifteen years of?hard?work, intrigued with how we could grow under the international umbrella of ITV, yet nervous about returning to "working for the man". Our British parent?company ITV turned out to be an incredible partner and I loved all of their key execs. No regrets then, or now.??

The business has changed rapidly over recent years. If you were starting High Noon today, what are the things you'd be thinking about?

I'd focus on retail and social media content as well as reality platforms. Continue to discover great talent and combine with creative formats, yet work my way out from specific brands to platforms.??

In an alternate universe where you are happy but aren't?doing any of the things you are currently doing professionally, what do you think you'd be doing?professionally?

Ski patrolman or heli-ski guide up in the far reaches of the Canadian Rockies.??

In a time when many are looking for new possibilities, any book, podcast, or thought leader, you find helpful?

Deepak Chopra. His work is insightful and wise beyond belief.??

Great suggestion!

Thanks for your time and for sharing your journey with us, Jim! Thanks too for your friendship and support over the years. It’s greatly appreciated and wishing you all the very best!

SEE YOU NEXT TIME!

Today, we ... Passed along 25 great questions from Pink's personal chef to help you find your passion and learned why some people fall into the trap of being know-it-alls.

And thanks again to Jim Berger for sharing his experiences and smart POV with us. In particular, Jim's a terrific example of creating something truly great at a moment in time when things aren't all that great for you. Change is possible and he's proof positive.

We'll be back in 48 short hours on Thursday with another new edition packed with great information all for you. Until then, wishing you a productive and fun next few days.

Please let us know what you want more or less of. Please feel free to share information you’d like me to pass along to our readers. Also, always happy to feature guest contributors.

And of course, please like, subscribe, and share.

With deepest gratitude,

Marco?