Chapter 2: Embracing Howie

Oh my God We're back again...

I was 13 years old. Princess Diana passed away in tragic car accident. Hong Kong was handed over to China. We landed on Mars.

Brothers, sisters, everybody sing...

Will Smith was J. Wu Tang was forever. I had a Sony discman. I spent hours rollerblading and playing Yo-Yo at school. I bought my first pair of baggy FUBU cargo jeans.

Gonna bring the flavour, show you how...

Urge was my go to drink. A small falafel costed 10 kroner. ALDI sold pre-cooked turkey drumsticks. I ate them almost every night for dinner since I didn't know how to cook (and neither did my dad).

Got a question for you, better answer now.

Who is Howie Dorough?

In 1997 The Backstreet Boys released their second album "Backstreet's Back". Like most teenage boys at that time, I despised them. They almost exclusively catered to the teenie-bop crowd that composed of almost entirely teenage girls. Even though I didn't like them at the time, they had a winning formula: that Denniz PoP and Max Martin magic Swedish Kool-aid. BSB were the new New Kids on the Block, the take two of Take That. The five man band consisting of members:

Nick aka "The cute one": he was the youngest in the band the baby spice. He could kind of sing. But not really.

AJ aka "The bad boy" - he was the rebel of the band - he painted his nails, had piercings, wore leather, had tattoos. He was the "edgy" one, to his credit he could acutally sing.

Kevin aka "The tall dark and handsome one" - he was eye candy. There to look good for all the moms. He was rather mysterious and quiet. He definitely wasn't a singer.

Brian aka "The leader" - the front man. The only one who could really really sing. He was the fan favourite. Also the only one to have a solo career after Backstreet. His job was to carry the band.

And lastly, Howie.

Howie could sing but you would never know it since he never had a solo and never sang lead. He could dance, but he was never front and center. He wasn't ugly, but he was short and kind of weird looking next to the other guys. He was quiet in interviews, he had no real charisma or stage presence. He wasn't business savvy. He wasn't a songwriter or producer. He wasn't the obvious "token minority" that could make the band more diverse or universally appealing. He wasn't stylish and never looked better or outshined the other guys. He couldn't play an instrument, or rap or beatbox - he didn’t have a noteworthy gimmick. I'm convinced that Howie's only real talent was that he showed up everyday. After all you can't have a 4-man boy band?- it has to be 5. Why? The reason isn't important - Howie was the fifth member, that was his biggest talent and his contribution to the band.

Am I original?

Hit after hit Backstreet dominated '97; songs like"Everybody (Backstreet's Back)", "As Long as You Love Me", and "All I Have to Give" pushed the album to #1 in 25 countries and selling over 10 million copies that year alone. World tour, after world tour, after world tour. Millions of dollars pouring in. VIP treatment everywhere. Surrounded by beautiful people, rich people, important people. High level meetings with music executives. Spending time with other celebrities. Awards shows in London, New York, Tokyo, Los Angels, Rio, Cannes... Hanging out on yachts. Episodes of MTV Cribs. Bottles of Louis Roederer. Parties. Groupies. Success. In the middle of all that: Howie.

Am I the only one?

Howie understood his role. He didn't get jealous and create tension in the band. He didn't push to sing solos, or get more stage presence. He was Howie, he remained silent. When he was asked a question, he would let one of the other guys answer, or quickly bring the attention back to Brian or Nick. He wasn't the captain of the boat, but he knew that he was still on the boat, and that was enough for him. A little known fact is that Howie was actually one of the founding members of The Backstreet Boys - he was supposed to be the lead singer. That didn't matter to him though, because he was Howie and he wasn't the lead anymore after Brian showed up. There was a better and more marketable lead available and winning was all that mattered now. Winning and making money. His focus became supporting the guys that really mattered to the success of the group.

Am I s**ual?

I've worked with hundreds of creatives, in hundreds of different settings from stages to agencies and everything in between. I've breathed the toxic air that pollutes the agency environment: creatives stabbing each other in the back, sucking up bosses, engaging in internal pettiness.

Everyone wants their idea to be picked.

Everyone wants to get promoted.

Everyone wants to become the lead.

The reality is that we need more Howies. We can't all be Brian and that's okay! There is no shame in embracing Howie. As a creative you don't have to be the lead singer of the band as long as you are in the band. When the band wins, you win. Most offices I've visited have 1, maybe 2 brilliant creatives working for them. Maybe. (MAYBE!) Chances are, you aren't that creative. For the record more of them are juniors than senior executives and many in our industry are guilty of mistaking rank for talent. You should be interested in who you work with and be brutally honest when you assess their skills against your own. Are they better than you? Are they smarter than you? Are they more bold and courageous? Do they put in more work? Are they grinding late night while you go home early? Are they just naturally gifted. Better at sale, more likeable?

Recognize brilliance when you see it and invest your time in supporting it, especially when that brilliance isn't yours. Embrace Howie and watch how your career transforms.

The Backstreet Boys went on to sell 100 million records. They released 10 studio albums, 1 live album, 3 compilation albums, 31 singles and 33 music videos. If you believe Google, then Howie is currently worth over 40 million dollars... 40 MILLION, and here I am at 3:30AM trying to convince you to sometimes kill your darlings and just show up.

Am I everything you need?