Fame, Money, or Love?

How do you define success? The Old Paradigm valued power, authority, and profits. But in the New Economy, we can redefine success. Today, success can mean joy, freedom, travel, flexibility, family time, or serenity.

Back when people used to gather in-person, someone would inevitably ask me, “What do you do?” After I said, “I’m a filmmaker”, their fell into one of three groups: Fame, Money, or Love.?

How can you communicate your definition of?success? And what are some alternatives to asking and answering the dreaded "What do you do?" question??

Let’s break these down!

FAME

If someone defines success as Fame, when I tell them I’m a filmmaker, their goal is to assess how famous they are, if they continue speaking with me.

Fame questions include:

1. Have you worked with anyone famous?
2. Have I seen any of your films?
3. My nephew / cousin / neighbor makes movies, too. Do you know him??

MONEY

If someone defines success as Money, they may appear to be curious about the cost of filmmaking, but their real goal is to determine my value or a film’s value based on a number.

Money questions include:

1. Is there any money in indie filmmaking?
2. How much did?[insert huge blockbuster title]?make at the box office?
3. I have a great idea for a movie. Do you want to buy it from me?

Side Note:?A sincere money question I hear often is, “How much will it cost to make a video or film?” This is very similar to asking a homebuilder, “How much will it cost to build a house?” In either scenario, we can’t give you an accurate quote until we have all the details. If you're in the market for a video,?fill out this form ?and we can schedule a 30-minute Discovery Session. If I think I can help, I can send you a proposal with a price quote.

LOVE

The people who define success as Love are the visionaries, the storytellers, the alchemists, the thought leaders, and the cinephiles, who love movies and love talking about movies. Their questions are the most fun.

Love questions include:

1. What was the first movie you remember seeing?
2. What movie changed your life?
3. What movie made you decide you wanted to be a filmmaker?
4. If you were stuck on a desert island with only 5 movies for the rest of your life, what would they be?

Small Changes Yield Stronger Connections?

Many of us are still re-acclimating to in-person networking after the pandemic and we feel clumsy doing small talk. One way to communicate your values during networking is to change what you ask people.?

?If you define success based on Love, you’ll learn more about a person if you ask them:?

• How do you spend your time?
• What brings you joy??
• What are you passionate about?

You can also communicate your passion by how you answer the question, “What do you do?”?Instead of answering with a job title, I’ve started answering with the unique value I provide.

My new response is:?

I produce digital content and live events for thought leaders so they can entertain, educate, and engage their audiences to create global change.

Now, your turn! What brings you joy? What are you passionate about??

Drop a note in the comments or send me a message on?LinkedIn . I'm also on?Instagram if that's more your style.?

I look forward to hearing how you spend your time!