Things are Wild and Weird Right Now

Oh hello! 

Things are wild right now, huh? Bands are postponing massive tours. SXSW was canceled. Markets are shaky. Leadership appears incoherent. It’s an election year. 

A few quick notes on all of that and how it relates to you, us [Knack Factory] and our creative community:

1. People are spending a lot of time inside and our advertising trade magazines have reassured us that this means lots of people are staying inside and being extremely extremely-online and so video and commercials will get extra attention. Well… cool? I guess? Silver lining, I suppose? 
2. Also, it's conference and convention season and if you’re not going to get to those, it's time to consider how you get your message to your prospects and existing customers. If your business or organization has shown signs of uncertainty (classes canceled, products temporarily unavailable, and so-on) it's time to think about how you'll be conveying a sense of certainty moving forward. 
3. But, of course, all this news indicates that travel is being reduced and so… how does one make productions happen? There are, it is important to note, all sorts of options that don’t require going from point a to point b. There are studio shoots and animations. If limited mobility is an issue you're trying to work around, there are remote shoots and more. We can get creative. This is a time that requires creativity and we are creative people. Also, are you properly utilizing, editing and repackaging footage you have on hand? There are options. Let’s talk.
4. These are some of the best times to hunker down, think about your messaging, strategy and marketing plan moving forward. If this is something you're considering engaging—again—let's definitely talk. 
5. Have you considered producing a podcast for your business? This is something we know a lot about, and it's a perfect media for these times. 
6. And oh, unrelated to us: Your bartenders and servers are likely to get hit extra hard by the economic impact of this moment. And your favorite bands aren’t making money if they can’t tour. So please consider tipping a little extra if you can and if you like a band, buy their albums online right now. Buy their merchandise. They are going to need a boost. A lot of our friends in this arena are already starting to feel the hurt. 

Oh! I will be presenting at the Social Media Breakfast in Portland, Maine this Friday morning. I’ll be talking about how to choose the right content for your company and endeavor. 

And if you ARE stuck inside for a while, here are a few things we’re paying extra attention to:

• Surprise! Kurt was really into Tony Hawk Pro Skater and is stoked on this documentary! Rad, man! 
• He also really likes the Baby Yoda show. Here’s a look at the virtual production of The Mandalorian, Season I.
• I been covering Nashville’s 80s history and it has been a lot of fun. Here’s an episode of Nashville Demystified on TNN and Hee Haw.
• I have also recently rewatched Red Dawn. It's crazy how we thought Soviets would infiltrate the country by way of a military invasion, right? Anyway, that movie is way more intense than I remembered.

And hey, we try not to editorialize on much but it feels like this is not as partisan as it is a fact: This moment truly underscores the import of putting real, honest-to-goodness responsible grownups in charge of real, honest-to-goodness important things. Take that for what you will, but should you need to produce any video, which is important because it’s an investment, hopefully you’ll consider bringing us on as your [fun, creative, clever, thoughtful] honest-to-goodness responsible grownup video producers and media strategists. 

Alright. Now let’s kick Coronavirus’ ass [by washing our hands and being mindful of the health of our most vulnerable family, friends and neighbors].Alex, Kurt and the gang