The Essential Element For Success In The Entertainment Business

Anyone who reads my posts or tweets, knows that I love technology.  I'm always reading and writing about cutting edge technologies and how they are impacting the entertainment industry.  New tech is driving the launch of new companies, and the development of new strategies for old companies.  Technology is undoubtedly the most important factor for achieving success in today's entertainment business.  Or is it...?

As I often do on Saturdays, I spent the past couple hours looking at all of the recent entertainment and technology news.  There is plenty of it, as usual.  New methods for driving content from televisions to mobile devices, and the Internet to televisions and from clouds to everywhere.  Consumers can truly get whatever they want, however and wherever they want it.  

With all of these amazing new capabilities for viewing and listening on countless devices, what is the best strategy for success in our business?  With all of the new possibilities, the answer actually hasn't changed. Regardless of how you do it, you have to give consumers something that they really want to watch or hear.  And what do they want?  A great story.

The one essential truth of the entertainment business -- the one constant that does not change with technology -- is that people want to be touched emotionally.  That's what draws them to read, watch or listen.  They want to feel the emotional impact of the story being told.

All of the amazing new technology gives us better tools for touching people's hearts, but only if we tell great stories that trigger that emotional response.  Faster frame rates and 3D and better surround sound and IMAX all make a huge impact on our bodies, but it is the story being told that ultimately touches our hearts.  And that's what people want from their entertainment experience.  It is why they put their money down.  They want to feel the emotion...love, anger, fear, passion, humor....They are buying an emotional experience, not just raw physical stimulation.

I am more enthusiastic than ever about the prospects for entertainment success through the use of great new tech.  I'll continue to look for innovative ways to deliver content to people everywhere.  But it will only matter if the content is truly special.  

Technology is the beautiful box, paper and bows in which we wrap our gifts, but wonderful stories are the gifts.  Let's never forget why we went into this business -- to touch peoples' hearts and souls.