Everyone deserves a chance to show what they’re capable of. But we often overestimate the preparation we need to get the job done.
Joseph Kosinski’s crazy directorial debut is a great way to illustrate this:
Remember the movie “Tron: Legacy”?
It was one of the most anticipated sequels in movie history.
It was meant to spark more movies, an animated series and tons of merchandise.
It had a budget of 170 million.
And it was directed by a guy with ZERO filmmaking experience.
Let me make this absolutely clear: Joseph Kosinski, the films’ director, the one in charge of that pile of money and a mind boggling sci-fi production process, had made ZERO films before.
To be fair, he had built himself a name in the ads industry with his artistic eye.
But you can imagine that leading a one minute production and a Hollywood monster are two totally different leagues.
So, what did he do? was he someone’s son? did he extorted some studio head with private photos?
It was, in fact, two factors. The first one was the opportunity.
A Disney big fish was looking for a director with a vision for the Tron sequel. Then by pure chance he heard about this guy making stunning commercials.
Upon meeting Kosinski, he was effectively mesmerized by his artistic gusto.
But the lack of big film experience was a no-no.
Even so, there was one piece of work that stood out.
A concept for the “iPod of the future”, that Kosinski had made out of commission. For the pure joy of presenting his vision.
That impressed everyone at Disney.
They decided to let him do a 3 minute teaser of the movie.
The results? everyone’s jaw dropped at the sight. But it still wasn’t enough to greenlight the rookie director.
The final test was showing the teaser at Comic-Con. The audience’s reaction rippled through the fabric of pop culture around the world.
The die was cast. He was in.
Regardless of how divisive was “Tron:Legacy” in the end, what I want you to realize is that Kosinski had a golden opportunity by only one reason:
He had already a nice portfolio to speak for him.
It was not his credentials, studies, or degrees. It was what he had created.
This is a major paradigm shift that we’re living through.
Success will be less about your credentials, or even your experience, if there is nothing that you have CREATED to show it.
So stop thinking you’re not ready and start to create something. Iterate. Progress. Grow.
Of course, at some point you’ll need persuasive skills in order to ‘nudge’ people in the right direction.
First you create, then you network, then you persuade with charisma and confidence.
Let me help you with that, through my free tips ebook:
Much success!
Jesús Enrique Rosas
I can read your body language and write a story about it.
