Boomerang

If anyone can turn a social media experiment into a cinematic mosaic of imagination, it’s Paulo Coelho. Arguably best known for his novel The Alchemist, Coelho is an internationally acclaimed author and lyricist who has sold over 100 million books. He may not have the most experience in film making and music composition, but plenty of his fans do. That idea sets the stage for The Experimental Witch Competition, a collaborative film project announced by the beloved Brazilian author last June.  

Coelho’s last novel, The Witch of Portobello, was told from the viewpoint of 15 different characters. For his film competition, Coelho asked filmmakers to choose a character from the book and shoot all of the scenes told from that character’s perspective. Filmmakers are asked to submit their movies via YouTube, while music composers will submit their contributions/theme songs through MySpace. Coelho will work with a professional editor to sew 15 winning films together to recreate the book, and will show the final version in film festivals throughout the world. He communicates this all through his blog. The Experimental Witch is, in essence, an experiment in social media. 

With his unique storytelling style and his passion for the Internet, Coelho is a huge advocate of social media - just check out his website, MySpace, Facebook, Flickr, and YouTube activity! He is also the first best-selling author to support free distribution of his own work online. Some say this makes him an advocate for piracy, but really it’s just about being “with the times” and giving readers what they want. Besides, distributing his work without cost has actually boosted his book sales.  

At the very least, the film will provide contributors, viewers and fans with a new experience and a screen capture of the plurality of interpretations on one of Coelho’s novels. The project, if pulled off successfully, has the potential to illustrate how the countless interpretations of an idea can be seamlessly woven together to illustrate fifteen visions and one story simultaneously. As Coelho states on his blog, it will be a bit of “cinematographic history” – in addition to being a social media experiment on the grandest scale. I just hope it’s as good as the book.    

I’m presently in a window seat some 37,000 feet above Denver. I love to fly so I actually enjoy business travel. However, I don’t think I’d enjoy having a seat on this airplane.  There’s a time and place for everything, and the time and place for doffing one’s clothes is not at cruising altitude. Traveling naked, which includes bending over to pick up luggage, strapping a seatbelt across a bare lap, and sitting on seats of unknown cleanliness is unsettling. It’s also too much information at the least appropriate time. I would disembark that aircraft with three letters in my head: TMI. 

Thinking about that flight and those three meaningful letters – TMI – reminded me that even the most seasoned PR person or company executive can occasionally forget one of the most basic tenets of great communications: know when to stop talking.   

Brevity is beautiful. It also helps to assure positive results.   

The only way a person can say something they’d later regret later is to talk. While it’s true that silence sends a signal, few people have ever had to retract silence.  Conversely, we’ve all heard this during a press briefing: “Oh, I really didn’t want to reveal that just yet, can we keep that off the record?” Safety lies in the assumption that a spokesperson is never completely off the record. Consider that Samantha Power’s offhand remarks in the Scotsman newspaper cost her her job, and cost her boss some embarrassment. People in Ms. Power’s position are under a unique microscope, but every spokesperson needs to be aware that anything they say can appear just about anywhere.   

Another valuable benefit to practicing brevity is that when someone has the opportunity to do live radio or TV, they will be more than ready to really shine. The spokesperson who is cognizant of the time they take expounding upon a subject is also honing their interview skills. Being brief is broadcast-friendly. Don’t let fantastic sound bytes become watered down (or irrevocably lost) in the clutter of a rambling answer. 

Admittedly, some complex topics require a lengthy explanation, but most things don’t merit a monologue. It’s often best to stop, breathe, and let the reporters absorb what’s been said.   

Most spokespeople are effusive and enthusiastic about their company, their accomplishments, and their vision. But at times we must diplomatically rein them in. This is one of the more sensitive responsibilities that we, as PR practitioners, must face, but it’s immensely valuable counsel. 

I’m signing off now; because I may have said too much.  

I’m what most people would call an RSS junkie. It’s a bit similar to the more commonly used pseudonym “news/media junkie,” though my addiction is blogs. I love receiving the feeds of a really good blog – and a person’s RSS feeds can say as much about them as what’s on their iPod does. For example, here’s a bit about me (based on my RSS profile):

• Rolling Stone Rock and Roll Daily , Mashable = I love music and social media
• Webware = I’m always looking for new web applications to enhance my productivity and sociability
• Seth Godin’s Blog = I believe innovation is a key to success
• TechCrunch = I’m a fan of new, innovative tech companies
• The Bad Pitch Blog = I believe pitching the media is an art form
• Wired Blogs = I’m really into gadgets
• FabSugar, Perez Hilton, ValleyWag = I believe a bit of humor and pop culture awareness does a heart good

Moreover, I love reading really good blogs – big ideas in bite-size pieces. Blogs are usually what I turn to first when I want to get the gist of a thing and I don’t have the time to sort through the detailed specs.

So when it came to searching for a PR agency, where I could plant my feet and continue growing as a PR professional, the Cohn and Wolfe Boomerang blog provided me with a small peek into the agency’s culture and people. After reading a few posts, and checking out how the company approached PR and social media, I felt that C&W had assembled a smart team and a work environment that was a fit for me.

To say the least, I’m extremely excited to join Boomerang as a contributing writer! I look forward to bringing my experiences working with clients in the technology, healthcare, media and entertainment fields, as well as my love of music and social media, to my posts. More so, I look forward to dialoguing with the Boomerang community, discovering more good blogs, and expanding my RSS roll call.

What do your RSS feeds say about you?