Move without the ball

If you happen to have a brother-in-law with a spare Sky subscription I strongly recommend you check out Winning Time: The Rise of the Lakers Dynasty. It's a dramatisation of the story of the LA Lakers in the 70s, focused around owner Larry Bird and star player Magic Johnson.

The accompanying HBO podcast is equally great, with guests from the show as well as celebrities and even some bloke named Snoop Dogg.

Rob Morgan, who plays Magic's father, joins the podcast for episode 3. He’s describing a memorable scene in an early episode, of a young Magic playing ball with his father. This moment also goes on to become a key later in the season.

Please please listen to this, as it's the delivery that really got me. (Insight: it turns out great actors really know how to deliver a line.)

Tl;dl It wasn’t scripted but, while the crew was setting up, Rob was alert to the opportunity to create something.

That idea of working hard, going above and beyond to create something is not a new one. But it’s important as ever.

A lot of my best work has been where I've seen an opportunity, or just made one.

Sometimes I've been sat at my desk without a brief, so I've made something happen.

More often, an idea has popped into my head while I'm on my bike, or litter-picking for community service.

Usually it's for an existing client – you already have that relationship which means they're open to your ideas and (hopefully) value what you do.

Occasionally I've approached someone cold with an idea that I think is perfect for their brand.

Sadly, this almost never works.

I'm not sure why. There could be a good reason – that I just don't understand enough context for that client, and the business problems they're facing. Or perhaps they're just wary of this pound-shop Simon Pegg coming at them out of nowhere.

Anyway, it's a shame.

But the point is, that attitude is what sets apart the good ‘uns.

Even if the project comes to nothing, I'm showing my clients that I'm not waiting for a brief to bring you something that can change your business.

A good agency or partner is always looking for solutions to their clients' problems. Looking on from the outside means often we can see things that a client is unable to – or just doesn’t have the head-space to.

So, yeah. Move without the ball.

(Here’s me doing a ‘slam dunk’, as the competition flails helplessly, unable to match my power and skill.)