5 Lessons I've Learned in 25 Years

1. Art is Better with a Frame

Here’s the paradox:  Unlimited options do not create freedom. They create uncertainty.

But, give us a constraint, and suddenly the room lights up.

“Use this metaphor.”

“Only these ingredients.”

“It has to feel like this.”

“You get 30 seconds. Make it count.”

A haiku is a perfect example of how rules make art more alive.

The rules of a haiku:

• 3 lines

• 17 syllables total

• Line 1: 5 syllables

• Line 2: 7 syllables

• Line 3: 5 syllables

And then, inside those limits, something opens up.

Haiku example:

Quiet editing

A timeline turns to music

Story finds its breath

The rules are what make it interesting.

A framework doesn’t kill creativity. It directs it. And when creativity is focused, it becomes powerful like a laser.

2. Embrace Selfishness

We are wired for self-interest. 

It’s not being negative to say that - it’s just survival biology.

The question is not whether people are motivated by personal desire.  They are.  The question is whether that desire can be aligned with something good.

Maybe it's status, appreciation, internal or spiritual callings.  They all have a motivating reward system built into them. So, the lesson is, in marketing (which is motivating toward an outcome), tap into core selfish desires of people if you want to move them to take action. Don't be ashamed to name it. 

• the person gets a meaningful reward (status, belonging, identity, progress, purpose)

• the community gets something better because of it

In marketing, this is a gift. Name the desire.Don’t pretend it’s not there. 

If you want to motivate people toward an outcome, speak to the rewards that actually move them:

• Give this, get that

• Join this, get status

• Do this, solve that

• Buy this, get this life

When self-interest is aligned with service, people do big, beautiful things. Take the time to find and name the connection. Otherwise, the audience may not get it.  And if they don’t see what’s in it for them, they won’t act. 

3. The Story is Everything

Tell me about your business and I am gone.

Tell me about me, and I am listening.

If your message does not connect to what your audience fears, wants, hopes for, or is trying to overcome, it does not matter how good your product is.

That is why we insist on our story-first framework before video ideas, campaign concepts, or cool shots.

We start here:

• Who are we talking to?

• What do they care about right now, later?

• What problem are they trying to solve?

• How does your thing help them win?

Only then do we talk about the business, inside the context of their story.

When we discovered this (and refined it through three years of teaching it collegiately), it changed everything for us and for our clients.

4. Harness Natural Energy Flow

One of the most practical gifts you can give yourself is this: schedule your day in alignment with the kind of energy your body naturally offers.

Most of us know time blocking. This is simply time blocking on ancient steroids! .

For me, it looks like this: (there’s more, but this is the workday)

• 7 AM to 11 AM: deep work, insight, and creation

• 11 AM to 1 PM: connection, collaboration, communication

• 1 PM to 5 PM: administrative work, follow-through, and practical output

Here is what I have learned the hard way.

Do not disrupt the flow. Protect your best hours like they are a superpower, because they are.

Insight and creativity tend to flourish in the morning.  They will be alive and flowing all morning UNLESS you start clogging up your consciousness with email demands and endless scrolling. Do not let the world steal your superpower time. Guard it.

Don’t open email before 11! 

Don’t open social media before 11!

If you are curious, this idea overlaps with an ancient framework called the TCM organ clock, which maps different kinds of energy to two-hour windows throughout the day. I won’t go deep here, but if you want to explore it, look it up, or, if you encounter a lot of weird woowoo stuff, send me an email and I will gladly walk you through it and help you experiment with a version that fits your real schedule.

But, let’s just keep it simple. Try this for a week: Categorize the hours of your day and protect them.

Deep work block (7 to 11):

• strategy, writing, creative problem solving

• concept development, story work

• your hardest thinking

Connection block (11 to 1):

• meetings, collaboration, presentations

• client communication, relationship building

• lunch and a short walk

Admin block (1 to 5):

• email, notes, tasks, follow-up

• systems, scheduling, cleanup

• finance, paperwork, practical production

5. Give Until They Are Winning

Business is transactional. It just IS.But what about the relationships? The secret is designing every project so the client feels, “We are clearly winning here.”

Not because you just gave a discount and drove yourself into resentment.Because you delivered the right kind of extra, on purpose, like a gift.

Here is the simple pattern we try to follow:

1. Set expectations clearlyWhat we are making. What success looks like. What we are not doing.

2. Deliver exactly what was promisedOn time. With excellence. No drama.

3. Add one intentional “beyond” that matters to themNot extra work for extra work’s sake.One move that removes stress, increases clarity, or improves results.

Example: a client hires us for a brand video

The deal is: concept, script, shoot, edit, and final delivery.

The “give until they are winning” move might be one of these:

• A short cutdown kit: three 15-second edits and a 30-second version, sized for social

• A launch plan one-pager: when to post, what to say, and a simple rollout sequence

• A story clarity session: one extra meeting where we tighten the message so the video lands

• A story one-pager: we notice that the story and phrases we created for the video are super-powerful so we give them a messaging guide they can use in their marketing

• A little surprise: a clean thumbnail set or transcripts of the ceo’s interview they can pull quotes from

None of those things are massive.

But to the client, they feel huge because they weren’t expected. 

The Rule that Keeps it Healthy

We decide the “beyond” early, then we build it into our plan.

That way:

• the client feels cared for

• we stay generous without losing our margin or our minds

• the relationship becomes long-term, not one-and-done

People forget details.They remember whether working with you felt like stress… or like a pleasure.

A Quick Toast

If you have been with us for 25 years or 25 minutes, thank you! We are grateful, energized, and still obsessed with helping people tell stories that move real human hearts even after 25 years.

If you are building something and want to sharpen the frame, clarify the story, or create something worth sharing, shoot us a note and tell us what you are working on. Maybe we can help.