Strands of Genius: Even at the Expense of, Public Narrative, Content is Delivery and the Ecstasy of Surrender

Guest curated by Phil Adams

Nov 18, 2021

:: A BIT MORE ABOUT GUEST CURATOR, PHIL ADAMS ::

LOCATION: Edinburgh, United Kingdom

PLACE OF EMPLOYMENT: Freelance

Hello. I'm a subscriber to this newsletter who regularly clicks on the links within it. So it is an honour to be invited to curate this edition. After 18 years in ad agencies and 14 years in digital agencies I embraced the precarious freelance lifestyle in particularly precarious times, February 2020 to be precise. I do brand strategy for founders and CEOs of b2b and service businesses. I help them find their voice and get their story straight. The work requires an ability to read organisational culture, which fascinates me. I'm also on the board of an arts organisation, and I co-founded a not-for-profit documentary production company that makes films about radical democracy. Hi to the Yakobs, wherever you are right now.

Editor’s Note (Faris): I feel like I’ve known Phil - via blogs and twitter - for ever, but it’s been at least 15 years at this point. He’s been a constant source of planning insight, exploring the many voices of planning, in various different iterations of agency and his own career. We’re excited for his independent journey and, at some point Phil, we will take you up on the offer to stay with you in Edinburgh, hopefully during the festival. Thanks for an excellent edition and for radical democracy!

:: THE LINKS ::

EVEN AT THE EXPENSE OF

As a brand strategist I collect interesting approaches to defining brand values. Consulting company August uses a device that turns their values into principles with conviction. They affirm their commitment to each value by drawing a line in the sand. We will adhere to this value even when it costs us to do so, "even at the expense of..." You need to scroll down beneath the team photos to find the values. They use mostly single word titles for each value, which I'm not so keen on. It's difficult to convey difference and conviction in shorthand. All the interesting stuff about values is expressed longhand. (August)

PUBLIC NARRATIVE

A framework for telling compelling stories in public, as practised by Barack Obama et al. How to combine the Story of Self, the Story of Us, and the Story of Now to powerful effect. (Working Narratives)

CONTENT IS DELIVERY AND THE ECSTASY OF SURRENDER

This is the extended version of a conversation between Rick Rubin and Brian Eno. It is supersaturated with wisdom and quotable observations on storytelling, aesthetics, style, culture, the importance of context, and much more. Brought to my attention by Ian Leslie's brilliant The Ruffian newsletter. (Listen Notes)

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:: AND NOW… SOME FAST FAVORITES ::

:: Game :: Scrabble

:: City :: Marseille - Now that's what I call a melting pot

:: Book :: A Man in Full by Tom Wolfe - Epic. When Wolfe was researching The Right Stuff, he concluded that the behaviour of men is best explained by their quest for status. He applied that insight to his subsequent novels.

:: Podcast :: What I Love - context and content in beautiful, vulnerable, candid harmony

:: Album :: Physical Graffiti by Led Zeppelin

:: DEMOCRACY ::

What democracy can look like when you give power back to the people. A still from a film we shot in Malawi in November 2020. Sadly, production is on hold due to the Covid pandemic.

My brand strategy stuff is all here. Films about radical democracy are here.

Phil Adams

phil@philadams.co

twitter | linkedin

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It's called Genius Steals because we believe ideas are new combinations and that nothing can come from nothing. But copying is lazy. We believe the best way to innovate is to look at the best of that which came before and combine those elements into new solutions.

Co-Founders Faris & Rosie are award-winning strategists and creative directors, writers, consultants and public speakers who have been living on the road/runway since March 2013, working with companies all over the world. Our Director of Operations is nomadic like us, our accounting team is based out of Washington, our company is registered in Tennessee, and our collaborators are all over the world. Being nomadic allows us to go wherever clients need us to be, and to be inspired by the world in between.

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