Bad Not Bad

I made a mediocre video last week. Here’s why I’m totally fine with it.

To pave the way for the launch of the eckso Kickstarter, Alan & I have begun producing TikTok videos. It’s state-of-the-art marketing wisdom: TikTok is where the customers are, and the platform makes it SUPER easy to buy featured stuff, so the potential ROI on any videos we post there is enormous.

Viral videos, of course, are the first-class ticket to success. Luckily, we have everything we need for epic stardom. To put it immodestly, you’re meeting us before we were famous. 😂1

In pursuit of this goal, I searched for a video editor on Upwork2 last week and scheduled a two-hour tutoring session. I showed up with a couple of short videos, a clear vision, and virtually no skills whatsoever. Astra met me exactly where I was. Within a few minutes, they’d convinced me to switch software completely (from DaVinci Resolve to Adobe Premiere), validated my vision as completely within reach, and established their credentials as a true professional in editing and teaching. We were doing it.

An hour later, Astra had walked me through how to execute on my vision. Watching them demonstrate the techniques via screenshare, I was stoked. Bing bang boom, I thought. It’s not only possible, it’s easy. I got this.

Then came time to do it myself.

“Um, where’s the clip splitter?” I asked, my brow slowly furrowing. “How do I turn on the mask? What’s the ripple-shift thingie do again?” Astra stood by patiently as I poked along.

After an hour of supervision, we said goodbye. Thanks to Astra’s encouragement, I felt ready to stumble across the finish line on my own. Approximately two hours later, I exported my file and called it done.

“Real entrepreneurs, SHIP.”
~Guy Kawasaki

Astra’s greatest gift may have been the last tip they left me with before the end of our session.

“Most people get obsessed with making the video perfect. It doesn’t need to be. Just get it good enough, then move on to your next one. Making more videos, that’s where you’re going to actually build your skills.”

Essentially, as Apple’s marketing guru Guy Kawasaki famously advised, “Don’t worry, be crappy.”3

The tutelage stuck. Here’s that first video. I won’t point out all of its shortcomings; they are obliterated by the fact that it’s posted.

Our next will surpass it, and the third will be prettier still.

By our Kickstarter4 launch, we’ll be set for the Oscars, no doubt.5