The Cosmic Streetcorner: Recent Episodes
Alan Berkson and Jeff Gomez
Jeff Gomez and Alan Berkson have been having conversations about entertainment, media and storytelling for a LONG time. Jeff has worked with some of the biggest global entertainment properties. Alan asks good questions. So grab a spot on The Cosmic Streetcorner and join the conversation.
Stranger Things and Top Gun Maverick are cool, but when are we going to get something brand new that blows us away? What’s happened to creativity? Where is the counterculture and what is its relationship to “woke” content and confrontational strategies by celebrities and the big studios? Is waging war with your customer, the Mandalorian Way? Jeff and Alan dive back into the tumultuous change of previous pop culture eras and youth behavior today to puzzle through the answers.
Jeff and Alan talk about the complexity of building out a transmedia universe through the lens of the latest Dr. Strange movie and the Marvel Cinematic Universe. Bottom line: an instruction manual ought not to be required to navigate a mass media story world! Apologies for the delay getting this one out.
Building on their streaming discussion, this is amazing: CABLE CHANNELS are now considered LEGACY BAGGAGE….in some ways more than the three networks. We are watching an entire platform, possibly two in cable and network channels, vanish before our eyes!
Also, a great exploration of the contrasts in expectations for success that Jeff and Alan were brought up in.
And the extraordinary value of writing something down.
Have questions or want to suggest a topic?
Email alan@thecosmicstreetcorner.com or jeff@thecosmicstreetcorner.com
This week Jeff and Alan discuss streaming services and ask the pointed questions: why is it so hard to find the content you're looking for and why can't we stream EVERYTHING? There is still nothing near a comprehensive streaming curation service — 5 years into the age of streaming and we still have no TV Guide, no way to set appointment TV, no public facing way to tell what’s good or what’s popular!!! The answer as to why is dark and cynical —but is also an opportunity that no entrepreneur has leveraged.
In addition, they also follow up on the conversation they had with Mike Sargent and share some thoughts on success and how to find and engage with a mentor.
Nearly Two-Thirds of Consumers Want a Streaming Service Bundle, Survey Finds
Jeff and Alan are joined this week by producer, director, and entertainment pioneer Mike Sargent. We talk about the challenges of breaking new ground without role models, and the artist’s journey. Also discussed is how Mike grappled with show business as a person of color in the 1980s and ‘90s, and how to find – and be – a good mentor. And we dig into the latest extension of the Halo franchise!
Our guest, Mike Sargent, is a film critic/maker, award winning Radio/TV/Podcast host-producer and pioneering Afrofuturist. If you can't find him in media, you're really not looking. To get started check out his Niteshift broadcast, his Brown & Black podcast that explores the convergence of race and pop culture, and the Black Film Critics Circle website.
Have questions or want to suggest a topic?
Email alan@thecosmicstreetcorner.com or jeff@thecosmicstreetcorner.com
On this week's episode we answer a listener question, talk about an important concept called Embracing the Narrative Reversal, and dig into the Culture Jamming – multilateral narrative -- through the lens of Arnold Schwarzenegger's plea to the Russian people. All while navigating through our own (ok, Jeff’s) technical difficulties.
Embracing the narrative reversalhttps://blog.collectivejourney.com/story-can-assert-control-over-the-masses-a739e6c103cd
Geoffrey Colon – Culture Jamminghttps://djgeoffe.medium.com/what-is-information-jamming-ea0391c362e6
How Big Tech Has Reshaped Modern Warfare in Ukrainehttps://www.thewrap.com/russia-ukraine-war-lessons-social-media/
Jeff and Alan have mentioned the concept of "evergreen" in terms of franchises and story worlds. Alan reached into his archives and found this fascinating conversation where Jeff reveals—for the first time—why some brands and entertainment properties stand the test of time and others don't.
Have questions or want to suggest a topic?
Email alan@thecosmicstreetcorner.com or jeff@thecosmicstreetcorner.com
This week on the show Jeff and I welcome out first guest, Simon Pulman, an entertainment and IP attorney. Simon’s got some rare experience having spent time on the entertainment creation side before starting his practice in law, which gives him some unique insights as we explore:
- The early days of transmedia storytelling
- What it takes to make a deal in a Web3 / metaverse world or What do we do when the term ‘NFT’ doesn’t exist in the original contract?
- Binge vs serialization model (“Drop and drip”) for streaming service content
- Building native content and models for Web3 content
- Are we “shuffling the deck” so there are new winners (and losers) in the Web3 world
- What would make a good NFT?
Our guest, Simon Pulman, is a partner at Cowan, DeBaets, Abrahams & Sheppard. The best way to learn more is to follow his active feed on Linkedin.
Have questions or want to suggest a topic?
Email alan@thecosmicstreetcorner.com or jeff@thecosmicstreetcorner.com
This week on the show Jeff breaks out a t-shirt (which you can’t see but you can find on social media) and we dig into streaming services, media companies and the metaverse.
Also:
- Why would we tell this story to millions of people? What are they gonna leave with that’s different from what they came in with?
- One-shots vs. franchise development (transmedia storyworld development)
- Why it takes an elevated vision and a true dedication to NOT become a dinosaur
- And why do visions of the metaverse look like 1990’s video games?
Further reading for this week’s episode:
What Warner Bros. Discovery Will Look Like and Why Jason Kilar Won’t Survive the Merger
https://www.thewrap.com/warner-bros-discovery-post-merger-jason-kilar-zucker/
Investors unsubscribe from video streaming stocks
https://www.reuters.com/markets/asia/live-markets-investors-unsubscribe-video-streaming-stocks-2022-02-16/
Facebook parent Meta lost $251 billion of value in the worst wipeout ever. That's more than Netflix, Nike and McDonald's are each worth
https://markets.businessinsider.com/news/stocks/facebook-meta-value-market-cap-drop-comparison-netflix-nike-amazon-2022-2
The 10 Commandments Of 21st Century Franchise Production
https://www.businessinsider.com/10-commandments-of-21st-century-franchise-production-2012-10
Have questions or want to suggest a topic?
Email alan@thecosmicstreetcorner.com or jeff@thecosmicstreetcorner.com
Jeff and Alan explore a topic near and dear to both of them: creativity. It’s not just about a work of art, writing a book, or creating a cool TikTok video. They discuss how we all get “sand in our trackballs” and need to consider the "Adjacent Possible", as well as why people don’t finish things.
Listen in and then tell us about your “sand in the trackball” and “Adjacent Possible” experiences.
Have questions or want to suggest a topic?
Email alan@thecosmicstreetcorner.com or jeff@thecosmicstreetcorner.com
It's a cold day on the Cosmic Streetcorner, at least in the Northeast. Jeff and Alan warm up with some discussion on:
- Disney's new CEO Bob Chapek announced a striking vision for the 2nd century of Disney — Jeff weighs in on what it all means
- New narratives: streaming services, storyworlds, and metaverses
- Architecture for Dialogue — successful storyworlds must include the audience
For further reading:
Bob Chapek’s Memo to Staff: Disney Has Three “Strategic Pillars” Moving Forwardhttps://www.hollywoodreporter.com/business/business-news/bob-chapek-2022-memo-storytelling-1235072324/
Superpositioning and the Collective Journeyhttps://blog.collectivejourney.com/superpositioning-fef1e10ff24c
Pervasive Communicationshttps://blog.intelligistgroup.com/lets-call-it-pervasive-communication/
Have questions or want to suggest a topic?
Email alan@thecosmicstreetcorner.com or jeff@thecosmicstreetcorner.com.
Jeff and Alan discuss a bit of the creator economy, reinvigorating dusty but at one time successful franchises, and finding ways to embrace fans and fan-generated content in your story world. As with everything Cosmic Streetcorner, it all goes back to Dungeons & Dragons.
Jeff and Alan give an introduction and some framework for what's going on in the world today: the Cosmic Struggle. They also introduce the Collective Journey modality, an emerging model for storytelling. It doesn't replace Hero's Journey. Tune in to hear why. They then go into a bit of who's doing things well and who's doing things not so well in the entertainment biz
Jeff Gomez and Alan Berkson talk about what they've been talking about since college -- storytelling! The Cosmic Streetcorner is a place where we can all hang out and explore topics about media, entertainment, trends, and historical context for entertainment creators and consumers.