Let’s Be Bonkers

Ryan Reynolds says to do it backwards. Who are we to argue?

Hey storytellers.

You know how you generally have a need, then come up with a story for it? What if you did it the other way around? You come up with a great story, then find something in need of it? Sounds bonkers, right? Well…

Ryan Reynolds (you know, Deadpool who also owns Mint Mobile and Aviation Gin) has a marketing/advertising agency. In a Wall Street Journal interview, Ryan (I’m sure he’d let me call him Ryan) described their process like this:

“As opposed to pitching ideas to a client, Reynolds has Maximum Effort…come up with an idea it loves and then look for an ideal client for it, much as a production company does. For example, Reynolds wrote a spot in which Satan falls in love with the year 2020, which he brought to Match.com. It’s a model that prioritizes creativity over profit. “Everything we do is scrappy,” Reynolds says. “It’s fast, it’s inexpensive, character over spectacle.”

What I love about this is it’s creativity for the sake of being creative. You’re not operating under the constraints of a particular challenge. You’re also not biased by, “Oh no, that won’t work for this.”

You know what I think is funny? A dog riding a skateboard. What if a dog riding a skateboard runs into a boy who falls down? What if the dog then starts licking the boy because it feels bad? What if the girl who owns the dog comes over to apologize and says the dog never licks anyone like that? What if the boy makes a joke and the girl finds him cute? What if it turns out they’re soulmates and live happily ever after?

Do I have a need for that story right now? No. But who knows? It might be perfect for something that comes along down the road. Or maybe I have a client that can use it in a project we’re doing together.

Here’s my suggestion for you. Block an hour on your calendar next week and jot down a bunch of story ideas that you just like for no particular reason. Or gather your team and do it together. See if a need arises for any of those ideas. Or tuck them away for another time. Worst case you have some fun doing it. Best case you come up with a story that finds the perfect home.

Thanks for reading.

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Cheers and remember, success finds those who tell compelling stories.