On my way back from the US, for the first time I was struck with how viewing video content on handheld devices is growing – it’s not something I had been overly aware of before, but on my flight from Dallas to Chicago – 3 of the passengers in the seats around me were viewing video content on a hand held device. The girl next to me was watching Family Guy on her iPhone, the guy in front of me was watching something (not sure what it was) and the woman opposite me was watching a movie.
It struck me at the time – taking out the idea that Christian TV is predominantly for Christians to teach, educate, inspire etc. how do we evangelise through the media using hand held devices – is there a way we can do this, what does it look like and will people want to consume it?
Well I think there is a way – BUT we have to get much more creative and much cleverer about how we do things. Firstly preaching is a no no – if you are not a Christian there is no way on planet earth that you would choose to “download” an evangelistic preach – even if its delivered in an attractive way, its just not going to make your play list. But I would even take this one stage further and say anything that is “branded” as a Christian product/video is very unlikely to get anywhere either. I think when it comes to this format we have to get “subversive” and produce material and STAY AWAY from the Christian market – we have to get it out into cyberspace in places Christian material is rarely found, onto platforms where Christians rarely venture and use clever “viral” marketing amongst our friends etc. to get our video clips etc. to the top of play lists etc. so that people wonder what they are missing out on – so they gain a kind of “cult” status.
For me as always the critical thing is creative content that people will want to watch, that will provoke them to laugh, cry, think, etc. BUT something they will react too. This coupled with clever marketing will help get the Christian message in a credible way onto these devices – as long as people don’t think they are watching Christian material that is out to “convert” them.
We also have to find creative ways of financing the production and marketing of this – that does not compromise the “subversive” nature of the material – i.e. looking for the viewers to finance it. Perhaps this is something that can be financed through a strategy of fundraising that appeals to people who want to invest in evangelism BUT they won’t get anything out of it – or maybe existing ministries and media players can assign some of their existing budgets to the production of this kind of material – however we do it, it’s a market place we have to find a way into as I guarantee that the use of handheld devices will grow phenomenally over the coming years – and if we are not there as Christians where will they hear the Gospel?
Sunday 23 March 2008
Slave Labour or a Great Opportunity
As part of my recent US trip I ended up in Dallas Producing GOD TV’s LIVE coverage of the Teen Mania Battlecry event – an event that I have to say is outstanding.
I have worked a number of times over the past 2 years with Teen Mania and have ALWAYS been impressed by the standards of what they do and the quality of the people involved – from the top of the organisation all the way down to those with the most menial of tasks.
In the UK over the past couple of years within television there has been a big debate raging over the “slave labour” issue of work experience training etc. where people are brought on for extended periods of “training” expected to do the same kind of work as those being paid – but get treated like slaves. I’ve never quite had a peace on the issue of this and the more I hang around Teen Mania the less I have. Let me tell you why.
From what I know most of the people involved in the events that Teen Mania put on (I’m talking specifically on the Production side) are effectively students who actually pay to attend a 2 year training course at the Centre of Creative Media (www.centerforcreativemedia.com) on Teen Mania’s campus in Texas. As part of this training course they are deployed on Teen Mania’s events (such as Battlecry) to run cameras, assist on sound etc. and in fact bar a small team of “professionals” they run the show – staffing pretty well every area. It’s interesting that despite these kids (most I would say are under 25) working like dogs almost every weekend – Teen Mania often will run 40 odd events per year across the US – I have rarely ever seen or heard a complaint out of them. In fact if anything totally the opposite – it is usually the case that NOTHING is too hard or too much for them – their desire to serve AND learn is incredible – FAR surpassing that of most people I work with who are PAID to do the job. Why is this? Is it because they know they will get a great job at the end? Is it because they are crazy? What is the reason?
Well the first thing is that there are NO guarantees they will get jobs at the end – although many do, in fact I understand their hit rate is VERY high. Also they are not crazy, in fact most I have met are incredibly good, stable kids – BUT they have a passion for Media and for God and want to find a way to work that out.
They really are a breath of fresh air and I love being around them and working with them – BUT is it slave labour? There is no doubt that Teen Mania probably couldn’t do half the stuff they do without their reliance on their “students” as it would cost them a fortune to replace them with paid staff – so in that sense maybe it is slave labour. However for me the major difference between what these guys do and the usual work experience scenario is that they genuinely receive GREAT on the job experience and training AND also have REAL responsibility in the productions – they are not there just to get the coffee – though I must say they do that very well too.
I have been incredibly impressed by the way the students work, behave and their skills – they really do seem to have a great REAL understanding of the industry and unlike most people in the UK who come out of “Media College” with NO grasp of the real world and the pressures of deadlines, budgets etc. these guys are well trained and equipped for the future.
Perhaps we need to change our practises when it comes to work experience etc in the UK and start offering a solution more akin to the Centre of Creative Media – PARTICULARLY for those of us in the Christian Media scene who are not just looking for capable people BUT also fully committed Disciples of Jesus – this would be a great solution for our dearth of staff in the UK and would also provide a much needed “youth” injection into our organisations and ministries. I don’t think at the moment any of our organisations are big enough to do this by ourselves BUT I wonder if we could do something collectively with the right structure and training in place – we all need new younger trained staff, grounded in the Gospel and this could provide a solution – what do you think?
I have worked a number of times over the past 2 years with Teen Mania and have ALWAYS been impressed by the standards of what they do and the quality of the people involved – from the top of the organisation all the way down to those with the most menial of tasks.
In the UK over the past couple of years within television there has been a big debate raging over the “slave labour” issue of work experience training etc. where people are brought on for extended periods of “training” expected to do the same kind of work as those being paid – but get treated like slaves. I’ve never quite had a peace on the issue of this and the more I hang around Teen Mania the less I have. Let me tell you why.
From what I know most of the people involved in the events that Teen Mania put on (I’m talking specifically on the Production side) are effectively students who actually pay to attend a 2 year training course at the Centre of Creative Media (www.centerforcreativemedia.com) on Teen Mania’s campus in Texas. As part of this training course they are deployed on Teen Mania’s events (such as Battlecry) to run cameras, assist on sound etc. and in fact bar a small team of “professionals” they run the show – staffing pretty well every area. It’s interesting that despite these kids (most I would say are under 25) working like dogs almost every weekend – Teen Mania often will run 40 odd events per year across the US – I have rarely ever seen or heard a complaint out of them. In fact if anything totally the opposite – it is usually the case that NOTHING is too hard or too much for them – their desire to serve AND learn is incredible – FAR surpassing that of most people I work with who are PAID to do the job. Why is this? Is it because they know they will get a great job at the end? Is it because they are crazy? What is the reason?
Well the first thing is that there are NO guarantees they will get jobs at the end – although many do, in fact I understand their hit rate is VERY high. Also they are not crazy, in fact most I have met are incredibly good, stable kids – BUT they have a passion for Media and for God and want to find a way to work that out.
They really are a breath of fresh air and I love being around them and working with them – BUT is it slave labour? There is no doubt that Teen Mania probably couldn’t do half the stuff they do without their reliance on their “students” as it would cost them a fortune to replace them with paid staff – so in that sense maybe it is slave labour. However for me the major difference between what these guys do and the usual work experience scenario is that they genuinely receive GREAT on the job experience and training AND also have REAL responsibility in the productions – they are not there just to get the coffee – though I must say they do that very well too.
I have been incredibly impressed by the way the students work, behave and their skills – they really do seem to have a great REAL understanding of the industry and unlike most people in the UK who come out of “Media College” with NO grasp of the real world and the pressures of deadlines, budgets etc. these guys are well trained and equipped for the future.
Perhaps we need to change our practises when it comes to work experience etc in the UK and start offering a solution more akin to the Centre of Creative Media – PARTICULARLY for those of us in the Christian Media scene who are not just looking for capable people BUT also fully committed Disciples of Jesus – this would be a great solution for our dearth of staff in the UK and would also provide a much needed “youth” injection into our organisations and ministries. I don’t think at the moment any of our organisations are big enough to do this by ourselves BUT I wonder if we could do something collectively with the right structure and training in place – we all need new younger trained staff, grounded in the Gospel and this could provide a solution – what do you think?
The old school of Christian Broadcasting
I have just returned from a business trip to the US and as a result of that trip this will be the first of 3 short blogs based on some of that trip.
As part of the trip I had the opportunity to attend the NRB Convention in Nashville. For those of you not aware of the NRB, it stands for the National Religious Broadcasters and is the “umbrella” body of the Christian broadcasting community in the US, it covers radio, TV and to some degree web and although not a “trade body” has a large voice when it comes to Faith based broadcasting.
The convention this year was held at the Opryland Hotel in Nashville which is enormous, but a very nice hotel as well. This was my fourth NRB – I was there last year after missing it (due to other work commitments) for a number of years. But in one sense it felt like it has not really moved on from when I first went about 10 years ago.
The three things that struck me about the convention this year was:
a. It felt smaller than last years – though that may have been the venue it was in.
b. How incredibly “old” most of the delegates were – I felt young!
c. How incredibly white and middleclass most of the delegates were.
I wonder if the first point maybe as a result of the last 2.
It struck me that although there were some “new media” initiatives at the NRB and no doubt there were some people with new and creative ideas, most of it is the same old same old. Old TV and Radio networks, courting new clients to come on their platforms, new and older media ministries looking for new, better, or cheaper platforms to broadcast on, and then all the “business” aspects – the media buyers, fundraising experts etc. all propping up an aging broadcasting model that I have little doubt will not survive much longer due to the changing broadcast market.
The other thing that shocked me was how incredibly white almost all the delegates were – given that statistically the fastest growing churches are ethnic ones – Latin in the US and Afro Caribbean in the UK – WHERE ARE THEY WHEN IT COMES TO BROADCASTING!!!! Have they felt so “kept out” of the scene that they don’t bother anymore – I know for example there are some networks focused entirely on these communities but I didn’t see any of them at the NRB.
I had lunch with a friend of mine and we discussed these 2 issues and I think both of us came to the conclusion (I certainly did) that IF the NRB is still around in 10 – 15 years time it will have to be a very different organisation to what it is now.
To their credit they are trying some new and interesting things – such as a presentation on creativity by a Disney Exec and some other stuff – but generally speaking the thrust of the event is “business” rather than “creative” and is very much focused on the traditional models of what they think “broadcasting” is. One network did launch a new IPTV service which in one sense sounds new and cutting edge – but really from what I saw its just a new way of delivering the same old boring content that the next generation has already bypassed on their way to YouTube, Facebook and Myspace etc.
If as Christian Media practitioners we want to be here for the long haul then we have to engage the next generation of young people through making relevant and attractive content for them – BUT also and maybe more importantly we have to find a way of bringing them and their creativity into the heart of what we do and have them be the ones leading the way to the future – otherwise we won’t have a future.
Why is it that most successful media companies have a policy of finding and nurturing the best new creative talent and promoting them to senior positions as quickly as possible – is it because they know that’s the way forward? Conversely how many Christian media organisations do you know that have people on their management boards who are under 30? – I can’t name any!
Also it does concern me that at a place like the NRB there is so little multi cultural representation – are we as Christian broadcasters not able to find ways of integrating our content so it attracts viewers from different racial backgrounds – if we as the “Body of Christ” which is supposed to be the most integrated and inclusive organisation EVER created can’t do it then what hope does society have. Perhaps this is an area we have to work much harder at as I believe it is essential moving forward that we as the Christian broadcast market find a way of doing this and modelling it to the church and the wider world.
There again, maybe I’m just jaded and everything really is alright with the Christian broadcasting scene – I hope this is the case, but I don’t think it is and unless we engage in these discussions now BUT also actively seek ways to move forward in these areas then maybe we won’t be around in 10 – 15 years time – just a thought – maybe a worrying one, but one we do have to face.
PS – for those of you wondering if my healing has fully manifest (se previous blog) well the answer is not quite. I’ve been up and down physically over the past 3 weeks – but am now getting MUCH stronger. Still not seen it happen totally yet BUT am MUCH MUCH better.
As part of the trip I had the opportunity to attend the NRB Convention in Nashville. For those of you not aware of the NRB, it stands for the National Religious Broadcasters and is the “umbrella” body of the Christian broadcasting community in the US, it covers radio, TV and to some degree web and although not a “trade body” has a large voice when it comes to Faith based broadcasting.
The convention this year was held at the Opryland Hotel in Nashville which is enormous, but a very nice hotel as well. This was my fourth NRB – I was there last year after missing it (due to other work commitments) for a number of years. But in one sense it felt like it has not really moved on from when I first went about 10 years ago.
The three things that struck me about the convention this year was:
a. It felt smaller than last years – though that may have been the venue it was in.
b. How incredibly “old” most of the delegates were – I felt young!
c. How incredibly white and middleclass most of the delegates were.
I wonder if the first point maybe as a result of the last 2.
It struck me that although there were some “new media” initiatives at the NRB and no doubt there were some people with new and creative ideas, most of it is the same old same old. Old TV and Radio networks, courting new clients to come on their platforms, new and older media ministries looking for new, better, or cheaper platforms to broadcast on, and then all the “business” aspects – the media buyers, fundraising experts etc. all propping up an aging broadcasting model that I have little doubt will not survive much longer due to the changing broadcast market.
The other thing that shocked me was how incredibly white almost all the delegates were – given that statistically the fastest growing churches are ethnic ones – Latin in the US and Afro Caribbean in the UK – WHERE ARE THEY WHEN IT COMES TO BROADCASTING!!!! Have they felt so “kept out” of the scene that they don’t bother anymore – I know for example there are some networks focused entirely on these communities but I didn’t see any of them at the NRB.
I had lunch with a friend of mine and we discussed these 2 issues and I think both of us came to the conclusion (I certainly did) that IF the NRB is still around in 10 – 15 years time it will have to be a very different organisation to what it is now.
To their credit they are trying some new and interesting things – such as a presentation on creativity by a Disney Exec and some other stuff – but generally speaking the thrust of the event is “business” rather than “creative” and is very much focused on the traditional models of what they think “broadcasting” is. One network did launch a new IPTV service which in one sense sounds new and cutting edge – but really from what I saw its just a new way of delivering the same old boring content that the next generation has already bypassed on their way to YouTube, Facebook and Myspace etc.
If as Christian Media practitioners we want to be here for the long haul then we have to engage the next generation of young people through making relevant and attractive content for them – BUT also and maybe more importantly we have to find a way of bringing them and their creativity into the heart of what we do and have them be the ones leading the way to the future – otherwise we won’t have a future.
Why is it that most successful media companies have a policy of finding and nurturing the best new creative talent and promoting them to senior positions as quickly as possible – is it because they know that’s the way forward? Conversely how many Christian media organisations do you know that have people on their management boards who are under 30? – I can’t name any!
Also it does concern me that at a place like the NRB there is so little multi cultural representation – are we as Christian broadcasters not able to find ways of integrating our content so it attracts viewers from different racial backgrounds – if we as the “Body of Christ” which is supposed to be the most integrated and inclusive organisation EVER created can’t do it then what hope does society have. Perhaps this is an area we have to work much harder at as I believe it is essential moving forward that we as the Christian broadcast market find a way of doing this and modelling it to the church and the wider world.
There again, maybe I’m just jaded and everything really is alright with the Christian broadcasting scene – I hope this is the case, but I don’t think it is and unless we engage in these discussions now BUT also actively seek ways to move forward in these areas then maybe we won’t be around in 10 – 15 years time – just a thought – maybe a worrying one, but one we do have to face.
PS – for those of you wondering if my healing has fully manifest (se previous blog) well the answer is not quite. I’ve been up and down physically over the past 3 weeks – but am now getting MUCH stronger. Still not seen it happen totally yet BUT am MUCH MUCH better.
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