Think you don’t have the skills necessary to chase your dream? Think again. Imagine a Grammy award-winning producer behind the biggest names on earth….who doesn’t play an instrument. Get ready to be inspired by Devo Harris (Springsteen).
John Legend, Kanye West, Britney Spears and Aretha Franklin are some of the BIGGEST musical acts in the world, and they all worked with a Grammy award-winning producer who has one small secret: he doesn’t play a single instrument. Devo Harris (Springsteen) is the humble genius behind global successes, and who has a passion for one thing: innovation. Now, the man who helped to launch, create, and shape the music we love by his innovative packaging of sounds is releasing interactive video technology through his company, Adventr. It’s already disrupting marketers’ expectations of what can be done with video. The crazy part? It’s affordable enough for small businesses.
It’s our first episode of "Big on Small", and boy are we kicking it off big! Devo doesn’t play an instrument, but he won a Grammy. He’s not a coder, but now he’s leading one of the most innovative tech companies in the world. Devo outlines exactly what it takes to be successful and unpacks a number of myths that people hold around what it takes to thrive in an industry that you’re passionate about when you’re not necessarily the “talent”.
“That’s the difference between me and the next person,” he says. “It isn’t any genius. I think it’s … I literally do believe that anything is possible, and I think that anyone can win, including me. And I think too many of us don’t believe that.”
When listening to Devo talk about his life, it’s hard to not to get excited and inspired. He’s been at the forefront of trends, cultural creation and digital disruption, simply because he believed he could be. We all have BIG ideas that start off as small businesses. Devo was absolutely no different. Surrounded by musical geniuses, he could have devalued his own gifts. Instead, he innately understood that “genius” lies in understanding, and leaning into our own passions and gifts. Then going and doing something WITH that understanding.
“I think inertia is strong. It’s one thing for us to say, ‘Well, I wish one day, they would do this. They would change music so it would look like this, or they would change our cars so they did this.’ But who is they? Who are these magical people that are supposed to make our lives better?”
Well, we’re here to tell you that Devo is actually one of those magical people, and his next innovation, Adventr, is incredibly exciting, not just for small businesses, but for how it’s shaping our expectations of video. Forget just watching video. Now you can shape the story as you watch, and in the future, even talk to what you are watching and have the story change before your very eyes! Could this be paving the way for the Star Trek Holodeck to become a reality? Will we see our favorite character in a movie drinking a coffee and decide to have the same coffee delivered to our door before the episode is done? Will you look back on the early days of video and think how limited it was?
The answer is yes, and that future is here.
It’s hard not to be impressed with Devo, and yet he has one big takeaway for every listener, and it is this: YOU hold the magic to change your future. He says the only difference between him and everyone else? He’s willing to take on the pain to chase his dream against all odds.
We’re inspired, and we know you will be as well!
Tune in to find out how this humble visionary is taking what he learned from launching music careers to reshape business, and precisely what he has in common with YOU. By the time you’re done listening, you’ll literally be choosing YOUR own Adventr!
Cool links referenced in this episode:
- "Diamonds Are Forever" by Shirley Bassey - Listen to the song that inspired Devo to produce Grammy award-winning song, "Diamonds from Sierra Leon" by Kanye West (Explicit Song Warning)
- "Attack of the 5 Ft Hipster" by Riot !n Pairs - Choose Your Own Adventure Music Video Example (Explicit Song Warning) Watch this short section of the adventure to see how Devo and his team hacked YouTube to create this interactive video in 2010.
- "Attack of the 5 Ft Hipster" by Riot !n Pairs - Music Video - The standard version that Devo and his team put out that received a 'meh' reaction
- Front Page Detective - ‘Seven Seas To Danger’ - It's always fun to take a moment and watch how far we've come in the the entertainment industry.
- Hollywood Reporter - HBO Responds to Coffee Cup "Mistake" in 'Game of Thrones' Episode - If you're like Karolyn and aren't a GoT fan, here's an article about the incident that could have utilized interactive video for some fun marketing opportunities.
- The Dog's Adventure Marc Jacobs Interactive Ad - Do you love dogs? Do you want to see how Adventr is taking interactive video to the next level? Have you still not clicked the link to go view the ad yet? Watch it now!
Extra Goodies:
- Piano Lesson with John Legend - Ever wondered how it would be to learn piano from John Legend? In this interactive video by Adventr, you can find out!
- REI Interactive Video - Another great example of interactive video working for businesses. If you sign up for Adventr, be sure to tag us @BigOnSmall in the video you post to social media!
Connect with Devo:
Follow us on Facebook, Instagram and Twitter @Bigonsmall
The Big on Small podcast is powered by InspireHUB - creators of the award winning IHUBApp Digital Experience Platform.
Credits:
Produced and directed by Samantha Castro and Karolyn Hart. Additional support by Sue Braiden, Richard Brashear, Audrey Duncan and Sue Jenks. Theme music by Noah Smith. Ad music by Rhythm Scott. Mixed by Samantha Castro.
Music in this episode:
- Ghost Beats “Introspective”
- GRAMATTYK “Wait”
- McCall “End Of August”
- GLASWING “I’ve Been Feeling So Good”
- Isaac Joel “Inky Caps”
