Gif-Making and Free Form
Would a gif of any other name (say, gif – pronounced differently) be as eye-catchingly effective?
Would a gif-maker of any other name (aside from our guest Pete Blackburn, of course) be as successful?
The young social media maestro seems to believe that, should he hypothetically collide with a bus in the near future, a gif-makers of many other names would, in fact, be successful.
“There are a ton of people making NHL gifs now,” he laughed, remarking his new suggested status as being replaceable.
Already at such a young age and early point in his career, however, Blackburn seems to have done precisely the opposite of taking well-occupied and well-tread paths – optinginstead for the untapped potentials.
Most impressive of all? He’s done it his way, honoring his branded style. It’s refreshing.
After a week of sweating over the reality of what may be my undesirable first gig, Blackburn gave me hope that, with enough insight into opportunity, I, along with the rest of my classmates, may very well be capable of pursing our passions straightaway (working from home rather than in an obscure town).
By building upon each successive success, Blackburn has reached an already sought-after point in his career. It’s a journey that any and all of us can relate to, given the relatively small age gap we share, and his easy demeanor perhaps sold me too well on the possibilities I may unlock.
After hearing him speak about his route to UPROXX, I was temporarily prepared to toss out all of my mature realizations from just a week prior. And then I remembered something of critical importance.
Let us refer back to my first line. Forced. Weak. Simply not funny.
Just as Blackburn suggested for us all, I have attained some level of self-awareness. Humor and I were not meant to be.
But as much as I’d like to stay clear of the temptation to inject any form of cleverness, I’m confronted with a few problems:
- The current social media sports audience has been conditioned to tune out anything lacking wit (particularly people of the younger generation to whom Blackburn even admitted his writing is best geared towards).
- Injecting even the slightest comedic element in your analysis or storytelling will inevitably always enhance your perceived entertainment value and subsequently the majority of reader interest.
- Much like Blackburn, I have zero interest in the cut-and-dry aspects of beat reporting. He was quick to identify the state of “misery” many of the people occupying those positions subscribed to just as I, too, found this to be the case earlier in our seminars.
It’s a personal problem to be certain (no doubt many of my peers, both in this course and outside of it, wield internet wittiness with ease). The point I am attempting to raise, however, is that, while it’s most important to follow one’s passion, it may not always lead to the road of greatest success.
We are all well-acquainted with the old happy/less professional renown versus discontent/career fame dichotomy. For my own selfish desires, however, I will express a hope that the newest trend or craze, the one we would all surely love to predict, will lend itself to those of us who are less comically inclined.
Fortunately, however, it won’t matter too much in the grander scheme. Because aside from pursuing passions or areas of strength, the greatest quality to attain (or more likely, to dredge up from within) may very well be initiative.
Time and again our guests always seemed to return to that one, self-motivating theme, and Blackburn was no different (finding both recognition, comfort and professional satisfaction).
Exploring an untapped source of recognition? Beginning his own blog? Exploring alternative avenues (such as podcasting)?
Blackburn did all of these things not because he was told to but because he was himself driven to achieve. He acquired skills in coding, began writing for no audience and assumed online responsibilities that those in established positions wouldn’t dare.
It doesn’t truly matter what, as Professor Shorr phrased the inquiry, “he wants to be when he grows up” or even what relevant technologies or trends will exist. Blackburn and people like him (namely, Joon Lee and Jared Carrabis) will succeed because they will already have their sights set, ears to the ground and adaptable attitudes.
And while, much like comedy, these traits are more innate than taught, there remains no reason why any of us shouldn’t become candidates for further seminar discussion in a few years’ time – this time on the other side of the classroom