Space Shuttle Atlantis Launch: STS-115 by Paul Williams, on Flickr

Reading Starting From Zero by David Gaughran prompted me to think about the changing nature of the skill set required by a creative to reach his/her audience in the crowded modern scene. “Be a genius and land a a big publisher” used to be the dream for writers. Now there’s the option to be a genius and master social media marketing, instead. 

So what new skills or breaks will the big winners of the future need?

Assume a surfeit of talented creatives Z in field X {writing, music, movie making, etc.}, and for the sake of argument let’s focus only on those after Big Fame — a condition that precludes success for all.

What might the new discriminating factors be? 

I thought of: 

• Have the staying power to give away loss-leader for longer than the next guy. Become famous, in short, before charging for anything, because there’s so much of everything available for free.
• Start famous. That is, even more so than before, people made famous by the contagion of being connected with pre-existing fame (e.g. children of the famous) will get an amplified boost in the fame game.
• Start as a video game. Or more likely the future equivalent. Likely to imply deep pockets behind the creative work, as the old standard of “find a big publisher” required. 
• Possess mental talent X as yet unknown, that lets you mind-meld with your audience in cyberspace. 🙂