Listening to the radio this morning, I learned that Utah leads the nation in the per-capita online consumption of, wait for it – porn. When combined with a meeting I had later in the morning – it inspired me to write this post. My mind connects dots – and sometimes, the results are a little out there.
Anyway, you should know that the two industries that have really driven online video production, streaming and distribution are porn, and religion. Those industries have lead the way on the cutting edge in the development of the tools and services we all now take for granted. Without religion and porn, the Internet’s multi-media capabilities would not even be close to what they are today. I would say that they have had the same dominant role in media production that gaming has had on the software, device and platform development industries.
Since I haven’t done any meetings with porn peddlers, my only point of reference is on the religious side – and what I’ve seen has been amazing. I attend Puyallup FourSquare church where I-don’t-know-how-many million dollars has been spent on the media program. It is impressive – and made even more so by the fact that much of the work that’s being done is by volunteers.
I also had a chance to check out another big-media-church’s operation today. The vision coming from the CEO (Sr. Pastor) is just amazing. His analysis of where they’ve been, where they’re heading, the evolution of the tools and people required to get there, and the subtle differences in content choices and strategies he can employ – is impressive. I would venture to say he could go out and be a very strong media consultant, coach and producer tomorrow if he wasn’t already engaged. His knowledge of both the production and content sides of the equation is robust – and that’s why he’s miles ahead of others who would seek to do the same.
My point is that the vision going forward in the online video revolution comes from some places you might not normally expect to look. My most recent primary client was a visionary who bucked all trends, the economy and his parent company to try to take his enterprise to the next level with new media. Most people would not pick him for a cutting-edge type, as nice and as much of a good guy as he is. And yet, there he was. Likewise, local churches are doing some amazing things that anybody who attends should be thinking about applying to their own business or enterprise.
As for the porn industry? Well, like war, a lot of valuable products are spun off from the pursuit of morally dubious enterprises – and the video revolution is no different.
Next stop: Utah.
