In 2009, Gareb Shamus, founder of Wizard Entertainment, asked Peter Guber to invest in his online venture Geek Chic Daily, a daily online newsletter for pop culture.
Having done his homework, Gareb knew that Guber was making products that were very youth centric. He’d also noticed that Guber was a few decades past his twenties and had no direct voice in the conversation with this youth audience who were critical to his since they would buy many of his entertainment products. What Gareb did next was story telling genius and sealed the deal.
“Remember the movie Big?” he asked. Of course Guber did. “Well,” Gareb said, “when I was a young boy I saw that movie and recognized that all older people had kids inside them.” Then he reminded me of the scene in which Tom Hanks and his much older boss – the owner of a toy company – play a “chopsticks” duet on a walking piano. This experience put the older man back in touch with his youth and with the audience he was trying to reach. Gareb understood that Guber was like that older guy who needed this relationship to tap into his young audience, and Gareb was Hanks’ counterpart. Geek Chic Daily, his story implied, was the piano that they could both play to bring their worlds together. If Guber became his partner, he would gain the currency and access he badly needed to tap into the demographic that was Gareb’s tribe.
Peter Guber invested in Geek Chic Daily, which successfully launched in October of 2009.
MORE ABOUT TELL TO WIN
To validate the power of telling purposeful stories, Guber includes in this book a remarkably diverse number of ‘voices’ – master tellers with whom he’s shared experiences. They include YouTube founder Chad Hurley, NBA champion Pat Riley, clothing designer Norma Kamali, “Mission to Mars” scientist Gentry Lee, Under Armour CEO Kevin Plank, former South African president Nelson Mandela, magician David Copperfield, film director Steven Spielberg, novelist Nora Roberts, rock legend Gene Simmons, and physician and author Deepak Chopra.
After listening to this extraordinary mix of voices, you’ll know how to craft, deliver – and own – a story that is truly compelling, one capable of turning others into viral advocates for your goal.
