Kevin Spacey loves a good story.
I could give you 45 minutes on the ROI of effective SEO,” Kevin Spacey joked to his captivated audience at Content Marketing World 2014. “That’s right, I know your f-ing terms,” he laughed. (He dropped a lot of f-bombs that day, but that’s another story).
So why Kevin Spacey? You wouldn’t be the only one to ask that question, but there’s an excellent answer.
“I know what you’re all thinking: What the hell am I doing here? What exactly am I doing at a Content Marketing Institute event?” Apparently, he had pondered that very same question.
The Cleveland Story
He said he had to show up because “Joe ‘Itsy Bitsy’ Pulizzi” made him an offer he couldn’t refuse. This was, after all, the biggest content marketing shindig on the planet.
Spacey (brilliantly) imitated William Shatner accepting the same invite last year, and pointed out that LeBron James returning to the Cavaliers, Johnny Manziel joining the Browns, and the Republican National Convention planning its 2016 for Cleveland must make this city “hottest place in the United
States.”
The Story of Stories
Whether it’s Homer’s “Odyssey,” Ronald McDonald or “The Sopranos,” “it has always been about the story,” Spacey stressed. “The story is everything, which means it’s our jobs to tell better stories.”
He spoke of tension, conflict, surprise and characters of who take risks. That’s what sells. That’s what draws attention. Spacey knows. He’s lived it.
Good stories sell. It’s that simple.
Kevin Spacey’s Story
When Spacey was promoting his film “American Beauty” in London he had a yearning for challenge, so he decided to move there and start his own theater company. Everyone thought he had lost a few marbles, but The Old Vic Theater is entering its 11th season with Spacey at the helm as artistic director. “Our stories become far more interesting when they go against the settled order of things” Spacey said.
Make it Genuine
Spacey believes that authenticity is one essential ingredient. A story needs to feel genuine, not spun. The audience needs to buy it.
As his “House of Cards” character Frank Underwood has said: “There’s no better way to overpower a trickle of doubt than with a flood of naked truth.”
Citing great TV shows like “The Sopranos,” “Game of Thrones,” “Six Feet Under,” “Weeds,” “Homeland,” “Dexter,” “Mad Men,” and, of course, “House of Cards,” Spacey talked about how far we’ve come in our authenticity.
Not so long ago producers believed that all characters had to be perfect, but audiences have told us they want their stories more complex, and more real.
Spacey told the audience that every network except Netflix wanted them to compromise on “House of Cards,” but they held out. The lesson in that, Spacey said, is that you need to remain true to your creative ideas. The audience will pick up on the naked truth and embrace it. You win, they win.
Creative Breakthrough
The Internet has turned audience engagement on its head, breaking all the rules and defying the odds. There is no longer a monopoly on entertainment, and that’s what good content is, even if it also serves as functional purpose.
“It’s no longer about who you know, but what you can do,” he said. “The audience has spoken. They want stories. They’re dying for stories.” And “the talent is rising to the top.”