Becca asked about my approach to creative leadership. If I had to sum it up in one line, I’d say the most important thing is to show that you care. Come to think of it, that’s also a big part of how I approach the work. Here are some examples.
Showing fans that you care about sports as much as they do: Sunday Ticket
To launch Sunday Ticket on YouTube, we wanted out-of-market football fans to know that we understood their pain, and offer a little relief (at least on Sundays).
For the Super Bowl the following year, we reminded fans that football season would be back soon, and encouraged them to get ready for it.
Then, when the season started again, we reminded them why there’s no day like Sunday, when you are a football fan.
Showing #1 fans that you are a #1 fan too: YouTube communities
Few artists have a deeper connection with their fans like Taylor Swift. To tease her 11th album on YouTube, we turned outdoor boards into a launchpad for a global social activation for Swifties.
For Sabrina Carpenter, we gave fans a reason to watch her music video over and over again by changing its ending daily.
To thank the Minecraft community on YouTube for 1 trillion views, we brought creators and fans together in an easter-egg filled celebration.
Showing that product demos can be entertaining: Google Devices
For the Oscars, we showed how Google’s helpfulness can fit into your life, even if your life happens to be in the movies.
For a month-long Google store sale during the pandemic, we turned product use-cases into episodic content released daily.
Another thing you should know about me, I’m a bit of a nerd (that’s obviously an understatement). When I was 12, my mom took me to visit a friend who had a TV with remote control (a novelty at the time in Brazil). I came back home and built a complex system of pulleys using fishing line, old lego pieces and a lot of superglue to change TV channels from a distance. I should have patented it.
In the last several months, I’ve been knee-deep in Gen AI, vibe coding apps and creating short films. While some people see AI as the thing that will replace creative jobs, the 12-year old optimistic nerd in me sees it as the tool that will let creatives free the ideas that were stuck in their heads previously. Creating with AI is both magical and maddening, mostly because you can’t quite craft to your expectation yet. I made a video about this and my process recently.
Looking forward to chatting with you.
Haas
Haas