Why do we go to the movies? This is a question I have been pondering over the last week as both myself and Justin settle back from what has now become an annual trip to the Sundance Film Festival – seeing 18 films in 4 days. I know. It sounds exhausting. It is. To sit and watch movie after movie after movie is hard work. But before you scream foul, let’s consider the real question – “Why?” Why immerse yourself into what is seemingly an over-hyped, celebrity infused, celebration of entertainment (other than getting our pictures with Chris Rock and Ty Burell of course)?

Well, I’m glad you asked. It’s because it’s not about entertainment.

Sure, this is not the case for all movies. Anything being released from the Big 6 (studios) is ultimately banking on you buying an experience in “entertainment”. But for a significant portion of the independent filmmakers that find themselves at festivals such as Sundance, it’s about something else. And it better be, as out of the 10,000+ films submitted and the 114 films that make it into the festival each year, less than half get acquired for distribution (45 films in 2011). Actually, the percentage of films being sold has historically been more like 10% (14 in 2010). All this to say, if filmmakers are creating films with the hopes that they get bought, they are better off playing their local lottery.

Fortunately, this is not the drive for most. Filmmakers are artists. They are ultimately about expression. Expression of an idea and form. An idea that happens to get disseminated through a visual medium such as film. An idea that’s tethered to a passion. And whatever the angst, in a space such as Sundance, the ideas emerge via story form. Stories about social change. Stories about life’s complexities. Stories about relationships. Stories about what could be.

Read the rest of the entry >

So, one of our interns (let’s call him Steve) has an ongoing list he carries around on his iPhone called the “million dollar ideas list”. It contains a variety of outside-the-box, mostly funny, ideas that are just reasonable enough to cause you to pause and think… “yeah, that just might work.” Ideas like the ravioli with the sauce INSIDE, the stretch-to-fit band-aids, and the (heated) bean bag toilet have all prompted lively discussions in our office. (By the way, by reading this you are virtually signing our NDA.)

In many ways, the simple thought that something “just might work” has been the angst that has kept progress afloat. It was the catalyst for the Wright Brother’s first flight. It was the precursor to Thomas Edison’s incandescent light bulb. And it was the basis for some of the most innovative means of productivity – everything from Ford’s assembly line to Wikipedia’s (volunteer) community of publishers.

But, here’s the problem.

Few of us consistently give space for ideas. We tend to go about the monotony of our daily routine and write-off any such “thought” as an ineffective use of our time. Even if we get to the “just might work” moment, it is often derailed by our realization that we simply do not have the time to research, to experiment, to wonder.

We would be wise to pause here and take a few cues from who very well might be the worldwide leader of idea development these days… Google. Sure, they currently have the resources to hold such a position; however, this was not always the case. In fact, a significant portion of Google’s growth in the early days was directly correlated to Google’s “laboratory” mentality. As most are now aware, Google has what has been deemed their “20% Time” program, where employees devote 20% of their time to something that is company related, but also is of personal interest or intrigue. In other words, if you have the thought that something “just might work”, they want you to try it (on company time and with company resources). Popular products such as Gmail, Adsense, Orkut, Google Talk, Google Earth, and Google News all emerged out of various engineer’s “20% Time.”

Throughout our week, we meet with numerous business owners and entrepreneurs that are looking for ways to improve (or begin) their business. It does not take much to notice the difference between those that will likely succeed and those that will likely fail. Sure, there are countless factors that go into the success of company, but all of those factors revolve around one thing: the idea. Is it good? Is it unique? Is it the focus? And can it be implemented?

Again, the problem is not necessarily whether something can happen or not, the problem is that we don’t give weight and attention to idea development in the first place.

Try something different this week. Schedule an hour for ideas. What are the primary problems in your industry that need addressing? What are the possible solutions? What do you care about? What matters to you? Before you (hopefully) embark upon many ventures in idea development, I leave you with a fair warning. If you’re committed, if you’re consistent, it’s very possibility that you’ll land upon something that… well, “just might work.”

So here we are…3 days from Father’s Day! This may be old news to you, but quite possibly, some of you are now starting to sweat and frantically trying to figure out what to get that very important paternal figure in your life!

Well, we at Rule29 have done some of the research for you. From the homemade to the extravagant, there is a never ending list of wonderful gifts for Dad, but here are a few our our favorites:

1) For the dad who loves to be the center of attention-Fauxshow. A personalized “radio” show just for your dad. Of course , it is never actually aired but he doesn’t have to know that!

Read the rest of the entry >

It’s in our nature to anticipate the future – we always want to make things better than they already are. Even the smallest ideas, from a single person, can eventually grow into something massive and perhaps even change the world. Just think, because of our desire for progress computers are faster, communication is easier, and we have hundreds of different fonts to choose from!

This simple concept is the foundation of a website community known as The Better Project. We at Rule29 love our social networks, but we love it even more when those networks can change the world through collaboration.
Read the rest of the entry >