Subscribe to our feed
even cartoons grow up
I recently had the pleasure of speaking before a group of 500 business leaders in California’s mighty San Fernando Valley. The event was the 21stAnnual Business Forecast Conference, hosted by the Valley Industry and Commerce Association (VICA). One of the corporate sponsors of the event was The Walt Disney Company, which was founded in Burbank (part of the Valley) eight decades ago.
The “Valley” is a force to be reckoned with. First of all, for anyone not familiar with Los Angeles, yes, this is the same Valley from whence hail Frank and Moon Unit Zappa’s tubular and awesome “Valley Girls”. It is home to many studios and arms of the entertainment industry, and its dazzling economy rivals that of many small nations overseas! Simply, you can buy anything you’ve ever wanted right on Ventura Boulevard, the Valley’s main artery. A designer wedding dress? A shot of fresh wheat grass juice? A rare vintage LP? A pink sapphire “Hello,Kitty” tongue-stud? All right there, with valet parking.
What I spoke about was the power of optimists. I said that although pessimists are often right in their gloomy assessment of things, optimists are the ones who engineer change. And a receptive attitude toward change and innovation is key to surviving and, even better, thriving, as the world changes around us.
I just read that even Mickey Mouse, who put Disney on the map back in the day, is feeling a sea-change. According to The New York Times, the world’s most recognizable American icon is about to undergo a major makeover. Why? Probably something to do with the fact that less than 20% of Mickey’s $5 billion in merchandise sales are generated in the US. Today’s Nickelodeon and Pixar generation don’t relate to the squeaky-voiced rodent.
His new incarnation as “Epic Mickey”, designed for Nintendo’s Wii console, is slated for Autumn, 2010, and is hoped to make Mickey more relevant and more lucrative. A lesson to all of us who resist the inevitable. No pain, no change, no gain.