Paxton
Baker, Managing Partner Liquid Soul, mixes both a creative and a quantitative
approach to his work. Previously at BET in programming, his current work at
Liquid Soul is much more entrepreneurial. “When you run a TV network you’re
working on acquisitions, the daily line-up, new specials, documentaries, awards.
Plus you’re watching ratings and you’re ever mindful of the competition. As a
consultant, you’re looking for trends and watching out for multiple clients and
their various brands, not ratings,” he explained.
Charlene Weisler: Is there a
difference in promoting a concert vs. a TV show? What are the considerations
for each?
Paxton
Baker: A concert is live event; you have
to get someone to go out – to do something. It has to be warm and embracing to
evoke a reaction. At a comedy show, similar to a concert, people want to laugh,
at an R& B concert they want to sing or, take a Hip Hop concert. It’s in
your face and you want to dance. So, you’re driving human emotion. For TV you
can sit back and relax. It’s a different type of experience.
From a
concert perspective, music hasn’t really transferred to TV. There are some
things that you do at a concert that you can’t do when you’re watching it on
TV. A concert is live in real time. For TV you’re a bystander, no one sees your
reaction. If you’re an artist on stage you can feed off the energy from the
audience. A concert aired on TV isn’t
the same experience. TV is one-way communication…someone is communicating
something to you. There are certain programs with active communication where
you can use Twitter and participate using multiple screens, but for the most part
the reaction is kept to you or with a limited amount of people. At a concert
you are participating in an experience. You’re laughing along with hundreds,
thousands of others. You’re sharing music, comedy with others. TV doesn’t do
that yet.
Charlene Weisler: What is your
process in developing a program?
Paxton
Baker: It varies. It's a different process for different types of programs.
There is a process for developing a documentary and a different one for an
award show, for example. For Soul Train, we recognized iconic artists from our
history and also introduced modern artists to new audiences. It’s the same way
Don Cornelius did it. He introduced Gladys Knight and Chaka Khan to his
audience. When I produced the Soul Train Awards, I was mindful of that
heritage. We broke new artists like Bruno Mars and Miguel. They got their first
ever recognition on TV at the Soul Train Awards. We wanted to bring our great
heritage but also offer a modern twist. So it's a different mindset. We
produced a documentary on President Obama’s first trip to Africa. There was so
much heritage, so much hope and fulfillment. We wanted to evoke those feelings
in the audience. You shoot a lot of b-roll with the mindset of capturing the
emotions to bring to the television screen. For the concert there is immediate
awareness. In TV there are a lot of little pockets and corners where you can
tuck away visuals and program subconsciously.
There are things that people aren’t aware of, that they can come back to
and discover and rediscover. With DVRs you can play back over and over again.
You don’t get to do that at a live event.
Charlene Weisler: What are the
most important considerations in trying to attract an audience to a program or
an event?
Paxton
Baker: Whatever you do you have to be mindful of the end result, what’s
important to the audience. For Sneaker Con our sweet spot is 18 -24 year-olds.
They’re interested in what’s hip and now and a degree of sustainability. They’re not interested in what their parents
are interested in. They want what’s quick and transactional. It’s the currency
of now.
Charlene Weisler: What is the
profile of sneakerheads? And how do you market Sneaker Con?
Paxton
Baker: Sneakerheads are 18 -24 year-olds for the most part. There are 25% who are 12-18 and approximately
50% in the 18 -24 range. They are extremely technologically advanced and very
mindful of trends and pop culture. At
one point MJ (Michael Jordan) was the most important person in sneakers. He
still in a top spot, but sneaker culture has moved to pop culture and Kanye is
now the most important person from a trending perspective. He is the most
important person in the modern athleisure wear market and he’s a pop figure,
not a basketball player. The successful basketball shoe is one that can cross
over from the court to pairing with your jeans off the court. The most
successful shoes make the transition. So the bulk of the promotion and
marketing is done over social media and by word of mouth. There are no TV ads
and very little radio. With social media our marketing is extremely targeted
and focused and the results are there as well.
Charlene Weisler: Give me some
predictions of the media landscape 5 years from now.
Paxton
Baker: Everything is dependent on the platforms. Literally you can watch TV on
your watch. Programming will continue to be more interactive. Everyone wants to see it now, on their terms.
Netfllix was the game changer for binge watching and appointment television
will continue to change. Live programming like sports will continue to be
important and more emphasis will be based on live events. In politics, debates
are already much more interesting and will continue to be more interactive.
People will be better able to participate and ask questions in real time and
interaction with screens will continue to evolve. Who knows, we may soon be able to watch great
programming from space.
Charlene Weisler: What advice can
you give today’s graduates who are seeking a career in media?
Paxton
Baker: Be open-minded and learn as much as possible. You can program your own
channel and if you’re driving a trend, TV will pick it up and will expand your
reach to millions. One word of caution, just make sure you’re proud of what you
upload as it lives forever and can come back to bite you. Technology is
important for the modern programmer, but an open mind is overwhelmingly
important.
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