Business
Ashley Botting and James Gangl are both professional actors, improvists, writers, and comedians. What do these two have to do with marketing? Improv, stepping out of your comfort zone, finding creativity, and the art of taking risks are all essential qualities every marketer needs to have and our two guests today have some insights on how to develop these key skills. Key Takeaways: [2:00] How do Ashley and James describe the work that they do? [4:00] Improv is a great team-building exercise and it helps build the fundamentals of communication. How did Ashley get into this space? [7:30] How did James get into improv? [10:15] What lessons has improv taught James and how can marketers benefit from this skill? [12:45] Create a product that makes it easy to market. It’s a lot easier to sell an amazing product than a bad one. [14:00] What makes something a bad production/bad product? [16:40] How do actors find work in a pandemic? Ashley weighs in. [21:00] Take a risk. Step outside of the safe ideas and get comfortable with rejection. [24:30] James shares the power of journaling and how it helps him source and find creative ideas. [30:00] You want to perform for the masses, not just for your peers. Ashley explains further what she means. [38:25] If your product comes across as disingenuous, people aren’t going to buy it. Role-play the personas you’re trying to target to really feel what it’s like to be in their shoes. [41:45] Do Ashley and James think of themselves as personal brands? [46:40] Ashley shares what her experience was like working on the set of Schitt’s Creek. [50:15] Why does James want to cook in Chile? [53:20] What would Ashely and James like their legacy to be? Mentioned in This Episode: Ashleybotting.com Ashley on IMDb Jamesgangl.com James on IMDb