What the Warner Bros. 2021 new release announcement means for everyone else

Disruption is less a single event than a process that plays out over time, sometimes quickly and completely, but other times slowly and incompletely. 
-Harvard Business Review; December 2012
The quote from Harvard Business Review was selected very deliberately when we published Part I of our new blog series on Monday.
 
Ya see, a lightning bolt hit me over the summer following our SparkJam 2020 event. 
 
Some incredible ideas came out of the day, but what was missing was a long term plan that accounts for the significant disruption that has left industry sectors such as Live Arts, Travel and Tourism, Restaurants, and even Live Sports reeling. 
 
In short, nothing that I heard went far enough to create durability and sustainability that will lead to new opportunities as we advance toward recovery.
 
Thursday’s announcement by Warner Bros marks a significant blow for the movie industry. This is a prime example of an industry that this been ripe for disruption for some time (remember MoviePass?). And referring back to the HBR quote, really one that has been in play for quite a while. 
 
I have seen this happen multiple times in my career. And in at least 3 different industries, I was on the front line or played a leadership role in developing new models for growth at scale.
 
These have followed and are still following the path Harvard Business Review lays out in that 2012 article.
 
It’s time to get uncomfortable. The power for change and disruption lies in segment leadership’s hands willing to invest in the power of disruptive thinking. 
 
One thing for certain is sitting still is not the answer. In Monday’s post, we covered what happens to those that do. 
The Warner Bros. announcement is the latest example. 
 
It’s the job of The Rocket Factory to help experts unlock new thinking.
 
Let us know how we can help.
Todd Feldman
Founder & President, The Rocket Factory