A good radio producer needs to know how to conduct emotion like an orchestra.

Susan Boyle is such a phenomenon that her soon to be released CD is being pre-ordered! Get on the waiting list here.

Have you seen the viral video that’s making the rounds? Susan Boyle singing beautifully on “Britain’s Got Talent”. The YouTube video has topped the 100 million-viewer mark – and may become the most viewed YouTube video ever.

Boyle, the 47-year-old resident of West Lothian, Scotland, sang the song  as she auditioned

before awestruck judges and audience members. Boyle said she’d like to be the next Elaine Page

Since then, the entire world has been watching — and rewatching — the dowdy woman with the unlikely, big voice.

OK, here’s the thing. Emotion is absolutley key here. Let’s go back to the beginning for perspective. Imagine you have just an etch-a sketch. Your mission as a producer is to create a lot of attention with whatever you can put on that screen.

That’s exactly the challenge  radio and TV producers are faced with every day. You’ve got a screen or a set of speakers and you’ve got to make something happen. So where do you turn? What direction do you take? Draw a few lines and hope it works? Not on your life.

You’ve got to touch hearts if you want to get real attention. I’ll use the Susan Boyle Video as an example. This was a masterpiece of attention getting . It looks so natural and feels so good to watch. Oh, and it is nicely embedded in real life to give it an extra sense of believability.

But don’t be fooled. This didn’t just happen. A producer was behind this. A good one.

The Hero’s Journey ( as taught by Joseph Campbell) is used extensively in this video.  In typical Hero’s Journey fashion, Susan Boyle  is a regular person just doing her regular thing. She is involved in a situation that is presented as a challenge. She takes the challenge against pretty big odds. The challenge is visible in the way she looks, the actual singing competition, the doubting audience, a panel of judges who don’t do charity. All elements that contribute to the dark night of the soul that  marks every hero’s journey .

She even has helpers, friends if you will.. the guys sidestage who are like a couple of accomplises. Their presence adds a lot to feelings that emerge in this video. They represent ‘us’.

Note: I am not suggesting that anything about the video if contrived. It was simply well crafted and presented in a way that contains these elements that make a great story.

Then she sings. She is pulling the sword from the stone. Big time.

The townspeople love it and give a big “hip hip hurray! ” Susan wins the day and delivers the goods to the people. Perfect ending. 

Knowing all this as I watched, I still felt it deeply and enjoyed it. That’s why The Hero’s Journey works. And true to the format, who get’s transformed ( the identifying characteristc of the hero)? Why,  she does, of course! Along with her, each of us do too as we identify with the hero.

 

One- He talked the way real people talk. Paul Harvey was the master of relating, using radio’s most powerful secret, one on one communication. His delivery felt personal.

Two- Use of word pictures. There has been none better than Paul Harvey. The man spoke theatre-of-the-mind. He used this radio tactic to the utmost. Instead of saying—“it was a cold day”, he would say something like “ it was so cold the stubbly grass on the front lawn was white with frost and crunched under foot.”

Three- He was direct. Quick. Staccato. He left little to ambiguity. Paul Harvey’s phrases were exact. Trimmed. Concise. A commanding style that creates a sense authority.

Four- He was real. We learned of his family. His weekends in the country. His meetings with celebrities. He shared his life with us. How he spent Thanksgiving, weddings, births and deaths.

Five-He was a master salesman with intergrity. Paul Harvey only endorsed products he believed in. No other person on radio has been so convincing. The best promotions do not appear to be promotions. The best sales methods do not appear to be selling at all. His commercials were little slices of information delivered in a compelling voice. Sincere. Believable. Relateable.

Six- He was professional. Paul Harvey was a pro, plain and simple. The best. His example of professionalism is an example of refinement. Educated for practicality. In other words. Useful knowledge.

Seven- Paul Harvey was a master storyteller. His beginnings, middles and endings kept the listener on the edge with curiosity, in the grip of drama and in the wonder of awe . His voice carried the story with such transparency that  he disappeared and the story took over.

Eight- He always gave more than expected and in honor of that principle, I give one extra lesson-

He was creative. One classic newscast was nothing but laughter. He got tickled, could not regain his composure and laughed the entire newscast, right up to his signature closing… Paul Harvey… good day.

Thank you Mr. Harvey, for the memories. Thank you for the laughs, the sharing, and the lessons.

God speed Paul Harvey.