It’s been a really busy week, so I’m a little late with my response to all this, but I’ll just jump right in:
I stand by what I said, how I said it, and where I said it. I do not strive for the kind of “peace” that comes from hiding our heads in the sand. I do not require an apology, and I am not here to offer one. Zcash Media took advantage of this community. There is so much evidence of that, but here’s the latest example:
ZM justified the current “host” format by saying that it’s a typical format used by educational videos, and ZCG took them at their word. But those who have worked with video production companies know that the host format is nothing but a convenient way to cut costs. Educational videos use this format because they tend to have lower budgets. If you put a host that simply talks in front of the camera, you don’t have to fill that space with actual content like expensive, time-consuming graphics, animations, etc. That’s what makes videos more expensive. It’s also lazy story telling since instead of showing engaging visuals, hosts can just read text.
The host can also be a liability, because if the audience doesn’t like the host’s personality/facial expressions/etc, they will drop off. The success of the video becomes reliant on the personality of the host, so if you don’t have someone experienced and magnetic (think Anthony Bourdain), the host is a huge risk. But Zcash Media didn’t even hire a professional. They used their own producer - someone that came at no extra cost to ZM. His appearance is a matter of opinion, but his inexperience is clear from his consistent tendency to over-emote. This is not million dollar content.
I don’t know anyone at ZM, I don’t have any personal attachments to that project, good or bad. I know many in the community know them personally. Perhaps that has clouded their judgement. None of it is personal to me. I do not believe decision makers at ZM deserve the kid gloves they are being handled with. They’re not victims. They are a company that was hired to do a job and paid really well. Frankly, this level of favoritism is disturbing. No one, that knows the details of this grant, thinks that what is happening with ZM is normal or standard procedure. The way in which this grant has been mismanaged is so irrational that there are conspiracy theories flying around, which, given the response to that Twitter thread behind the scenes, feel almost true. Almost. I think there’s a much simpler explanation for what’s happening.
Zcash Media is a bad grant, mismanaged in every way over a long period of time due to a lack of experience. ZCG members have 0 years of combined experience in marketing. $700K for this… - it is extraordinary in the worst of ways. No one with marketing background would choose to spend their marketing budget this way and expect results. ZCG’s inexperience led to a massive waste of funds, and its inability to leverage feedback from content creators and other professionals with relevant background is what led to the current situation and tone. Any frustration resulting from that is justified. Instead of focusing on the tone in which this frustration is expressed and trying to control where and how it is expressed, we’d be smart to address the root cause of it.
Instead, ZCG continues to come out with head-scratching decisions like the one posted 12 hours ago:
Hope dies last. Against all odds, the second video will surely be the blockbuster that shows us where the $700K went, and the results will outweigh the opportunity cost of dragging this whole disaster out. Or not.
Again, I stand by what I said. That tone is well-deserved and every word of that Twitter thread is true. If anyone wants to challenge a specific phrase in that thread, let’s discuss. If someone doesn’t like the tone, well… it’s a matter of opinion. An opinion that is not shared by everyone.