There’s a phenomenon I’ve observed that happens frequently in the creative world. Someone gets something established, maybe a podcast, runs it for awhile, and then decides to become a consultant to help others get their offering up and running.
There’s nothing inherently wrong with this. They’re using their expertise to help others, and maybe avoid some pitfalls and time-wasting on the way.
But when I come across these seminars and webinars and see an attached price-tag that makes my eyes cross, that’s when I get worried. Because it seems to be promising success, maybe even easy success, to someone who might have to get down and dirty and just do it.
I mean, like the person offering the seminar did.
There’s also an occasional slight whiff of hypocrisy there, or maybe I’m reading too much into it, but if podcasting/whatever is right for you, why are they in a hurry to get out of doing it? What soured for them? Maybe that would be a better topic for that webinar.
In my Notes app, I have a whole series of scripts for short videos to help beginning directors, actors, and theatre people with some topics to think about. (Some of them are extensions of what I talk about in my short book, 12 Steps To Better Staging: Dr. Schrum’s Practical Handbook for Staging Plays.) And when I get to make them (one of these days!), I’ll be offering them for free. To me, the education and instruction is more important than the remuneration.
Of course, if anyone would want to hire me for workshops and supply the students with the book, that would be nice…
Let me know what your experiences have been with seminars and webinars, if any, or what you think of my perception—am I just being sensitive? In any case, please like and follow!
MUSOFYR 
You are not being too sensitive. You are probably understating the matter. When you write a book or produce a podcast
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You are not being too sensitive. You are probably understating the matter. When you write a book or produce a podcast on the subject of theater, that has real value. Your hard work, education, and experience have earned you the right to sell your knowledge. In the world that you and I have known for most of our lives, there was a common understanding that the right to sell knowledge had to be earned.
But in this world, the world of influence/social media/algorithms, the world of “likes and shares”, that understanding is gone. There is a growing group of people who are selling knowledge they do not have. The attitude seems to be “if people like and share what I say, then I have a right to make money from that. If what I am saying is in accurate, dishonest, or even dangerous, that’s not my problem”.
It’s very closely related to the the widespread sharing of false and accusations, even horrifying accusations.
A: “Biden raped his daughter!”
B: “what’s your proof?”
A: “Do your own research!”
Here the accuser has no proof. Maybe the accuser believes that he has done some research because he searched on google and read a couple of articles. But that’s not proof. It’s not even re-search.
For several years now I have been saying that the devil was often called “the accuser” in armageddon prophecy. We now live with a very powerful system that enables anyone to falsely accuse anyone of anything and spread that lie around the whole world almost instantaneously. The same system incentivizes that despicable behavior. Psychological incentives and financial incentives. It is an incredibly effective system. Will it destroy us?
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Your “accuser” comment is most intriguing. It amazes me how people can just make statements and then others grab pitchforks and torches to attack the monster that exists solely in their minds and fears
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