He caught me off guard with his Hello! As if we have been meeting every day, but the last we met was almost eleven years ago... I was buying music for the promo department at the channel I worked at, and he owned the online library.
We were both at a content show, and he was about to take the stage as the next speaker. When I wished him luck, it made me feel good that someone I had crossed paths professionally in the past, still had me in his memory after all these years. It reinforced my belief in staying authentic – being genuine, honest, and friendly, because I've noticed that people tend to remember you when you leave a distinct and positive impression.
He spoke about his new platform which got many interested about what it has to offer but the questions that followed made me wonder if a little about the intention. Like somebody mentioned all the global destinations that he was going to film his project trying to understand if this platform will suggest music for each of these regions as one of the features helps suggesting music. Somehow, I felt that the question could have also been rephrased and put simply that would the platform suggest music for different cultural destinations, if a project has been shot around the world. Somehow the long list of names of international destinations in the question made it sound superficial (personally to me) and I felt the question could have been less flashy.
Later, it occurred to me that maybe the prevailing vibe had set a mood for me and hence my initial reaction. When the session began, an IP holder of a famous comic book series shared information about an animated series in the works. But then came a question that left me a bit puzzled: why wasn't the series in 3D, and why did the creators opt for 2D? It got me wondering about the intent behind this question and how it fit into the grand scheme of things. If I owned the rights, I'd have the freedom to shape it however I pleased and explore different mediums. The risk of how it turns out would be on me. There could be various factors influencing their decision, like cost, talent, artistic vision, strategy, and more.
The representative sidestepped the topic, explaining her inability to comment on the producer's approach to the project. I couldn't help but feel that the question and the ones that came after it didn't really have the substance to spark a much more engaging discussion, even though the session had all the elements for it – experts, an audience, and a perfect setting.
As I munched on the delicious sandwiches later over a cup of coffee, I mulled over my take aways. It was indeed a very well-organized event at the best of venues one can possibly imagine. The grandeur of the place is overwhelming that it would take many visits for it to sink in and get over the floating feeling that one gets inside. And I met an old friend who still remembers me even after a decade, having met me only a few times professionally while closing a deal. Last but not least, questions should connect on a deeper level and have a strong reason for veering away from the context. If we're not well-informed (an interpreted by me), it's best to simply unwind, relish the moment, and allow the new information to absorb.
P.S.: If I ever find myself in a sticky situation with those good folks who get flustered by my thoughts and thinking style, or the same folks who asked the questions, I'd simply say, "I didn't ask any questions myself as I was letting the new information sink in because I didn't have much knowledge about the topics."