Wolves, Coyotes and Bears: Embracing Change in a Post-AI World
Lately, I’ve been fielding a lot of concerns from colleagues about what the world will look like for Video Production in the next five years. I try to take a balanced point of view and remain cautiously optimistic with some caveats.
With the increasing popularity of tools such as ChatGPT, Midjourney, Stable Diffusion, etc., it’s a good time to start assessing our professional and creative attributes, which ones will move us forward, and others will hold us back.
AI will undoubtedly affect us both positively and negatively. Still, it brings the perfect opportunity to look inward and find a way to move with the tide rather than fight against it.
Our “Chapter of Adaptation” hasn’t begun with the upswing of AI but has accelerated it exponentially.
So, I got to thinking. I like wildlife. What if I were to break down the personalities of a Creative into animals?
I used to think of myself as a Wolf. Strategic in nature, bold, and calculating. As time passes, I have found that I exhibit more of the characteristics of a Coyote.
In the 16+ years I have been a Creative, I’ve had to reinvent myself and my studio numerous times to adjust to the times. So, this journey into animal behaviors started with my own experiences.
Just a little bit of History first
Often understated, the Coyote is a pretty remarkable animal. Its adaptability has proven to be the main reason why it, as a species, has thrived since the 1800s in the USA. At the same time, the Wolf had faced rapid decline due to habitat destruction, overhunting, and depletion of food sources (at least in New England). Bears, to a lesser extent than Wolves, have suffered nonetheless.
In contrast, the Coyote, which doesn’t maintain the mantle of an apex predator, succeeded with its flexible diet and social structure (they often live in small groups or in solitude). Coyotes found a way to co-exist with humans, whereas wolves and bears struggled to maintain their numbers in the face of the new competition.
The “Advances of AI” will be our “Post-Colonial Americans,” and we will find ourselves in one of three animal groupings, finding ways to adapt and survive.
This isn’t a professional history lesson, per se, but it’s been on the top of my mind for quite some time as I delve deeper into our possible futures as Creative Entrepreneurs.
I should note that I am not a Biologist, not by a long shot. I am just a friendly neighborhood Creative Director who wants the industry to push forward with everyone still in it…you know, with animal metaphors.
The Wolf
In nature, wolves are strategic apex predators that heavily rely on tight-knit social structures to survive. They are our “Strategists” and “Community Builders”. They thrive in an environment where decision-making is made by an Alpha and executed in collaboration with the rest of the pack.
We can see the “Wolf Creatives” as tactical and precise. Given a strong Alpha, the wolves can execute at the highest level and continue to push the industry forward. Their strengths lie in collaboration and strategic planning. With the “feast-or-famine” cycle common with the creative industry, the wolves will find tremendous success during the feast, given the right pack.
However, they tend to fall apart without a strong community or team behind them, especially in the “Famines.” Their dependency on the group dynamic poses some challenges.
Over-Reliance on the Pack
Heavy reliance on collaboration can lead to problems when “specialists” in a “Wolf’s” team become scarce, and no one else can complete their tasks.
This can happen due to several factors, including:
- Specialists inside the group find themselves more of a Coyote and venture off independently.
- Specialists get poached by companies or brands building larger in-house teams.
The struggle to adapt to solitude
Used to bouncing ideas off of others, the “Wolf Founder” may find difficulty operating in a vacuum and making actionable decisions, especially when those decisions need to be swift.
The lack of individual decision-making and autonomy forces the team to rely on the Alpha for guidance.
How can the Wolf thrive in a Post-AI world?
Embrace your networking abilities. Build communities, extend your stable of freelancers, and meet new people in industries adjacent to yours who you can help solve problems. Your strength lies in your network.
Successful Wolves will face the world as bold entrepreneurs using emerging technologies to do more with less, find new ways of crafting unique solutions for clients, and tighten the crew into like-minded tacticians. Creative employees who aren’t pulling their weight will face the unfortunate but necessary culling from the group.
It’s a hard pill to swallow for some, but alas, it will be inevitable when facing the “ephemeralization of creating.”
The Canon 5D and Apple iPhone revolutionized the world of solo filmmakers, while Apple Final Cut Pro transformed the world of freelance editors. The impact of new AI technologies will be felt, regardless of whether it involves making a film, developing an app, or creating an advertisement.
The ground floor is being quickly lifted, and AI will enable everyone to “create.” It is your charge to cultivate autonomy within your collaborative efforts. With group individuals partaking in the decision-making process, you, the Wolf, will be a force to be reckoned with.
The Coyote
The Coyote is a cunning, flexible creature that is opportunistic and resilient. It is sometimes hard to accept that you’re a Coyote. Everyone fancies themselves a Wolf for their strength and tenacity.
The Coyote has an innate ability to survive. This ties in nicely with many small creative teams who have found that they have to re-invent themselves every five years or so.
Covid-19 was a wake-up call to me and many of my peers. We were forced to find creative solutions to supplement the almost immediate loss of work.
The Coyotes find solace in working alone but may find themselves in small groups. These groups comprise like-minded “Killers” adept at getting the job done with quick decision-making and innovation.
I suspect many small studios and solopreneurs will find themselves here. They’ve already started tinkering with AI solutions and may have already integrated them into their core business processes.
Here’s the clinch, though. Coyotes, being independent in nature, may find some challenges as well.
Overextension is a given
The Coyote tends to see every potential opportunity before them but struggles to focus on a single goal. They deplete their finite resources, trying many different things just to see what will stick. Here are some ways that may manifest:
- The “Coyote Founders” try to shoehorn AI solutions that bloat their production processes to a point where they cannot handle it themselves.
- The “Coyote Founders” overcomplicate an otherwise simple service offering that is difficult to market effectively.
The Creative who stands alone
The Coyotes who are too comfortable with operating in solitude will miss out on many opportunities afforded to their Wolf counterparts. They will miss out on marketing opportunities from building a community and will lack the collaboration necessary to execute their grand goals.
How can the Coyote thrive in a Post-AI world?
Work quietly and build. That’s what you are good at, but don’t be averse to budding partnerships with teams who complement you. Add a strategic filter to keep you focused and on course.
Keep pushing the envelope, find new ways of doing things that require less cash flow, and nurture upcoming talent so that they may complement you in the future. Focus on your core mission and the long-term vision.
Take inspiration from the Wolf with community-building, but focus on your strengths. The Wolves can help while you source work to keep everyone alive.
Think of “Co-existence” with other studios as your new superpower.
The Bear
The mighty Bear is a strong, self-reliant, and determined creature who has proven themselves with established methods and deep expertise.
I look back to the beginning of my career (Circa 2006) and see many permalance industry editors then as bears.
They had a system -
- Receive a job from a Post House
- Work onsite with equipment provided to them
- Complete their job with the utmost efficiency
- Pass off anything outside of their expertise to others to handle
This system worked for decades when there was a strict structure in place when there were other specialists to handle the tasks not required of editors.
However, many Bears in 2007–2008 struggled to adapt to the new way of working. Editing remotely became more common. The editing systems went from 100K+ Avid systems to $695 Apple Final Cut Pro software.
I’ve seen some extremely talented editors take full-time careers outside the industry because they had difficulty approaching the work as freelancers (as Coyotes).
In my opinion, the Bears may have the most difficult time transitioning to this new era. Here are my thoughts:
Hibernation Mode
Many “Bears” may bury their heads in their den and wait it out. They may chalk AI up as a passing phase. Some may choose to be resistant to change for the simple fact that “It is not how it is done.”
The Webster’s Dictionary changes as time goes on. Things are redefined; new words are added. We should see that as something similar to our business. Pretty soon, our definition of how videos are made will vastly differ from the traditional way of creating them.
The Bears will be simply too comfortable with their methods and areas of expertise and will ultimately resist adopting new technologies to keep up with their peers.
Isolation
As bears typically work alone, they will invariably miss out on the community or collaborative strategy that the Wolves excel at. Bears and Coyotes are similar in this aspect.
Their solitary approach gives them a limited perspective where others are exposed to diverse ideas and innovative ways of thinking. Flexibility and Adaptiveness will be paramount in an AI-driven marketplace.
How can the Bear thrive in a Post-AI World?
Bears should open their domain of expertise to the world. Establish authority, broadcast your thoughts, and be seen as the pinnacle of your field.
Though change is inevitable, embrace tools that make your life easier.
If it is too uncomfortable to commit to change fully, get hired for your deep technical expertise. The future will have an immense need for “specialists,” and those who survive will find ways to communicate why they are needed.
In a vast sea of AI-generated content, companies and brands will struggle to stick out from the crowd, need help establishing efficient ways of producing “Creative”, and will be paying large sums of money to those who can fix problems. You don’t have to abandon your ideals, but please charge what you are worth for the love of God.
Bears who can adapt will be the foundation of every creative team. They are rooted in process and efficiency. Support the Wolves and Coyotes…you will be rewarded for it handsomely. But only if you maintain your position as an expert and have an open mind to the crazy new ideas in the world.
Wrapping up — The Future is Bright for Those that Create it
If you have a visceral reaction to reading this, then good. I’ve done my job. This is by no means an exploration in biology, but a slightly-provoking look into ourselves and how we can modify our behaviors to bring out the best in what we can offer the world. The future can be exciting, but there will always be a fear of the unknown.
Writing this article, I’ve had to resolve many of my own insecurities and how I should play to my strengths, offload weaknesses, and embrace the coming challenges as an opportunity to grow.
Regardless of your natural tendency to any of these three animals, there is always room for growth if you are open to it.
Right now, there is a 12-year-old sitting at their computer learning the trade at a much faster pace than us old-heads did.
Let’s nurture them and use that fear drive to keep building our own professional development.
I’m rooting for us all. 🙂
