By Laura Medina
"Not everybody is gonna like you"..."Being liked is not enough. People need a compelling reason to continue listening to you."
Media coach and entertainment industry veteran, Jess Ponce begun his book with him being humiliated by a bunch of eight-grade mean girls, as a seven-years old boy.
The turning point is his beginning in his life-long journey as a media coach, "Our bad experiences or stories can lift people up or tear them down or lead us to new audiences, markets, and frontiers."
With him being mocked for the way he spoke as a kid, it was that moment Ponce learned he had to find creative ways to speak and present myself, "I decided to use my words to help me never be a victim again."
Jess Ponce, the media coach works with who you are. He's not going to make you into something that you're not and never were. Not everybody likes what you have to offer. Forget them. Leave them.
As for the "haters" cropping up on social media, he recommended lean in onto people who wants your information and values. Don't chase those who don't share or not interest in what you have to offer.
How you approach hater situations? How you respond to criticisms? Turning lemons into lemonade or even better, Lemon Drop cocktail, Jess suggests using negative feedback to help you be better or improve but all these changes have to be natural and fun or else, it's miserable and it's fake.
Jess Ponce always recommend be natural, use your true self as the basis. Again, if people, aka "the haters" don't like it, forget them then leave them behind.
When you use social media or any type of new technology, you're vulnerable to criticism. It's all about how you handle challenges or change. "Do you have a game plan?" Challenge or change can be purposeful. It forces you to realize there is a gap to be filled, a need to be met, and new methods to problems, such as Jess being mocked for the way he spoke as boy. He realized there are new ways to speak and talk then he learned to be a communication and media expert.
In finding your audience or market, you will reach them because, eventually, they will reach out to you. Finding your audience is a part of natural progress.
As man who encountered legends, working on talk shows and news shows, Jess encountered, influenced, and learn from legends from all walks of life, from Rosa Parks and Oprah.
As a man who worked with civil rights activist, Rosa Parks, Jess learned that hardship can open new opportunities.
In his book, "Everyday Celebrity," Jess Ponce provides a roadmap to be a celebrity from wherever you are in the country or the world.
It has nothing to do with popularity. It has to do with "Celebrity Quotient" or "CQ" and "Unique Value Proposition" or "UVP."
"CQ" focuses on qualities that makes "you."
"UVP" focuses on what you have to offer or contribute to the world.
"CQ" plus "UVP," you add up to a conversation that might cause a movement, that might change society for the worse or for the better.
As a native, life-long Californian, that's more lasting, more meaningful, and way more important than being "popular."
Speaking from his Los Angeles home, Jess Ponce commented, "This is still Hollywood, where everyone is desperate for attention. Not everybody is gonna like you. Your brand, persona, and information will reach the right audience." Desperation is when you try to please everyone, constantly changing, always adapting but not loving it, not having fun.
Not that Jess is against change, personal evolution, or maturity or personal growth.
In his "Everyday Celebrity," Jess says that your "Celebrity Quotient" can change. As you grow, you may tweak it because your personal brand has evolved. As you experience new wonders and growth, your voice will also evolve, shape, morph, and build upon. See change, whether it be personal or technical, as a new chapter in a book called life, new chances and a new version.
This is where personal experience and knowledge meets technology, social media, and YouTube...and personal change.
In using social media, Jess said you need to have clear intentions. Clarity is what you want to communicate to the world. You're the media to the world.
For the long-time industry veterans snipping at young whippersnappers lacking years of experience but fueling on being inventive, creative, and having fun to the point of being wild, as a TV talk show and news show veteran encountering then embracing new technology to better spread while archiving significant events, moments, and historical figures, Jess said this to veterans who fear learning and embracing new social media technology, "Good Luck."
He explained that these industry veterans see new technology as a burden and they're falling behind.
Other than failing to embrace new technology and social media to reach new markets and audiences who can benefit from experienced knowledge, those veterans who fail to embrace the new technology, their experience and knowledge will be lost to time.
Jess commented on why experienced industry veterans fear of change and refusing to have fun with new technology, much less embrace it, "That's when you're at your most vulnerable, change. It's fear." He further discussed how they need to use new technology and new social media to not only spread their knowledge but also to preserve it for future generation who might learn from it.
He suggests to industry veterans, see and use the new social media technology as any other tool for new chances. On advising on their fear of change, such as new technology, he commented it's like doing an oral report, you're vulnerable. Embrace a new media that works for you. It'll open you to a new arena.
With any growth or maturity, Jess knows from experience, that every time you morph and evolve that you will leave certain people behind but you'll gain new audience or/and expand market as you expand your horizons.
To further encourage industry veterans to use new social media technology, Jess said that, "You are the expert. Use the new technology to reinforce and spread your wisdom to new markets, audience, and new chances."
Social media are nothing more than tool to communicate.
Commenting on the other end of the social media, especially YouTube, Jess said that's it's okay if you are naturally edgy, witty, and self-deprecating or creative and innovative. In fact, he said YouTube is great for Do-It-Yourself tutorials that anyone, from anywhere, can learn at anytime. But if it's all about antics, he did warn about the tipping point where he did suggest that the audience has responsibility to how far they push their social media stars, especially on YouTube.
As like anyone else watching YouTube stars crash and burn or watching traditional acting celebrities crash and burn, what Jess call "trainwrecks," he advised that these social media stars are content creators. Then he further advised, that as a celebrity in any form, whether they're trying to make it or are making it on YouTube or doing it on a reality show or doing it the old-fashion way as an actor, "You are under the microscope."
Watching very young YouTube celebrities who haven't reach their full potential yet because
they crash and burn so quickly, Jess sees the direct connection and influence that viewers have on their social media/YouTube stars because "likes" or rating are so quick and interaction is so direct. Since social media/YouTube viewers directly interact with their celebrities, than say traditional movie and TV celebrities, it is Jess who says that it is the viewers who have to take responsibility for how they like and encourage their YouTube celebrities, especially their behavior and actions.
In a round-about-way, it goes back to what Jess commented earlier, being desperate in trying please everyone when you know, deep inside, it's wrong.
Because the majority of YouTube celebrities and viewers are very young, since social media technology has always been a part of their life, the viewers have to acknowledge how far they push their favorite celebrities' behavior on YouTube reality/travel/culture shows. When viewers know the content or the celebrity is heading in a direction that they don't like, Jess suggest don't add fuel to the fire by not fueling the views or ratings. Both the YouTube celebrities and their fans have to realize it is the fans steering them and fueling them.
It all returns to you being the content creator and what you have to bring to the table, what you have to offer to the world.
The conversations we bring to the table can tear down or build it up.
According to Jess Ponce, using our knowledge and conversations to build something up can bring on movements. Use them to build society up. That's how people can become real celebrities.
