Silicon Valley embraces failure.
Creative industry doesn't.
But it should.
As creatives, we pour so much of ourselves into our work — and often, into our companies. That love can blur the lines between healthy passion and unhealthy attachment.
We celebrate the wins — awards, red carpets, hype, and glory. But we’re silent about our setbacks.
In the uneasy times behind us (and those still ahead), redefining how we view failure and our businesses has never been more important.
I’m no fan of the stereotypical Silicon Valley startup founder mentality, but there’s a lesson worth attention:
business failure ≠ personal failure.
This idea has surfaced again and again in my conversations with creative studio founders who’ve experienced it all — the highs, the crashes, and everything in between. My recent talk with Marc Morissette (Digital Domain, Sony Pictures Imageworks, Cluster VFX) was no exception.
One of the most powerful ways to connect is through vulnerability. Not the calculated, cynical kind — that rarely works — but the real kind.
Marc embodied that in a way few do, joining a growing group of leaders willing to drop the shiny social media facades and talk openly about what happens when things fall apart.
Together, we explored not just how Cluster hit the ground, but also the deeper, personal realities behind the rise and fall of creative businesses.
It’s time to get real.
Thanks, Marc, for going there.
Join us for an unfiltered conversation about failure, resilience, and the raw truths of an industry struggling to redefine itself.
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