What (some of us) do on the weekend

An Off Hours Test of Real Strategy

The Think IP Strategy team is very active outside work as well as at work.  Here is a trailer for a film that Robert Cantrell of Think IP Strategy is producing and co-directed.  The documentary films Robert and his team making the first planned and organized night dive with multiple oceanic whitetip sharks done without the protection of a shark cage.  The oceanic whitetip shark is the shark Jacques Cousteau called the “most dangerous of all sharks.”

As a team, Think IP Strategy is serving as the IP advisor on the project that Robert has called an “exercise in organized flexibility.”  As with any strategy, there were many uncertainties, most importantly whether the targeted sharks would be around when and where needed.  So within the planning, Robert sought to engineer as many uncertainties out of the equation that he could by carefully selecting the team, the approach, and the tools used with appropriate redundancy.  This included a year of preparation and a detailed set of storyboards to guide the shooting.

Robert said, “Was it perfect?  No.  Did we get most of it right?  Yes, and we were able to anticipate most of the challenges we face.  I think when you see the film you’ll see we got it right.  We succeeded.”  The night dive in particular presented challenges for the team due to difficult weather and the open ocean conditions.

While much now remains to be done to edit and market the film, Robert is already scouting for the next expedition to follow.  “It’s going to be a challenge to top this one,” Robert said.

Image credit: Maris & Marilyn Kazmers