In the early 2010s, a university found itself at the crossroad of modern marketing and limited resources. Looking to leverage YouTube as part of a branding campaign, they turned to a novice video creator, who quickly discovered the harsh realities of his new job. With a salary of only $2,200 USD, he was tasked with an impossible challenge — to create 85 videos within a year. This daunting goal would stretch him thin, especially given that video production technology at the time was far less advanced than today.
On just his second day, the manager laid out the Key Performance Indicator (KPI) for video production: 85 videos, each lasting between 3 to 10 minutes. The reality check was immediate. The lone content creator was expected to handle everything — scripting, casting, shooting, editing, and even composing music without any financial support for royalty-free audio. To add to the challenge, the university’s outdated equipment struggled with basic video resolutions, forcing him to rely on his personal gear.
Initially, the manager seemed supportive, but things took a turn when she learned he was a smoker. According to a colleague, this manager harbored a deep disdain for smokers, often advocating for their dismissal. Suddenly, the supportive atmosphere shifted. The creator faced relentless scrutiny over minor infractions like being a few minutes late or the faint smell of cigarettes lingering after his breaks. Despite these challenges, he remained committed to delivering quality work, diligently churning out videos and putting in over 60 hours a week.
However, five months into the job, the content creator found himself summoned to the director’s office. His manager wore a “displeased yet gleeful” expression, which set off alarm bells. The director expressed disappointment over his progress, citing that he had only completed 30 out of the required 85 videos. The video creator defended his work, pointing out that the videos he had produced had achieved record views on the university’s YouTube channel. He implored the director to consider quality over quantity, a point his manager had initially touted.
Unfortunately, the director was unmoved. The KPI remained the focus, and with deadlines looming, the director decided to terminate the content creator, believing that a professional production house could fulfill the remaining video requirements. The manager responded with a rather smug declaration that the university would “find a PROFESSIONAL production house to finish your work.” It was at this moment that a clever idea sparked in the creator’s mind.
Understanding the inner workings of the university’s production needs, he had maintained a database of production houses to help with larger projects. Knowing his manager lacked industry contacts, he cleverly altered all the entries in the database, except for one that contained accurate information for a friend who was a junior director. Within days, she called to pitch the university on behalf of her production house, leading to a lucrative contract.
The plan hinged on the creator providing his friend with insider knowledge on how to impress the decision-makers. They agreed on a finder’s fee, which would net the creator approximately 15% of the contract amount. The production house was soon recognized as a perfect fit, successfully pitching to the university and securing the contract to produce the remaining videos.
Despite the high costs associated with professional video production — which could run into double or triple his monthly salary — the output was staggering. The production house managed to create 50 videos in just four months, ultimately costing the university over ten times the initial budget allocated for the project. Meanwhile, the creator reaped the benefits, earning a year’s pay while planning his next steps, which included furthering his education in film.
As if the saga couldn’t get more interesting, while vacationing in Bali, he received a call from a colleague who had witnessed his manager’s campaign against him. News broke that the manager had been fired due to the massive budget overrun, and the director had faced severe backlash from the Chancellor of the university for approving such expenditures without seeking necessary approvals. The content creator’s resourcefulness had inadvertently resulted in a swift promotion for his director friend and a year’s salary for himself, turning an unfair dismissal into a tale of unexpected triumph.
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