The Ever Present Pull of Banality

Philanthropy411 is currently covering the Communications Network Fall 2013 Annual Conference conference with the help of a blog team.  This is a guest post by  Rick Landesberg, Principal at Landesberg Design.  Follow Rick on twitter –
@LandesbergDesig.

An unexpected takeaway of David Simon’s plenary remarks is how in his world and ours are sets of forces that urge us towards the banal, the everyday, the commonplace response. Whether a storyline for Treme or for a foundation website, there are structures in place that invite tried-and-true, yet tired expression. We have to be vigilant to go beyond the expected. One way that David does this is his fealty to authenticity. Real life offers fertile possibilities if our ears are attuned to it. As the adage goes, “Chance favors the prepared mind.”

David Simon is the executive producer, writer and creator of the HBO series “Treme,” which is set in New Orleans, and previously he was the creator, show runner, executive producer and head writer of the other HBO hit series, “The Wire.”