3 Things I Learned Watching Riverdale

Ok, I'll admit it, I got sucked in. The drama of Riverdale pulled me back nightly until I had gobbled up the whole season. There I was, bereft with a bowl of popcorn. Stranded, with no more saturated colors of the fictional town to consume. Although binge watching shows on Netflix could be considered a waste of time (I rationalize that it is storytelling, so as a writer I’m still learning something), Riverdale taught me three important lessons I’m now applying to my business.
 
It’s Okay to Double Dip
Reboots get a bad rap. I understand why, there are so many stories to tell, why do we have the same characters popping up over and over again? Well, here's the reason: a good story is a good story. If you have a solid story—or two, or three—why not use them more than once? Tell it from another angle, switch the timeframe, take them from past to present. It’s a fun exercise for the creator and the consumer.
 
Keep the Bills Covered (In This Case by Cover Girl)
The product placement of Cover Girl in Riverdale is a bit over the top. But maybe that’s the point. The whole show surfs on the extreme wave of a soap opera world, so why would viewers care about product placement? Maybe they do, maybe they don't. But it was comical to watch it appear so brazenly. A reminder, that as a creative, it can be ok to take the sponsorship if it feels natural. 
 
Explore Different Formats
Truth be told, Archie was not on my mind until Free Comic Book Day. That’s when a comic version of Riverdale appeared in my house. It was a short, teaser version, but it introduced me to the contemporary Riverdale world and soon enough I was streaming the shows. I often think of my work as separate entities—print articles, blog posts, and marketing copy. This is helpful, as each type of writing utilizes its own format, but they can inform each other, woo. I can (and should) be talking about my work with other organizations. Who knows what new gigs might cross my desk?

---