4 Things that Wendy Williams & her Movie Taught me About Content Creation

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So did you watch it? Wait, before I get into this, DISCLAIMER: I am a Wendy Williams fan! So, this isn't a hate-on-Wendy parade but really about what the movie (and documentary) taught me. Forgive me if there are any fan-girl moments during your skimming, LOL. 

Of course, being the fan that I am I had to tune in to watch both the Wendy Williams movie and the documentary, 'What A Mess', which were both aired on Lifetime on January 30th, 2021.

What she does can rub people the wrong way of course, because her show is centred around airing people's dirty laundry. However, the tabloids have been negatively talking about celebs since they were invented; so sometimes I struggle to understand the hate that Wendy catches because unlike the tabloids, she doesn't necessarily speak negatively about them, she just highlights all the things celebs go through in their life.

Anyway, let's get into what Wendy's movie taught me about content creation:

1. Research, Research, Research 

As seen in the biopic, one of the admirable things about Wendy was how committed she was to research. Even as a child she spent countless hours reading pop culture magazines and listening to other radio personalities which influenced the style in which she delivers content. It's easy to say something just to say something, but when you have a measure of validity to support your content, it makes it all the more credible and people will tune in to your platform/s. And Wendy has quite the team of researchers and lawyers - called 'The Bureau' - who vets her stories before they even go live.

via GIFER

 

2. Be a Trailblazer 

I do believe that the measure of originality Wendy brought to the entertainment industry was definitely unmatched in the early stages of her career. Wendy did admit that there was one person she idolized, however, she was easily one of the most original radio personalities back in her day. 

She positioned herself as the trend that everyone follows and rightfully so as the movie and the documentary portrayed that other radio stations tried to mimic her style. They do say when someone copies you it's a form of flattery so I guess that's just what happens to trailblazers. 

Just an aside: Quite recently, I watched a 'Hot Topics' segment on the Wendy Williams show and a couple days later I saw a YouTuber with the same order of stories and format. Not saying sis copied Wendy, but the entire production seemed eerily familiar.

3. Stay Relevant & Pivot

 I believe Wendy was the pulse of Hip Hop culture. She was pretty clear about who her audience was and she stayed in her lane. However, as time elapsed, she definitely reassessed who her content attracted due to a number of factors for e.g. Feedback from her Audience. From attracting a mainly Hip Hop audience, her content then evolved into attracting a wider audience (Hollywood/Pop Culture) because that's what her fans wanted. 

Beyond the movie, the Wendy Williams Show does an excellent job of content creation especially on YouTube and notably so during the pandemic. However, the movie and documentary was a great pivot as Wendy played her trump card by becoming her own 'Hot Topic' and airing her own dirty laundry. 

It's worth mentioning that Wendy constantly stated that we needed something entertaining to watch on T.V because there was nothing entertaining enough available on regular T.V., in the lead-up to the movie and documentary releases. Just think for one second about how smart her statement was because I know someone is thinking, yes, there was Bridgerton but re-read what she said then we can chat about it.  

4. Maintain Laser-Sharp Focus

Wendy had a plan and she stuck with it no matter what curveballs life threw at her including public and personal criticism, miscarriages, her own interpersonal struggles and of course, her relationship. The movie gives you all the tea but back to content creation.....create a plan and stick to it.


Both the movie and the documentary were epic and based on what Wendy said prior to (and after) the airing of these, they were true depictions of her life and how she became the Wendy we know and may or may not love. Whether you love her, hate her, or love to hate her, what Wendy has done - and continues to do by way of her talk show - is trailblazing, to say the least. I mean in a world of Oprahs and Ellens, Wendy made her mark with her personality way before she was ever on television. 

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