Hit Makers
The Science of Popularity in an Age of Distraction
Lavin Exclusive Speaker
As Senior Editor at The Atlantic, Derek Thompson writes on economics and politics, media and money in America today—and always with an expert sense of what’s important. Whether he’s analyzing labor markets, entertainment, or government—or changes in generational spending and voting habits—Thompson offers sophisticated takes that people actually want to read. He’s also the author of Hit Makers: a bestselling exploration of the science of popularity.
Derek Thompson is a senior editor at The Atlantic magazine, and the author of its landmark 2015 cover story “A World Without Work”: a wide-ranging exploration of the future of artificial intelligence and employment, and how Americans might cope with a jobless future. He writes the business column for the magazine and contributes to the website on issues ranging from behavioral psychology to the economics of entertainment, demographics to professional sports, elections to blockbuster films. “[Thompson] writes and edits economic news that is readable, informative, and often entertaining,” says The Huffington Post. He also explores the habits of millennials. How does this enormous cohort spend, work, vote, and consume? And how can corporations appeal to, and hire, this often misunderstood demographic?
Thompson also hosts The Atlantic’s latest podcast Crazy/Genius, and is a weekly contributor to “Here and Now,” the national afternoon news show on NPR, and he appears regularly on CBS, the BBC, and MSNBC. He has appeared on numerous lists, including both Inc magazine’s and Forbes’ “30 Under 30” and Time magazine’s 140 Best Twitter Feeds.
In his debut book Hit Makers: The Science of Popularity in an Age of Distraction, Thompson investigates how blockbuster success isn’t a matter of chance, but a fascinating intersection of power, network, science, art, and sheer brilliance—making some ideas disappear, while others explode. In an age of distraction, Thompson reveals, human attention is our most valuable currency. And in this groundbreaking study, Thompson reveals the ways songwriters, advertisers, filmmakers, speech writers, and more have all realized this modern secret of enormous popularity. His keynotes on the subject offer practical ways to re-think what you know about success, renown, and longevity. From his innovative thinking on ‘aha’ moments (the appeal of the familiar surprise, so to speak) to his debunking of overnight virality (it’s all about distribution!) to his explorations of how popularity always trumps quality, Thompson breaks an immensely complex topic down to a science.
Since its release, Hit Makers has been hailed by critics as a “wonderful book … [filled with] solid research, ready wit, and catchy aphorisms” (USA Today) and “a fun, thought-provoking take on the strange turns of cultural fortune” (Publishers Weekly). To bestselling author Adam Alter, it’s “a bible for anyone who’s ever tried to promote practically anything, from products, people, and ideas, to books, songs, films, and TV shows.” Screenwriter Simon Kinberg calls it “required reading for anyone working in the popular arts.”