Have you ever created something that you put your heart, soul, time, money, energy and everything into, only to face the reality that it’s not really working?
I’m about to share something extremely vulnerable, and will attempt to do so succinctly (good luck!) so as to not belabor the point, but I have come to a crossroads with this most wonderful concept called The Promise and the brand that is me, Jason Hewlett, as I awkwardly take literary license and refer to myself in the 3rd person for this to make sense.
The brand that is Jason Hewlett was created to entertain, uplift, inspire, be family-friendly, comedy heavy, musically nostalgic, educational at times, and equally be self-deprecating, never too serious, capable of poking & prodding where necessary, and always simple.
The brand that is The Promise was an attempt to be an extension of Jason Hewlett, a more thoughtful context, a bit complex, the meat & potatoes content served after the milk & honey entertaining appetizer, revealing a stealth philosopher cloaked in a comedy experience. The intention has been to teach, reach deep, help individuals and families, drive culture shifts in companies, and make complete sense to all interested parties.
Unfortunately, the brand that is The Promise, and complication of it’s explanation, coming from an entity already established in the entertainment world such as Jason Hewlett, makes The Promise confusing to any unfamiliar party who hasn’t experienced the stage presentation, and especially in web site advertisement.
With the creation of “The Promise To The One”, a book about our own promises to self, apparently a purple mountain with such a title creates confusion that The Promise is only about religious teachings and literally frightens the uninitiated away before giving it a chance.
As I have experienced all of this over 6 years of rebranding my web site, my presentation, my entire career, including the attempt to involve those I feel are smarter than me, better teachers, the kinds who could even duplicate, divide and conquer when and where I wasn’t able, it has been one heck of a push to feed the masses something so important to me, while receiving so much resistance by nearly 100% of my audience.
I can say this to those who understand and have internalized The Promise as both a philosophy and powerful tool for your life: Thank You! It is because of you that I still write about The Promise, or I would have given up a long time ago. Even writing a weekly blog that captures promise moments throughout the news, world, and my existence, has given me life in our collective belief that The Promise is important to learn, live, and share.
Yet, market research, a term I rarely use, clearly shows that I have confused my Jason Hewlett brand to such an extent that it is time for a massive brand change, and to return to what once was, that which the world prefers, and the one thing I have found to be most successful for responsible stewardship and financial sustenance: Me as me….even when that means being a pre-historic dinosaur, dancing like an 80’s pop star, satirizing the Legends of performance, making faces and doing voices, or telling a story that makes you laugh until you cry.
Confusing enough is that all of the performance pieces I have described above, the Signature Moves I am known for, have all remained within The Promise speech experience, it is the best part of the presentation, yet has become nearly un-sellable to those parties interested in hiring me through the years, as they had to chop through the headline that is The Promise to find what they were searching for with Jason Hewlett…whom they were after in the first place!
What does this mean for this blog?
The Promise will remain.
The Promise is my real, actual voice.
If you are one of the brave souls who can get through an entire post, then you know there is parody, comedy, and philosophy smattered throughout, as you delight in the fact that The Promise is a journey we’re both on together, laughing & learning along the way.
So, my Promise is: that won’t change.
What has changed is the web site, my social media, and the presentation mode of my Keynote. Leading with The Promise has perhaps lost me millions of dollars and hundreds of opportunities. Had The Promise been created by someone else without a track record in showbiz perhaps it would be a world famous concept by now, articulated more clearly, making more sense in its unique proposition.
At the same time, The Promise has opened up some of the best doors of my career, including respect, recognition, and requests to speak for some wonderful events.
When you visit my home page today, watch the new videos, social media, and descriptions forthcoming, you will see this essential change for my own book-ability & survival.
At first this felt like a broken promise to myself, a regression to times of old, a return to what I didn’t want to ever go back to. But in reality, it is a graduation to the higher level of entertainment meets engagement & education I have always meant to present, as I accept my Signature Moves and lean into my best abilities while holding nothing back. It is a combination of everything every client will want from me, and a level of comfort on stage that allows me to do what only I can do the entire world over.
And so, this Easter weekend, a time of new beginnings, a rebirth, a beautiful chance to start again, I announce the new and better version of the brand that is Jason Hewlett!
The Promise lives within me, and I am The Promise. Just as you, and every reader who connects intimately with The Promise, is also purely The Promise.
Embracing and accepting the best of what we offer and can capitalize on is the essence of our gift to the world, which is what I teach as The Promise in the first place.
The Promise may have become one of your magnificent Signature Moves and greatest branding values that you have adopted, becoming ingrained in your genetic makeup. I hope it is and always will be.
The Jason Hewlett of old is no longer (due to age, injury, retirement of painful portions, no more MJ, back flops as Jim Carrey, or hashing my voice with Metallica), and the Jason Hewlett of now is an upgraded version of what once was in combining my greatest hits of entertainment, storytelling, and teaching. The best parts of all of my offerings are still there, just with the added benefit of The Promise mixed in.
We are now leading with: Jason Hewlett The Keynote Entertainment Experience. I am once again accepting the offers of being an entertainment after-dinner show (which I haven’t done in years), considering Emcee requests (which I have denied for years), all while still encouraging the opportunities of having me as a Keynote, Workshop leader, and Speaker first. We call it: Creating Legendary Leaders through the Power of Commitment. The method and result of this presentation is The Promise.
Because of The Promise I have been blessed to be the Coach and Mentor of amazing speakers, world-class entertainers, successful entrepreneurs, and consultant to multiple businesses through the years.
And perhaps it led me to you, or you to me.
So, thank you for being here, and for embracing The Promise, as well as Jason Hewlett the brand, despite the confusion that has been present since 2016, and since both of them combined are still just little old me, now in a new and improved sellable package.
Happy Easter as you join me to strive and always keep The Promise.
~ Jason Hewlett
Husband, Father, Writer, Mentor, Hiker
- Speaker Hall of Fame * Award-Winning Entertainer * Promise Legacy Project Coach
- World’s Only Keynote Speaker utilizing entertainment, musical impressions, and comedy to Create Legendary Leadership through the Power of Commitment
- Author of “The Promise To The One”
24 Responses
Whether Raptor Man, Signature Moves Dude, or The Promise Professional, we love seeing you on stage. You are a class act with an amazing message, no matter how you package and label it.
Love,
Thomas
I appreciate you Tom, you are a great support and encouragement always, my friend.
Hey Jason. Your timer is off-kilter. It is actually 5:19 there and 7:19 here – not 11:19.
I’m not sure how to fix that, I’ll have to ask my amazing web developer.
Thanks for all you have done! I have enjoyed it all, from the comedian bit I first saw many years ago at a makeup convention my wife and I attended in Grapevine, to The Promise that I enjoyed so much I have given away two copies this year to co-workers.
Keep it up, whatever “it” is. Remember, the Lord loves effort… Do your best, he will make up the rest.
This means a great deal, Mark. Thank you for hanging with my many iterations. The Lord certainly makes up for all the rest!
Interesting dance move, Jason. May your new partners fall in love with all your moves. It seems when you’re creating the Rogger Rabbit or a viral Hammer Dance U Can’t Touch, you’ve got to own it Gangnam Style. It seems there’s more to be revealed in your repertoire. Did you see the Carmina Burana Ballet? Looking forward to your next Signature Move.
Thank you Malia – I just looked up Carmina Burana Ballet, I hope to have a chance to see it in person! Thank you for the comment.
Much love to you as you figure all of this out. ❤️ 🙏
Thank you for all of your guidance and love my friend.
Happy Easter!
I enjoyed your article and seeing your new home page.
My sense is that this is not about 2 brands colliding. I think it is about 2 brands converging.
You have an amazing set of gifts and strengths you have developed, seeing them as God -given going with the flow with pandemic etc.
The laughter you evoke is healing for people’s souls. It is a certain type of grace.
I think your biggest challenge in life right now is that your oldest is getting to be taller than you!!! You are a blessing to me and to many. Happy Easter!!!
Well my friend, you have articulated this perfectly. 2 Brands Converging. Exactly! And that’s hilarious about my son – I can’t believe how big they’re all getting. Happy Easter Louise!
Jason, thank you for your vulnerability, transparency, and your ultimate trust in your audience. It takes that and more to share what you just did.
I have a bunch of thoughts and questions about this which I would love to share with you as we both navigate our careers and offerings to the world. Regardless of how you branded, you are brilliant, with as you know a truly unique offering to the world… And the world needs it! Keep rocking! -Mike
Mike, you’ve been a hero of mine for 20 years. This means a great deal you’d reach out. I look forward to discussing this more with you, as you, more than anyone, can understand what I’m in the middle of.
Once again, I just want to say how much I appreciate your vulnerability as you put some “behind the scenes” content out to the world. As a fellow speaker who has long admired you from afar–it’s affirming to know that we all go through branding struggles and the like!
Thank you for letting us see the real you and all you go through.
CR
Thank you Courtney. It’s hard to share the struggle ofttimes, but also important for each of us to, and I appreciate your encouraging words!
Looks like you are on the right track! I appreciate your sharing this, and I agree! Good luck moving forward – I wish you the strength, courage and willingness to make the changes needed! Cindy
Thank you so much Cindy, these are big things to go through, and I am grateful for your encouragement!
Jason,
I first became acquainted with your work at a SHRM Conference in Wisconsin Dells many years ago. Since that time, you have grown and the Promise was the next step. Now you have moved to an even higher plain in combining the two. It’s not easy to step back and make a move like that, but your life work was meant to grow to this next step to reach more people by helping those that don’t understand see more clearly the message. Let the message shine in all you do! Thank you!
This is quite wonderful of you to say, Karen, thank you so much and continued blessings to you!
I loved the event you did for ASMC! I don’t remember what year it was , but I remember laughing until I cried. God bless you as you move forward in your life and art.
That is so kind of you Lynn. I have enjoyed doing a few events for ASMC, and thankful you enjoyed it! God bless you!
It sounds like this was a very difficult decision. I’m sure many tears were shed as you forced yourself to consider, accept, then embrace this change.
You are an amazing speaker, entertainer, and person. Whether it’s The Promise or Jason Hewlett or something in the middle, you will always make a difference for the people in your audience. You’ve changed countless lives and will continue to do so, because you are you.
Just because your brand and headline is changing doesn’t mean that the content is any whit deluded. By leaning into the demands of the market, you not only take financial responsibility for yourself and your family, but you open more doors to expand your reach. This sounds like a win win decision to me and I’m excited to see where you go from here.
Keep being the amazing you!
Wow Brett! This is incredibly kind of you to say and I appreciate it greatly. Thank you.