Why I Built StratCinema (And Why Now)
I’m writing this from Kingston, Jamaica, just after Hurricane Melissa passed through. When the power went out and work stopped, I found myself with something rare: unplanned time to think.
Between recovering from the storm and waiting for things to return to normal, I kept returning to a question that’s been nagging at me for years: Why is it so hard to stay strategically sharp when you’re not actively in a classroom, being taught?
The Three Seasons of a Strategist
If you’re a consultant, executive, or anyone who relies on strategic thinking, you know there are really three seasons to your work life:
Season 1: Operational – You’re heads-down, executing. Client work, projects, deliverables. Your strategic sophistication is being deployed, not developed.
Season 2: Hard Learning – You carve out time for formal development. You take a webinar or course, read dense books, academic papers, work with a coach. You’re deliberately building new capabilities, which requires real commitment and focus to integrate new practices.
Season 3: Off-Season (Passive Learning) – The in-between moments. You’re between projects. You’ve got 20 minutes before a meeting. You’re winding down in the evening. Your brain is hungry for stimulation, but you’re not ready for homework.
Here’s the problem: We have great tools for Seasons 1 and 2. But Season 3? We’re stuck with YouTube’s algorithm, Google rabbit holes, and LinkedIn feeds that leave us feeling more scattered than sharp.
The Museum, Not the Classroom
During one of those post-hurricane evenings, I realized what I actually wanted for Season 3: a way to enjoy strategic cases and stories.
Think about walking through a great museum. You don’t take notes. You don’t study. You wander. Some exhibits grab you immediately—you stop, you look closer, you think “Wow, I never saw it that way.” Others you pass by in 30 seconds. No guilt. No pressure. Just the pleasure of encountering ideas worth your attention.
That’s what StratCinema is designed to be.
What I’m Promising You
StratCinema is a curated library of strategic case studies in video form. I’ve spent months gathering and organizing cases that meet a simple test: Does this deliver genuine strategic insight in a way that’s engaging rather than exhausting? Fun rather than ponderous? Fresh rather than familiar?
Here’s what you can expect:
1. Curation you can trust
Every video here passed through my team’s filter. We use a curation method. If it’s superficial, clickbait, or doesn’t deliver real insight, it doesn’t make it in. You’re not fighting an algorithm—you’re benefiting from someone who’s already done the filtering.
2. Breadth across industries and eras
You’ll find spectacular failures (Wang Labs, Blockbuster, Digital Equipment Corporation) and brilliant wins (Costco in Japan, JP Morgan’s dominance). Caribbean business cases you won’t find anywhere else. Strategic frameworks from thinkers like Roger Martin and Seth Godin. The range is the point—pattern recognition comes from seeing strategies across contexts.
3. Sampling is encouraged
If you’re 30 seconds into a video and it’s not grabbing you, move on. No guilt. The value is in browsing until something clicks. Some visits you’ll watch one full case. Other times you’ll sample five and go deep on one. Both are wins.
4. Entertainment without dumbing down
These aren’t generic “10 tips” videos. They’re mostly cases—rich, detailed stories that respect your intelligence. But they’re also watchable. You can consume them on a break between meetings, not just when you’re in “study mode.” We also have podcasts, webinars, conference videos and a few speeches that make things interesting.
5. No homework, no pressure
This isn’t a course. There are no assessments, action items, or completion anxiety. Watch what interests you. Stop when you want. Come back when your brain is hungry again.
What This Isn’t
StratCinema isn’t trying to replace deep learning. When you’re ready for Season 2—when you want to build a specific skill, get coaching, or dive into formal training—you’ll know it. This is for Season 3: maintaining your strategic edge without it feeling like work.
Think of it as the difference between going to the gym (Season 2) and taking a walk through an interesting neighborhood (Season 3). Both matter. Both keep you sharp. But they serve different purposes.
The latter is all about satisfying your curiosity.
How to Use It
There’s no “right” way to navigate StratCinema. You can browse by genre (Big Mistakes, Ideas+, Caribbean Corner) or by feeling (Analytical, Provocative, Surprising). You can jump straight to what’s popular or wander until something catches your eye.
The site is free to use. Watch as much as you want. If you decide this is valuable, create an account so you can pick up where you left off and get weekly recommendations.
And if you find something worth sharing? Send it to a colleague. One of my dream outcomes is that strategists start pointing each other to specific cases the way cinephiles recommend films.
An Invitation
Hurricane Melissa gave me the pause I needed to finally build this. Now I’m inviting you to explore it.
Whether you’re between projects, winding down after a long day, or just craving that intellectual spark that reminds you why you love strategy in the first place—this is for you.
No algorithms. No guilt. Just curated cases waiting for you to discover them.
Welcome to StratCinema.
Francis Wade is a strategy consultant and the chief designer of StratCinema. Based in Kingston, Jamaica, he helps organizations think in terms of game-changing, pre-emptive, long-term results and has spent two decades studying what makes strategic thinking stick. You can find more of his work at https://linkedin.com/in/franciswade. He’s also an Ivy graduate and alumnus of AT&T Bell Labs.
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