ESPN - The Beginning

I'm reading Tom Shales and Jim Miller's entertaining book about ESPN - Those Guys Have All The Fun. In it, Bill Shanahan - an early employee - comments on how ESPN invented a new brand of TV. He points out how fortunate it actually was to be in an out of the way place like Bristol, CT. Many disparaged Bristol. However, He said that they were not surrounded by "industry wisdom" - and that was a huge blessing. I think it's a terrific point. Being distant from the existing players in your industry might help you go against the grain and think differently about the industry.