How I Discovered the “Machine Gun Shot” and Why Reputation Isn’t What You Think
by Doc Scholz
I had this client who didn’t like long shots.
Or rather, he didn’t like the idea of taking a long shot. He said, “I don’t want to try—it might destroy my reputation.”
And I get it. Nobody wants to look foolish. Nobody wants to fail publicly. But here’s the thing I learned the hard way: in the creative world, failure doesn’t destroy your reputation. Avoiding risk does.
I realized this by accident. I wasn’t trying to teach anyone anything—I was just doing my job. But over time, I noticed a pattern: the clients who got scared and didn’t take chances? They stayed invisible. Nothing happened. No relationships formed. No doors opened. And in creative work, being invisible is the real killer.
Then it hit me. I started thinking about the process differently. I called it the machine gun shot.
The Machine Gun Shot: My Accidental Discovery
I discovered the machine gun shot concept completely by surprise. I was working on behalf of an artist client and quietly pursuing an early-stage opportunity—one I hadn’t even mentioned to them yet.
It was like firing blind, taking a long shot, not expecting much. But the more I did it, the more I realized: the hits aren’t the only thing that matter. Every shot that misses still builds momentum, creates familiarity, and shows you’re serious. That’s the point. That’s how reputation is built, not by sitting back and hoping for a perfect moment.
A Real Example: The Shot That Died Before It Began
I had this artist client, and I quietly pursued an early-stage opportunity on their behalf—because yes, it was a long shot, and I didn’t even mention it yet.
I bumped into someone working on a film coming out that year. They were LGBTQ-friendly, into helping young artists, and they needed music for the film. On top of that, they were connected to a foundation designed to help young LGBTQ artists get started.
It was perfect. Exactly the kind of opportunity you want. A chance not just to place music, but to build a relationship with people who actually care about your client’s work and could create doors for the future.
I started pitching my client. Then we hit a wall: they didn’t have a SOCAN profile. I told them to get one. They didn’t. Opportunity dead in the water.
From the client’s perspective? Nothing happened. No risk, no embarrassment. But what really died was reputation in motion. No relationship formed. No proof they were serious. Nothing visible to the people who could help them next time.
Even failing wouldn’t have hurt. Submitting, pitching, or even getting politely rejected in this kind of environment is how you show up. That’s what builds reputation. It signals: I’m professional. I’m persistent. I’m serious.
Instead, by not acting, by not firing the shot, my client missed all of that. The people they could have impressed—or at least introduced themselves to—never saw them. The network that could have recognized their seriousness never formed. That’s invisible failure. That’s the kind that silently eats opportunity over time.
This is the exact moment I realized the power of what I now call the machine gun shot. If my client had taken the small, simple steps—got the SOCAN profile, submitted the music, started a conversation—they might have missed the placement itself. But they would have established a presence. They would have started building their reputation, their relationships, and their credibility in an industry where those things matter as much as the music itself.
The lesson? Reputation isn’t about never failing. It’s about what happens when you engage, even if the odds are long. Every attempt is a shot. Every visible effort—even one that “fails”—creates momentum. Not taking the shot at all? That’s the real loss.
Falling Builds Reputation: Lady Gaga as Proof
Lady Gaga didn’t just land fully formed. Nobody hits global superstardom without falling flat hundreds of times. Before Just Dance, before The Fame, before the world noticed, she:
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Got signed—and dropped—by Def Jam
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Played dozens of poorly attended gigs
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Was dismissed as “too weird” or “unmarketable”
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Reinvented herself multiple times after rejection
Those were public failures. And none of them hurt her reputation. In fact, they built it.
People didn’t just notice her success—they noticed her persistence. Her resilience. Her willingness to show up, fail, and adapt. That’s the real reputation. That’s the machine gun shot in action. Hundreds of misses. One visible hit. And the hits look inevitable because of all the groundwork behind them.
The Takeaway: Reputation + Machine Gun
Here’s what I tell anyone in the creative world who’s scared of “looking bad”:
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Reputation isn’t built by avoiding shots.
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Reputation is built by how you get up, adjust, and keep firing.
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The only way to create opportunities is to take many, many long shots.
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Some miss. Some hit. One hit changes everything.
If you’re worried about reputation, don’t stop taking shots. Take maximum shots. Fire in bursts. Miss publicly. Learn. Adapt. Keep going.
Because in creative industries, the alternative—never trying—is far more damaging than falling ever could be.
