Last year, we lost our client and friend Sarah Miller Caldicott. When she passed away, we were producing a number of videos to promote her latest book, Midnight Lunch. Sarah was a great-grand-niece of Thomas Edison, and through her research and writing on him, an expert on the concept of organizational innovation. She helped several corporations implement midnight lunches to spark innovation, and was passionately driven to spread Edison’s best ideas and legacy to a modern audience. She was also funny, incredibly adept with technology (she showed me how to use Snapchat, and would repeatedly try to convince me that it was a viable platform for business WAY before it was a viable platform for business), and the day that I got to spend with her filming these videos was incredibly enjoyable and informative.
Sarah’s ideas were also very much worth sharing, and with her family’s blessing, we’ve posted her Midnight Lunch videos to YouTube and are sharing them here. If you’re leading – or working in – an organization that could benefit from better innovation (so… everyone), I highly recommend giving them a watch. To learn even more, I can highly recommend either of her books.
Sarah was wonderful and brilliant. I hope you enjoy spending a few minutes with her via these videos.
What is a Midnight Lunch?
Sarah Miller Caldicott describes Edison’s innovative midnight lunches and the concept of intentional innovation.
Edison as a Phenomenon
Sarah Miller Caldicott describes Edison’s role as a phenomenon in his own time.
The Four Phases of a Midnight Lunch
Sarah Miller Caldicott describes the four phases of Edison’s famous midnight lunches, and outlines how modern organizations can leverage his techniques to unlock intentional innovation in their own organizations.
Edison's Labs
Sarah Miller Caldicott describes Edison’s famous laboratories.
Edison's Documentation
Sarah Miller Caldicott discusses Edison’s rare knack for documentation and its importance to his legacy.
Edison's Workforce
Sarah Miller Caldicott describes Edison’s unique and pioneering philosophies around workforce management.
The Timespan of Edison's Innovation
Sarah Miller Caldicott describes the timespan of Thomas Edison’s many innovations.