The Punk PM #5

Hey there, punk!

Another week, another dive into the messy world of product management.

Thanks for sticking around while I riff on ideas that may or may not be related to the craft of building digital products.

This week I’m taking my cue from one of the weirdest, most original minds in filmmaking: the late great David Lynch who sadly passed away on 15th January.

What can the creator of Twin Peaks and Mulholland Drive teach us about product management?

Let’s get into it.

Quote of the Week 🙊

Insight 🦉

David Lynch was a filmmaker, painter, musician, and general purveyor of the bizarre. His work doesn’t just tell a story—it creates an experience. And while you might not be creating psychedelic horror mysteries, there’s still a lot you can learn as a PM from Lynch’s approach to creativity:

Start with the Big Idea

Lynch always stressed the importance of the core idea. For him, everything started with a single spark—an image, a mood, a line of dialogue—and everything else grew from there.

In product management, that spark is the problem statement you’re trying to solve for your customer. Once you’ve found that, the rest of your product will follow.

Embrace the Weirdness

Lynch’s films are famously unconventional, with plot twists and imagery that rarely (if ever) make any real sense. But that’s what makes them memorable.

Great products often emerge from bold ideas that challenge the status quo. Don’t be afraid to pitch something unusual if it solves a real problem.

Trust Your Intuition

Lynch talked a lot about intuition—those gut feelings that guided his creative choices.

As a PM, data is critical, but so is your instinct. When faced with incomplete information, sometimes you just have to trust your gut and move forward.

Iterate Relentlessly

Lynch was known for revisiting and refining his ideas until they felt "right."

The best products are built through iteration. Don’t cling to your first version—test, learn, and improve until it clicks with your audience.

Ultimately, Lynch’s work reminds us to stay creative, stay curious, and let the process be a little messy. A genuine innovator who wasn’t afraid to break the rules, the world will be a much less interesting place without him in it.

Action 🚀

Take a page from Lynch’s book this week:

• What’s your product’s “big idea”? Write it down in one sentence. If you can’t, go back to the drawing board.

• Let your intuition guide one small decision, whether it’s a feature priority or a messaging tweak.

Inspiration 💡

Here’s what’s been inspiring me this week:

Mulholland Drive by David Lynch

Nearly a quarter of a century after it was first released, Mulholland Drive remains one of the finest movies of the nascent 21st Century. A deeply surreal drive through the dark underbelly of Hollywood, it’s a stunning piece of cinema that stands out as David Lynch’s finest achievement. Very few mainstream movies have ever been this good.

David Lynch Keeps His Head by David Foster Wallace

A visit to the Lost Highway set by the novelist David Foster Wallace where he never gets closer than five feet from David Lynch and doesn’t actually speak to him is still an incredible account of how Lynch made movies. It’s worth reading for the section about Lynch’s evolution from the creative disaster that was Dune to the triumph of Blue Velvet alone.

David Lynch: the great American surrealist who made experimentalism mainstream by Peter Bradshaw

This posthumous account of David Lynch’s career by The Guardian’s Peter Bradshaw gives some real insight into why Lynch is such an important figure in modern cinema. Everything David Lynch did was innovative and experimental—something that he never lost sight of even when he was making movies with Hollywood budgets for mainstream audiences.

Catching the Big Fish: Meditation, Consciousness, and Creativity by David Lynch

This week’s quote comes from this book which is an incredible insight into his methods as an artist, his personal working style, and the creative benefits he experienced from the practice of meditation. Lynch talks about diving in and catching ideas “like big fish”, which is also a fantastic metaphor for creating new products.

Signing Off ✍️

What’s your “big idea” this week? Hit reply and share it—I’d love to hear what you’re working on. And if you’ve got a fellow product manager who could use a dose of creative inspiration, feel free to share this newsletter with them.

Play it your way.

Toby