2012 creative leaders to watch

Advertising Age Magazine recently published its impressive annual Women to Watch Special Report honoring the following leaders who are changing the world — along with its prestigious 2012 “Creativity 50” coverage. It’s a pleasure to share news of those accolades, as well as this video for TEDxTeen – Tavi Gevinson: Still Figuring it Out spotlighting … Read more2012 creative leaders to watch

“Produce!” a great team effort for Thornberg & Forester

One of the highlights of working with the bright and innovative talents at Thornberg & Forester (T&F) over the past year was helping to write the script for the promo I’m embedding above. This project is a teaser for a colorful and informative interstitial series that T&F created for Cooking Channel which the network started … Read more“Produce!” a great team effort for Thornberg & Forester

More branding and communications essentials

The Blake Project is a Los Angeles-based brand consultancy that helps companies design, manage and build brands that drive profitable revenue growth through differentiated customer experiences. Publishers of the book Brand Aid, the group also regularly stages Brand Positioning Workshops, and its principals share their considerable knowledge through their Branding Strategy Insider blog and newsletter. … Read moreMore branding and communications essentials

Sharing secrets: Fast Company

When I was an account manager for high-tech PR firm The Terpin Group in Los Angeles back in 1999 and 2000, my colleagues and I constantly set our sights on helping our clients place their stories inside the world’s leading business publications. Many of the media outlets then considered top-tier have come and gone, while one of them has continued rising and shining: Fast Company. Each phenomenal issue of the magazine is an education in itself, while its newsletters offer a steady stream of invaluable insights from world-leading journalists and business leaders. I am especially grateful for the 30 Second MBA series, where lessons like the video above featuring Kevin Prentiss, CEO of Red Rover, are short and always impactful. If you’re ever on-the-spot and trying to decide how to handle some pressing business matter, I highly encourage you visit www.fastcompany/mba to tap into platinum advice from proven leaders on key topics, like those listed below.

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Thornberg and Forester does Bob Odenkirk

Last month, Adult Swim aired “Let’s Do This!” — a new live-action comedy pilot created and produced by Bob Odenkirk, Brian Jarvis and Jim Freeman. Among many well-known comedic talents, the show stars Odenkirk as Cal McKenzie-Goldberg, who runs independent movie studio Cal-Gold Pictures from a strip mall in North Hollywood, USA. In the show’s pilot, Cal is contracted by a drug lord in Uganda to make a wizard movie, with hilarious results. By visiting this link, you can watch – and even embed – the entire show.

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The Children’s Playhouse shines on

Great Friend to Families

The Children’s Playhouse was launched ten years ago by a group of local citizens in Boone, North Carolina, who wanted an enriching play environment for children from birth to age eight that at the same time offered parents and caregivers friendly support in the important job of raising children. Ann Kiefert, Kathy Parham, Cathy Riggs, Heidi Campbell and my wife Beth Darnell were all members of the founding board. Under Kathy’s leadership, The Playhouse has not only become a widely renowned creative play space for families, it has also become a very powerful force for community goodness.

This past weekend, The Playhouse held its fourth annual Great Friend to Families Awards reception. Launched by Kathy and her forward-looking board members in 2009, this event has honored dozens of Hometown Heroes for their sustained contributions to the well-being of young children and families in our area. Proceeds from this annual event help support The Playhouse and ensure the facility remains accessible to families who might not otherwise be able to use its services.

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Dice.com amazementariness from Barkley, Thornberg and Forester

Last year, advertising agency Barkley (https://www.barkleyus.com) collaborated with design and production company Thornberg & Forester (T&F) to create five theatrical spots for Dice (https://www.dice.com), the career hub for tech. As you can see in the YouTube Playlist embedded above, they all use a very distinctive creative and storytelling style to appeal to their audience. When … Read moreDice.com amazementariness from Barkley, Thornberg and Forester

Style Frames Buenos Aires May 2012

Join Stash Media principals and a stellar group of design, advertising and media professionals at STYLE FRAMES, a new series of design conferences dedicated to the art of the pitch. The first event will take place in Buenos Aires, Argentina, on May 10 and 11.

Presented by Stash Media and produced by FITC, STYLE FRAMES will showcase outstanding pitch art and the talent behind it, while demystifying the pitch process,

Read moreStyle Frames Buenos Aires May 2012

Stepping on stage

I’ve never pictured myself performing in front of a live audience. After all, I’m not an actor, musician, or lecturer (not yet anyway). However, last week in Nashville, my perspective was turned on its head. In this case, the stage was the Frist Center and the performers (if I can call them that) were two authors focused on creative service firms, David C. Baker and Blair Enns. They spoke of the dynamics of successful relationships between firms and their clients or prospects. Most importantly, when initiating new business.

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2012 ReCourses New Business Summit

On January 25-27, I had the pleasure of joining nearly 100 other professionals representing dozens of creative services firms in Nashville to attend the 2012 ReCourses New Business Summit (NBS). Hosted by ReCourses principal David C. Baker, and Blair Enns of Win Without Pitching, the event’s subtitle reads, “Using Your Positioning for More Reward, Impact, Control, and Fun.”

When it was all over, I asked many of my fellow attendees to provide two words that best describe their takeaways from the event, and the word cloud embedded above reflects their input. For anyone who has not spoken with me or others about our remarkable experiences at the summit, this provides quick insight into its powerful impact.For a bit more background,

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