June 2012
8 posts
2 tags
Transparency: Harder Than It Looks
In today’s social world, transparency is a virtue. Or at least, it should be. Of course, it’s difficult for a business who has been operating without transparency for decades to open up its private practices to the public. And even when they make a good attempt to be more transparent, what’s under the kimono can be rather ugly. I noticed this trend in a few links that have been...
Jun 29th
“And you know that being a creative mind, you have to examine who you are every...”
– Riccardo Tisci (via simko)
Jun 24th
52 notes
3 tags
"Why I Left Advertising" Follow Up
I just wanted to write a quick follow-up on my post about leaving the ad industry. I wrote the post quickly last Thursday evening, and on Friday I left for a long weekend out of town with limited internet access. When I came back on Monday afternoon - all I can say is wow. Apparently the subject matter really resonated with people, because this is by far the most interaction I’ve ever had...
Jun 19th
11 notes
3 tags
Why I Left Advertising
Recently, I made the decision to leave advertising behind, at least temporarily. Yesterday was my last day at Grey. I come from a digital product design background. Three years ago, I decided to move into the ad world. I really liked being surrounded by creative people and working across different industries, and I thought that there was an opportunity to do great digital work from within the big...
Jun 14th
40 notes
3 tags
How to write stories, by Pixar
My favorites in bold. #1: You admire a character for trying more than for their successes. #2: You gotta keep in mind what’s interesting to you as an audience, not what’s fun to do as a writer. They can be v. different. #3: Trying for theme is important, but you won’t see what the story is actually about til you’re at the end of it. Now rewrite. #4: Once upon a time...
Jun 11th
6 notes
3 tags
Why do sci-fi interfaces always look so gloomy?
Still from The Avengers Since Minority Report, major summer blockbusters have striven to include futuristic computer interfaces in their films.  I find the vision for these fascinating on a few levels. The first is the obvious fact that these they can imagine the possible without being tethered to the restrictions of our current technology. But it’s also interesting to note that, while...
Jun 8th
3 tags
What's Smart About SmartGlass
If you haven’t heard, Microsoft announced a new feature for Xbox called SmartGlass at E3 today. Essentially, SmartGlass is a series of apps that allow you to interact with your TV via your phone or tablet. This is the brilliance of piggy-backing on an ecosystem that already exists, even if it’s not your own. Imagine if Microsoft had said that SmartGlass was only available on...
Jun 4th
2 notes
The collapse of complex business models →
Great article on Business Insider on the impending collapse of the television industry, which is also going to have a big impact on the ad world. The article does a good job of echoing the point that while technology alone doesn’t disrupt business models, shifting behaviors caused by technology can be catastrophic to stodgy industries.  A few key quotes: So, what are the key points of...
Jun 4th