I typically don’t post, share or comment much on controversial topics, however, I can’t stay quiet after reading today’s NPR article titled “Texas High School Student Shows Off Homemade Clock, Gets Handcuffed”. It showed up in my newsfeed today and reading this REALLY upset me. I think his interview made my heart ache even more than reading the article…
Please know, before you read further, that this has NOTHING to do with my political preferences. I say that because it seems like when things like this happen, politics are quickly brought into the equation (especially with our President doing what he did after this all went down — which is a different conversation for a different day). For those of you who know me well, or even those whom I’ve never met, it’s important to mention that I have no loyalty to either side of the political spectrum. That said, this isn’t some ploy to discretely label myself as a Democrat or a Republican — or anything other than a human who is deeply saddened by this story. …
Good presenters tell their audience a great story…
I currently work at a not-for-profit community organization that promotes technology to create brilliant communities. Those aren’t my words…it’s our mission statement. It has two siblings — the “elevator speech” and the “extended elevator speech” — neither of which effectively tell our story either.
All three things were the product of a re-brand — and while all of them are aspirational and somewhat compelling — none of them really tell you the real story about what we do.
The re-brand is now complete. “Brand Speak” has been written. Websites have been redone. With all of that behind us, I was recently asked to transition from being a creative guy on the Marketing Team to take on a new role — a Regional Relationship Manager — aka the “story teller”. …
Some samples of my video work…
Here is a brief tour of some videos I’ve done over the years.
Jenn & Bill — A Love Story
There was no question about who would entertain at my sister and brother-in-law’s wedding…Audioscenery would be there and ready to make the night unforgettable. That said, I wanted to make the event REALLY special so I tried something new. The video below was created with them, for them (and their guests), and was played after dinner and before the dance began.
Editor’s Notes:
When I create things like this I like to use a combination of slide shows created in Animoto, some still images, and some live video. …
Some of the many ideas I have — past and present…
Most of the design work I’ve been doing over the last year has been centered around the re-branding of the small not-for-profit organization I’m working for. I’m always dabbling in design on the side though. That said, below are a few ideas, both past and present, combined with some logo and design studies, freelance projects, and examples of things I’ve been working on in the background.
Laying out some lyrics during a difficult time…
To see more samples of my work, or to discuss what kind of work I could do for you, please feel free to contact me. Thanks!
Mike
So I wrote for a while…then life happened…and Posterous shut down…
I wrote a blog for a while…it was titled Up at 5am. I really enjoyed writing but never seemed to make enough time for it. Then, life happened, my posts came less frequently, Posterous shut down, and I archived the materials and tucked them away until now. Below are some of my favorite and most popular posts from Up at 5am (in no particular order).
An escape from reality…
My favorite type of art to create is mixed media assemblage.
I love creating art with collected and found objects. When I create art, the process becomes an escape from reality — and sometimes a bizarre journey through my subconscious.
Each piece typically tells a story, however, the real magic (for me) is hearing the stories others come up with when they see my work.
At times I enjoy playing with a theme of related objects, but other times, it’s interesting to pair up completely unrelated objects…forcing them to interact to tell a story or convey an idea. …
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