Film Friday: The First Interstellar Music Video
On the eve of his return to Earth earlier this week, Canadian astronaut Chris Hadfield racked up one more first before leaving the ISS, the first music video filmed in space! Check out the video above for Hadfield’s version of David Bowie’s “Space Oddity.”
#WeeklyDisruptor: Kinetic Cafe’s Principal Head of Magic, @SaulColt
Each week at Embrace Disruption we introduce you to an influential person in the digital, blogger, arts, culture, film, or media world! Every Thursday, you can check back at EDPR to find out who we think is particularly amazing at ‘embracing disruption’ within their respective industries. This week, we’d like to introduce you to Kinetic Cafe’s Principal Head of Magic, Saul Colt!
What’s your official job title, and where did you go to school?
I am the PRINCIPAL, HEAD OF MAGIC at the Toronto based innovation firm Kinetic Café and according to my Facebook profile I went to school at the RINGLING BROS. AND BARNUM & BAILEY CLOWN COLLEGE majoring in Mummenschanz but to be honest, it has been so long since I was in school so I can’t really remember if that’s accurate anymore.
Elevator pitch. Describe yourself in a nutshell (or sea shell, or any shell for that matter).
I am North America’s best word of mouth marketer specializing in big impact with low budgets…on top of that I am very handsome and my charm has no bounds.
Why did you pursue what you’re doing now? What was the inspiration?
I recently read an article that had the following description of the word Visionary, “a word that manages to convey both a capacity for mercurial insight and a lack of practical job skills.” I am not sure that accurately describes my career or personality but I did want to prove to you and your readers that I am very well read.
So to answer your question, I got to where I am not by pursuing a dream path from the beginning but rather identifying very early where my strengths were and focusing on being the best in the world at a specific skill (or big thing) instead of being OK at a lot of little things. By playing to my strengths instead of my passions I was always in a position to be successful and I never made my passions my job, therefore losing the love for the things I love. Hobbies should always be hobbies and separate because this is how you find inspiration and recharge.
What is the best part of your day-to-day?
Being creative and having people love me.
What’s the most challenging?
Convincing big brands that they should finance a re-imagination of the Harlem Globetrotters or Pro Stars cartoons.
If you took a look in the cliché crystal ball, what do you see for yourself?
I can answer this with absolute confidence because I recently had a tarot card reading and was told that in my near future my prominence will grow to a level of Oprah like beloved-ness, Seth Godin like respected-ness, Shawn Kemp like virility and Andy Kaufman like spectacle-ness, all to be followed by obscurity, irrelevance and a Howard Hughes like reclusive-ness.
How do you embrace disruption in your work and personal life?
Disruption is what I do for a living. Getting peoples attention and making people scratch their heads is that skill I referenced earlier as the thing I am better at than anyone, so you could say I embrace it with all my fingers and toes. Its what gets me out of bed everyday.
What is the most memorable moment in your career?
I don’t look back much and kinda keep moving forward so even though I have been featured in INC and Forbes Magazine for doing cool stuff and have spoken 6 years in a row at SXSW I am going blame my poor memory and say this interview is the most recent memorable moment right now.
Do you support any initiatives or charities?
I support a few charities financially (my schedule doesn’t allow too much hands on support) and while I am very proud of these initiatives I don’t talk about that stuff publicly for fear people will realize I am really a good person.
Tell us what you see yourself doing at 65 years old.
Running a school for retired print and runway models focused on teaching them the skills they need re-enter society and deal with common folks…and if that doesn’t happen I would like to be still doing what I do now because spending your days dreaming up solutions to complicated problems is pretty rewarding as well.
Just for fun: if you had to pick one app in the whole APPVERSE, what would it be?
Not sure I have a favorite app right now but I am most interested in trying out Felt App. I love the idea of handwritten notes to people.
Celebrity Fashions: A Match Made In Dior
Star power is no joke. Who wouldn’t want to look like a celebrity? Take a look at this season’s fashion campaigns featuring our favourite stars.
Jennifer Lawrence for Miss Dior
With her recent Academy Award win and her upcoming sequel to The Hunger Games trilogy, Jennifer Lawrence has been killing it lately. The humble 20-year-old actress was announced to replace Mila Kunis as the new face of Dior’s Miss Dior handbag. When first shown images from the campaign, Jennifer told Access Hollywood, “That doesn’t look like me at all. I love Photoshop more than anything in the world. People don’t look like that.” (Source)
Beyonce for H&M
Beyonce flaunts her perfect post-baby beach bod in H&M’s latest “Beyonce as Mrs. Carter” campaign. Think Beyonce and bikinis, and this is what you get. Her glowing bronze skin and fearless posing though, may be too much for locals of the Lower East side of New York City. Residents have been ‘censoring’ a bus stop poster ad with a sheet of paper, covering the lower half of the shot. (Source)
Cara Delevingne for DKNY
From becoming every fashion designer’s must-have runway model to being Rihanna’s new bestie, Cara Delevingne is the new girl everyone wants to be friends with. Starring in DKNY’s spring 2013 campaign, Cara showcases their vibrant collection in the streets of New York City. (Source)
Coco Rocha for Longchamp
Coco Rocha returns for a third season campaign with Longchamp’s Spring 2013. This time around, she is rushing into an airport and uses the security check as her dance op. Busting a move on set is nothing out of the ordinary for the dancer-turned model, as she is famous for Irish-dancing down the runway for Jean Paul Gaultier’s Fall/Winter 2007 show. (Source)
Amanda Seyfried for Givenchy
Amanda Seyfried looks absolutely breathtaking in the new TV commercial for Givenchy’s “Very Irresistable” perfume. She is seen strutting into a small café – western style, before showing off her rosy pink lips and signature gold locks. (Source)
ADDITIONAL SOURCES:
http://www.dailymail.co.uk/tvshowbiz/article-2322274/Amanda-Seyfried-Very-Irr-sistible-new-Givenchy-perfume-advert.html?ito=feeds-newsxml
http://hypetrak.com/2013/04/beyonce-hm/
http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2013/03/29/dior-veil-jennifer-lawrence-ad_n_2980953.html
http://www.whosay.com/cocorocha/photos/304137
http://fashiongonerogue.com/see-amanda-seyfried-star-in-givenchy-very-irresistible-tv-spot/
My Trade Secrets For Keeping Up With Content
One of the most important elements of my job is keeping current. I’m constantly surfing the web for content, PVR’ing daytime talk shows, and consuming multiple newspapers and magazines. Each and every day revolves around finding top news stories, digesting other PR pro tips, and reading up on current trends. To an outsider, the amount of information we (as PR peeps) have to constantly consume may be a bit overwhelming – but guess what? We love it.
In an effort to assist those who may be new to the industry, or perhaps want to learn more about PR, I thought I’d put together a few of the industry sites I visit on a daily basis – to keep my mind fresh and up to date:
PRDaily | PRWeek | All Top PR News | Mashable | Inc | Entrepreneur |Techcrunch | Techvibes
When it comes to news/content consumption that’s not industry related, I rely on a few different tactics. Here’s a few extra tips:
1. Learn To Love Your Remote
As I mentioned before, I make sure to PVR many of the local/national chat, daytime and morning shows so that I can watch them in my down time. It’s important as a PR person to know individual show formats, and what they look for in segments – if only to make your job easier when pitching your clients.
2. A Weekly Magazine Run
Each Tuesday, I try to make it out to my local bookstore to stock up on magazines. The selection varies based on what beats my current clients fall under, but I’m constantly on the lookout for opportunities and great fits for potential pieces.
3. A Daily (If Not Hourly) Scan Of The News
Knowing what’s up on a local, national, and international scale is essential. Having context for potential story pitches, and being able to tie your pitch into current events is something media will love you for.
4. Twitter
Twitter is a godsend. Of course, you can’t possibly keep up with absolutely everything going on in the world, and do your job – but Twitter certainly helps. Reading realtime news/articles from likeminded people, or those you admire can play a big role in keeping your fingers on the pulse.
For more tips, articles, and advice, be sure to follow us @EmbraceDisrupt.
Until next time,
Cory
Social Time Is Money: Are You Spending It Responsibly?
Time is a limited commodity when running a business. When it comes to social media, this infographic (below) shows how to best budget a typical 40 hour work week to get the most out of your social media campaigns.
Clearly, the two biggest cogs in the social media machine are blogging and contingencies. Good blog content gets noticed and shared. It’s also one of the biggest drivers of traffic to your company’s site. When it comes to contingencies, this includes unscheduled posts (such as Oreo’s Superbowl ad) as well as damage control/emergencies. The more pre-planning you can do, the less overall impact these events will have on your company and strategies.
Finally, don’t forget about engagement. It’s always good to have fabulous content but you need to get out into the social media-verse and share it, discuss it, and build relationships with like minded individuals. The great thing about social media is that it makes our world smaller and more connected; you just have to commit yourself to building those relationships.
Check out the infographic below for more helpful tips to budget your time.
Film Friday: John Krasinski & Jimmy Fallon Lip Sync Our Favourite Songs
Happy Friday Everyone!
LinkedIn Allows Users To Get ‘Visual’
Since its inception, LinkedIn has been a destination for professionals to connect and share achievements, while proudly displaying a working copy of their online resumes. LinkedIn announced Wednesday May 1st that users can now include visual representations of their work, allowing for companies and potential co-workers to see achievements even before making contact!
This addition means that photographers will now be able to upload samples of their work; video editors can upload films or commercials they have worked on and fashion designers can put their sketches on display. Not only will users be able to upload these images, video and/or presentations from their own computers, but they will also be able to link to content from other sites while providing detailed descriptions and explanations as to why the visuals were included.
With the inclusion of the new Personal Portfolio section of LinkedIn, people will also be able to ‘like,’ comment and ‘share’ all uploaded materials. This will definitely come in handy when trying to scout talent: just locate a candidate’s LinkedIn resume and share the examples of their past work with the team. Members of the same professional communities can also offer their peers feedback and suggestions on their work.
Sources
http://www.wired.com/gadgetlab/2013/05/linkedin-professional-portfolio/
Contextual Marketing: Are You Saying the Right Things to Your Audience?
This article is written by EDPR staff writer, Tarra Matthews.
Context is so important: it provides reasoning behind information or an event, while also allowing individuals to draw the correct conclusion about something. When it comes to marketing, context is all about being able to provide the right content, to the right people at the right time.1 By providing a more complete picture of what a product/service actually is and the many uses and benefits it can provide, it enables potential customers more information to make final purchase decisions.
Contextual marketing is at it’s best when the content is personalized and relevant to the people looking at it. The best ways to figure out what your potential consumers want is through market research and identifying where they land in the buying cycle. If they are just starting to research purchasing a product, the information they’re looking for is vastly different than what they would require in other areas of the buying cycle (see the image below).
When conducting contextual marketing, here’s are 3 tools that you can use:
- Dynamic Calls To Action: telling people what you want them to do; i.e. “contact us for more information,” “buy now,” or “tell us about your experience.”
- Organized E-mail Blasts: don’t bombard people with information they won’t need.
- Smart Forms: by gathering targeted data, you can personalize your interactions with past/present/future customers.
When it comes to online advertising, Todd Wasserman had this to say:
“…standard ad formats for TV, print and radio are pretty set, the Internet has viewed the social media and mobile revolution as a chance for a do-over in which the lines between advertising and editorial are blurred a bit…”
We’re all bombarded with examples of targeted online marketing. How many times have you googled a product, and been chased by a plethora of banner ads (advertising that very product) with each site you visit? That’s another form of contextual marketing that uses behavioral targeting. Many search engines employ the use of adware (software that picks out key words from our searches) and display ads that are meant to be of interest to us. This technique could still use some improvements though, behavioural targeting still can’t decipher whether or not a consumer has purchased a product – meaning the banner ads still appear, even after completing the online buying cycle.
Whatever form it comes in, contextual marketing has become an industry standard – helping to provide consumers with products and services they actually “want”.
Sources:
http://www.pcmag.com/encyclopedia/term/56351/contextual-marketing
#WeeklyDisruptor: Party-Time YouTuber & ‘Like/Comment/Subscribe’ Host Andrew ‘Gunnarolla’ Gunadie
09 May 2013/9 Comments/in Embrace Disruption Blog /by Embrace Disruption PREach week at Embrace Disruption we introduce you to an influential person in the digital, blogger, arts, culture, film, or media world! Every Thursday, you can check back at EDPR to find out who we think is particularly amazing at ‘embracing disruption’ within their respective industries. This week, we’d like to introduce you to Music/Video Producer, YouTuber & Musician, Andrew ‘Gunnarolla’ Gunadie!
What’s your official job title, and where did you go to school?
Currently I’m a music & video producer, and Party-Time YouTuber! You probably know me as ‘gunnarolla’ – I’m at least partly responsible for music videos such as “Canadian, Please” and “The Comic Sans Song”. I also co-host and co-curate a live show about YouTube called “Like/Comment/Subscribe”.
I have an Honours BA in Media, Information & Technoculture from Western University, and a diploma in Television Broadcasting from Fanshawe College in London, Ontario.
Elevator pitch. Describe yourself in a nutshell (or sea shell, or any shell for that matter).
Asian-Canadian. Funny & funny-looking. I love to make content that will make you laugh and make you think. I have a few big YouTube videos under my belt (not literally, that’s gross). More and more I love YouTube as a social platform – I love building and interacting with a community, and extending that experience with our tours and live shows. I’d like to think that I’ve facilitated many friendships, and at the end of the day, I just want to be your friend.
Why did you pursue what you’re doing now? What was the inspiration?
Well, I’m doing a lot of things now. Music has been the thread that has run through my life since I was born – I studied piano/keyboard, and went on to teach hundreds of students with the Yamaha Music Education System.
I didn’t really get into producing my own music, or seeing music as a tool for personal expression, until high school. It’s around that time that I also got into video production. I had a great group of friends to collaborate with, and we were always making stuff. Julia Bentley and I produced a ton of music together.
I’ve worked on a few television productions (Canada’s Next Top Model, The Conventioneers) but the job that made the most sense with my degree and my skill set would have to be Senior Multimedia Producer with the Toronto International Film Festival (TIFF). I did anything and everything relating to digital video – multi-camera recording of events, AV for exhibitions, interviews, Festival coverage, trailers, clip reels, and all YouTube content.
All the while, I was active on YouTube, and it was a fun hobby, and a great place to exercise my creativity. “Canadian, Please,” released in 2009 and currently sitting at 3.7 million views, is our big viral hit, but it wasn’t until a few years later that I really started considering (and treating) YouTube as a potential “job” – or at least, a thing that I could dedicate more time to.
There are no limits to the YouTube content. And because the people who watch me are so awesome, I tend to draw much of my inspiration from them. If you are in tune with your audience, and you make an effort to interact with them, you will never run out of ideas.
What is the best part of your day-to-day?
I set my own schedule, so two-hour lunches are pretty great, as are designated nap time. I love the moment when a project is finally done and out there in the world. I recently completed a daily video series, and that was definitely a highlight of my day; sharing work, and interacting with the audience, building on their ideas, and using their feedback to improve my next project.
What’s the most challenging?
Because I set my own schedule, weekends basically don’t exist! I have to constantly remind myself that most people get at least one day off a week, so I shouldn’t feel bad about not working on a Sunday. To-do lists and scheduling blocks of work time in a calendar help to keep me on track (even though I don’t always follow them!)
A lot of the work that I do on YouTube is tough – so much of what I personally value constantly contracts what is “important” in the YouTube world. If I’m going to do something, I’m going to do it 1,000,000% and I don’t like feeling like I’m not succeeding. So I’ve had to balance what is important to me vs what I need to do to be “successful” on this platform. You don’t get a raise and you don’t get a promotion because you worked hard or because you were super talented. You have to play the game, and I hate that. I’ve had a lot of jobs, but this has definitely been the hardest. But I just can’t give up!
If you took a look in the cliché crystal ball, what do you see for yourself?
I’ve had a lot of major life changes in the past two years – I left a prestigious full-time job, did a ton of traveling, slept on couches and even in cars. I also got out of my comfort zone and started doing more music and live shows. I don’t have any regrets about these decisions – they’ve helped me realize what is really important in life, and the necessity of (calculated) risk-taking to really be happy.
That said, I would love to continue what I’m doing, but without the constant underlying fear that I won’t be able to make my rent, or that I will be forever alone because I have too many things going on at once. Hopefully that’s what my future has in store, but I’m starting to suspect that that’s just life…
How do you embrace disruption in your work and personal life?
My life is based on disruption! I mean, I tried the stable, predictable, traditional thing – and I definitely could have continued down that route. But if I hadn’t taken chances (probably the biggest one was leaving my full-time job) then I wouldn’t have learned about myself in the way that I did, through traveling, and through the relationships that I built after leaving my job.
Regarding risks and disruption, a friend once told me “decisions are never final: even if you make the ‘wrong’ decision, it’ll just lead you to new choices, and the option of making another decision” which I really impacted my outlook on life.
I’ve also recently had a few incidents in my personal life and with my family that have helped to put the bigger picture into perspective. I will never pass up the opportunity to travel, and I refuse to worry or complain about money. I am healthy and I have skills – I’m incredibly fortunate to live the life that I do.
What is the most memorable moment in your career?
I produced a lot of great work and worked with very important people when I worked with TIFF. It’s great seeing your work up on the big screen, and all over the Internet.
I’ve had a ton of highlights relating to my work on YouTube. I’ll forever look back fondly on my first cross-continent tour with Andrew Huang. We packed up a U-Haul truck and drove from Toronto to LA, stopping in a major Canadian and American cities for shows. I had never really driven long distances, I had never really performed live, I had never really met up with fans, Andrew and I barely knew each other, and somehow it all worked out. We met so many incredible people on that journey, and we didn’t fight once – which is a feat considering that we were literally inseparable for almost two weeks. Australia and New Zealand were also amazing, but we were pros by that point.
On a similar note, my first show with Andrew Bravener presented at Scotiabank Nuit Blanche 2012 in Toronto was quite the experience, even though I don’t remember much of it. We hosted this show for 12 hours straight. But we had amazing support– particularly from a group of dedicated crazies known as The Blanchettes (hey, Tarra!), and it really opened my eyes to how fun and valuable these live shows can be.
I’ve supported the Coalition for Music Education (http://www.musicmakesus.ca/) and Partners for Mental Health (http://www.partnersformh.ca/) during the Project for Awesome movement on YouTube.
Tell us what you see yourself doing at 65 years old.
Probably what I’m doing now, with more naps and less duck lips. (Let’s hope.)
Just for fun: if you had to pick one app in the whole APPVERSE, what would it be?
I’m so bad with apps. I use my phone for email and social media; I don’t have much time for anything else! A friend recently introduced me to Voxer, and it’s been great for keeping in touch with my international friends.