Pivotal Digital

Chicago Needs an Accordion-Playing Boba Fett

2010-04-29T07:15:00.000-07:00

As long as we're "bringing the neighborhood" to Chicago with Tribeca Flashpoint Media Arts Academy, I hope there's room on the moving van for this guy:

De Niro's Tribeca is Coming to Flashpoint Academy!

2010-04-14T09:16:00.000-07:00

Listen to this amazing news: Robert De Niro's company, Tribeca Enterprises, just partnered with Flashpoint Academy, Chicago's digital media arts college. In honor of this partnership, Flashpoint Academy will be renamed Tribeca Flashpoint Digital Media Academy, and will continue to offer cutting edge collegiate programs in Film & Broadcast, Recording Arts, Game & Interactive Media Development, and Animation & Visual Effects -- with considerable new opportunities loaded in.

As a Flashpoint employee, this announcement positively thrills me. Not only will this amazing organization grow in ways we've only imagined; our students are going to find all sorts of new ways to build upon our relationship with Tribeca, and Tribeca's relationships with, well, everyone, to advance their careers and do some really amazing stuff.

Plus, when De Niro comes around, intra-office encounters could get a whole lot more interesting. "You talkin' to me?"

READ THE TRIBUNE ARTICLE HERE

Educating Our Way Through Social Media Despair

2010-04-08T12:54:00.000-07:00

Earlier today I clicked on this link to Amber Naslund's post on Altitude. (Thanks to @TimJahn for tweeting it.) Her question: Why do social media marketers continue to seek hard and fast answers for social media success?

Anyone who's ever launched (or tried to launch) a social media initiative has undoubtedly sought firm answers, only to be frustrated by the recurring and entirely unhelpful non-answer of "it depends."

So why do we keep looking? Is it because we need people to do our thinking/adventuring for us? Or that we don't want to be accountable for mistakes or lack of measurable results? Or is it something different?

For a variety of responses I invite you to read the comments on Amber's post, "The Quest for Firm Answers." But since you're reading my blog for the moment, here are my thoughts:

I like to think of social media as akin to a fitness routine. Just as some people use exercise primarily to lose weight, bulk up, or improve their overall physical well-being, different companies are going to use social media for a variety of different objectives, such as brand building, improved customer service, and overall conversion.

There is no one-size-fits-all solution to exercise, and there also isn’t one for social media. But, for a novice in either area, a set of initial guidelines can help people get more comfortable with a routine and the equipment they need to use. In time, each person who is serious about getting the results they want will figure out how to customize their experience to reach their goals, but without a basic idea of where to start, a good portion of people will get too frustrated at the onset to ever start at all.

The point of having “rules” or a “recipe” becomes less about guaranteeing results and more about getting people active in the first place.

Therefore, I don’t think the rules people crave come as a result of cowardice or not wanting to be accountable. It’s about relieving some confusion at the onset of a major undertaking. As long as people understand this both when giving and receiving advice about social media, our community of social media marketers will grow, and grow stronger, in time.

The Social Media Cycle: A Religious Experience?

2010-03-18T14:30:00.000-07:00

When having a conversation about social media, it's almost impossible to do so without touching upon the concept of community. It's no secret that the internet has forced us to re-evaluate and even, in some ways, redefine how we view community, adjust for the extent to which digital gatherings are becoming the norm.

This topic came up yesterday in a conversation with some Methodist ministers who were looking for ways to use social media for the growth and enrichment of their communities. The overwhelming concern I was hearing from them was that social media would cause people to forgo having, as one minister called it, "skin in the game." In other words, many of them were reluctant to use social media because they felt it would actually break down their communities and lead to isolation.

Aside from the fact that it is my personal belief humans have a natural, innate need for physical contact, and that social media will relieve us of that need no more than the telegraph or telephone have over the last couple of centuries (did AT&T connect or disconnect us when they told us to "Reach Out and Touch Someone?"), there are some uses of social media that are more conducive to this than others.

If your community likes to chat online, the first thing you have to do is recognize that as a good thing, not a bad thing. When they're on your Facebook page, message boards, twitter feed, etc., it means they're engaged with your message and they want to share their thoughts, feelings, and questions with others.

To bring those conversations from the message board to the meeting place, a savvy community leader can listen to what their community is saying and build physical events, such as focused study groups, classes, and outings, around those topics of interest. So if your online communities are buzzing this week about, say, Paul's Letters, how do you turn that topic into an opportunity for a face-to-face conversation? If you're a minister, plan a sermon to address your community's questions. Looking for a less formal option? Suggest a meet-up or Bible study (perhaps at a restaurant, coffee shop, or other inviting location) specifically to talk about this topic. Perhaps after studying Paul's letters, your community expresses an interest in finding ways to serve. If so, organize a volunteer day where they can combine their strengths for the greater good.

Then, once you've found the topics that engage your community using social media, you can promote these events using social media. Get on Facebook, Twitter, MySpace, message boards, Eventbrite, Meetup.com -- the list continues. The more channels you use, the broader your reach will be.

You can even take things one step further and document your meetings to share online. Whether you choose to share your content via video (YouTube, Vimeo, Dailymotion, Metacafe), audio (podcasts, MySpace), or blog post (Blogger, Wordpress, Typepad), you can start to build a conversation archive for the future. Then, next time someone has an interest in one of your past topics and does a web search, they'll find your community and, it follows, a place to talk about it. And from here, the social cycle continues.

For those companies and organizations who still doubt social media's ability to bring people together meaningfully, just remember: the more you listen to your communities online, the more opportunities you'll find to get creative and engage their interests in constructive ways. People gravitate toward social media because they perceive the technology's ability to bring them closer together. It simply takes a leader to sort through the clutter and find the channels that will lead to deep and meaningful social engagement.

From Oak Park to Pixar - How One "Star Wars Kid" Fulfilled His Dream

2010-03-16T07:39:00.000-07:00

In today's economy, it stands to reason that there's a scarcity of people who are truly satisfied in their work. With national job satisfaction at 20 year lows and unemployment at all-time highs, it's a rare thing indeed to encounter someone whose career continues to be fun, challenging, and rewarding -- even through some of the hardest economic times in our nation's history.

But for animator Warren Trezevant, the time and hard work he invested in his career have truly paid off. Now, after 15 years with Pixar Animation Studios, this self-described "Star Wars kid" from Oak Park reflects on a career that has allowed him to explore the various facets of his many interests, and bring characters to life both on the screen and in the physical world.

I had the pleasure of meeting Warren at last week's Break the Box lecture series at Frank Lloyd Wright's Unity Temple, and again at Flashpoint Academy where he spoke to students the following day. An Oak Park, IL native, Warren told two very different, yet equally captivated audiences about his personal journey from Oak Park River Forest High School to Oakland, California where he helped to animate such popular and critically-acclaimed modern classics as A Bug's Life, Toy Story 2, Monsters Inc., Finding Nemo, The Incredibles, and Ratatouille.

As a career, animation married Warren's two loves: art and computers. It was a path he arrived at sideways, following an industrial design degree from the University of Illinois at Champaign-Urbana, a short time in Europe, a Westward leap of faith, and his fortuitous enrollment in an animation course that was, as luck would have it, taught by some of the founding Pixar animators. And the rest, as they say, is history.

As he shared his story with his audiences, what shined through Warren's words -- more than hard work, smart job choices, and chance encounters -- was his palpable appetite for improvement. At Pixar, they call the incremental and collaborative betterment of their work "plussing:" and during his time there, Warren has plussed not only his own shots and the shots of his fellow animators, but has also plussed Pixar by joining Disney's Animatronics team to create such imaginative and truly awe-inspiring projects as the Pixar Zoetrope and a life sized Wall-E. (Check the end of this post for videos.) Still, 15 years into his career, Warren continues to build upon his considerable talent by drawing upon his passions and never settling for the status quo.

When I think about what I learned from Warren Trezevant, it is this: that, no matter how far they go and how many hurdles they clear, true innovators always go looking for more. It's not an assignment, nor really a choice for them to do so. Innovators innovate because that's what they're driven to do, and it's unsatisfying for them to do anything less. And that, to me, is what is truly inspirational about his story -- that some people do succeed, and that when they do, they continue to chart a path for future artists to follow in their footsteps and form into reality the stuff of their wildest imaginations.

As I look back on Warren's visit to Chicago, I can't help but hope that, at least in some small way, the dissatisfaction held by many working Americans will be a building force, growing and invigorating the next generation of imagination, invention, innovation.

Feeling inspired? For more about Flashpoint's 2-year, Associate of Applied Science degree programs in Animation & Visual Effects, Film & Broadcast, Recording Arts, or Game Development, visit flashpointacademy.com.

The Pixar Zoetrope:

Wall-E Comes to Life:

Another Personal Anecdote about Why I Love My Job.

2010-02-01T07:52:00.000-08:00

On my way out of Burnham Center on Friday night, I had an interesting conversation with a couple of students from a competing college in town, both of whom pursuing animation degrees.

These two students initially approached me to find out if I was a student at Flashpoint Academy. I told them no, but that I work at Flashpoint, and would be happy to help them if I could. They told me they’d been to our school a few times for CG Society meetings and wanted to know where they could get a Flashpoint t-shirt to, in their own words, “piss off” their school.

I laughed, but they said they were quite serious. One of them then went on to tell me they’ve had it with their animation department’s lack of tools and resources, and they’re constantly frustrated by scarce and broken equipment. They said that when they come to Flashpoint they see what animation facilities really SHOULD be like, and that their school should be more like us.

As luck would have it, Perry Harovas, our Animation & Visual Effects chairman, walked by just as I was having this conversation with these students. I asked them if they use Mastering Maya in their animation classes, and when they said yes I pointed at Perry and informed them that he had co-authored it. They couldn’t believe it, and acted a little like there was a celebrity in their midst. “It’s the textbook guy!”

Both of these students already had a brochure in hand when I started talking to them and expressed interest in coming to Flashpoint after they finish their current BFA degrees in order to expand their education.

My conversation with these students further proved to me that we at Flashpoint Academy are doing something (in fact, a lot of things) right.

By keeping our emphasis on hands-on learning and exceptional teaching, our programs are gaining a reputation -- even among the students at competing colleges -- for providing superior education. The fact that these students see our 2-year Animation & Visual Effects program as something more akin to a graduate program than their own BFA program really says something about who we are and what we have accomplished in just 3 years. I am extremely proud.

My Wordle

2009-10-29T13:02:00.000-07:00

I created this cool "Wordle" using the program at wordle.net. It's cool how you can take one look at this and know exactly what my blog is about. I recommend you try it!

Silver Productions MV Releases Video for Just Left: "Tell Me What You're Think'n."

2009-10-27T10:15:00.000-07:00

Just Left - Tell Me That You're Thinkin' music video

Standby Records | MySpace Video

Are you ready for a little Kristin H. trivia? For 10,000 Kristin bucks, correctly answer the following question:

Before becoming a Web Evangelist for the coolest school in town, what was Kristin's dream career?
a) Rodeo clown
b) Doughnut tester
c) English teacher
d) Local music journalist

If you guessed a, b, or c, you didn't know me as a teenager.

That's right -- this straight-laced, Shakespeare loving, J. Crew donning web evangelist used to dream of being a local music journalist, and even had the website (the late SonicTreats.net) and closet full of pleather to prove it. When I wasn't busy trying to wrap my head around 10th grade chemistry, I'd be writing up web interviews with bands like Kill Hannah, Phantom Planet, and The Faint, planning my next feature, or figuring out how to get from my dad's car to Metro or Schuba's as discretely as possible. (My dad would wait in the car.)

True story.

Well, today I get to relive some of those youthful fantasies as Just Left and Silver Productions MV (headed up by Flashpoint Academy film alum, Matt Silver) release the music video for "Tell Me What You're Think'n."

A great collaboration of local filmmakers and local musicians, "Tell Me What You're Think'n" is just one of many Silver Productions MV Videos that showcase the creative talent that continues to place Chicago's music scene among the most vibrant in the country. This catchy, danceable ditty is sure to round out many an indie-kid playlist after today's worldwide release, populating iThings and blasting from car stereos and house parties for months to come.

You can buy Just Left's new album, Think Fast, at Best Buy and other national retailers. To contact Silver Productions, please send an email to inquiries@silverproductionsmv.com and support local talent on your next video project.

Doubting the Viability of Vocational Arts Education? Don't.

2009-10-21T07:49:00.001-07:00

One of the hardest and most frustrating things about being at a vocational college -- any vocational college -- is combating the stigma that students at these institutions are not cut out for anyplace else. And, as anyone who has ever attended art school is intimately aware, saying that our particular vocational college is for artists tends to ellicit an even more skeptical reaction from the non-believers. (Or, as I like to call them, the "pre-converts.")

From the very beginning of my time here (I've been at Flashpoint Academy for a little over 7 months now) it was evident that this was not the case with our students. Intelligent, well-spoken, creative, and extremely driven, the picture of your "average" Flashpoint student is anything but average.

I've seen them do amazing things. They've made festival-winning movies, produced music videos for national acts, developed video games that have impressed even your most prestigious game development companies, and created animations for real Hollywood features. A far cry from those at Le Institut de Refrigeration Repair, Flashpoint students constantly raise the bar not just for themselves and their classmates but for vocational education as a whole. It’s a truly remarkable thing to be a part of.

Recently, more than ever, I’ve been blown away by the work ethic and sheer talent I’ve witnessed around me. It occurred to me that even I, one of the foremost proponents of Flashpoint’s educational model, was not fully aware of the gifts our students have. Want to be impressed? Read first-year student Emily Greenquist’s winning entry into the Game Career Guide Game Design Challenge, or fall into second year student Pete Stilwell’s short story, “Embers.” While you’re at it, check out the amazing review of film alum Michael Noens’ latest feature film, Coasting. I dare you to find a more concentrated crop of talented young minds anywhere – 4 year colleges, I’m talking to you.

In short, the students at Flashpoint are proving that vocational and art education isn’t just for those who can’t make it anywhere else. It’s for those who wouldn’t waste their time doing anything but the things that move them. To me, although few paths are less traveled in traditional education, there is no more proven formula for lifelong happiness and success. And if this isn't how we should measure the value of education, then I don't know what is.

Virtual College Fairs: The Future of College Exploration?

2009-10-07T10:43:00.000-07:00

This week I'll be participating in my second ever Virtual College Fair, College Week Live. This time, the target audience is high school counselors, and attendees are said to include thousands of educators from the ACT's heafty, international little black book.

Sparing schools and attendees the hassle, travel, and expense of traditional college fairs, College Week Live utilizes a highly interactive online environment to provide a fun and immersive experience for everyone involved. (See a screen shot of Flashpoint Academy's booth at left.) Each virtual booth features everything you would expect from one at an in-person college fair, including live chat with admissions counselors and downloadable information handouts; but CWL allows schools to take their booth to the next level, offering audio and video, live lead capture, and more -- plus all of the advantages of having the internet at your fingertips.

In my experience, the simple fact of being able to bypass the power, internet connection, union labor, and AV rentals costs makes College Week Live a great value. (What would those services run you at your city's convention hall?) But what will really make this type of college fair take off is its ability to draw people from more than one geographic area and help visitors judge a school based not just on the flashiness of its booth, but on the quality of information and people that makes up the institution itself.

If you are a high school teacher or counselor who would like to attend College Week Live (and why wouldn't you: it's free!) click here or go to www.collegeweeklive.com. And don't forget to stop by Flashpoint Academy!

Now Accepting Applications: Flashpoint Academy High School Institute (Winter 2010)

2009-10-06T11:55:00.003-07:00

For those of you who are, know, or encounter creative, motivated high school students (especially in the Chicago area) you're going to want to know about this program.

Flashpoint Academy will be offering a high school institute this winter, 2010, for students aged 16+ looking to start their education in film/broadcast, game design, recording arts, or visual effects/animation. If you have any questions about it, please feel free to contact me directly. (Since this is the school I work at, I know all the answers!)

FLASHPOINT HIGH SCHOOL INSTITUTE - WINTER 2010

Now Accepting Applications!
Jan 30th-March 6th, 2010

Classes are held each Saturday, from 10:00am-1:00pm.
Space is limited, so register today!

High School Students: Flashpoint Academy is currently accepting applications for our Winter 2010 High School Institute. Get an introduction to HD film production, make a video game in our game design workshop, learn to create animations and visual effects, or participate in a real studio recording session!

All Flashpoint High School Institute Sessions are held at Flashpoint’s main campus and production facilities at 28 North Clark Street in Chicago. You must be a current high school student and over the age of 16 to attend.

For more information, contact Admissions at (312) 332-0707

Introduction to HD Film Production | Download Application
Cost: $750.00

This six-session, hands-on program is designed to give high school students an introduction to film production and filmmaking techniques. Over the course of a the class, students, working in teams, will take a project from ideation and conception to finished short-film.

Download Course Description

Game Design Workshop | Download Application
Cost: $750.00

The Game Design Workshop offers an introduction to modern game design. This professionally guided hands-on opportunity leads a select group of attendees to the creation of a design appropriate for today's consoles. Life-long gamers will evolve game ideas coupled with the fundamentals of play mechanics during this one-of-a-kind workshop. This learning experience involves the creation of physical prototypes, group critique, and design iteration. Finally, at the end of the workshop, diligent attendees leave with the completion of individual professional-quality game concept documents!

Download Course Description

Studio Recording Workshop | Download Application
Cost: $750.00

Students will begin the class with an introduction to sound systems used for the recording and playback of professional audio. Topics and collaborative hands-on training include: an overview of the music recording control room and studios, signal flow, operating level, gain structure, basic acoustic principles, microphones, microphone preamplifiers, equalizers, compressors, and the concepts and methodologies of multi-track recording. Students will also engage in aural awareness and critical listening exercises. The last part of the class will be devoted to tracking, overdubs, and mixing sessions of a 4-6 piece pop ensemble. As the Institute concludes, students create compact discs of their projects to Red Book Standard specifications.

Download Course Description

Animation/VFX Workshop | Download Application
Cost: $750.00

The VFX & Animation Workshop offers an introduction to the complex but powerful world of creating Visual Effects (VFX) and Animation using computer graphics. This professionally guided hands-on opportunity leads a select group of attendees to the creation of a character animation using a pre-built professional character. The students learn to make the character behave (or "act") in certain ways to convey emotion, creating the illusion that this inanimate character is really alive! At the conclusion of the workshop, hard working attendees leave with the completion of an animated character that they brought to life!

Download Course Description

Sound, Image, Time and Space Workshop | Download Application
Cost: $750.00

The Sound, Image, Time & Space Workshop is an immersive program that explores the four media building blocks, and how they are employed by media artists to create emotion and meaning for their audiences. Students in the workshop engage in a series of exercises and experiences designed to build sensory awareness and observations skills, essential tools for all media artists. Screenings and collaborative projects introduce students to many of the fundamental concepts that are at the core of filmmaking, recording arts, animation and game development.

Download Course Description

Flashpoint Academy Film Alum Makes Waves With Independent Critics

2009-09-28T11:44:00.000-07:00

Last year, Flashpoint Academy graduated its first class. Among those to walk the stage was Michael Noens (pictured), an extremely talented young filmmaker with a really bright future ahead of him. [Click here for more production stills from Coasting]

While he was attending Flashpoint, I had the pleasure of helping to promote and ultimately attend the premiere of Mike's film Off-Loop, a charming comedy about four friends trying to make their way as writers and stage actors in Chicago. I recall the film itself being genuinely enjoyable. Funny, touching, and memorable, Off-Loop was the centerpiece of a truly spectacular evening, and I was thrilled to see that our students are already starting to carve out their niches in the professional world.

This week marks the first review of Mike's newest feature film, Coasting, by The Independent Critic. I hope some of you will take a couple minutes to read this great review and keep your eyes peeled for upcoming festival screenings.

Observations on WIF Social Media Panel

2009-09-15T12:33:00.000-07:00

This morning I had the opportunity to attend a breakfast panel on social media strategies, hosted by Women in Film Chicago, at theWit Hotel.

First of all, I'd like to kick off this blog post by making a recommendation to anyone looking to organize a panel of this kind: I would suggest marketing to either a ‘beginner’ or an ‘advanced’ audience to make your life a little easier. This way, panelists know whether they need to cover the big buzz words, like 'conversation' and 'authenticity,' etc. Social media is such a popular topic these days that discussions draw attendees from a wide spectrum of topical knowledge, so in order to compensate adequately for your audience it's best to clarify who you're speaking to and go from there.

/Soapbox.

The WIFC Breakfast was fun and informative, and indeed drew from a wide range of women and men all looking to leverage social media for their production companies, independent films, and other projects and businesses. The panelists were Brook Jay, President and CMO of All Terrain; Stuart Hemmings, Technology Director at Agency.com; Heidi Skinner, Influence Marketing Director for Critical Mass; Andy Swindler, President of Astek Consulting; and Danielle Uhlarik, Youtube Ad Programs Manager for Google. The discussion was moderated by Barbara Govednik of 423 Communications.

The panelists started off the discussion simply, more or less stating the case for utilizing not just social media but social behavior. If you're wondering about the distinction, just look to your Twitter account. I guarantee you that you have at least one follower who is exhibiting "anti-social" media, spamming you with whatever message (or link) they're trying to get you to read and not listening at all to what anyone else has to say. This was a pretty natural place to begin the discussion, and I think everyone in the room took this to heart.

Soon, the moderator tossed it to the audience for Q&A. Naturally some common questions arose, such as how one is to measure ROI and what’s the next up and coming social network. The panelists offered a number of free tools for tracking the effectiveness of your social media campaign (such as Addictomatic, Tweetscan, and Tweetscore). It was interesting to hear the panelists’ take on building your own social network around a brand, because the impression that I got is that they think it does not work. In other words, you’re better off joining other people’s conversations than expecting them to join yours. This is probably true in general, but there are some very noteworthy examples – Threadless comes to mind – where building a community is the heart and soul of the company’s success. My mental jury is still on this one.

I spoke briefly with Brook Jay from All Terrain after the panel was over about my feelings on this, and she (a personal friend of Harper Reed of Threadless, as it turns out) seemed to agree with me. I told her that I would have loved to have learned more about how we can take the lessons that we learn from these successes and apply them to building other branded communities, where participants actually take ownership of the space.

This strategy, of course, was probably a little unrealistic for many of the audience members who were there, some of whom were still struggling with getting the idea of social marketing accepted in their office and many of whom are in the infancy of learning what strategies exist and which are best for their company. But all in all it was a really valuable experience, and honestly it was really affirming to hear these expert panelists say so many of the things I already know, and am already trying to do for Flashpoint.

On a lighter note, one really extremely hilarious (and pretty uncomfortable) part of the morning was when one audience member asked of the panel how much they charge, say, Skittles and Jay Cutler for their social media expertise (these are two of the high profile clients that were discussed by the panelists). The panelists of course did not disclose in front of this entire room of women – all of whom with Facebook and Twitter accounts – the amount that they’re charging their clients, but it was interesting to see the way they handled that question. They basically recommended that everyone hire one of me, because we’re cheaper than consultants who run around $150-$200 an hour.  (If Flashpoint ever ceases to need me, I know what career path I’ll be looking into!)

Is Chicago the Next Silicon Valley?

2009-09-02T09:22:00.000-07:00

Always exciting to be featured on the nightly news. Flashpoint Academy and Microsoft, innovating in Chicago!

Read the story HERE and be sure to check out the great video segment below.

View more news videos at: http://www.nbcchicago.com/video.

Comic Cons and Pros

2009-08-10T15:02:00.000-07:00

What a weekend! Thursday through Friday marked my first ever Wizard World / Chicago Comic Con presence, and boy, let me tell you, what a whirlwind it was.

Except for a couple of issues that we easily ironed out, our [insanely massive] booth on the main aisle was pretty easy to set up and man, and we got a lot of interest from some pretty promising parties. All in all, it was a great time. I just wish my feet weren't @#$!%@?! killing me after hand-carrying everything into the floor -- I would have loved to have walked around and seen (and smelled, I guess) everything there. The one thing I really wanted was a LOST t-shirt, because if there's one thing I like to geek out about it's haunted, time-traveling islands. If there are several things I like to geek out about, they're:

- Lost
- Star Trek
- X-Men
- Star Wars
- South Park

... You get the idea.

Anyway, I guess there's always next year. And by then, maybe I'll have Flash Forward to add to my list.

So hey, why don't you take a look at some pictures from Thursday? Me and my fellow "Con Pro," Ben, killed it out there, Wolverine style.*

*(That's right. With adamantium claws.)

New MDR Video

2009-08-03T10:04:00.000-07:00

Have I mentioned lately how jealous I am of the people who get to attend Flashpoint? Working there is cool and all, but I would love to be able to say I took part in this:

This week, the first cut of the MDR Live @ Flashpoint Academy in Chicago surfaced on the band's website. The quality of the image is a little rough due to web optimization I think, but the sound is fantastic and the video is really fun to watch. If you're a fan of The MDR, Matt Walker, or Chicago music in general, this is a definite must-watch.

(PS, how cool is it that Joe Shanhan left some love? Chicago is definitely waking up to what a great place Flashpoint really is.)

Marketing on Twitter - How NOT to Lose Friends and Alienate People.

2009-04-29T08:29:00.000-07:00

Last night I attended the TiE Trends in Social Media forum at Google.

As one might expect from any event in Social Media, especially one after a week of utter social media frenzy in the press, the word chirping across everyone's lips was "Twitter."

It seemed from talking to people before and after the event that the attendees spanned a great spectrum of knowledgeability when it comes to Twitter. While a raise-your-hand-if-you're-on-Twitter poll showed that about 90% of the people there did already have an account, it seemed like a good portion of the people there, or at least the people who cared to be vocal, were still somewhat mystified about what it is that Twitter can do for them or their business.

Now, I'm definitely not one to try to put rules on how to use Twitter, or try artificially to police the way people behave in the Twittersphere. But if you're going to use it for business, I do think there are some "Oh Duh" marketing practices you need to apply if you're going to appeal to the members of the general Twublic. To me, and I think the panelists from last night might agree, everything one can learn from great examples of marketing on Twitter boils down to basically these three best practices:

1) Host a conversation, not a lecture
2) Be enthusiastic, but above all, be human
3) Don't be afraid to branch out from business

To my first point, Ron May asked the question early in the evening: Why should Twitter need to be viewed as a marketing tool? Why not just a tool for conversations? In my humble Web Evangelist opinion, I would propose that in order for Twitter to be successful as a marketing too, "marketing tool" is exactly the sort of image it needs to avoid.

I've been saying since I started tweeting months ago that it won't be long before people realize their self-indulgent, largely masturbatory tweets equate to random shouts into the darkness with the hope that someone is listening. I think people will be able to stomach this for a long time, but if they start to think that the only people who read their random musings are trying to sell them something, they'll sign off in a heart beat. People want to be heard, not talked to.

For me, this means that in my daily Tweeting I look for conversations that I can contribute to, not derail. This brings me to my second point which is to be enthusiastic, but also be human. No one wants to feel like they're being randomly targeted for marketing. This is the reason people make a large loop around people handing things out on street corners, or go out of their way to avoid the kiosk people in malls. No one wants to listen to a robot on autopilot just spouting off marketing BS. That's obnoxious. Use your human skills of discernment to identify the people who will want to talk to you. It's not that hard. People wear their hearts on their sleeves on Twitter.

If I may digress for a minute, on my personal Twitter account I continually wonder why people select me, of all the hundreds of thousands of Twitterers out there, to sell me their ring tones or their marketing services or whatever. I don't want that stuff. I don't tweet about that stuff. And when I login to my webspace, I don't want to feel like I'm wandering through a crowded bazaar avoiding all of their crap. It's a stupid and pointless marketing tactic to hope the people you follow will care so little about what comes through their feed that they won't bother to read your profile before following back. I stand against this on a personal level, and I won't contribute to it on a professional level.

Therefore, I don't follow aggressively. I don't have a pool of 125 character responses that I send to people. If someone is looking for information that I have, I provide it. If someone is having a conversation that I want to listen to, I follow them. And when I @ or DM people, I do it with the intent of starting a conversation. Personal tweets aren't like brochures that you just throw at people. They're your gateway to have a meaningful talk about what you can do for someone. With a DM especially, you're essentially walking into a potential customer's home. Show some respect. Tweet others as you would be tweeted.

Finally, don't be afraid to meander off of the topic of business. As one of the panelists put it last night, you don't have a business discussion in real life without talking about other topics, too. By now everyone's heard the famous Zappos Pizza story (Thanks @Zappos_Service for helping find the link). The lesson? When you're selling shoes, but they're buying pizza, they can still walk away with your name and something to talk about.

In other words, be relevant as much as possible, but when the flow of conversation is taking you to a different subject, go with it. Best case scenario: you get people buzzing about your amazing customer service. Worse case: you go back to talking business. Either way it does not hurt to show that you care about things other than simply getting sales. Display your personality. If it's a good one, people will respond. Remember, it's hard enough for a sales person or a customer service rep to cultivate a relationship with the benefit of eye contact. Being expressive, approachable, and friendly online, especially in 140 characters, is hard to do. But the rewards are immeasurable.

I don't know if this was my $.02, or my $15, but for whatever it's worth this is my philosophy. It's working for me so far.

Google Picasa Photo Album Test

2009-04-27T10:44:00.001-07:00

Thanks to Dragon Blogger for turning me on to the Picasa embedded slide show. After a whole week of searching for the right one, this viewer seems to be the best one available (with the most useful customizations) for those of us who want a free, easy-to-maintain slide show for use on blogs and web pages.

I've found that Flickr falls short in the embedded player department specifically because it does not give you an easy way to display captions. I realize a picture is worth a thousand words, but in my opinion, a picture with a caption is worth ten thousand. So while I will continue to use Flickr for its viral possibilities, I don't think I'll be turning to one of their embedded viewers any time soon.

Other decent image players I came across, but that didn't work for my purposes include:

Of course, if you've got a few others to suggest, please leave them in my comments and I will review and add to the list.

Big week at Flashpoint

2009-04-24T14:10:00.000-07:00

<-- Click to view photos in Flickr.

This week at Flashpoint has been huge. Apart from students wrapping up the semester and making sure all of their final projects and resumes are in order, some of them have had some other mighty big fish to fry.

On Thursday, Flashpoint Academy welcomed Matt Walker's MDR (Most Dangerous Race) for the rock show of a lifetime at the brand new FPA studio at CBS 2 Chicago. First year (yes, first year) students in all disciplines had a hand in the production, filming, and recording of the concert, and it was without a doubt the coolest thing I have seen since I've been working there.

NBC 5 stopped by to do a piece before the event. You can watch it here:

Flashpoint Students Get a Taste of the Big Time

The press is great, and once the DVD of the show is released that's going to be awesome too, but let me tell you: there is no substitute for having been there. Our students were the utmost professionals. The sound was great, the lights were exciting, the stage was visually interesting. Every detail, right down to the student animations running during the performance, was perfectly choreographed to deliver the most killer concert I've been to in recent memory.

Of course I can't give Flashpoint all the credit. The MDR was out of control good. If you haven't heard of them you've got to check them out. Matt Walker is a staple of the Chicago scene and has toured with basically every band you've ever heard of. Most recently he's been touring with Morrissey (you know, that guy from The Smiths). Anyway, you can hear a bunch of the band's music here, on their MySpace page.

The MDR guys were so cool, too. I've always heard Walker is a very classy guy, and the whole band was very approachable. I got a chance to thank JT McCluskey (singer) after the show. He was so humble and unpretentious that it made me wonder why I ever gave up my dream of being a music journalist. If everyone in Chicago music were as cool of him, maybe I wouldn't have.

Even Billy Corgan of the Smashing Pumpkins, a great supporter and enthusiast of local music, came by to watch the set. As someone who grew up worshiping Billy, I can't imagine the thrill these students must have gotten to have him there. He was there to admire their work! Unbelievable. Where else but Flashpoint?

In any event, last night was a truly magical experience. I can't wait to share more info about the DVD release when I get it. In the meantime, please take a look at the photos from last night that we posted on Flickr, and check out our time lapse videos of yesterday's production below.

To me, this project is absolute proof that Flashpoint Academy is THE place to go for an education in recording arts, film, animation, and game development. When my cousins are old enough I am dragging each and every one of them here for a tour. I would have kids just so they could go here. It's amazing.

Plug time:

For more information on Flashpoint Academy, please click here. And don't forget about our High School Institute! There's still time to sign up!

Vimeo

2009-04-14T14:05:00.001-07:00

For those of you who haven't see it yet, check out Flashpoint Academy's page on Vimeo. Vimeo offers a really cool product. See below for an example of their really easy media widgets. This took about 15 seconds to create.

Attention Unemployed Veterans

2009-04-14T08:57:00.000-07:00

I just received word that the school I work for, Flashpoint Academy in Chicago, is able to give some unemployed Veterans a truly unbelievable deal on a great education.

I've been told that the exact details of the program should be reserved for phone conversations between prospective enrollees and the admissions team, but what I can tell you is that some incoming vets may qualify to receive completely free tuition for both years.

For more details, please call admissions at 312-332-0707. (Make sure you check out our website first, too.) They'll be happy to tell you more about the program and let you know if you or your loved one may qualify.

For those of you who are new to our school, Flashpoint Academy offers two year, fast-track programs in film, animation, recording arts, and animation -- great industries that have lots of job openings in Chicago and elsewhere.

The Flashpoint program consists of a 40-hour per week curriculum, where students report to our downtown campus at 28 N. Clark St (Clark and Washington) from 9am until 5pm Monday through Friday. The program is structured like a full time job to maximize the quality of your time in the classroom, teach you the skills you need quickly, and launch you into the workforce with a great work ethic and an expert knowledge of the very latest technologies.

I'm extremely passionate about Flashpoint and our programs, and I highly recommend looking into this school no matter who you are. It's a great place to learn the skills that are in high demand, and that are also fun, creative, and high-paying.

Web: http://www.flashpointacademy.com
Phone: 312-332-0707

"Nothing Has Really Been a Detour..."

2009-04-13T12:51:00.000-07:00

On episode 6 of The Office (BBC), secretary Dawn sits down for an interview segment and imparts some wisdom from her friend, Tim. "It is better to be at the bottom of a ladder you want to climb," she says, "than to be halfway up one you don't."

As a recent college graduate with a fairly expensive education, this saying really hit home when I rewatched this episode last fall. In retrospect I admit that maybe it's silly to take life cues from British television comedies, but then I've never been overly judicious in where I get my advice. All I knew was I was making less per year than I owed for each year of tuition, and that I'd gone from studying Shakespeare to hawking timeshare. My proverbial ladder was looking pretty shaky indeed, and climbing it any further was starting to look like a bad plan.

Since then, and due to a number of factors, I've switched jobs, changed industries, moved to a new home, and to some extent started a whole new life. But what I've come to realize after all of this is something I probably should have known much earlier, something that would have saved me a lot of frustration over my first two years out of college; there's no such thing as a career detour if you continually endeavor to be authentic to yourself.

The quote in the title of this blog post comes from Francine Sanders who spoke today at Flashpoint Academy's Women in Media luncheon. A very large part of me was touched by what she and Jenni Prokopy of ChronicBabe.com had to say about navigating the narrative of one's life, and I very much hope that the young women who attended, as well as the young women and men who will read this blog, will find their words of value.

Both Francine and Jenni knew they wanted to be writers very early in life, and started pursuing this goal at a tender age, from writing absurdist stage plays to getting published on the front page of the local newspaper as a highschooler. Still, after college, both women found themselves doing jobs that likely never qualified as ladders they'd originally wanted to climb: Jenni began to write for a rocks and cement publication, Francine for a military wives magazine. Neither had a prior knowledge of or particular passion for the topics they were writing about when they started, but write they did.

From their respective starting points, both women found their ways into various other Jobs-with-a-capital-"J." From PR work to zines to volunteering to freelance writing; from temporary odd jobs to desk work to working with the Chicago P.D., both Jenni and Francine peppered their writing resumes with tons of bullet points that perhaps had only one thing in common: the woman behind the task.

But as it turns out, employers and colleagues respect, even admire the tenacity they showed in all of their various positions. In other words, it wasn't a matter of where they'd been; it was the direction they took once they got there that mattered.

A goal-oriented mindset teaches us that when a ladder isn't worth reaching the end of, it's better to just jump off and find a new one (with the subtext being that you'd better find the right ladder the first time). But what Francine and Jenni taught the 25 odd women in the Digital Garage today was this: when you take a job seriously, when you do your best to impart your own creativity and ingenuity into every task you take on, there is no such thing as a career detour. Every rung you climb, if done correctly, can be a step in the right direction.

In the end, if you can call today any sort of an "end," Francine and Jenni have both found places they love to be. They have demonstrated that the skills you may learn from being an office assistant or from traveling overseas or from interviewing autistic women in your spare time can be just as important as, if not more valuable than, the skills you might have learned at the bottom of a single ladder. Each seems to be satisfied both creatively and professionally. And both have not only survived but profited from taking a less direct path toward their goals.

With a diversity of tasks, projects, and responsibilities, and singular determination to respect, adhere to, and build upon the authentic passions in your life, you'll get to the top of the ladder you want to climb. Because, as it turns out, there are lots of ladders, each with infinite connections to and from others. Nowhere is it written that the best way is to go straight up. Just ask Donkey Kong.

Here are two more important nuggets of wisdom that Jenni and Francine shared.

Don't Be Afraid of Shameless Self Promotion

When you're building your name, you must take it upon yourself to teach people who you are. Join professional organizations. Place phone calls. Hand out business cards. Make it a priority to go to attend events and to travel to far away areas. Budget both the time and the money for all of this. Pitch yourself wherever you go; there's no better way to transmit your message.

Strip Away the Editor

Adulthood tells us to edit, not just our words, but our actions. Expression is at its most evocative and most touching when it is raw and unabashed; embrace the instinct to act and write as your heart dictates. Unlearn the part of you that tells you you need to interfere with your own creativity. You'll be more successful, and both you and the people who encounter your work will come to a better understanding of the author (which is, after all, the point, right?).

Social Marketing Pointers from Howard Tullman

2009-04-10T08:46:00.000-07:00

I received this note in my inbox this morning from Howard Tullman, CEO of Flashpoint Academy, with some really helpful tips on understanding how Web 2.0 will affect your business.

***

Social networks, for better or worse, are in the process of changing branding, marketing, interpersonal and B2B communication and even the nature of what we used to think of as conversations around the water cooler at the office. Increasingly, we will all tell our stories thru our customers rather than to our customers. I recently spoke to a group of direct marketers and I included 10 critical considerations to keep in mind as we all approach this new and very challenging area.

Your Brand No Longer Belongs Just to You.
If You Don’t Control the Conversation, Someone Else Will.
You Can’t Control the Conversation, but You Must be A Constant and Authentic Part of It.
A Little Bad Pushes Out Tons of Good.
Talking to Yourself is Like Wetting Your Pants in a Dark Suit. (You Get a Warm Feeling, but No One Notices)
Talking to Existing Customers is Much More Valuable than Trying to Solicit New Ones.
Deeper Connection is Always Better than Wider. (Commitment and Spend.)
Value Exchange is Critical for Engagement.
Additive and Empowering – not Interruptive and Trivial.
Build Up from Bite Sized…Start Small, then Scale.

Summer High School Institute at Flashpoint!

2009-04-09T09:13:00.001-07:00

I just got the information about the new summer school programs at Flashpoint Academy. Here is the link to the website, where you can read about the programs and download an application:

DATES:
June 22 - 26 July 13-17 August 10-14
Monday - Friday, 1pm-4pm

All High School Summer Programs are one week long and held at Flashpoint’s main campus and production facilities. You must be a current high school student and over the age of 16 to attend a Flashpoint summer program.

For more information, contact Admissions at 312-332-0707.

Choose from:

Introduction To HD Film Production
Broadcast Bootcamp
Game Design Workshop
Create Your Own Machinima
Studio Recording Workshop
Animation & VFX Workshop
Sound, Image, Time & Space Workshop

Film/Broadcast

Introduction to HD Film Production
This week long, hands-on program is designed to give high school students an introduction to film production and filmmaking techniques. Over the course of a week students will take a project from ideation and conception to finished short-film all as part of a team.

Broadcast Bootcamp
In this Broadcast Bootcamp course, students will create their own “How To” videos that will appear on the Flashpoint Academy Howcast Channel. Over the course of a week, students will select topics from the Howcast library, cast and shoot a 2-minute “How To” video, add graphics, voice over and music, and upload it to the Flashpoint Channel on Howcast.

Game Development

Game Design Workshop
The Game Design Workshop offers an introduction to modern game design. This professionally guided hands-on opportunity leads a select group of attendees to the creation of a design appropriate for today's consoles. Life-long gamers will evolve game ideas coupled with the fundamentals of play mechanics during this one-of-a-kind workshop. This learning experience involves the creation of physical prototypes, group critique, and design iteration. Finally, at the end of the workshop, diligent attendees leave with the completion of individual professional-quality game concept documents!

Create Your Own Machinima
The Machinima Workshop offers those interested in all forms of digital media development to immerse themselves in a professionally guided effort toward completion of one of the latest forms of digital storytelling. This form of entertainment involves the use of today's game engines in creating dynamic storylines. Game characters represent actors and 3D game levels work as virtual sets. Attendees work in groups to create unique stories, storyboards, and scripts. From there, groups coordinate efforts in Flashpoint Academy media labs to work as camera operators and actors. Next, editors and sound designers add and finalize completed QuickTime™ files. At the end of the workshop, all films are screened and students leave with copies of their work, implementing modeling and texturing to compositing creations into film.

Recording Arts

Studio Recording Workshop
Students will begin the week with an introduction to sound systems used for the recording and playback of professional audio. Topics and collaborative hands-on training include: an overview of the music recording control room and studios, signal flow, operating level, gain structure, basic acoustic principles, microphones, microphone preamplifiers, equalizers, compressors, and the concepts and methodologies of multi-track recording. Students will also engage in aural awareness and critical listening exercises. The last part of the week will be devoted to tracking,
overdubs, and mixing sessions of a 4-6 piece pop ensemble. As the Institute concludes, students create compact discs of their projects to Red Book Standard specifications.

VFX and Animation

Animation/VFX Workshop
The VFX/Animation Workshop offers an introduction to the complex but powerful world of creating Visual Effects (VFX) and Animation using computer graphics. This professionally guided hands-on opportunity leads a select group of attendees to the creation of a character which is modeled in 3D using the latest hardware and software, and then made to move using a custom skeleton. Once that is completed, attendees learn how to composite their creations on top of moving footage, creating a convincing illusion that the two were photographed at the same time. At the conclusion of the workshop, hard working attendees leave with the completion of an animated character that they created which they added into footage taken during the week of all the attendees. You get to share screen time with your creation, as if he/she/it really existed!

Core Studies

Sound, Image, Time & Space
The Sound, Image, Time & Space Workshop is a week-long immersive program that explores the four media building blocks, and how they are employed by media artists to create emotion and meaning for their audiences. Students in the workshop engage in a series of exercises and experiences designed to build sensory awareness and observations skills, essential tools for all media artists. Screenings and collaborative projects introduce students to many of the fundamental concepts that are at the core of filmmaking, recording arts, animation and game
development.

BLiP Bloink

2009-04-08T13:59:00.000-07:00

In case there was ever any doubt, the Flashpoint Academy faculty really does know what they're talking about.

BLiP Bloink, developed by game chair Simeon Peebler, is the latest brainchild in Flashpoint's growing list of buzz-able games. Developed for the iPhone, BLiP Bloink combines elements of Tetris and Bejeweled and social networking to create a game that is both fun and viral.

On Monday, Gamasutra, an important voice in the game development community, mentioned Simeon's game as one of the week's noteworthy iPhone releases. Click here for the direct link to the write-up on Gamasutra's sister iPhone site, FingerGaming.

Congratulations, Simeon, and good luck!