school report cards and what they really mean

As I look back at what went down during my education…wow, so much hoop jumping just to get to the next level…not because it made sense, but because that’s just how the system worked.

We worked so hard to pass the CIM/CAM, preparing work samples and had so much pressure to pass.  So much time was used to prepare for the CIM – ironically, regardless of if you passed or did not pass the CIM, you graduated…so ultimately it did not matter whether we passed or not – makes sense, right…?

What about the COG test, the IOWAs, district work samples?  Do those mean anything?  Are they accurate representations of one’s intelligence?  Not all people learn the same, and not all people’s strengths are in reading, math or science, so why are we pigeonholing kids into three categories?  Why don’t we have state testing in soccer? Or web code? Or cello? Or welding?  It’s just as relevant than reading, writing and math, is it not?

I was always the kid who got #16 and #21 – consistently produces high quality work and student’s classroom behavior was commendable (one of my personal favorites…what the HECK does that mean, anyway??)   So, after years of #16s and #21s, I finally got a #1 and #2 – the dreaded comments – “classwork was no completed and/or turned in” and “homework was not completed and/or turned in” – so this being the case – right next to these traumatizing comments, I receieved an A and E – can’t get a higher grade than that – if that’s the case, who cares that the work wasn’t completed? obviously it wasn’t important enough to affect my grades…

Maybe it’s good thing? It opened my eyes to the reality that so much of what is out there is not because it make sense, but because it’s what has been accepted.

Like anything else – it’s far easier to criticize than to make change – so perhaps this will be a challenge to myself – what can I do to influence a system I consider to be severely flawed?

You’re majoring in…advertising?

I think it’s fair to say a career in advertising is frequently misunderstood and quite possibly impossible to explain.  When I speak of my degree in advertising, I am frequently told that anyone can “make a commercial” or “design something.”  

If only it was that simple.  

Breaking it down and explaining project managing, account planning, account managing, coordinating, research, ethnography,media buying, media planning, art directing, creative directing, designing, brand strategy, copywriting (or idea writing as we now like to call it)…and then putting all those pieces back together…and somehow explaining the process in a clear and succinct manner…

I am most inspired by the handful of work I aspire to create – I love this work because it’s smart.  The strategy is extremely clear and thoroughly planned – The Tap Project, Apple, Obama, Starbucks, Nike – I hate to use standard brands such as these, but there is a reason for the success of these brands – they each have an identity that’s black and white.  

I have said this before, but as part of the communications industry, there is an incredible amount of power to influence – which if done in a smart and responsible manner – can have some pretty amazing results.

the things you learn when videotaping yourself…

When you start watching yourself on  tape – wow.  This summer during COLAB, I recorded a number of video blogs, and through these, I’ve realized a few things about myself – and of everyone really- the way we THINK we present ourselves, and the way we actually appear are frequently different…

When conducting an interview, who is doing most of the talking?  Unless it’s a conversation, you already know what you think – let the interviewee speak.

Facial expressions (do you look bored when others are talking??)

Silence is just as important as dialog – give time for thought and processing

Overused words/expressions

Are you speaking succinctly, or are you using too many words to say the same thing? (yes, that was intentional…)

Are you feeding answers in your questions?

PAF Rosey Awards 2008 recap

Outstanding!

First and foremost – major kudos to Jamie Sexton and everyone who played such integral parts in making this years Roseys a complete success- Leticia, Mason, Alex, Sarah, Becky, Eric, Allison, all the volunteers – you guys rocked.

Congrats to all the agencies who submitted work and a special pat on the back to the winners – check them out!  For me, taking part in Roseys was just another reminder of what an enthusiastic, supportive and creative advertising community we have in Portland – gotta love it.

I took a handful of photos throughout the night at the beautiful Newmark Theater:

Check out this site for more Roseys pictures.

I’d have to say this was one of my favorites parts of the night (props to Dylan for capturing this beautiful moment):

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I can’t forget to mention how great it was to see all wonderful Portland-ers I had to opportunity to work with this summer – Kent, all the eROIers, Heather, other COLAB-ers…the list goes on and on…  

AND, of course where there is Roseys, there is an afterparty – thank you West Cafe for hosting (and for having delicious peartinis…mmmm) :

All in all, I’ve have to call the Roseys a success!  Thanks for a great night!

pencils, frisbees and candy

This past week I went to Ignite Corvallis.

I think my favorite part of the event was the trade show.  For a more serious reason, I was able to talk with the OSU business school representatives, specifically about the entrepreneurship program.  As I am eating, sleeping and breathing NVC these days, anything related to new ventures, business schools and MBA entrepreuenrship programs catches my eye.

The single most important question I like to ask is: Why do MBA students choose your entrepreneurship program over other programs?  The answer from the OSU rep. was because it has a flexible schedule with night classes that allows students to fit the program into their schedules – entrepreneurs are also brought in at the end of the term to have the students pitch their ideas and receive feedback.  One interesting thing about OSU’s program is that there is a resident hall specifically for these students to live in order to create a community of like-minded individuals.

When talking to MBA students in the entrepreneurship program at U of O as well as international MBA students who compete in NVC, it seems that the single most important aspect is the experience.  Both seem to be more “full time” than “part time” and the community feel and educational aspect provided by the community of MBA students, entrepreneurs and venture capitalists seem to be repeated qualities of both U of O’s Entrepreneurship program as well as NVC.

ANYWAY, onto the more exciting part…the tradeshow…

Why is it that companies feel obligated to supply pencils (with erasers that smudge the lead), XXL t-shirts with the company logo, frisbees, candy in a bowl (usually the candy no one likes), text heavy pamphlets, and employees in khakis and matching colored polos??  Out of all the things one could provide to represent a company – why pencils and frisbees???  I just. don’t. get. it.

I did like this guys booth though – I have no real interest in his product, but I stuck around to look through the board because it was an interesting visual element: