The “90 seconds to fame and fortune” web portal.

This project was a simple initiative, create a portal to teach thousands of sales and product managers how to generate their own product focused videos. Sure, I happen to  be an art director on a team that creates video, but research has shown us that user-generated content works, boosting sales up to 30%.

So, I created a website to inform them of that. I did all the layout, concepting, wireframing, and wrote the HTML and CSS. Additionally, I wrote the content and produced and directed the videos that appear on the site. I also had to coordinate talent and closely manage budgets and timelines.

This project has been wildly successful with many people participating. Unfortunately it’s behind a firewall, otherwise I’d include a URL.

The one about setting boundaries with product managers.

This was a personal project. A good friend of mine was having trouble with rogue product managers assaulting him at his desk asking for Photoshop favors. So he built a bodyguard from a large format printer paper tube – complete with a paper tie – to keep intruders out of his cube.

Naturally, we filmed a short cinematic masterpiece about him on a rampage. Even more naturally, I created a title sequence for said film.

The Great Wall. For best results, view in China.

I was recently in China for 12 wife-missing, massive amounts of work having, Tsing Tao and white water drinking, Peking duck eating, language barrier filled days. What an amazing country. The highlight, of course, was seeing the Great Wall and climbing all 5000 miles of it! Photo by Brian Gagnon. Check him out, he does really good work.

Waiting for my glorified calculator to start up:

Ocean scene. With a big ass squid.I’ve been working on this 10 by 18 inch poster everyday for the last few weeks in the couple of minutes between my pressing power and my laptop actually turning on. The stipulation was that I stop drawing as soon as I got the “Press Ctrl + Alt + Delete” to unlock screen. Species represented include: Giant Squid, Mahi Mahi aka Dolphinfish, Tigertale Seahorse, Giant Octopus, Humpback and Gray Whale.

Worth every penny.

One of the best quotes I’ve read comes from Todd Gutsche (who wrote “Exploiting Chaos”- close your laptop and read this now if you haven’t already), who tells the story of a young man who offered J.P. Morgan the “Guaranteed Formula for Success” in a single, unremarkable envelope, all for the reasonable sum of $25000 dollars. Mr. Morgan opened the envelop, examined the note, and quickly made a check out for the entire sum.

Written on the note:
1. Every morning write a list of the things that need to be done that day.
2. Do them.