...with that fun little illustration I posted on here of my buddy, Matt, a few posts back.
Here's a preview of what I've got so far:
(MOST DEFINITELY CLICK TO ENLARGE FOR DETAIL... PLEASE)
All I've done so far (from the original sketch) is photoshop-airbrush the color in (which actually was really cool, I threw in some new effects to make it kinda watercolory--yeah, whatever, my NEW word) and I've got to say that it came out looking slightly different than what I originally imagined. I like it though; it's kinda got this, like, slightly dark children's book type illustration look. I dig, I guess.
I'll keep working on it.
Oh, by the way, I'd like to thank my PR writing professor for mentioning me on her blog. That was really pretty cool of her.
On the heels of their eighth straight defeat, the Knicks and newly acquired rehabbing-supastaaahh Tracy McGrady faced the Washington Wizards last night. Us Knicks fans can finally breathe a sigh of relief ... IT IS STILL POSSIBLE TO WIN.
Go David Lee and thanks for the game winning layup. McGee had him DOMINATED the entire game, yet, mah main man DLEE fearless-Lee (I have to stop, I know) drove to the hoop and finished with a fantastic lefty lay-up to seal the deal. Yum.
In all honesty, I kinda love what the Knicks got goin' on right now. Look, they aren't spectacular and they aren't title contenders. The rest of this season is basically 2010-2011 Knicks team tryouts. I like what Eddie House has to offer off the bench, albeit his streaky play of late. I think Sergio has the potential to be molded into the perfect D'Antoni point guard and I think he can be had for cheap next season. T-Mac, is, well, anyone's guess -- but I wouldn't mind having him back here next year (I mean, he is THE Tracy McGrady.
Just wanted to show my boys some love. Go Knicks, forever and always.
This a live video from my band's show at the Sussex Elks Lodge in January. My band's guitarist, Ronnie, proposed to his girlfriend at this show. Needless to say, it was most definitely a grand ol' time. Anyway, this is a new song that we wrote in the weeks before the show and I'm really happy with how it has progressed so far. We're still working to improve our new stuff, but I am definitely happy with how our sound has matured with us thus far.
My Aim Is True ||Brother Phoenix Easthorse (2010)
(Live @ The Sussex Elks Lodge, Sussex NJ) www.myspace.com/myaimistruenj
(Yeah, shameless plug, I know mwahaha. Whateverrrr, I hope you like it, and also, be sure to check out updates on our progress and random stuff on the link provided)
That's right -- Otis Redding. The man had a set of pipes and this unbridled emotion that few (if any) could ever reproduce.
I was recently looking at a list of posthumous album releases and came across Otis Redding's In Person At The Whisky a Go Go. On this record, his band set this blend of rock and blues that accompanied his powerful, sometimes raspy howl perfectly. The guy knew how to rock the house... and like so many others, died before his full potential was realized.
... a.k.a. The Bad Pitch Blog. And honestly, I enjoy the crude honesty of Kevin, Richard and TBPB. You can learn things in a variety of ways, but what better than to see these guys mock and shoot down all kinds of PR practitioners? Their over-analyzation of varied true life stories relating to both the PR and technical world is not only humorous and refreshing, but also a great way to learn the little things one must not do. We learn that we should not mass cc a large conglomerate of people when you can just bcc them. We learn how not to use Twitter in terms of PR. We learn about the worst boilerplate in history. By seeing other people suck at their attempt to produce good PR tactics, we can make damn sure to avoid these missteps.
However, there are plenty of posts that seem a little contrived, almost like they are poking fun just to write about something. There was a post about a fellow employee e-mailing and calling another employee who had since left the company. Yeah, I can see this being funny, but honestly, when you work in an office it's quite possible for somebody to get fired/quit without word spreading immediately. This just seemed like an unnecessary post for a site called Bad Pitch...
Regardless, Bad Pitch definitely is an interesting place to visit, but be aware; don't be surprised if you don't agree with everything they post.
Kevin Smith is a well noted Hollywood funny man; in a sense, even though he's probably actually pissed, he's still adding a certain comedic value to the situation. Come on, if you are Southwest Airlines, how do you professionally respond to, "I can buckle that seat belt and that is a hallmark for any fat person"? Well, you stick to your story and reference company policy, which is exactly what they've done.
And, well, while it's never good when a popular Hollywood face is out to get you, Southwest is handling the blows gracefully. They have already said that they "express concern for the situation" and that they have had this "customer of size" policy for over 25 years now.
From a PR standpoint, they are handling this situation as well as they can; the American public understand the source of the outburst. Don't get me wrong, Smith is the man, but he's made a career as a Hollywood comedian and writer. Even if Southwest really did kick him off a flight because he was too large, Southwest realizes that this news will pass if they handle it correctly. By continuing to apologize for the situation while giving a valid explanation, they shouldn't be too concerned with any lasting damage to the company name.
Sure, the world has seen its fair share of crazy, whacky, successful and unsuccessful publicity stunts over the last decade or so; but I'm here to shed light on my personal favorites (both the good and the ugly) and evaluate why they worked or didn't.
1) Fall Out Boy's Citizen's For Our Betterment Campaign - Fall Out Boy fanboys&girls now know this as the precursor to the band's 2008 album, Folie à Deux. Fall Out Boy's record label, Decaydance, was apparently "hacked" by a mysterious group called Citizens For Our Betterment on August 18th, 2008. The website featured clues, sign-up newsletter lists and clues/links all over. Additionally, Pete Wentz's now wife Ashlee Simpson was seen carrying around pamphlets for CFOB. Fans of the band went crazy over this viral marketing, especially when the newsletter e-mailed the signees a mixtape featuring remixed and new songs that would later appear on Folie.
Grade and Why: A-. Fall Out Boy is where they are because Pete Wentz knows how to market his pop punk band. He knows how to reel in fans and mix things up. Fans got a reward and nobody was hurt or offended in the process. Great work.
2) Donald Trump "buying" WWE - I don't watch wrestling anymore, though I must admit I loved the days of WCW's NWO and WWF's DX. However, my roommate and I tuned in last year for Monday Night Raw to find out that Donald Trump had "bought" the world's most popular wrestling organization and planned to make it commercial free. This went on for about a week before Trump decided to "sell back" the company to original owner and popular wrestling foe, Vince McMahon.
Grade and Why: B. Okay, any time Donald Trump's name is involved, you can bet that it's going to make headlines. However, wrestling is the most fake industry in the history of the world when it comes to story and plot lines, so viewers were able to smell this one coming from a mile away. Either way, the WWE became slightly more relevant to non-wrestling viewers for about a weeks worth of time.
3) Then Up & Coming Band, Endicott, and their 2004 Kidnapping Scandal - Readers of this blog, and hell, 99.9% of the world, have never heard of the band Endicott. However, I remember them solely for their ridiculous publicity stunt back in 2004. The band had their record label release a press release claiming that they had all been kidnapped and were MIA.
Grade and Why: F. Ok, if U2 had tried this, it would have been national news; whether the public would have responded positively or negatively to the "reveal" is to be determined. While the whole thing was obviously a joke, it was formatted in official manner and was the equivalent of a comedian failing to deliver the punchline. The point is, nobody knew who Endicott were and nobody really cared. Furthermore, it was very obviously completely fake. It wasn't breaking news (as it would have been if a band of five 20-year olds had actually been kidnapped) so nobody believed the source to be credible. In the fledgling years of a bands life, they should refrain from ridiculous stunts that can be perceived as offensive or fake, simply because that was the label they ended up having after only about a month or two on their popular indie-rock label, Equal Vision Records. They ended up fading into obscurity and will likely stay there for the rest of eternity. Quite sad, but you can't feel too bad; if their music was actually worthwhile, they might have survived, but the combination of terrible music and terrible promotion sunk them deeper than sea-life bottom feeders. A copy of the band's unsuccessful release can be found here.
I like this (in five words or less) because:Beautiful harmonies and great songwriting Favorite Songs: Good to Sea, Devil You Know, Bouquet For fans of: Death Cab for Cutie, 90's math rock, harmonizing guitars and vocals.
We Were Promised Jetpacks - These Four Walls(2009) I like this (in five words or less) because: Honest, Scottish, dancy and emotional Favorite Songs: All of 'em, but it's Thunder and It's Lighting and Roll Up Your Sleeves For Fans of: Hmm, The Twilight Sad, Frightened Rabbit, Morrissey and a cooler version of Bloc Party
Cast Spells - Bright Works and Baton (2009)
I like this (in five words or less) because: Folky, fun and simplistic Favorite Songs: Glamorous Glowing, Pioneer Scalps For Fans of: Saturday Looks Good To Me, older Sufjan, less harmony filled and "poppy-er" Fleet Foxes
Most Artwork Circa 2005-2007 -- Found these on the depths of my external hard-drive. Thought it should be documented somewhere. To Kill The King was a Hardcore band I was in for about 4 years starting the summer of my Junior year in High-School. Check out some of the design work I did for the band in my fledgling years as a designer.
I know it's not cool for guys to enjoy February 14th. Whatever. Had my second Valentine's Day with my incredible girlfriend Sam. Couldn't have had a better day -- she is the sweetest and most adorable girl I know and I love her very much.
This is a simple sketch that I finished right before the snow storm last Tuesday. It's loosely based on my best friend Matt -- close friend / singer / matt of all trades / expert cleaner. Anyway, I plan on doing some cool things to this image but I figured I'd post it here before I go to work on it. I'll post the finished project on here eventually.
Yup, that's right. David Lee -- Center -- New York Knicks has been selected to replace Allen Iverson in the Eastern Conference All-Star game lineup. David "Mr. Double Double" Lee will be the first Knickerbocker All-Star since Allen Houston and Latrellllll Spreeeeeeweeellll way back in 2001. Its been a long time coming, Knicks fans. While DLee got lucky at Allen Iverson's unfortunate expense (personal issues), its important to remember that this is proof that David Lee was JUST SHORT of getting the nod to join the team in the first place... and Iverson never really deserved it this year, anyway.
Either way, NYC has arrived fashionably late to the All-Star game in Dallas this weekend; Danilo "Most Eligible Bachelor | NYC" Gallinari will be floating three pointers from beyond the arc (with his signature "look at my slick and sexy" hairdo) and Lil' Nate "Leaps Tall Centers" Robinson will be defending his Slam Dunk title for the second time.
Yeah, everybody say go NY, go NY, go.
btw: # of Knick All-Stars-1. # of Cavs All-Stars-1.
The best ideas often come from the most random of thought processes. Granted, so can the worst... but let's choose to ignore that for now.
I've always enjoyed me a good pun. In fact, a good play on words is by far my favorite type of humor. A couple of years ago I was at the Sussex Queen Diner with my best friend and we started playing a word-play game. The object of the game? Turn celebrities names into foot-related-puns (sounds dumb... and it is, but bear with me).
For example:
Feety Scent (50 Cent)
Feet Wentz (Pete Wentz)
Rivers Cuomtoe (Rivers Cuomo)
Paul Bunion (Hehe!)
Barsock Toebama (The nation's first foot president!)
Shoe Jackman (Hugh Jackman)
Sock of Love with Brett Ankles (it might be a stretch, but so can a sock!)
Elvis Costelltoe (You get the idea)
...Yeah. So anyway, the next obvious progression in taking this joke entirely too far was having me design these characters. I only ended up finishing about 3 or 4, but this idea certainly seems like a shoe-in (hehe) for potential blog posts and designs of the future. Oh, and also, please feel free to play along; come up with some celebrity, foot-related puns and let me know in the comment section... I might just make it come alive if it's funny enough!
Without further adieu, I present to you the first Famous Feet, my boys, Feety Scent & Feet Wentz:
It's Lost season, and while I'm not going to delve into the complicated world of Lost theories right now, I do find it an appropriate time to pay homage to the greatest show on TV today.
Note: I tend to find myself more partial to Mr. Sheppard, but it's hard not to notice how friggin' awesome Locke's character and evolution has been as of late. You may recognize this shot from the wee days of Season 1.
The Alcoholic (2009) - Jonathan Ames (Author) | Dean Haspiel (Illustrator)
A very kind new friend lent me this interesting biographical-drama graphic novel. Written by HBO Series Bored To Death writer Jonathan Ames, The Alcoholic explores the life, adventures, hardships and drunken, blackout mistakes of the self-titled character. This book is not your average graphic novel; no superpowers or nut-case villains (well, maybe some) are to be found here. Ames simply lays his (obviously glorified) life as an alcoholic on the line for all to read. There are parts that will make you chuckle, but for the most part, this ain't sunshine comedy. This is dark stuff about a man's dark troubles with alcoholism. You'll read about Ames losing everything from his family, his love, his hair, and his job ... and then you'll read about his compulsion with rehabbing himself back to consciousness, only to repeat this cycle. For such a short read (about 2 hours or so), Jonathan's story will force you to take a look at your own life and shortcomings with a new perspective; through the eyes of someone who continues to lose it all.
In simple terms, The Alcoholic is dark, honest, and strangely inspirational. Enjoy!
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Cheap Girls - Find Me a Drink Home (2008) and My Roaring 20's (2009)
Cheap Girls is that band that you are too cool to listen to; trust me, I understand. But listen to me when I say this band is worth a shot. Hailing from Lansing, MI, Cheap Girls aren't breaking boundaries. They aren'y making Radiohead look like amateurs. In fact, Cheap Girls owe more to 90's super-hit alternative rock than they do to any trendy hipster band. But really, who cares? This is feel good powerpop rock with the occasional croon of heartbreak. It's good stuff. If you are into Weezer, The Get Up Kids and 90's alternative rock, give these albums a chance (particulary My Roaring 20's, oh-my-god-so-good) with an open mind and I promise these songs will hit home and stay in your head while you wait for summer.
By the way, I've been a cigarette smoker for too long and have just recently quit (3 weeks strong!). However, Cheap Girls have a song on Find Me a Drink Home called "Her and Cigarettes". The song is simply about his two loves; his girl and his cigarettes. I know this feeling all too well and appreciate the song's simplistic concept. Anyway, can't stop / won't stop listening to this song, regardless of kickin' that nasty (yet incredible and satisfyinggggg) addiction. Listen to it here.
Lastly, I recommend that you all be super pissed that your New York Knick David Lee got the snub of the [basketball] year. Seriously, how is this guy not an all-star? If you are interested, take a look at his numbers and compare them to other forwards on the 2010 team. Unfortunate-Lee for him, snub or not, he's going to have to use this as motivation to progress as a player. If the guy can learn to block a shot or two, he'll be a star in the league for years to come.
In 2006, Entrepreneur Magazine released an article highlighting 10 of the best and 5 of the worst company publicity stunts. Quite an interesting and enjoyable read. Publicity stunts are hard to pull off; to successfully market a product or company with this strategy, a lot has got to go right and a little luck can never hurt. When done successfully, however, a company can find itself propelled into national spotlight and enjoy an upward spike in revenue.
My thoughts on some stunts from the article are as follows:
Burger King's Subservient Chicken Viral Marketing Campaign and the Left Handed Whopper-- Burger King advertised a Left-Handed whopper as an April Fool's joke. Funny, harmless, and generated buzz. Additionally, the site Subservient Chicken, was originally designed for members within the corporation, word of mouth spread the quirky and hilarious webpage. I suggest you go and spend at least 10 minutes commanding this chicken. It's quite empowering.
Online poker giant GoldenPalace.com buys Virgin Mary Grilled Cheese Sandwich for $28,000 dollars -- Sure, the company made headlines, but I can't help but wonder if there was some better stunt they could have pulled off for that kind of money. I suppose, however, that since GoldenPalace can't advertise by traditional means, the Holy sandwich wasn't the worst move in the world.
Snapple erecting the world's largest popsicle in Times Square NY -- Sounds like a fun idea, but not in 80 degree weather. Seriously, Snapple? The popsicle started to make sticky splash waves throughout the streets causing the stunt to fail miserably. Note to Snapple: We don't care if you're made from the best stuff on earth, we don't want to shower in it.
DC Comics Killing Superman -- As a huge comic fan, I can say that this stunt worked with outstanding results. I love me my superheroes but I know none of them are safe. Comics are great because every series can be placed in a separate reality. Even though Superman was dead, it was always safe to assume he'd be back; however, because DC took the risk and killed him off, the comic became a classic and a collectors item.
There's some other interesting marketing schemes on the link above. When it comes down to it, nobody ever really knows what's going to work. It's hit or miss. But what is important (and highlighted in the article) is to be active and to be prepared to shake things up in your organization. By trying to have a fun and active image, a company enlarges its chances at success.
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