The Busy Creator Podcast with Prescott Perez-Fox

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The Busy Creator 26 w/guest Christine Blackburne Oct 06, 2014

Show notes

The Busy Creator Podcast, episode 26 with Still Life Photographer Christine Blackburne

Christine Blackburne is a commercial still life photographer based in New York. She works primarily in the fashion, cosmetics, and jewelry sectors, bringing her stylish use of colour and light to her images.

This conversation moves from Christine’s origins as an assistant photographer, to how she sets up her still life shoots, and a bit about working with an agent and managing workflow.

Click through to the full blog post to see a few of Christine’s images, and check out her site, christineblackburne.com, to see even more.

00:00 00:00

Perfume bottles still life

Watches still life

Christine occasionally shoots things that move

Show Notes & Links

Christine’s studio is located in the South Street Seaport area of Manhattan
Southwark, London
Christine shoots most things that don’t move like cosmetics, jewelry
Christine went to Rochester Institute of Technology, spent time with objects
Most fashion photographers are extroverted
Many photographers lately have no fixed location. Rented gear, hired location.
Make-up and jewelry is very reflective. Bright. Shiny. Objects.
Fashion photography “is more about finding a photograph rather than creating one”
Editorial is more free than commercial shoots
Word of Mouth is the best way to get clients
Make-up doesn’t always cooperate, so it’s nice to have freedom
Christine’s water-splash series
Dexter’s roll of knives
Bill Wadman’s episode on The Busy Creator Podcast
MacGuyver-ing — mad science involved in still-life work
“Snot”, the rubbery glue used in commercial printing
“Word-of-Mouth Nirvana” where clients call you.
We can’t all be Saul Colt, previous podcast guest
Merge Left, Christine’s Agents
Christine’s popsicle images
The Narcissism of Minor Differences
“Your ability in life is like a stove with four burners: health, friends, work, family. When you turn off one, more gas will flow to the others.”
Energy management vs. time management, a recurring theme on The Busy Creator Podcast
Seasons, another recurring theme (as mentioned by Blake Stratton and Todd Henry)
“There time to reap and a time to plant.” Prescott paraphrasing Todd Henry paraphrasing Ecclesiastes 3:2

Tools

Fuji GX680, nearly extinct (available on eBay)
Profoto & Broncolor lights
Underlit soft box
Acetate
Knives and Palette Knives
Forceps
Armature

Techniques

Stay away from client-created sketches or sketches you are showing to the client, which can be unrealistic in terms of dimensions or scale
Do as much in-camera as humanly possible
Let your agents play “bad cop”
Aim for a portfolio featuring about 20-30 final images
Bring a printed portfolio for your main work, but use your iPad for the case studies and deeper cuts
“Don’t get an agent until you’re so busy you need that extra set of hands.” ← Click to tweet

Habits

Calibrate your monitor bi-weekly
Be flexible (No routine! Not really.)
Keep one day per week for your own personal work, or office housekeeping

The Busy Creator 25 w/guest Bill Doran Sep 29, 2014

Show notes

Bill Doran (@Chinbeard) is a replica props and model builder based in Seattle. He has turned his hobbies — playing video games and attending conventions — into his profession by serving a niche community who need high quality props and weapons as an part of their cosplay.

This conversation focuses on how Bill creates his pieces using very hands-on techniques and tools, and how built his online customer base from mostly in-person interactions.

Bill’s work can be seen on his website, Punished Props, and onhis YouTube Channel.00:00

An example of Bill’s YouTube videos, where he brings some how-to direct to your screen.

Show Notes & Links

Bill’s job title is “Intergalactic Arms Dealer”, specialises in video game weaponry
Bill is not the traditional Hollywood-style prop maker
Bat’leth
Cosplay
Bill is more of a commissioned artist, working B-to-C
DragonCon and Pax Prime, two of the bigger costuming conventions
Master Chief Armor, plus a Rocket Launcher
Wizards of The Coast in Seattle commissioned some gauntlet trophies
Bill is very practical in his approach to building, but studiedCAD/CAM surface modeling
Almost everything Bill does is “Mixed Media”
Cloud Sword from Final Fantasy VII
Unobtainium
Absurdist Japanese Cartoons
Bill’s video channel on YouTube, discusses techniques and Cosplay/Maker Communities
“Networking events” take on a different meaning for Bill. Everyone is in a big crazy costume!
“Networking should just be called ‘meeting people’ ” ← Click to tweet
Black Framed Glasses are the costume of the graphic design profession
Mass Effect, and its guns
Destiny, features very ornate guns
Dr. Pizza
Halo, and the rifle
A Beginner’s Guide to Making Mind Blowing Props by Bill Doran
Historical Costumed Adventure Hikes
The Slight Edge by Jeff Olson

Tools

Scroll Saw
Band Saw
Lathe
Laser Cutter, basically a fancy scroll saw
3D Printers, but not the half-million-dollar ones
Clay
PVC tubes
Bondo
Adhesives and Epoxies
Foam, a lightweight replacement for metal
Google Spreadsheet
Inkscape
Adobe Illustrator
Maya
OmniFocus

Techniques

Artistic Effects like washes, glazes, patinas
Go to conventions to meet people (aka network). Costumes attract attention and start conversations
Be systematic about your schedule. Fill your commissions and book your upcoming time.
Get reference numerous images for your projects before starting
Do business with real names, not internet aliases

Habits

Work out every day
Use mornings for productivity
Check email at lunch
Work until the wife gets home (then have dinner and relax)
Always take the advice that comes from a seasoned expert (at least try the recommendations)

The Busy Creator 24 w/guest Saul Colt Sep 22, 2014

Show notes

The Busy Creator Podcast, episode 24 with Word-of-Mouth Marketing Guru Saul Colt

2014.09.22 by Prescott Perez-Fox | Edit »

The Busy Creator Podcast, episode 24 with Word-of-Mouth Marketing Guru Saul Colt

Saul Colt (@SaulColt) is one of the world’s leaders in word-of-mouth marketing. Over the years, he’s bolstered the reputations of his companies and clients by connecting audiences with brands, and by making people think, laugh, and cry. A well-known and well-liked figure across North America, Saul has built a network of creative pros and in turn those relationships have help build his own reputation.

In this discussion, we hear how Saul became a connector, how he spent his character-building years as a comic book writer, and how he still struggles (surprisingly) with his own shyness and fear of rejection.

Video shows Saul’s skywriting stunt, mentioned in the episode.

Saul is now Chief Evangelist at Xero, a small business online accounting software company. Catch up with him on his blog,Saul.is.

00:00 00:00 Show Notes & Links

“Do you know Saul?” is the question; not a Breaking Badreference.
Saul describes himself as “North America’s best word-of-mouth marketer”
Creative Mornings
Tina Roth Eisenberg, aka Swiss Miss
“I do more listening than talking.”
Debbie Millman’s appearance on The Busy Creator Podcast
The Crying Indian in those “Do Not Pollute” ads
Design Matters, Debbie’s long-running podcast
Saul grew up in a family business; came up writing comic books
Malcolm Gladwell talks about The Connectors in The Tipping Point
The Cult of Saul
“I want to be known for my accomplishments, not just for being the life of the party.”
America’s Funniest Home Videos
Saul spoke at 38 conferences in one year
“People shouldn’t try to fail. They should try to be as awesome as possible.”
Jen Mussari is also not a fan of failure on purpose.
“There’s a fine line between boldness and foolishness.”
Microsoft’s $900 million flop
Saul coordinated a skywriting stunt for Xero
“If you get those ideas that are worth being fired over, you have to do those ideas.”
Saul did an Evel Knievel stunt (mainly just to wear the jumpsuit) 
“Everything has been done already. To think you have any original ideas is ridiculous.”
Laugh-Think-Cry: Saul’s formula to include humour, insight, and emotion in any event or stunt.
Be “crazy with a purpose”
“Not everything measurable is great and not everything great is measurable.”
Snapple’s giant popsicle stunt … that failed.
Likemind or Meetup to connect with people
Prescott has a very personal workflow for podcasts and audiobooks involving the now-retired iPod Classic and several iTunes plugins
Every Which Way But Loose

Tools

Xero
LinkedIn and Facebook, for planning lunches and events in different cities
Notebooks (and presumably pens/pencils)

Techniques

Do more listening than talking
Fearless execution. Don’t be frightened by crazy ideas or blow-back.
Let others get credit, but also list your own accomplishments
Tell first-hand stories, it has a greater impact
Pick an end-goal first and work backwards
Pick a unifying icon or reference that can resonate with everyone
Vet an idea against “Laugh-Think-Cry”
Use your network to meet cool, interesting people
Always try to be home on weekends, and don’t ask people to hang (because they might say no?)

Habits

Carry a notebook; allow yourself to be inspired by anything
Email your people to get together in different cities
Look for odd street art and museums; treat each visit to a city as if it’s the last time you’ll be there
Arrive in town early and ask people if they want to hang out. Use passive aggression if necessary.
Exercise every day.
Watch a movie every day. (perhaps while exercising)
Wake up before 7; don’t check email in bed.
Scan RSS feeds, read about 1/3 of articles

Get The Episode

Download The Busy Creator Podcast, episode 24(MP3, 51:39, 74.5 MB)
Download The Busy Creator Podcast, episode 24(OGG, 51:39, 47.3 MB)

The Busy Creator 23 Building a Business While Traveling The World, w/guest Christina Canters Sep 15, 2014

Show notes

The Busy Creator Podcast ep. 23, Building a Business While Traveling The World, w/guest Christina Canters

Christina Canters (@cjcanters) is an architect-turned-entrepreneur who left her native Melbourne, Australia to travel the world as she builds her new consulting and teaching business, Design Draw Speak.

This conversation focuses on travel, as well as the mindset and preparation required to build a new business on the road. Christina and Prescott share their war stories — and fond memories — from travels and studies abroad, and commiserate about the prices of certain goods in different places. Keep up with Christina and her travels via her blog,Kips and Kale.

Show Notes & Links

Christina is on the road, speaking from Austin, TX. As of publishing, she’s in Thailand.
Podcast Movement
Design Draw Speak, helps architects become better communicators
Christina is a former architect
Design Draw Speak started as a podcast, and has branched out to coaching and teaching
Social Media Marketing World
Tropical MBA Podcast
Cost of living for cities around the world
“Your job is a Horcrux; you’re dividing your soul.”
How are you going to pay the bills on day one?
Melbourne is 12% cheaper than in New York City, according to Expatistan
Transportation of goods over land and their costs, as discussed in The Wealth of Nations
Couchsurfing
Prescott watches a lot of HGTV and DIY Network
How to repair a crack in the drywall, on YouTube
The Australian Diaspora, mostly in the EU, UK, and US
Meetup.com
Spirit Airlines, the worst according to The Consumerist

Tools

Techniques

Before you leave for a trip, transfer stuff to cloud storage and get rid of a lot of your crap
Travel light. Literally, and spiritually.
Don’t mind the clunky video edits
Go to lots of events, especially in a new city

Habits

Wake up early, before the world is up
Celebrate what you got done by mid-day
Eat right and exercise, even from the road
Build a workflow you can torture-test. Print receipts, save a PDF, keep backups. Save multiple copies and don’t rely on a single point of failure.

Get The Episode

Download The Busy Creator Podcast, episode 23(MP3, 39:18, 38.2 MB)
Download The Busy Creator Podcast, episode 23(OGG, 39:18, 36.4 MB)

Subscribe to The Busy Creator Podcast on iTunes

Something to add? Leave a comment below to participate in the conversation.

The Busy Creator 22 w/guest Brandy Shea Sep 08, 2014

Show notes

The Busy Creator Podcast, episode 22 with Designer and Entrepreneur Brandy Shea

Brandy Shea (@MileOneCreative) is the founder of Mile One Creative, an independent design practice serving entrepreneurs and small business owners with brand development and marketing design. In addition to her design services, Brandy recently created the Quality Thrives project, an online video series and forthcoming book showcasing ordinary, hardworking business owners who provide craft and quality in their professional offerings.

00:00 00:00

Here’s a teaser of the Quality Thrives project, which begins in earnest October 10, 2014. (Press release) Check out the full show notes to get all the contact details.

Show Notes & Links

Branding Branding, a website where the branding industry can define itself (or not)
Job Titles can change perspective, e.g. “I’m not a freelancer; I’m self-employed”
Kenneth Badgett, founder of Up My Average
Brandy and Kenneth work well together as a designer/sales team
Brandy studied behavioural science, entered marketing through an interest in consumer psychology
Prescott was a computer geek with an artistic background, discovered Photoshop in 1997
Mile One takes everything from brochure projects to websites
Entrepreneur on Fire, designed largely by Brandy and Mile One
More online these days, less print
The RGB world is kind of the default; print has become a speciality
node.js
“Jill of All Trades”
“Defining a brand needs organization.”
GTD Methodology — take a complicated task and break it down to obvious steps, especially at the start.
Brandy gained some “training” in organizational behaviour working as a waitress
United We Brand by Mike Moser
Startups/Entrepreneurs debate how much time they should spend on brand development
Prescott’s definition of “startup” is a new, small, rapidly growing company … not just internet/software
“[Entrepreneurs] may see the need for a lawyer, but they don’t see the need for a designer.”
“A CEO wouldn’t dress like he’s homeless.”
99Designs and Fivver, websites we don’t recommend for brand identity design
Quality Thrives, a new project from Brandy to instill a sense of appreciation for quality work over the bargain-basement offerings and sheer quatity
“Plumber-in-a-Can”, a metaphor for the attack on the traditional design industry
LegalZoom reminds us that it is not a law firm, but instead offers the work-product of expertise
Michele Harding, video editing intern
Annette Wong, social media marketing intern
“Snackable” content. (A word stolen from the junk food industry)
Grammar Girl
Todd Henry and Blake Stratton, former guests on The Busy Creator Podcast
Quality Thrives on Twitter, on YouTube, on Facebook, and onQualityThrives.org

Tools

Interns
LegalZoom
Plain notebooks for checklists
Teux Deux

Techniques

If you’re an introvert, team up with someone who is a natural salesman
Use the exercises in United We Brand — Core Values, Core Brand Message, Brand Personality, Brand Icons
Present a case study to clients where they can easily see the strength of good design
Consider replacing the To-Do list with the Done list, so you don’t beat yourself up

Habits

Build a routine with steady wake-up times
Something active 3x per week
Use your to-do list (but don’t freak out)

The Busy Creator 21 w/guest Walé Ogundipe Sep 01, 2014

Show notes

The Busy Creator Podcast, episode 21 with User Experience Designer Walé Ogundipe

Walé Ogundipe (@kopasetik) is a user experience designer who has worked in a variety of creative professions including the music industry, broadcasting, marketing, film & video, and now online and mobile application development. Lately, he’s been involved in several hackathons and embraced the philosophies if fast iteration and design sprints towards building apps for web and mobile.

In this conversation, we discuss how Walé arrived in User Experience, the point of view that a UX design takes when approaching a problem, and some books that we should all read for a better understanding of business and design.

00:00 00:00 Show Notes & Links

Experience Design
Service Design
Zaks Building Blocks; Not Lego
“The Radio Voice”
Walé worked at Mapflix
Walé learned about distributed teams from co-workers who move frequently
TechCrunch Disrupt Hackathon
The Busy Creator Podcast Bonus Episode (July 2014)
Hi-fi Lighter (née Keyoto), currently a Chrome extension
The Evernote API
API, a definition
Uses for Hi-Fi Lighter include journalists, academics, etc.
Bibliography formatting: MLA style, APA style, etc.
BuzzFeed fires writer for improper attribution
C.Y.A.
Andreesen Horowitz
Origin of the phrase “Barbarians at The Gate”
Sharks must keep moving to stay alive
General Assembly
Small Biz Dev Hackathon in Chicago
The Wealth of Nations by Adam Smith
The Art of War by Sun Tzu
Marcus Aurelius, the Philosopher-Emporer
The Invisible Hand
Baratunde Thurston
Bono
“Bite-size project”, aka Design Sprints, can be healthy within the design industry.
The Lean Startup by Eric Ries
Fast Company on Hackathons
Blake Stratton on The Busy Creator Podcast
The 7 Habits of Highly Effective People by Steven Covey
Sears Hackathon
The Onion

Tools

Hi-Fi Lighter
OmniFocus
Evernote
Google Keep
Action Method notebooks & methodology
GitHub

Techniques

Keep snippets of code/markup for yourself in Google Keep
Keep your grocery list in Google Keep
Only work with committed people
Appreciate the busy season, and recover after
Create an “idea box” from an empty tissue box
Miniature check-ins with yourself (30min intervals) and with your team (120min intervals)

Habits

Be in constant motion
Put first things first
Take a “cheat day” for other aspects of your life. Have time to relax.

The Busy Creator 20, Building and Growing a Small Design Firm, w/guest Josh Miles Aug 25, 2014

Show notes

The Busy Creator Podcast, episode 20, Building and Growing a Small Design Firm, w/guest Josh Miles

Josh Miles (@JoshMiles) founded Miles Design, an independent graphic design firm in Indianapolis, Indiana, after organically growing his freelance practice. Following some hi-profile work in a narrow sector, he’s grown his team to nine employees, taking care to build a healthy workplace culture along the way.

Josh and his team at Miles Design

In this discussion, Josh shares some of the challenges for growing and maintaining a design business, as well as some of the tools and tactics he uses to keep the team in sync and doing great work.

00:00 00:00 Show Notes & Links

Prescott met Josh at the Brand New Conference in San Francisco, 2011
Josh began as a freelancer, working with clients such asPurdue University
Josh knew he’d eventually be an independent designer
The selling side of graphic design isn’t told much in school
Win Without Pitching by Blair Enns
David C. Baker, Recourses
Miles Design is a nine-person design firm in Indianapolis, focusing on Professional Services (architecture, engineering, interior design, etc.)
The award-winning website for Ratio Architects
After about 1 year in, Josh realised the company would succeed. He needed help getting the design work done.
Josh is the geek within the agency
Tug McTighe on being a creative director
Failure in graphic design isn’t “failure” as such. The end of the sentence is the end of the conversation.
AIGA Indy Kickball League
“No one is immune from psychology. Especially psychologists.”
Bold Brand by Josh Miles
Miles Design allowed a client to reap 7x return on investment for a new website design
Josh is equal parts introvert and extrovert
The Cult of Overwork
Previous Busy Creator interview with Debbie Millman
Pronunciation of “nitch” vs. “neesh”
Miles Design on Dribbble

Tools

Workamajig, total agency software for project management
Harvest, for time-tracking
Slack, for intra-office chat - GTD Methodology
Scrum meetings
OmniFocus

Techniques

Bring in people who are better than you
Put workplace culture first, especially if you feel it’s missing. Maybe start over.
Give your team permission to fail. Allow them to present their work, come what may.
Invent company rituals. Celebrate small stuff.
Test new workflows and tools
Follow up with clients after 3 or 6 months to track results
Be known for one thing and be good at it

Habits

Arrive in the office early. Get stuff done before the gang arrives.
Head out early on Fridays as a team. Decompress together.
Take a few hours to work solo and clear things

The Busy Creator 19 w/guest Shannon Morse Aug 18, 2014

Show notes

The Busy Creator Podcast, episode 19 with Online Video Host & Producer Shannon Morse

Shannon Morse (@Snubs) is a producer and host of several online video shows such as Tekzilla and Hak5. Following early training in theatrical performance and hotel/restaurant management, she transitioned into new media. Across her many projects, she’s responsible for all research, writing, and production. Read more about Shannon on her site, snubsie.com

In this episode, we discuss Shannon’s origins in film/video production, the struggle of working for multiple employers with multiple studio workflows, and some of her outside (geeky) pursuits.

00:00 00:00 Show Notes & Links

Tekzilla
Hak5
TWiT Network, Before You Buy, Coding 101
Shannon worked at Domino’s Pizza
Producer duties include “making sure everyone is having a good day.”
“The Producer Mentality”, not always a great thing
Sheryl Sandberg and her problem with the word “bossy”
“I don’t like anything built on a base layer of chaos.”
Shannon has a background in theatre and choir, rather than tv/media production
“How the sausage gets made” aka “The recipe” for podcasting
Ham Radio
Prescott is obsessed with DIY Network and HGTV
National Weather Service
Garage/Hacker Mentality
Shannon’s dad was a nerd and early computer guy
Star Trek
X-Files
Previous episode with Ashley Milne-Tyte
BBC Radio 4
When Gmail is down
The Slash Generation
En-tre-pren-eur, hard for Shannon to pronounce
Shannon is obsessed with Anime
Sailor Moon
Shannon is a coupon maven, who recently donated a cache of grooming products
Hoarding, a pathology that might affect Prescott’s parents
Zombie Apocalypse planning
Prescott created a “Lucifer’s Hammer” wish list on Amazon
Lucifer’s Hammer by Jerry Pournelle and Larry Niven
Hurricane Sandy
LED Candle
1Password episode of Mac Power Users
On a call with the cable company
Weddings are hard, even for producers

Tools

Google Apps
Slate board
Google Hangouts, for remote conversations
Trello
HTML format
UpWrite Desk
Keepass
Lastpass
1Password for Mac and iOS
info.xhead (RIP) from xhead software
Wallet (RIP) after their founders were acqui-hired by Facebook

Techniques

Divide duties and responsibilities to prevent overlap, chaos
Write as if you’re speaking it. Practice until you get it.
Record multiple takes into multiple cameras.
Know yourself, and what type of employment best suits you.

Habits

Keep the editors in mind when shooting video. Think of other people when you’re working.
Make annotations and notes, even if they’re only for yourself
Record all your passwords and other info in a password manager; back up the data file to an external drive (don’t trust the cloud only)
Use 2-factor authentication for all your sites
Wake up at a consistent time every morning
Always have cereal!
Dedicate certain days to specific aspects of your business, eg. recording day, editing day

The Busy Creator 18 w/guest Debbie Millman Aug 11, 2014

Show notes

The Busy Creator Podcast, episode 18 with Design Firm President, Author, Podcast Host, and Professor Debbie Millman

Debbie Millman (@DebbieMillman) is a design and branding industry impresario. She will, at any given moment, be involved in a multitude of projects and roles across the profession. For nearly 20 years, she’s been the President ofSterling Brands, a design and brand strategy firm based in New York, Los Angeles, and San Francisco. Since 2005, she’s hosted Design Matters, one of the most successful radio shows (now podcasts) about design and creativity. She also founded and chairs the Master’s in Branding course at theSchool of Visual Arts in New York, and has authored numerous books.

In this episode, Debbie speaks about the structure and workflow of Sterling — now a corporate agency, how she stays energized across her many endeavors, and how she’s still working to overcome awkwardness in her life and career. We also get to hear the story of how Debbie and Prescott first met.

00:00 00:00 Show Notes & Links

Prescott discovered Design Matters while working a crappy job working for a startup marketing firm.
Helvetica, by Gary Hustwit
Prescott is standing on the shoulders of giants with his podcast
Debbie describes herself as a brand consultant, wannabe artist, and chair of the MFA Master’s in Branding at SVA
Debbie and her partners at Sterling sold to the businessOmnicom in 2008
Sterling defines itself as a Brand Consultancy with three disciplines – Design, Strategy, and Innovation
DeeDee Gordon runs Innovation from Los Angeles; Austin McGhie runs Strategy from San Francisco
Sterling acquired Philippe Becker in San Francisco, joining that to their studio.
Simon Lince is Sterling’s Chief Creative Officer in New York, with four Creative Directors under him. Same with Philippe Becker in SF.
Sterling consciously went to the traditional advertising agency model, rather than a “bullpen” model, with lots of cross-disciplinary work. It was “less deliberate”.
“Institutional knowledge” is important for growth within an agency. Helps to serve clients year-on-year.
Design strategy entails asking questions: What is the brand? What is the criteria for success? What is the “whitespace” we want to uncover? Can we own that space? What is the dynamic for change within an organization? etc.
“Common vocabulary does not always equate to common behavior.”
“The only people that really like brand design changes are brand designers.” (joking/not joking)
“Ambiguity is never seen positively.” (e.g., ambiguous emails)
Package design is a “very specific language.” One must know the grammar of a language, but not necessarily all the dialects, which are learned on the job.
Design Matters is a cultural force, whether Debbie thinks it or no.
Cooper Hewitt National Design Award, 2011
Bill Drentell
Tina Roth Eisenberg (@swissmiss), Swiss Miss
Maria Popova (@Brainpicker), Brainpickings
Debbie does “an exhausting amount of research” for Design Matters interviews
20-50 pages of notes for each guest, reduced to 5 pages of questions
Lining Up a Shot
Design Matters on SoundCloud
“I don’t even know that I was a fully formed human being when I was 30.”
All The Wrong People Have Self-Esteem by Laurie Roselwald
Adult Onset Awkward
“Getting your first job out of college is like starting kindergarten all over.”
“We are what we repeatedly do. Excellent, then, is not an act but a habit.” –Aristotle
Babson College
Omnicom University
Nancy Kane, from Harvard Business School
Information Recreation
Design Observer
Brand New (and all the UnderConsideration blogs)
Design*Sponge
HOW and Print
The New York Times
CNN
The Wall St. Journal
The New Yorker
Vogue
Harper’s Bazaar
Scientific American / SciAm Mind on airplanes, where it’s quiet(?)
“Multitasking is the enemy of focused creativity”
Debbie is now ashamed of her past pride as a multi-tasker
“When the going gets tough, we go to Facebook.”
Multi-tasking is usually “rapid-switching”
Lisa Grant, Debbie’s better half at Sterling
J’aime Cohen, original SVA dir. of operations
Mark Dudlik, current SVA partner in crime
Curtis Fox, producer for Design Matters
Energy management is more important than time management.

Tools

SWOT analysis for brands
Facebook (the default distraction; internet background noise)
Twitter
Instagram
To-do lists (for things with deadlines)

Techniques

Copy the habits of small studios and create “in-house studios” within the larger agency
Allow strong personality to exist and thrive in a company; build a culture as such
Prepare strategy and challenges during proposal/pitch stage. Don’t wait until you’ve won it.
Want something done? Ask a busy person — they have less time to procrastinate.
Learn what you’re good at. Production/details? Coming up with ideas?

Habits

Celebrate small victories, such as winning a new project or client
Sleep a lot. 8 hours at least.
Eat better. (better than soda, candy, cigarettes, that is.)
Read constantly.

The Busy Creator 17, Music Streaming Apps & Websites, w/guest Charles Penn Aug 04, 2014

Show notes

Charles Penn is a musician and music producer based in New Jersey. Together with Prescott they discuss the state of music on the Internet, including listening, buying, sharing, and the potential to collaborating world-wide. The conversation moves to music promotion and tactics for artists starting out. Check out Charles’s music on his website, The Sounds of The Underground.

00:00 00:00 Show Notes & Links

First episode recorded face-to-face. Skype is awesome, but it’s nice to see people in real life.
Coverville
In The Groove, Jazz and Beyond
YouTube (yes, for music)
Prescott [still uses] an iPod Classic
Bob Marley on iTunes
Google Music
Juicy, by Notorious B.I.G. on iTunes
Pandora, for streaming
Music Genome Project
Sade on iTunes
Beats Music Service
Services are too associated with Social Media (Rdio and Spotify, especially)
Drake, Nicki Minaj, Lil’ Wayne — all artists which Prescott has never heard of
Daley
Robin Thicke
45 Record Singles
Beatles-a-Rama
Apple Records
iTunes v12 coming soon (to your Mac)
Google is Skynet
DRM
.Mac and iDrive (c. 2001)
CD Quality is 16-bit 44.1Khz Stereo PCM
Justin Bieber, discovered on YouTube
Gabrielle Aplin, has been playing her videos from her bedroom for years and is now a big star
Points on the back-end
Finding Llweyn Davis

Tools

Rhapsody
Spotify
Rdio
Shazam
Pandora
iTunes internet radio
ACB Radio for the Blind
The Halls of Ivy (every episode available for download)
Amazon Music
Google Wallet
YouTube, for sharing your music
Weebly, for website templates
ReverbNation
SoundCloud, for home-grown artists

Techniques

For Pandora, only vote songs down. Otherwise, you’ll hear the exact same song again and again.
Search for stations on the Internet Radio stream. Discover something unexpected.
Exchange features with other up-and-coming artists, then cross-promote for each other

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The Busy Creator Podcast with Prescott Perez-Fox

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