After a little while, I found some clients who really wanted what I had to offer. I was able to win their business because my pitches got better, and they needed what I could do. There was one problem: they didn’t respect me.

If you’re pitching a brand, the person you’re speaking with is ripe with clues. You could go in blind, pitch hard, and hope for the best. Or you could ask qualifying questions to understand where they’re really coming from in order to design a package that suits their long-term needs.

This experience is purposefully designed by Clubhouse based on their access to your contacts. When you sign up for clubhouse, they request access to your contacts. Then, when enough of your friends share that they have access to your contact, Clubhouse will simultaneously suggest that they all invite you.

The fascinating thing is that if you can understand how specific techniques affect creatives, you can have a creative career. I’ve never been paid to touch a camera or lights. But I build out storyboards, direct gaffers on set, and brief DPs on the kind of lenses and movement we want.

Ads like these are a risky move. But you won’t catch anyone’s attention without being a little risky with this style of advertising.

Many people resist using a google calendar to manage their days. But what they don’t realize is that people like me (who put everything in a calendar) are mostly doing it retroactively.

Outsource your decisions to a fresher, smarter version of yourself. Whether or not to exercise isn’t a decision for a version of yourself that just woke up. Outsource that decision to a clear-thinking, evening version of yourself.

Just because it’s the most you’ve ever been paid doesn’t mean it’s not too little.

Have you ever had a conversation with someone who uses insider language and industry jargon, talking about things that they know you don’t know about? Usually people who do this are insecure, and they’re trying to seem smart. But if they really were smart, they would be using a metaphor.

We need to separate our internet startup mindset, and our long-term culture change mindset. When we bring a 5-year expectation to age-old issues, we get discouraged and burned out.

It’s not the idea that gets you anywhere. It’s the consistent commitment to the idea that makes all the difference. 

This week we’re checking out Vans’ lifestyle product photo carousel ads. These are interesting because they simultaneously achieve brand and performance in their approach and strategy.

Life is a non-stop conveyor belt of tasks, meetings, lunches, chores, bills, holidays, obligations–you’ll never reach the end. Meanwhile, your dreams are somewhere in the mix.

If you’re the first to suggest a price point in a rate negotiation, that conversation will only stray so far from the original number you present.

The longer you wait to pull the lever, the longer the lever gets, the easier it is to pull.

There’s an ailment that befalls many creators when they begin searching for inspiration: They feel like they aren’t good enough. Inspiration can either serve as a motivational launching pad, or a soul-crushing bench press bar that’s too heavy to get out from under.

I never know where the inspiration for a blog post could come from, but by reading content often, I know it will come from somewhere.

We overestimate the impact our success will have, and we underestimate the impact our daily actions, human to human. Every simple, selfless act of service has positive ripple effects on our communities in ways we could never begin to imagine.

Plenty of ads these days are in the moment, but they aren’t tasteful. We’ve all had our fill of major corporations offering a benevolent discount in these “unprecedented times.” (Looking at you State Farm). This ad recognizes COVID-19, but it doesn’t disrespect the viewer with fake empathy.

Most pro athlete endorsement deals have athletes using a broadcast personality. The great ads with Lebron James and Peyton Manning that we all remember aren’t perfect models for digital personalities.