I’m all about learning, friending at the 2009 Boards Summit

Calendar year 2009 has been a constant challenge for me, and I consider myself very lucky compared with many I know who are facing difficult times. My thoughts remain with them as I carry on daily in what is truly my dream job, and while I’m hoping things will get easier for everyone who’s struggling, I’m also doing more to benefit others. Through this process, I’m finding that strengthening myself and my capabilities is impacting a growing circle of friends and colleagues. A large share of my business now occurs within the commercial production industry. I’m also active in the greater global marketing and advertising industries, and their initiatives, but since commercial production is still so important to marketing and advertising, that area is especially important to me. I’ve been a film/video production student since about 1986, and following my formal education in Film and Television at the University of Central Florida, I began learning on the job, and I’ve never stopped. While most of the lessons over the past 20 years have presented themselves to me as client projects and business developments I’ve written about and promoted, at times, the pace of change has accelerated, and required even greater commitments on my part. Looking back, I find that those times represent the biggest moments of my professional life.

So that’s where you find me planning to attend the 2009 Boards Summit – which is themed “Decoding the Future of Advertising” – in New York on October 26 and 27. By scanning the information on attending speakers and their planned sessions at www.boardssummit.com, I think most creative individuals can easily see the quality of the attraction. Worth noting, I know that a lot of interesting companies are sponsoring the festivities, and many top industry professionals I’m hoping to friend also are attending. Of course, the organizers of Boards Summit are the publishers and staff of Boards Magazine, who themselves have inspired me to adapt to change… through all their recent efforts to reshape the way they report on, interact with, support and lead the international commercial production industry. Personally, I hope one day that each of my kids might intern for Boards… which tells you a lot about my feelings for this group and its mission, style and talents. Probably more important to you is the fact that Boards will also be offering a first-come, first-served Master Class program providing in-depth explorations of key topics during the Summit. Sign-up begins online next week, and with some of the main event sessions already filling up, I encourage those interested in the best opportunities to get busy planning for the Summit, and getting booked.

In this clipping on the left, you can see London-based artist Mat Maitland’s contribution to Imagining Mozambique, a charitable art exhibition benefiting Mozambique children and orphans who are suffering as a result of natural disasters, HIV/AIDS and civil war. Boards’ Kevin Ritchie shares more prints from the collection in his story, where he also speaks with its curator, Wieden+Kennedy interactive producer Jamie Kim. The exhibition, which has appeared at Amsterdam’s Maxalot Gallery and W+K Amsterdam, and will eventually appear in Tokyo, London and Portland, will have its New York premiere on Sunday, October 25, in association with Boards, Wieden+Kennedy, Amsterdam and MassMarket. I’ll be in attendance for that, too, imagining Mozambique with some of the interesting people I have the good fortune of sharing common interests with.

I sincerely hope to see you there, too.

More information on Imagine Mozambique is available at www.ImaginingMozambique.com