The 2010 (Women’s) Effect: The 100th Annual International Women’s Day

I am joining with legions of others around the world today to honor women for all they are and all they do as the greatest and most powerful force on Planet Earth. Mine will not be a lengthy tribute, but I do want to point up some of the amazing resources I’ve found that are providing different perspectives on the achievements of women, and some of the biggest challenges faced by many of them. Read more

Lucky Guy: The Musical… and My Life

In honor of all my friends.
When you look at the website for the musical comedy Lucky Guy, this quote leaps right out: “It’s not what you got in life, it’s who you got to share it with that counts.” I find that to be a wonderful observation on life, and it literally connects me to the project, which is written by my charming friend Willard Beckham, whom I met with Beth last year in New York through my larger-than-life pal, Lisa Cleff Kurtz. Read more

Much love to and from The Children’s Playhouse

A creative play space for families, and a powerful force for community goodness in Boone, North Carolina, USA

After helping my wife Beth Darnell, and her sister Ann Kiefert, their comrade Kathy Parham, and many others from our then-new hometown of Boone, North Carolina, open The Children’s Playhouse in November of 2002, I am very proud to see how Kathy has led the venture in countless ways which continue adding precious dimensions to our community. The video featured here was produced by our friend Beth Jacquot in 2003, and much has happened since then. I invite you to visit the official site www.GoPlayhouse.org and explore the Facebook group, and I also wanted to share news from a recent event that reveals a lot about our community, and Kathy.
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Creative Entrepreneurs: David Bouck

While attending the Boards Summit last October, I had the pleasure of meeting and befriending David Bouck (IMDB, LinkedIn), a veteran producer working in commercials, television and feature films. David is the founder and executive producer of Means of Production in Vancouver, a production services company specializing in television commercial production and still photography servicing all of Canada. After recently sending me his latest company reel (featured above), I peppered him with questions which he has kindly answered below. Read more

Brilliant Directors: Brand New School

With studios in New York and Los Angeles, Brand New School is a bicoastal directing collective working in all fields of commercial art. Ever evolving, the studio continues to cultivate a sense of wonder and exploration. For its artists and clients alike, BNS represents an opportunity to play at work, to conduct experiments in imagemaking, and to feed the inspiration that drives the industry. For more information, please visit www.BrandNewSchool.com.

Expanding Artistry from LA Design Studio Elastic

I expect that most of my Facebook and creative industry friends who have seen all the amazing project work I’ve been sharing from LA-based full-service design studio Elastic will agree that the company’s phenomenal artists have hit every project they’ve touched out of the park. From the recent Honda Accord Crosstour “Instruments” and “Boxes” spots for ad agency RPA, to the Verizon “iDon’t,” “Surfer” and “Homing Device” Droid spots for mcgarrybowen, the adidas “It’s On Me For We” spots for 180/LA, the Lexus HS Pods spots for Team One, and more cool work for FUEL TV, Nike and others, sharing the company’s artistry over the past year has been an amazing adventure for yours truly. At this point, I’d like to take this opportunity to sincerely thank anyone who has shared the company’s work; your interest in Elastic is appreciated immensely! Read more

Among many people I’m thankful for, my big brother Scott

We’re taking off to go spend some quality time with our families in the St. Louis and Milwaukee areas over the days ahead, and I thought I’d make a quick nod to one of the people I’m most thankful for, my big brother, Scott Darnell. Scott and his partner David Gotter established a company in 2003 named Further OPTIONS, as a developer of innovative mobility systems for wheelchair-bound individuals. After debuting its first product at the 2006 SEMA Show in Las Vegas, the company’s Patent-pending DMS-4 was unveiled at the 2009 National Mobility Equipment Dealers Association Annual Conference, where it was honored by NMEDA and the Adaptive Driving Alliance with their 2009 New Technology Award for Innovation in Engineering and Technology for the physically challenged. Read more

Lessons on professionalism, persistence and “Endurance” from artist Theresa Ortolani

Two years ago, I attended a publishing workshop hosted by Kiki Bauer, senior designer for powerHouse Books, at the powerHouse Arena in Brooklyn. Six of us attended, each eager to discuss our very specific idea for a brilliantly conceived, beautiful and riveting coffee-table book like those famously published by powerHouse. Theresa, Lori, Brad, Debra, John-Michael and I all presented our pet projects to Kiki on that day, and I’ll bet the rest of our classmates are as proud as I am to see that Theresa has persevered in seeing hers through, and getting it into print: “Endurance” published by powerHouse Books, is now available for purchase. In fact, the official launch party is happening at powerHouse Arena on Thurs., Dec. 3. More information on Theresa Ortolani, “Endurance” and this very cool upcoming event follow below. Read more

Joining iParticipate.org in honoring Veterans today and tomorrow…

In my humble opinion, iParticipate.org has been doing an outstanding job of promoting its very important mission and inciting us all to consider volunteering to support members of the military who have done so much for us all through their military commitments. The above public service announcement (PSA) was released back in September, and I wanted to share it, and also include its transcript. Read more

Brought to you by deep love and appreciation for local libraries

Growing up in Illinois, Tennessee, and Florida, I am extremely indebted to many local libraries and librarians who helped encourage me to learn and grow as an individual. This week’s posting is short and sweet, inviting you to visit the American Library Association’s great ilovelibraries.org site where you can learn a lot about local libraries across America and sign up for their informative newsletter, their Facebook fan page, and more. Happy learning!