This past weekend Mayor Antonio Villaraigosa and other city officials hosted the 1st Annual Veterans Appreciation Day.
United Way of Greater Los Angeles was on hand to celebrate veterans and launch their report and action plan to support 25,000 veterans returning from service.
“United Way has set a goal to cut post-9/11 veteran unemployment in half by 2017″ – Elise Buik
“Given the current state of veteran services, thousands will be unemployed and at risk of poverty or even homelessness, which is why United Way has set a goal to cut post-9/11 veteran unemployment in half by 2017 with a four-pronged strategy that requires a cohesive partnership across all sectors to create a pathway to gainful employment and economic security.” – Elise Buik, CEO, United Way of Greater Los Angeles
Portnoy Media teamed up with United Way to talk about why they’re involved – check out the video.
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Portnoy Media Group uses the influence of social networks to expand your organization's voice and tell your story. We connect people with your mission and enable your brand to be shared, discovered, and connected. Work with us as we empower your organization to dramatically extend your online presence and increase donations.
It’s very obvious to me that I’m getting old. The annual trek to Austin is something that I’m beginning to have a love/hate relationship with.
Great people and great info make the time there really worth attending and it would seem that each year the brands are getting smarter and smarter to court the influence of the tastemakers by bringing out the big guns.
This year went above and beyond. CNN, Pepsi, AOL and Samsung all went to the wall with big offerings. Overall the actual panels and speaking was great – however I thought the panels this year were lacking. During the conference I asked around to see if it was just me or a greater problem. Turns out it wasn’t me, I asked around and we all had the same feeling – many panel speakers seemed unprepared or out of sync with each other, like there was zero prep time.
Highlights and Tips:
Apps, Apps, Apps
I don’t know what the square footage of the Austin Convention Center Exhibition area was but 90% of the booths were hocking an app. It makes sense because Apple has paid out over $2 Billion to developers but none of them really stood out to me. App Developers – How are you standing out?? The secret is not by offering a drawing for an iPad2 (everyone’s doing it!)
Print is not dead
The irony that the largest techie conference uses as much paper as they do is disturbing. Big kudos to the crew at Square Space for their brilliant food truck and use of GREAT print. It was effective and drew me in. Loved it!
Print is still white noise
Making a flyer about your website, new app or product is just silly. Mediocre print is sadly not going anywhere but covered any square inch of space available around the convention center. Interestingly the only people I saw paying attention to the massive flyer covered areas were the people covering them.
Ze Frank blew my doors off!
It’s great find out that the word is bigger than I thought and I’ve got a long way to go. I find it challenging and exciting. Ze walked through several recent projects including Young Me, Now Me and The Chillout Story. I was entranced by his humanity crossed with technology storytelling. Don’t get me wrong, I’ve been a fan of Ze since “The Show” but to hear how these emotion laden one-offs are impacting masses and showing true connection are exquisitely beautiful.
The Mentoring Sessions in Film should be adopted by Interactive
It was invaluable to bounce ideas off of leading filmmakers and executives. I wish this was also done by the interactive side of things. Please SXSW make that happen for next year!
Ditch the Parties and hang out at the lobby bar.
This is the best piece of advice I can give you and I’m so glad I wasn’t the only one thinking it. Most nights I was trying to catch up with a fair amount of people and it was great to just hang out in one place and not have to yell over the thumping bass. The bonus was one night finding Guy Kawasaki and Pam Slim at the next table – I knew it was a good idea!
Talking to 3 different continents during Beth Kanters’ session!
A packed house for Beth’s session on engaging free agents and the best part was talking in real time with new friends in Lebanon and Egypt at the same time. It’s so important for free agents and nonprofits to team up and Beth does an amazing job of making that point. Don’t be a fortress nonprofit and get her book!
Experience SXSW as a team!
I was very fortunate to be with 3 great guys from Out:think Group. I work with these guys everyday and it was great to spend some time with these extremely talented guys without due dates hanging over our heads.
Get some Coulhaus!
I can’t talk enough about this food truck! Just ask Tiffany, we talk about them at least once a week. They’ve got the BEST ice cream sandwiches and Firefox showed how smart they were by bringing them to launch their Firefox Mobile Party. Thanks Firefox!!
Breakfast Tacos and Thunderbird Coffee
Part of my annual trip of SXSW is to see my friend Carrie Graham and hear about all the cool work she’s doing with Mosaic church. This year she took me out for some breakfast tacos and Thunderbird Coffee. The next time you’re in Austin check them out – thank me later.
That’s SXSW for 2011 for me! See you next year!
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Packing up gear and heading to Austin, TX for a weekend of tech, film and general brilliance.
I’m really excited to hear from leading pros around the web about what’s coming up, what’s working, how engagement is happening and general stories of connectedness. Last year was definitely an adventure and this year will be no different. It’s a time where I get to join up with super smart guys like Tim Grahl, Joseph Hinson and Brian Morykon of Out:Think Group. Plus I get to attend great sessions like this one from Josh Kaufman.
Mashable came out with a great list of can’t miss pieces (I will probably miss some of these, however, it’s so much.)
I’m also thrilled to be part of the Twitter peanut gallery at Beth Kanters session on the networked nonprofit. See more about it here. Best part, you can take part while it’s happening just use the hashtag #netnon
Also in the same vein for Nonprofits is a special area hosted by Beaconfire consulting – this is home base for many nonprofit attendees. I’m looking forward to hanging with Eve Simon and Michael Cervino. Check out the lounge here!
This year I’m also attending film events which is going to be intense. As the web landscape continues to provide many distribution tools for indie filmmakers. This is like the OK Corral to the general internet’s Wild West.
I’ll be posting the most interesting tidbits from both types of sessions in the next several days.
Be Safe,
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This March I’m joining up with a phenomenal bunch of nonprofit leaders, CEO and supporters for The Ideation Conference. Â The Ideation Conference is the next step for Idea Campers, the attitude of sharing and improvement is the same but the conference itself steps it up a bit.
This years lineup features a gathering of leaders making a difference in their organization, community and their world.
From the site:
This conference could be called bootcamp, or a shine and polish but bring your team to see the man (or woman) behind the curtain and learn what motivates them, what they’re thinking and what’s on the horizon.
I’m thrilled to be joining this group of movers and shakers and every time I get to see this bunch it’s a great time of joy and lots of laughs – and then I learn something!
Also on the docket for this years lineup:
Aaron Young – Executive Driector of Boys and Girls Club in Santa Monica
Ben Keesey - CEO of Invisible Children
Ben Morrison – Founder of Laugh-Aid, Former Co-Host of Punk’d
Chad Mayer – Executive Director of ShareFest
Charles Lee - CEO of Ideation Consultancy
Chris Heuertz – International Executive Director of Word Made Flesh
Craig Watson – Executive Director of Arts Council for Long Beach
Esther Havens – Humanitarian Photographer
Jeff Shinabarger - Founder of Plywood People
Joel John Roberts – CEO of PATH (People Assisting the Homeless)
JR Kerr – Lead Architect for Aitreni Group
Keith Kall – Executive Director of National Foundation Corporation Development for World Vision
Lee Fox – Founder of KooDooZ
Mark Horvath – Founder of InvisiblePeople.tv
Mike Foster – Co-Founder of Plain Joe Studios
Nikole Lim – Founder of Freely in Hope
Randy Paynter - Founder of Care2.com
Rob Morris – Founder of Love146
Rod Arnold – COO of charity: water
Sam Oh – IT Director for Fresh & Easy
Scott Belsky - CEO of Behance
Sean Carasso – Founder of Falling Whistles
Tyler Marrick - Founder of Project7
For more info on the speakers – Click here
This year Ideation has added a day after the conference for a special session with Scott Belsky, CEO of Behance and author of Making Ideas Happen. I’ve already signed up to attend because The 99% conference was SOLD OUT and I want the inside track to the latest info.. And I think you should know about it too.
In the coming weeks I’ll share a bit more about my workshop. Join me for the Ideation Conference and then stick around for i2i – See you then!
UPDATE: Just got the inside scoop for a 10% discount code. Use IDEA10 when you register and save  some cash!
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In 2007, I was made aware of the existence of human trafficking. It was a 12 minute conversation. It was one of those that I can remember all the circumstances – what I was doing, what my initial thoughts were and the jaw dropping reality that would cause me to shift my entire life just 5 months later.
Since the inception of the Idea Camp – I’ve felt it very important to be involved. At previous camps (Irvine, Washington DC) I’ve had the privilege and the pleasure to facilitate workshops, meet incredible people and build strong relationships with many attendees. It’s not hard to rally behind a group of people more interested in solving problems and learning skills with action in mind than another fad. I’m proud that Charles Lee and his team are putting a lot on the line to have conversations and facilitate workshops around the entire porn industry, sex trafficking and Internet safety. If you haven’t seen some of the more recent responses, please check them out to see what I’m talking about.
We’re especially thrilled to be a part of the Idea Camp crowd in just a few short days. Over the past couple years we’ve had the privilege of working with International Justice Mission on the launch of its film “At the End of Slavery” and again blogging about its “5 Weeks for Freedom” this past summer. We’ve also been left so enthralled with the film “Kavi” (8 months prior to the Oscar nomination) that we had to work with Director Gregg Helvey at any cost.
If I were to think about the best place for the PMG brand to show up, my first thought is not the Idea Camp about sex. The “knee jerk” reaction by many in just hearing about this subject matter has been to blast or condemn. This same condemnation could easily affect my company and place the brand in harm’s way.
Truth is, I’ve never wanted to helm an ordinary agency.
My hope is that this Idea Camp is a game changer. I don’t have any doubts about those who will be there (and watching online) – they want to see change and are willing to be the hands and feet to make it happen. I’m fully counting on great networking with many from around the country, sharing laughs and tears that true connection brings.
I hope to see you there!
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A dear friend recently asked me to do the honor of being a judge at the Frebby Awards. Funny name? Yes. Valuable? Also yes. So, just what are the Frebby Awards? The Frebbies are the product of Paprika Studios, and are designed to recognize the “Best of†the web in Fresno, CA. Broken down into six main categories (Inspiration, Commerce, Communication, Action, Connection, Informational) and the just-for-fun category Frebby Favorite, nominees will be judged on creativity, effectiveness, expertise and innovation.
Know an individual or business in Fresno deserving of an inaugural Frebby Award? Nominate them here. The deadline to enter is this Wednesday, September 15.
Frebby. Fun to say. Fun to do.
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Join Social Media maven Mark Horvath (@hardlynormal) for your morning cuppa at South by Southwest in Austin, TX. (SXSW)
Each morning Mark will chat about using Social Media for Social Good with a panel of genius communicators in the world of tech and non-profit. His guests have each set the standard for “now communication†within their niche.
The show films live in The Beacon: Lounge with a Conscience (NonProfit Lounge) March 13, 14 & 15th and will be airing online at The What Gives Ustream account.
Guest Lineup
Chris Brogan
President of the New Marketing Labs (www.newmarketinglabs.com), widely-read blogger, trendsetter, and co-author of the breakaway book, Trust Agents.
Beth Kanter
Author of “Beth’s Blog: How Non-Profits Can Use Social Media,†expert consultant to the non-profit world on Social Media strategy.
Jeff Pulver
Technology Anthropologist, Entrepreneur, Storyteller and Producer of the #140 Conference.
Kari Saratovsky
VP of Social Innovation, The Case Foundation (http://www.casefoundation.org/)
Chris Noble
President of Cause Media Group
Tony Steward of LifeChurch.tv
Known for their large-scale community creation muscle, LifeChurch.tv will share about the ins and outs of community interaction.
The Hardly Normal Cup of Coffee is a morning broadcast not to be missed. These discussions will infuse tech heads with an informational buzz sure to wake the mind and heart. Mark Horvath, a homeless advocate and hope coach by nature, will lead an new interview conversation each day at the non-profit lounge. Each episode will stream live to his InvisiblePeople.tv website.
With the world getting flatter and flatter, the lines of best practices on the web for non-profit and for profit businesses is becoming slim, the distinction is in the approach.
Strategic Partners
(Woooo!)
The Beacon is located on the 3rd floor of the Austin Convention Center, Room 8B—smack in the heart of the Greater Good Campus.
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This post will most likely blur the lines between personal and professional and I’m ok with that.
Last January I met Charles Lee. We connected through Twitter and we met for a cup of coffee.
Believe or not I was nervous to meet him. He was the first Pastor to ever reach out to me in LA and he was also the creator of The Freeze Project (The international Flash mob that brings awareness to human slavery) Just One and Laundry Loves. He had major street cred and he wanted to talk to me. We met that day and talked about the work I do and the role that Portnoy Media Group plays with organizations. Then we talked about what he was working on and ways to possibly further the scope. A few weeks later, I got to join the guys from Deidox in facilitating a session on communication with film.
Since then I’ve been fortunate to be involved with Charles in a few other instances. (Idea Camp DC, guest lecturing in his class) The thing is, Charles is a thinker. He doesn’t waste time with half baked ideas. If I’m getting a phone call from him it’s because he’s got a lot worked out already and wants to get my take on a project that I’d be involved in.
Which is why I will always take his call.
Idea Camp
It was the first un-conference I’d ever been to and will have a unique place in my heart. What happened on that weekend I don’t think can ever be fully duplicated again. The timing for many of the facilitators and attendees was at the intersection of a communication shift. A bunch of like minded rockstars and gave all there ideas away for free. The difference between the facilitators and attendee was minimal. All barriers and egos removed. If you had a question for someone they had time for you – it was wild.
There’s another opportunity to experience that same kind of openness and it’s The Ideation Conference – Check it out here
Daniel Li
We didn’t actually meet at The Idea Camp but I heard that the web developer for International Justice Mission was going to be there and geeked out a little. So I reached out on Twitter – what followed was coffee in DC a month later. And a few months later I got the chance to collaborate with IJM on their film: At The End of Slavery. We also share a love of the Red Sox.
Dawn Carter
When I first met Dawn at Idea Camp she was holding a tutoring session for a few people about tech communication and the power of information in the now. But it was really after the event that I got to find out who she was. She’s super dynamic and I can’t even wait to get to collaborate with her at SXSW this year. See for yourself, watch this short doc about her – Click here
Josh Roberts
Josh has been/is responsible for my matriculation to the SoCal lifestyle. He’s introduced me to my first fish taco and is a great guy to just chill with. Many times when hanging with church staff/pastor it can feel like he/she’s doing me a favor by gracing me with their presence. Nothing could be further from the truth with Josh. He’s just a solid guy – he genuinely cares for people, has a lot of responsibility and doesn’t shy away from it at all.
Eugene Cho
I had never heard of Eugene prior to Idea Camp but I instantly became a fan of his while there. There a lot of people in my life that I’d categorize as cool and then there are those who just ooze it, Eugene is the latter. He does a whole bunch of inspiring things like One Days Wages. Hopefully he won’t remember me from my exploits at the Idea Camp facilitators meet up.
Most embarrassing moment of Idea Camp
The only was for embarrassment not to have any power is to share it so, here goes: All the facilitators for Idea Camp were gathered together before the sessions and we had a chance to share a bit about ourselves. Cynthia Ware facilitated the session and encouraged us to “really take your time and share who you are…” Then she looked at me and I took her up on it. I dominated a room full of brilliance for far too long by giving my life story. The worst part was I didn’t feel bad about it until after the session ended and the teasing began. Completely oblivious to my communication faux pas during the entire session – it felt like the verbal equivalent to a Cannonball at your Aunt’s wake at the country club. Dave Mahanes was the funniest in the aftermath, “Sometimes when they say share who you are, you don’t have to share all of you”
There’s also a slew of so many others like Marc Payan, EloraNicole, Russell Ramirez, Mel McGowan, Jim Gray, Laurence Tom, and Amanda Jones (there really are too many to mention)
Charles, you’re responsible for all of this and I love you for it. I’ll be watching my phone for the next adventure.
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Collide Magazine just announced their nominations for best of the web according to their readers and we couldn’t be more pleased. Several of the projects we’ve been involved with this year are up for nominations and we’re thrilled for them.
COLLIDE readers, we need your help! Every year in COLLIDE we ask you to nominate and choose your favorite media, technology, blogs, and podcasts in our Readers Choice Awards. The time to vote has now come! So get cracking, and be sure to tell all your democracy-loving friends, too.
This is the place to cast your votes for your favorite things of 2009! Choose wisely, and only vote once please.
This year’s categories include:
* Favorite Film of 2009
* Favorite Church Media Short Film of 2009
* Favorite Church Media Producer
* Favorite DVD Curriculum
* Favorite Presentation Software
* Favorite Web App of 2009
* Favorite Gadget of 2009
* Favorite Twitter Client
* Favorite Book of 2009
* Favorite Viral Video of 2009
* Favorite Theology/Ministry Blog
* Favorite Faith & Arts Blog
* Favorite Faith & Pop Culture Blog
* Favorite Tech Blog
* Favorite Blogging Platform
* Favorite Sermon Podcast
* Favorite Non-Sermon PodcastVoting will remain open until Monday, December 14 at 9am CST. Winners will be announced in the January/February 2010 issue of COLLIDE.
It’s great when other artists realize what good art and story telling looks like. It’s especially great when they’re your friends. Dave Mahanes and Brent Gudgel have been really striving all year to tell stories about “How God uses everyday people”
We recommend voting for Deidox in the Favorite Church Media Short Film of 2009 and the Favorite Church Media Producer categories – VOTE HERE
Stories from Skid Row has been a top 20 podcast on iTunes for the past year (non profit, video category) and it’s great to see Union Rescue Mission receive a nomination from the best of the web for 2009. These stories and snapshots show people around the mission putting their lives back together. We recommend voting for Stories from Skid Row in the Favorite Non-Sermon Podcast of 2009 category – VOTE HERE
Other notables – Congrats to:
Phil Cooke
Blaine Hogan
Francis Chan
Josh Blankenship
Anne Jackson
Tony Morgan
Matthew Paul Turner
John Acuff
Church Marketing Sucks
Donald Miller
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