great content in 2013 and looking forward to 2014

I saw this great roundup of the best branded content of 2013from Digiday. I always post my favorite stuff for you here (see Whole Foods' Dark Rye, American Express's Passion Project, and J.Crew on Film), but I saw this film from cycling retailer Rapha from the article that I loved. The visuals and look & feel were spot on and it was a great experience piece of their brand.

Rapha Gentlemen's Race: Adelaide from RAPHA on Vimeo.


Although, I realized I never posted about one of my other favorite pieces of content: Comedians in Cars Getting Coffee. I remembered this during their quick and quirky Superbowl commercial. The concept is exactly what you think it is, hosted by Jerry Seinfeld and sponsored by Acura.  They run a quick preroll commercial before diving into the content and it's a great way for a brand to get somewhere in a space people already love-- comedy (check out the Chris Rock one, my favorite).

Even Coca-Cola is joining the trend of beautiful content about their brand when they scrapped their corporate website, hired some journalists and started Coca-Cola Journey (read about that here).

I started in content two and a half years ago and pretty much used to explain it to people by saying "you know how Redbull makes films and such not about Redbull? That's what I do."  Now, more and more people are understanding content and not only do they want it, they know they need it - the numbers are pouring in on how creating content that doesn't interrupt people's lives, but creates films, experiences and websites in which their consumers seek them out is a much more positive and successful form of advertising.

And while I still use my Redbull analogy, I use it less and less as more great content emerges.  I'm looking forward to seeing content continue to grow and in the different ways it manifests itself (and what I'm most interested - how it makes a difference). 

2014: this just in

This year, I will explore people, accept myself instead of working on myself and just be, live, love, grow. Let's see what happens.

british library in public domain

This is interesting - the British Library just put one million images in public domain and some of them are downright weird. But hey - use away!

marketing for good: Walter Mitty promo video

Here was a simple and wonderful idea - take the video promo budget of a major motion picture and do some good with it, like spend it on disaster relief in the Philippines.  That's what this guy did and everyone wins - this guy gets work, people get help and the movie gets promoted through this anyway.  Read the full article here and watch the video below.

married in Boston

Saw the cutest video today from the City of Boston called "One Thing That Makes City Hall Special." City Hall here in town gets a bad rap because it's hideous.  Well, this video doesn't deny it, but it celebrates what happens on the 6th floor...weddings! Check it out:

One Thing That Makes City Hall Special from City of Boston on Vimeo.

There's also an adorable tumblr called Married in Boston to go along with it where people can submit their City Hall wedding photos.  So charming.

slow down & sweater weather

Fall is starting to feel very much underway.  I'm heading back home today after five weeks of nonstop travel- it will be nice to sleep in my own bed again tonight.  The trip has been fabulous and I can't help but think about how lucky I am to have a job that allows me to visit such great place, meet such wonderful people and tell such beautiful stories; but, it'll also be nice to be back home and into my old routine.  Besides- as my friend Michael says, no one does fall like Lady New England.  I'm looking forward to the trees changing here, pints of pumpkin beer after work and drinking warm tea during walks along the river during the slow down time of sweater weather.  I always say it's also the perfect time for self reflection, reexamining how you want your life to look and shifting perspective.  We'll see what else the coming months hold.

on the road: Colorado Springs & Aspen

I had such a wonderful week in Colorado.  This was the perfect time of year for me to visit.  I'm not a huge fan of snow, but fall is my jam and the leaves were just starting to turn and the weather was perfect.  My first stop was Colorado Springs, CO.  I hadn't been here since I was 13 (my father went to the Air Force Academy, which is there and he took me once), so again, wasn't sure what to expect.  I actually spent a lot of this shoot indoors, but I managed to get out and eat one great meal and visit one great spot.  

First, I ate at this place called the Ivywild School.  It's a sort of food co-op space with different eating areas in an old elementary school that just opened up this year.  There are also live music performances, local art on the walls and a bi-weekly farmer's market.  It was a neat and unique idea and I really enjoyed the space (although someone on the crew said, "I feel like we're in Brooklyn.").

 (entrance)

 (meat area, in the school's old cafeteria)

(the bar was aptly named "The Principal's Office." I enjoyed the paddles on the cabinets)

I also heard Garden of the Gods was a can't miss spot.  We drove by one evening and after that, I knew I had to go back the next morning for a run - it was truly something to marvel at and highly recommend it myself!

(this rock is called Kissing Camels - see?)

And in case you're wondering, I do work on these trips!  Just can't show you a ton of photos, but the light during one of the interview set ups here was so good, I'll give you a sneak peak. 

When my time in CO Springs came to a close, I had to drive to Aspen.  It's about a four hour drive and you go through the famous Independence Pass, which is a huge mountain you drive up and back down; it can get scary (especially when you're driving by yourself and it starts to downpour....).  This actually might have been my favorite part of my whole CO trip.  I really felt like I was driving through the heart of America - up rocky mountains, into wide open prairies and through multi-colored forests.  I passed by some signage gems - "Chapper's Wild Game Processing" and "Cowboy Church Here Sundays 10am" and "You and your horse could sleep here tonight!"  I even saw an elk buck by the side of the road - just hanging out, looking out over the plain with his tan, black and white coat and huge antlers, looking so majestic that I actually found myself whispering "wow" under my breath.  And the Aspen trees had turned such a vibrant shade of gold - I hadn't ever seen anything like it.  It was such a wonderful drive. As I was by myself, I couldn't take a lot of pictures, but managed to snap a few out the window and pulled over to get some better ones.

Oh, and did I mention the rental car on this trip?  A huge F150 4x4 truck.  Yeah.

Finally in Aspen, I wasn't so sure about it at first.  One of the first things I noticed was a huge Dior store, next to Prada.  Sure, I knew it was bougie, but this looked like the mountainous Rodeo.  But the more I spent time there, the more I got into it and the more I fell in love with it.  Like Lake Placid, the people were amazing - friendly and happy to be alive.

 (moon over Aspen)

 (Otis, the dog of the owner at Aspen Brewing Company)

(barbeque dinner at Hickory House)

And there are so many mountains in one area, it's hard not to constantly whip your head around to just LOOK.  I was staying in Snowmass and managed to take a work break to walk up the mountain.  I was all alone and it was so quiet and clear, again, I found myself whispering "wow."

I also had a little time on my last day, so I snuck over to Maroon Bells, which I heard is the most photographed mountain range in the U.S.  It was just so beautiful.  Again, we lucked out with the weather and I really kept saying out loud "it's just so beautiful here!"  I was so glad to make it over.

All in all, a wonderful week.  I'm definitely starting to feel very tired (and have a bit of a cold), but I can't really complain and have truly enjoyed myself.  One more stop - back to Park City!

(hope to see you again, Aspen)