Archive for August, 2009
 Where in the world am I today?: North Vancouver, BC, Canada
This little tip comes to you via my friend Jeremy Eaton who performs at AirJair. He showed up to perform at the PNE 10 days ago and introduced me to a very slick iPod remote that he was using. The remote seems to work best when teamed with an iPod Nano and the Nike + iPod Sports Kit. The sports kit was originally designed for runners who wanted to track their work outs and have their shoes talk to their iPod… The watch was an extension of this concept so that runners could control their iPods via a wrist band remote/watch.
I had been wanting to figure out a way to control my music remotely for the Hot Dog Show and had previously talked to Rob Torres about the MP3Tech that he uses. It’s an awesome system which is a bit more robust in terms of range and features than the Nike + iPod watch remote, but it also comes with a price tag of almost US$1000.00, and I wasn’t quite sure whether I wanted to spend that kind of money on a remote systems just yet…
Next I was looking at the Apple remote and Universal Dock for the iPod, but I wasn’t overly impressed by the range of the system that seemed to cut out around 12 feet. To me this didn’t quite seem like enough range. Also the fact that the remote was something that I’d have to hold in my pocket, pull out to control music and put back seemed like a few more steps that I was really after.
This watch solution seemed like a good intermediate solution to my situation. Also the fact that I had about 2 weeks of shows left at the PNE to play with it seemed like a great chance to test it out. I couldn’t track one of the watches down in Vancouver, so I enlisted the assistance of my friend Todd Strong who ordered one for me and had it sent to his place in Point Roberts, Washington. I then got the Sports Kit at a local running shop and tested it all out on my iPod touch… The remote didn’t work as well with my iPod touch as it did with Jeremy’s iPod Nano, so I bit the bullet and picked up an iPod Nano as well…
With all of the piece in place I started using this combination a few days ago and am very pleased to report that it’s working flawlessly. Compared to the MP3Tech at US1000.00 I think all in the final bill for the watch, iPod and Sports Kit came in at less than CAN$300.00 and had I not been in a rush to get things ASAP I could likely have gotten that down to closer to $200.00 had I bought things off of eBay.
The biggest stumbling block at this point is me fumbling through my new show and trying to remember to hit the music cues when I need them – ENTIRELY user error… The system is great though and I have no problem suggesting that you check it out as it’s been a great solution for me.
Posted in Technical Tuesdays | Comments Off on Nike+ iPod Watch Remote
 Where in the world am I today?: North Vancouver, BC, Canada
Some of the most memorable items of promotional material that I’ve ever encountered have been the brain child of some of the most interesting and creative performers that I’ve had the pleasure to have met. Taking extra time to do something just a little bit off the beaten path can pay huge dividends if you play your cards right and know the tolerance level of your target market.
As an example, I have vivid memories of performer Tom Comet (long before he started Circus Orange) who went to a planned parenthood clinic, picked up an extraordinary number of condoms and had stickers made that were the exact same size as the condom packages and took the time to apply his sticker to the package with the slogan –
Performer Tom Comet gives you one Free F%@K!
On his packaging he used the correct spelling for that often offensive four letter word, but the idea of using a condom to promote his show was something that people talked about A LOT after receiving one of these give-aways!
Another friend of mine, Little Joe Cobden took the time to discover a distributor of cardboard matches who would print his promotional slogan on the match book cover that said – Little Joe says, don’t play with matches… It could burn your house down. Again, a crazy idea of a promotional item, but one that people talked about a lot when he gave them out. Crazy, but doing something different can really create a buzz about your show and provide you with more intrigue than another youtube video might.
Just the other day while performing at the Pacific National Exhibition with my new show that features a stunt performing Hot Dog named Willie The Wiener I struck upon the idea of using little packages of ketchup to promote the show… I could go the route that Tom went and give away regular ketchup packages with stickers printed to size and stuck on them, or look into having them pre-printed like my friend Joe did with his match books… At this point I’m still not entirely sure what the future of this show is going to be, so I’m not about to dump thousands of dollars on promo for a show who’s future is undetermined, but coming up with an idea like the mini-ketchup packages to go along with a show about a Hot Dog Super Stunt Star is just an example of how to look at your show and come up with an idea that is different enough to leave a real impression.
Posted in Marketing | Comments Off on Quirky Promotional Items!
 Where in the world am I today?: North Vancouver, BC, Canada
“Laughter is the shortest distance between two people.“
–Victor Borge, Danish comedian, conductor and pianist (1909 – 2000)
Addendum…
“Never is this truer than when you don’t actually speak the same language. Laughter is universal as is the joy of sharing a laugh!”
–David ‘checkerhead’ Aiken
I’ve been fortunate to take this performing thing I do to various locations around the world, often to countries where I don’t speak the language, but as soon as I do something silly that gets a laugh I’m surrounded by new friends. I think this is probably the greatest currency there is.
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 Where in the world am I today?: North Vancouver, BC, Canada
Prologue: I first met Kevin and the other members of The Flaming Idiots at the Edmonton Street Performer’s Festival in July of 1989. Through the early 1990s we seemed to bump into each other regularly at the Edmonton Fringe Festival during what I like to refer to as the ‘Golden Era’ of that particular event. For what ever reason it just felt like a magical time which seemed to last for about five or six years. It was a regular pilgrimage to Edmonton for the Fringe for many performers and I always loved seeing what new bits and pieces the Idiots had come up with in the year between our meetings. Eventually the Flaming idiots shifted their focus towards doing more stage work and we stopped running into each other as much, so it was a treat to run into them this past Summer at the very same event that we had first met at. Great to reconnect with Kevin again and this time around talk more about adventures in fatherhood rather than the size of our hats…
STATS
Name: Kevin Hunt.
Birthday: February 7, 1964.
Place of Birth: Dallas, Texas, USA.
Started Performing/Working in the Industry: In 1984, after working at a Renaissance Festival as a member of the performing company I teamed up with Rob Williams and started building a show that would become the Flaming Idiots.
Discipline: Just enough.
Websites: The Flaming Idiots on Facebook
Video Link: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=R2MhDXeAVi4
Venues Worked: New Victory Theater, Zachary Scott Theater, Comic Strip Live, Today Show, Numerous performing Arts Centers, Colleges, Renaissance Festivals, Comedy Clubs, Street Performers Festivals and Fringe Festivals. Mostly, but not exclusively, around the North American continent. I’m sure I’ve forgotten something.
Hot 10 Questions:
- What’s your favorite flavor of ice cream and why? • Pistachio Pistachio. I obviously like pistachios. My wife also makes me a Pistachio Pistachio Cake for my birthday.
- Name one movie that would make it to your Top 10 all-time great films. • One? I’ve got at least 15 top ten movies. Of course I love Star Wars. It was the first movie that I went to that the line snaked around the block. That’s how old I am. I saw it when it first came out in the theaters. Funny Bones is the move that I can think of as similiar to my experience. Not plotwise necessarily, but a move about performers and some of the issues that they may face. I also recently saw the movie Fur, which I found quite compelling.
- What was your favorite toy from childhood? • Either my electric train or my Hot Wheels.
- Who were your biggest inspirations when you got started? • As a kid I watched a lot of Laurel and Hardy and Abbot and Costello, The Marx Brothers were also always appreciated.
- From the world of animation what one character do you most identify with or see yourself in? • Is this some sort of Facebook quiz?
- Name something that scares you. • The deteriorating geopolitical economical juggernaut.
- Apart from the entertainment industry, name one other job you’ve had. • I brew beer at Abita Brewing Company (abita.com). Drink up.
- What’s something you haven’t done yet that you’d like to try? • Wing Suit Jumping – http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JHlOvhlKPvs
- What’s your least favourite thing about being a performer? • Separation from the family.
- If heaven exists, what would you like to hear God say when you arrive at the Pearly Gates? • “How did you do that?“
The Nugget:
Pick one nugget of wisdom you’ve picked up from your career in Show Business to share with the World.
“Money is the least expensive way to pay for knowledge.”
–Kevin Hunt
Posted in Interview | Comments Off on Kevin Hunt • Interviews from the Inside
 Where in the world am I today?: North Vancouver, BC, Canada
So I debuted my new “Hot Dog Show” almost a week ago at the PNE and have another 12 days of shows to go before things wrap up on September 7th. Bit by bit it all seems to be falling into place. I was more than a little bit nervous about pulling this show off and day one of the Fair things were quite wobbly, but show by show, day by day my confidence with this new show is falling into place and it’s all starting to make sense.
I’ve been describing my experience with this new show at the PNE as ‘New Show Boot CAMP‘ because I get three chances a day to try out new ideas, three chances a day for people to give me feedback. On top of what I’ve been hearing from audience members, I’ve been lucky enough to have the ears and eyes of other performers in this year’s Street Stars Program who have been fantastic about coming by, having a look at where the show is at and where it’s evolving to. I’ve had suggestion upon suggestion given to me and gradually these comments filter down from the intellectual to the practical and more and more the funny is starting to stick to the bones of the show.
Everyday I seem to discover new bits of business and a deeper appreciation of what makes this show work and the bizarre yet very tangible relationship I have with my partner in the show, a six inch long stuffed dog toy shaped like a hot dog that I’ve named William T. Wiener.
Is this High Art? Nope! I certainly wouldn’t describe it as that, but on some fantastic level I’m discovering how to make this show, that has none of the traditional juggling skills that I’ve based my show on for year, work. Better still, I actually appear to be making a connection with my audiences in a way that I never have before. It’s really rather remarkable!
Got a chance to try something new? I highly recommend jumping in with both feet with eyes wide open and enough bravery to get through the first week of the new experience. After the first week it all starts to make sense and becomes a whole heck of a lot of fun well at least this show has for me!
Posted in Performance, Thoughts | Comments Off on Launching my New Show
 Where in the world am I today?: North Vancouver, BC, Canada
I was reminded yesterday about pursuing gigs in Comedy Clubs by my friend Byron Bertram. Byron and Sharon Mahoney came in to the PNE yesterday to visit and at one point Byron described working in comedy clubs as ‘Third World Performing.’ When he said this I cracked up be cause I knew immediately what he was talking about. Many many moons ago in the first years after I’d moved to Vancouver I pursued work in comedy clubs and ended up getting booked semi regularly to work at Yuk Yuk’s. It was a decent enough club with decent crowds, and my variety act seemed to go over well enough in the space, but the ‘work to dollars’ ratio was so completely out of whack from what I’d been used to being paid for my show by other clients that it was a little tricky to get my head around it.
Around this time I heard a line that always made me laugh as well…
Question – “How do you tell the prop comic from the stand-up comedians?
Answer – “He’s the one who’s got a car and drives to gigs.”
Sad though it is, there’s a grain of truth to the statement as the pay scale for stand-up comedians is just so much lower than it is for other types of acts.
I never really had the guts to give up my juggling props at the time to pursue the fine art of stand-up comedy (I don’t think I could have handle the pay cut to be honest), but grew to appreciate the genre more by hanging out with comics who really worked their craft and material and killed when they walked on stage with just a microphone. I still have a huge amount of respect for guys who can, by shear force of will and funny ideas, deliver a killer set from things they’ve thought up and bent in such a way as to make an audience bust a gut.
Along with the ‘Third World Performing’ line that Byron told me today, he also called stand-up comedy a labour of love, because you really have to love it to pursue it because it’s so freakin’ hard to actually make a living from doing just stand-up.
That being said, I know guys who have made it and who are having successful careers as stand-up comics, so it is possible and even if you don’t want to go whole hog into pursuing the world of ‘stand-up’ comedy, comedy clubs do like to mix things up from time to time and bring in a variety act, so it’s yet another potential venue in which to find work. If you walk in knowing that you may get a bit of a pay cut, but look at it as an opportunity to glean some valuable lessons about the club environment, then the investment of your time could well be worth it, and if nothing else, you’ll likely find yourself laughing a lot at some of the other acts that you share the stage with.
Posted in Job Opportunities | 3 Comments »
 Where in the world am I today?: North Vancouver, BC, Canada
A while back I was asked about how I handle the administrative duties for the gigs I book. Some are easy… In particular, the one’s that are organized by my agent in Miami when I go out and work on a cruise ship. They contact me with an offer on dates, I agree and all of the paperwork, contracts and the rest of it usually runs through the Cruise Line. I receive the contracts by email, sign them in the appropriate spots and fax them back. Done…
Well… Sort of done. I’m still clinging to having paper copies of everything just in case my computer goes down, so the first step in the process for me is to fill in a Booking Sheet. Years ago I created a sheet to take down information about a gig and built a ‘Filemaker Pro’ document to handle the basic data input. The beauty of having all of the information in a database format is that I can then take that same information and apply it to a letter of agreement or contract and not have to enter the same information multiple times. It comes in quite handy. Fellow performer Bob Cates mentioned to me recently that he uses a program called Daylite to handle his work flow… Whatever the software, begin able to manipulate data that you only have to enter once seems to speed things up.
So… Data is entered into a Booking Sheet, then this same information spills into some sort of agreement that gets sent to the client either electronically, Faxed, or via good old fashion snail mail. Years ago I was ‘hyper’ concerned about having a very official looking contract that stated everything out in very specific legal jargon, but in recent years I’ve tended to go with a less formal ‘letter of agreement’ which I use to delineate the terms of the engagement and what is being agreed to simply as a check so that both parties have a document stating what is expected from me as the performer and what I expect to be provided from the client who is hiring me. Nothing too complicated, just the basics like, date, time, style of show, any special requirements blah blah blah, woof woof woof… Get it all down in black and white so if there’s a misunderstanding I’ve got a written document showing what it is that I agreed to do and what was to be provided to make the show look it’s best.
Now this idea of having a show look its best gets us into the realm of contract riders. Often outrageous contract riders are associated with Rock Bands who request things like a bowl of M&Ms, but only the green ones, or perhaps it’s no green ones, or perhaps it’s a case of Jack Daniel’s, or what ever the whim of the band might be… I typically have and an aversion to performers who suffer from any sort of ‘Prima-Donna’ complex and would hate to be seen as that sort of performer by anyone else. That being said, former Rubber Chicken Guy, David Duchemin did a nice thing when he was still performing that I liked a lot. Along with his contract he’d send out a ‘care and feeding of the performer you’ve just hired’ sheet that gave the employer some simple tips to ensure that the show and the performer were given the best possible chance of succeeding. I think this can sometimes be useful because quite often the client doesn’t have a clue as to how to put on a show properly and by giving them some simple guidelines to help your show look it’s best, they, as the person who hired you, also look great by making sure the show comes off with out a hitch.
Once the paperwork is done, agreements signed and arrangements made you can get back to focusing on the fun part – doing a great show for the audience as soon as you step out on stage.
Posted in Technical Tuesdays | Comments Off on Booking Sheets and Contracts and Riders Oh My…
 Where in the world am I today?: North Vancouver, BC, Canada
As part of the work I’ve done at the Pacific National Exhibition for the last 5 years I’ve thrown a welcome-to-Vancouver BBQ for the performers that have been a part of the Street Stars Program. This year I wasn’t actually hired on to be the manager of the program as I had been in previous year, but I was brought in as a consultant to discuss who to bring in to fill the performance slots and my revenue as the consultant was directly tied to the fact that the performers who arrived and were present at the orientation meeting last Friday were all people that I had suggested to be brought in.
It’s been my experience that spending some money on a welcome dinner like the one we threw Friday evening after we had done the orientation meeting at the Fair is always money well spent because by making the effort to make other performers feel welcome and well taken care of, they turn around and share information about great jobs that they’ve done that they think you could do, and this sharing is done in a much more open way than might otherwise be the case.
For myself I can easily state that when people make the effort to feed me I feel a huge appreciation and gratitude towards the host, and although I don’t expect this sort of reaction when I provide good hospitality to others, it just seems to work out to be the case. If you’re a good host, people just seem to want to return the favour by providing you with information or feedback that will help you… It’s one of those deposits into the karma bank that seems to pay pretty immediate dividends for some reason…
The other nice think about throwing a party at the beginning of an event is that it sets the mood/tone for the entire event. This makes the experience a positive one right from the beginning and has already made my job as both a performer and semi-coordiator of this year’s PNE Street Stars Program a lot more relaxed and successful because people started the gig already in a good mood. Performers in a good mood do better shows, better shows means happier audiences, happier audiences means a happier employers and this means a certain job security for the guy who suggested the performers in the first place…
Beyond the positive business spin-offs, it’s just a really great way to spend and evening. Being able to enjoy great conversations with great people and look forward to the days and shows ahead is a big part of the fun of being a performer and it’s a pleasure to be the instigator of making such an evening happen. Next time you get the chance I highly recommend breaking bread with friends and seeing where it leads.
Posted in Marketing | Comments Off on Dinner Parties Anyone???
 Where in the world am I today?: North Vancouver, BC, Canada
“So many tangles in life are ultimately hopeless that we have no appropriate sword other than laughter.“
–Gordon W. Allport, US psychologist (1897 – 1967)
Addendum…
“Through laughter the journey becomes an adventure worth remembering!”
–David ‘checkerhead’ Aiken
Though it’s harder to successfully wield the sword of laughter than the sword of negativity, the effort is always worth while and leave the world a better place.
Posted in Quotes | Comments Off on Gordon W. Allport – Quoted
 Where in the world am I today?: North Vancouver, BC, Canada
Prologue: I had an awareness of Roman Danylo for years as we travel in similar circles, but it wasn’t until I arrived in Grand Prairie on my way up to the 2009 Peacefest that I actually really started to get to know him. Over the course of the weekend we ended up hanging out a lot and I got to watch his work MCing the main stage and laugh with him a lot of stage. Our main contacts for the gig North Darling (former member of the three canadians comedy improve troupe) and AJ Demers were great hosts an the hang was spectacular. Mind you there was something a bit odd about going from an event called “Peacefest” to the gun range to shoot hand guns, but I think that was all part of the Northern Alberta charm.
STATS
Name: Roman Danylo.
Birthday: (Not included for security and vanity reasons.)
Place of Birth: Calgary, AB, Canada.
Started Performing/Working in the Industry: 1987.
Discipline: Improv, stand-up and sketch.
Websites: http://www.romandanylo.com
Video Link: http://www.romandanylo.com/romanvideo.htm
Venues Worked: Favorites? Aspen Comedy Festival, Winnipeg Comedy Festival, Urban Improv at Chivana in Vancouver
Hot 10 Questions:
- What’s your favorite flavor of ice cream and why? • Vanilla. I like to keep it simple. Start getting fancy and I usually regret it.
- Name one movie that would make it to your Top 10 all-time great films. • Fearless… But don’t watch it on a plane.
- What was your favorite toy from childhood? • I really wanted a Light Bright but my mom bought a set of replacement pegs without the thing you’re suppose to put them in. I was holding the pegs up to light-bulbs one at a time going… oooo purple.
- Who were your biggest inspirations when you got started? • SCTV. Letterman.
- From the world of animation what one character do you most identify with or see yourself in? • I’m Batman.
- Name something that scares you. • Things I don’t know. Like did you know that chocolate can kill cats. I didn’t know that. What else don’t I know, ya know?
- Apart from the entertainment industry, name one other job you’ve had. • At 16 I sold guns at Canadian Tire in Calgary. That doesn’t seem right does it?
- What’s something you haven’t done yet that you’d like to try? • Traveling in a customized Van.
- What’s your least favourite thing about being a performer? • Anxiety. About 5 mins before every show I say to myself I’m never doing this again.
- If heaven exists, what would you like to hear God say when you arrive at the Pearly Gates? • “You made the cut… but barely.”
The Nugget:
Pick one nugget of wisdom you’ve picked up from your career in Show Business to share with the World.
“The goal in show biz is the same as in life… To be immune to praise or criticism.”
–Roman Danylo
Posted in Interview | Comments Off on Roman Danylo • Interviews from the Inside
 Where in the world am I today?: North Vancouver, BC, Canada
Not knowing what was going to happen next… Especially in a performance situation used to scare the crap out of me! I got very very good at knowing exactly what was going to happen next and didn’t stray much from the pre-established script that was working so well for me. The funning thing with sticking with the script though was that my shows became too predictable. I reached a plateau where the difference between my highs and my lows was pretty minimal and the audience reaction to what I was doing was pretty consistent.
Boring!
Around the same time that I became cognsant that my shows weren’t providing the creative spark to really keep me excited about my performance was about the same time that I realized that some of my favorite shows and favorite performers seemed to take risks with out fully knowing that the outcome would be.
I watched these shows with great interest and envied the way that the performers inside these shows seemed to be willing to throw caution to the wind somehow knowing that it would all work out. I had a conversation with Rob Torres at one point many years ago in which I indicated that I thought he knew some sort of secret that he wasn’t sharing with me that made such risk taking less scary.
I’m not sure I fully know the secret (if in fact there is one) but it’s sort of like ‘The Dragon Scroll’ in Kung-fu Panada… The secret ingredient is that there isn’t any secret ingredient. What makes it possible to take these risks and succeed seems to be the simple faith and confidence in your ability to make it work no matter what happens. The greater this confidence, the further out on a limb you’re willing to venture not knowing or having a sense of what the outcome might be.
The bigger the risk, the bigger the pay off. This isn’t an easy path to walk, but your highs will be higher even though your lows might be lower. One thing’s for sure though… Your peaks and valley’s will make for a more interesting adventure.
Posted in Performance, Thoughts | Comments Off on Lack of Fear of the Unknown
 Where in the world am I today?: North Vancouver, BC, Canada
Back when I really was trying to take over the world and was really gung ho about setting up tours I would take a look at a map, decide where I wanted to travel then contact festivals and possible jobs in the area (including, but not limited to opportunities to busk) and work aggressively towards putting together fantastic tours. My usual method of operation was to find two or three events that happened at more or less the same time and contact all three in the hopes that at least one would be interested in bringing me in to perform. This required a bit of tact and diplomacy in the event that multiple events expressed interest, but the appearance of being ‘in demand’ often worked to my advantage anyway.
I got so good at booking tours for myself that several performers approached me asking if I could do the same for them and for a short period during the mid-90’s I co-ran a company called ‘Beaver Street’ which actively pursued tour booking for several variety performers who seemed to think that it was a service worth paying for.
Beaver Street eventually went by the wayside as I found that it wasn’t as much fun to baby sit performers as it was to simply be their friends so after about two seasons of setting up tours I returned to just focusing on my own work an my own touring interests.
I was always sort of blown away by the fact that performers weren’t able to set this sort of thing up for themselves though. To me it never seemed like rocket science. Especially in today’s world where the internet has made connecting with festival producers and possible clients so much easier it still baffles me that people are having a hard time finding work. Mind you as an entertainment consultant for the PNE I’ve also been amazed with the huge variance in the quality of promotional materials that get sent in by various performers.
Take the time to – Craft good promotional materials… Contact multiple possible clients… Pursue those that really allow for the easiest flow of movement and building a successful tour shouldn’t be too hard. Skip any of these steps and you’ll likely be zig zagging around the country cursing yourself for not having looked at a map properly.
Posted in Job Opportunities, Performance | Comments Off on Tour Building
 Where in the world am I today?: North Vancouver, BC, Canada
Having enough foresight to know that you’re going to want something long after it’s perhaps gone out of vogue is something that I think I’ve been reasonably good at. As a performer I’ve developed an attachment to certain pieces of performance apparatus and costuming. The yellow socks featured in the picture for example were a costume element that became solidified for reasons surrounding a contract I did a the 1990 Hana Haku Flower Expo in Osaka, Japan. For a number of years following my decision that yellow socks would be a permanent fixture of the costume (and this was before the days of the internet) I struggled to find a supplier of just the right kind of yellow socks that I liked. When at last I did find the socks I liked I decided to buy more than 100 pairs just so I would never run out.
Other performance related items that I’ve purchased over the years because I’ve KNOWN! I’ll want to have some stashed away have been –
And the list could go on… In this list are a few items that have gone out of stock or for one reason or another. I’ve experienced the frustration of not being able to replace certain props at times, so if I come across a prop that I like I’m usually inclined to pick up more than one of said prop. Even for shows that I’m not even sure about I’ll pick up multiple copies of a specific prop just in case I’m not able to get it again. Better to get it when you know you can get it than wish you had.
Posted in Performance, Technical Tuesdays | Comments Off on Buy a Lot if You Like ’em
 Where in the world am I today?: Los Angeles, Flying back to Vancouver
The last gig I did was at Centrefest in Red Deer, Alberta. I drove to Red Deer on Wednesday, July 22. Thursday evening we (the cast of the festival) performed at a sponsor dinner, Friday we did the press launch around noon, and shows kicked into high gear on Saturday.
Friday afternoon following the press launch Rob Torres suggested that we head to the Red Deer River with some air mattresses and spend a decent chunk of the afternoon floating down the river and enjoying each other’s company. This idea appealed to a fair number of the performers not to mention the artistic producer of the festival, so a quick trip to Walmart later and we had enough air mattresses to accommodate the crew along with one blue walrus who became the mascot of the journey.
My original intention for the afternoon was to get some work done… Catch up on some emails and lay low, but when this opportunity came up I realized that there was far more value in playing hooky from ‘work’ and getting out and playing with the crew at the festival. I knew that the memories forged from this mutual experience would be of far greater value than any amount of emailing I was going to accomplish and I was 100% right.
The adventure (and indeed it was an adventure) had it’s twists and turns and once we’d finished floating we had to call and get help from the festival stage manager who came and picked us up. The ended up being more challenging and frustrating that any of us had initially imagined, so I felt some sort of GGOL was required and knowing our stage managers fondness for Tequila was an easy fix with a quick trip to a liqueur store.
The float down the river was a pretty great way to spend a decent chunk of the afternoon. The tequila was an easy way to say thank you for being picked up and in the end the adventure only amounted to a cost of $10.00 per person for those who decided that adventure was more important than what ever other obligations were perceived to be important.
The memory of this afternoon will stay with me and those involved for the rest of our lives. An afternoon spent in a hotel room… Not so much. Will this lead to work? I mean Monday’s are after all about marketing… Who knows. But a willingness to play and the ability to hang does sometimes sway the vote if a job opportunity is between you and someone else who is interested in a given gig.
Posted in Marketing, Thoughts | 2 Comments »
 Where in the world am I today?: Vacationing in Peru
“We cannot really love anybody with whom we never laugh.“
–Agnes Repplier, US essayist (1855 – 1950)
Addendum…
“My moments of greatest joy come when my wife laughs, and makes me laugh, at my idiosyncrasies. It’s a treasure to have someone love you enough to make the extra effort to have you laugh at your foibles.”
–David ‘checkerhead’ Aiken
It’s easy to look at someone else’s faults and criticize and put down, but it’s usually more effective to point things out in a way that makes the person realize that they live in a self-made world full of the oddest behaviors, then have them laugh about it.
Posted in Quotes | Comments Off on Agnes Repplier – Quoted
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