Lemonade: Detroit

Below is a link to a short film (17 min) you might find very interesting.

It was put together and directed by Erik Proulx, a one-time advertising copywriter from Boston who lost his job about the same time I did back in 2008. He started a blog, to share his thoughts and experiences about unemployment, and ended up directing a short movie called Lemonade. The movie was about other folks in the industry who were suddenly unemployed and used the opportunity to start something new.

The movie was very inspiring to many, and he has since put together this short film about Detroit, called... Lemonade: Detroit. About how the city is almost in the same boat. And how many people there are not standing by, watching the city waste away with the downturn in the auto industry, but rather are looking at it as a starting point to turn the city around.

http://vimeo.com/28279409

oh, and Erik... he's now directing TV spots, instead of writing them. :)

OCA Changes

Hello. If you've found your way to this blog, this note is to let you know of recent changes to the One Connection Away networking group.

First off, Welcome.
OCA was started back in January 2009 as a way for marketing and advertising professionals in the Seattle area to network while out of work.
The group started out as 5 people looking to share stories and quickly grew to a membership of over 200+. Weekly meetings, often with topical guest speakers, gave a chance for those in the industry to learn new skills, network, and most importantly - to know that there were others in the same boat... highly-skilled, very experienced people also experiencing the nuances of "job search 2.0."

Since the start of the group, attendance has ebbed and flowed, but starting in 2011, it was apparent that many people had landed full-time or contract jobs. And given the fact that I, too, had found a position, I have since turned over my 'keys to the shop' to Duane Hobbs.

New Management
We used to meet weekly at the Seattle School of Visual Concepts (SVC), but since this summer, Duane has secured meeting space at one of Seattle's finest coffee houses, the Uptown Espresso. It's located at the corner of Westlake and Republican, in the South Lake Union area, just a few blocks east of the SVC.

The group still meets once a week, Fridays at 10:30. And people that attend trade networking info and stories, and if you're lucky, job leads.

So, if inspired, or you're just looking to share some time and maybe a coffee with another person, feel free to drop by. You never know, the next job might just be One Connection Away.
-kelly

Summer Schedule

For SVC's "Summer Break" we'll be meeting at Uptown Espresso on Westlake at the corner of Westlake and Republican. Feel free to park at the SVC lot and walk over. (Leave a note on your dash saying "OCA")

The meeting room is located towards the back. (There's only one. Look for us.)



OH, and the meeting for July 1 is cancelled to allow for a extended weekend.

Enjoy your fourth!

You've probably seen this. But if not.

Notes from 2/11/2011 - A Branding Presentation

We didn't have a large group this week. I'm not sure how we got on the topic of presentations, but we did.

I ended up pulling out and presenting a deck I haven't worked on in a while. It explains a model of branding especially useful for "Personal Branding". Since I haven't actually seen this deck since November, I rambled. But Mark felt it was valuable and suggested I post a slide here on the OCA website and give people a taste of what they missed.

Above is the slide I use to illustrate the point that people are only curious about what they are curious about. They aren't interested in you because you want them to be. Pushing yourself on them, and yelling your merits may get attention but it won’t get a following. Draw people in, involve them, appeal to their natural curiosity. Then they'll come to you. In marketing speak we'd call this developing and presenting a compelling value proposition. When herding cats or fishing we call it using the right bait.

As I have time I'll continue to work on this, and will re-present it if there's interest.

Notes from 2/4/2011 - Podcasting with Michael Surkan

Michael Surkan was our guest at last week's OCA meeting. Michael, a 20-year technology business vet, has recently turned his attention to the technique and power of podcasting - as a way of building a valuable, credible network.

Podcasting is not new to Michael. He's been getting together with friends to talk about and share ideas on economic topics, but after a round of layoffs ended his 9-year career at Microsoft, Michael started Entrepreneurs Northwest to create a new network of career-building relationships.

His easy-to-follow recipe for starting your own podcasting channel is a sure-fire methodology for increasing your connections while learning more about a particular subject. And by sharing that knowledge with others, you not only give back, but you begin to be seen as an authority on the given subject. If you're looking for work, and in today's economy many people are having to reinvent themselves to do so, this could be a valuable way to open new doors.

I took great notes at the meeting, but why don't we have Michael tell you everything you need to know to start podcasting.