What is your NYE tradition?
December 24, 2009 
It was senior year at Michigan State University, the last hurrah. The future was fast approaching with God knows what. No one was scared of what the future might hold, we just realized we wouldn’t be all together at Rick’s American Cafe every Saturday night.
November was rolling around and a group of friends and myself starting thinking, what could we do to make sure we never lose touch. A proposed idea was to always spend New Year’s Eve together as a group.
A lot of thought went into our NYE plans. First we had to select a destination. We opted for Chicago since we were all still in school and it was an inexpensive travel option. Next was the location. There were so many options in Chicago. We narrowed it down to a top 3 and finally selected a party at the Hilton Chicago.
One of our friends actually lived near the city, so we were able to head down a night early. We had a great home cooked meal and then just relaxed watching TV and chatting away. The next day we went around downtown and walked around until we could check into our rooms. Absinthe had just become legal in the United States, but was only sold in major cities. Chicago happened to be one of the major cities, and at the risk of being labeled unsocial we thought we would give it a try. Naturally, they put us on the news.
We finally arrived at the hotel. Started to get ready and waited until we could go downstairs to the party. Since there was only a small group at the time, we were essentially “forced” to meet people. We had a lot of fun meeting new people and taking a lot of pictures. My favorite part was one of my best friends dancing and blowing the ass out of his dress pants. Everyone was dying laughing. Luckily he had another pair and came back to the party like nothing happened. The party ended up being a great time and we rang in our first successful New Year together.
Celebrating 2009 would take us to NYC. We had a friend who was now working there, so it was great to visit and celebrate. Now we didn’t go to Times Square like most people do for NYE in New York. We attended a party at Webster Hall with a live performance by Lady Gaga, when she was still considered “normal”. This party was less formal and reminded me of just one large fraternity party. The host was tranny meets Barnum & Bailey. However, overall the party was a lot of fun. For 2 years in a row I was able to spend NYE with a great group of friends.
Now that brings us to 2010. Our group has increased and we’ve even added a Notre Dame alum (I know shame on us, be he would have fit in great at MSU). We’ll be at the Hilton Chicago again, but this party will be a little different. It is the Official Playboy New Year’s Eve Celebration ft. Pitbull. I can only expect to have a great post coming soon.
While writing this I came to a conclusion. As a Spartan, your heart never leaves East Lansing and your body only takes a vacation.
My hunting season summary
December 22, 2009 
I just completed my hunting season. It was unsuccessful in terms of deer tags filled, but overall was a great experience.
Living in Michigan has provided great opportunities to hunt both private and public lands. This year I have been able to hunt in the Upper Peninsula, Backus Creek State Game Area and Murphy Lake State Game Area. It was my first time hunting each area.
My first bow hunt of the year took place at Backus Creek State Game area in Roscommon County. This was my first experience on state land. I was pleasantly surprised with how well managed the DNR has kept the area. They have also planted large food plots in several places which allows for a healthier deer herd. I saw a decent amount of deer over the weekend, but none in bow range. It’s not always about the thrill of the kill in hunting, just seeing the deer provides an indescribable rush of adrenaline.
My second bow hunting trip brought me into the Upper Peninsula for the first time. I was able to go on a trip with my dad and a really good friend of his. We stayed at this family friend’s cabin just outside of Marquette. Let me tell you, it is truly God’s country in the U.P. The views from the mountains were absolutely breathtaking. This time I would be hunting on commercial forest land. I had no idea what to expect hunting in the U.P. for the first time. It was not long until I saw movement, however, it turned out to be about a 250-pound black bear! I was a little nervous at first, but my heart was racing as the bear was as close as 15 yards. Needless to say I didn’t see any deer that day. I did however start to see deer periodically. A few came in range and as I started to stand to shoot the deer noticed movement in my direction. I wasn’t able to even attempt a shot that week but was thankful I had the opportunity to see a bear up close and hunt the U.P.
My entire muzzleloading season took place at Murphy Lake State Game Area in Tuscola County. I did some brief scouting earlier in the year and had a general idea of the area. I went back after firearm deer season and found a great spot to hunt. I anxiously awaited opening morning and hoped for the best. Opening morning I was blessed with some light snow cover. The air was cold and crisp. Time passed slowly and I was able to catch a beautiful Michigan sunrise. After a few hours I called it a day and headed back home and got ready for the evening hunt. The evening hunt didn’t provide any more excitement other than the occasional squirrel or upland bird. I hadn’t seen much recent sign in the area but still decide this spot was a good option and I hadn’t seen other hunters anywhere in my vicinity. I hunted the majority of the season without much luck. I had started to see more tracks in my area but never any deer during my hunting trips. I decided to move my position, but still stay in the same general area. I was now facing northwest and looking down over a swamp. The last day provided the only deer I saw the entire season. I saw one in the morning that came well within range, but left shortly after. At night I saw two deer, but they were gone about as soon as I saw them.
This season provided a lot of first time experiences and I’m thankful for that. I love spending time in the outdoors whether it be hunting or simply just taking in the area by walking. This also allowed me a lot of time to think and reflect on a variety of topics. I thought about potential jobs, goals I wanted to accomplish and how to meet them. I heard earlier at a presentation that a watched pot never boils. Hunting was a great escape for me to take a step back and save my creative juices for the next great opportunity that comes along in the near future.
A little bit of everything
December 15, 2009 
I haven’t had too much to update about over the last few days.
I just attended graduation at Michigan State University for Nicholas Visconti, my fraternity little brother. He was on Homecoming Court and was also awarded Outstanding Senior. In January he is moving to Minneapolis to begin working at Target headquarters.
During my time off I’ve been able to enjoy hunting more regularly than in the past. I’d still rather be working, but I’m trying to make the best of the situation.
The job hunt still continues. Sending in your resume and receiving a rejection letter is like expecting sex and walking away with a hand job. I’ve found some great opportunities that I’ve been very interested in pursuing, but to no avail. Too damn bad for them.
I’ll work on having more exciting posts in the near future.
If you thought Detroit was “dead” you should have been @ The D Show
Last night was the 3rd Annual D Show, also my third attending. It was held downtown at the Max M. Fisher Music Center.
My favorite part of the show is seeing all the great work coming out of this blue-collar city. However, this year I was very impressed with a video tribute during the award ceremony for George Katsarelas, an executive creative director at Leo Burnett Detroit who passed away this summer. Katsarelas had been chairman of the council that oversees the D Show. Now I didn’t know him personally, but I remember him speaking at previous events. Just from listening to him speak, I knew he was a great person to model in the industry. This tribute also highlighted his humorous side and his brilliant, creative mind. One line I recall was commenting on how cool he was; “George didn’t need skinny jeans to be cool… he just was” While there was a fair share of skinny jean, black rimmed and spiked hair colleagues in attendance, you don’t have to be like that to be considered creative. Some people even looked like a long lost Jonas Brother (sorry had to throw that it there, no disrespect).
On a brighter side; Mark Ford, a division president at Time Inc., announced during the ceremony who won the advertising campaign contest to “sell Detroit”. Campbell-Ewald was the winner of the advertising campaign contest, which is aimed at keeping young creative people to live and work in Detroit. I was very pleased with the advertising community joining together for this initiative. Even though Campbell-Ewald won the competition, I hope all the agencies can work cooperatively to draw top-notch talent looking for a challenge.
Minneapolis recently launched a similar campaign, called “MinneADpolis”. A group of agencies worked together to highlight the great work of the industry and all the great aspects of living in Minneapolis.
Now Detroit might be a hard sell at the moment, but after last night I can assure you there is still oil left in this well.
Adcraft PM presents “Wine of the Worlds”
I recently attended “Wine of the Worlds” hosted by Adcraft PM at D’Amatos. The committee did a great job on the event.
I’ve been trying to get more involved in the Detroit advertising community after a little bit of an absence. I enjoy the events and the people I have met at these events. While I don’t expect to “land” a job at any of these events, it’s a great way to hear other people’s stories.
Luckily I was able to be introduced by a friend to some other circles of her friends. I met a very friendly and helpful guy from Doner. He was previously in finance and had just recently made the career switch to advertising. He was in a similar position as myself, attending events solo. He pointed out that it could be nerve-racking at times, but once you start meeting people it becomes easier to mingle and make contacts. He also suggested business cards, which I just received this week.
This week I’ll be attending the 3rd Annual D Show. I’ve been to the previous two and enjoyed them tremendously. I always enjoy seeing cutting edge advertising and creativity from the city of Detroit. I’m also glad that Detroit is making a push to attract creative people. This will only make the agencies stronger and more competitive nationally.
Izzo begins Final Four runs in November
Tom Izzo prepares his team for deep tournament runs with a diverse and challenging non-conference schedule
Tom Izzo has built a great program in his tenure at Michigan State University. His run to the National Championship game last year was absolutely amazing, gaining the support of many Michigan residents and shocking many in the college basketball world.
What makes Izzo so successful in the tournament? Great coaching? Great players? Along with this combination is the willingness to play a rugged and tournament tested non-conference schedule. In some years this has resulted in slow start out of the gate. While this can be irritating to fans, I see no complaints in March and April when the team is still playing.
Exposure to great teams and coaches early in the season is a great test to prepare for tournament games. Win or lose, Izzo is able to test his players and give them a great learning experience to learn from. Playing North Carolina, Texas, Florida and Gonzaga this year will present the team with challenges in each contest.
I’m expecting this team to play tough down the stretch and making another strong tournament run. With the experience and confidence of the players and the basketball genius of Izzo, I don’t expect anything less.
My first 313 Digital event and what I took away
I attended my first 313 Digital event yesterday evening. It was a creative knowledge event sponsored event sponsored by Reuters. I had no idea what to expect but was very impressed with the overall event.
The speakers were Molly Beauregard (Professor from CCS) and Dennis Lim (EVP Creative Director from Campbell-Ewald). They were both great and had great presentations.
Molly is a sociology professor and gave valuable insight in that field. She explained the “black turtleneck” rule. She explained this as walking into an art gallery and seeing the leggy blond in the black turtleneck, causing you to become intimidated and walk away. She also made points about the best creativity is in the moment, you should take on new ideas, creativity is a connection and a watch pot never boils. The watch pot theory explains that ideas pop when you walk away.
Dennis Lim was the second speaker. He presented a flow chart that began with fear. He discussed that fear breeds everything amazing and that it is the mother of invention. He also noted that how you learn to deal with fear determines your success. The next step was method, doing what you know. He used the example of his experience in judo, stepping on the mat an performing. Then came point of view. He spoke about an associate who said, “there is no security in this business.” He replied, “your only security is your portfolio.” Your portfolio is what you have to add to this world. My personal favorite thing he said was pertaining to interviewing and not getting hired. He said, “That’s there loss, not mine. I still have my POV and portfolio.” Finally came courage, which results in fear driving courage. Every closed door opens another door and there is always a way to overcome fear. Other points he made were that the the biggest survival tool is adaptation and becoming valuable to someone.
I enjoyed the event and also enjoy the Adcraft Club of Detroit events. These provide great learning opportunities and provide great opportunities to meet new people and learn their perspectives. I’m looking forward to attending another event very soon.
Looking for a great read?
I read “Stop Hiring Based Only on Category Experience” today. It was refreshing to read after applying to several jobs over the last day.
While experience certainly plays a large role, I’ve always believed that the tangibles are key qualities. You can’t teach ethics, punctuality, passion for your work, etc. These will keep people around and allow them to adapt to new and unfamiliar situations.
Both in organizations and professionally I’ve worked with great and some not so great individuals. I did not let this hinder my responsibilities, I just learned the best way to adapt to working with the person.
I learned this from a very young age. I would often complain about guys on my baseball, basketball and football teams. Whether it was general dislike or I didn’t accept their poor work ethic, I would speak about this with my dad. He told me, “Son, don’t let it bother you. You’re not going to get along with everyone. You’re going to work with assholes one day so get used to it.” I’ve remembered these words of wisdom in each difficult situation I’ve run across with another person.
Interview at McCann-Erickson
I’m really looking forward to my interview with McCann-Erickson Detroit tomorrow. This is a really great opportunity to get back in the industry and keep growing professionally.
I don’t believe Detroit is dead, there is still a lot to learn from this great creative city. I’m also a fan of the advertising community in Detroit, I’ve met a lot of great people by attending Adcraft Club events.
I’m certain I will have a great experience to write about after tomorrow and I’m betting there is also a great ending.
Jimmy V quotes can be applied to any situation
I find it best to take a step back and analyze the situation at hand. A job search can create quite the frustrations.
You’re thinking: I’m clearly qualified… don’t they like me? Then you see who they hired and are completely puzzled.
I started looking at some Jim Valvano (Jimmy V) quotes to remind myself to keep dreaming and keep fighting. Every email I get that begins “We regret to inform you…”, or of that nature is the driving force of my future success. I’d like to frame every rejection email, note, letter, etc. in the corner office someday. A personal tribute to say thank you.
After a brief Twitter poll, I’m off to write a cover letter. This is for an agency I’ve been interested in for a long time.
“To me, there are three things we all should do every day. We should do this every day of our lives. Number one is laugh. You should laugh every day. Number two is think. You should spend some time in thought. And number three is, you should have your emotions moved to tears, could be happiness or joy. But think about it. If you laugh, you think, and you cry, that’s a full day. That’s a heck of a day. You do that seven days a week, you’re going to have something special.” – Jimmy V
