A formerly-monthly, currently-occasional round-up of what I've been up to and what's in the hopper. For full credits and details, see this entry. Video, above (or click here to view on Flickr) of the PALATIAL suite I got upgraded to at the MGM Signature, a distinctly non-sucky, non-casino hotel on the otherwise frightening Las Vegas Strip.
Colleen of the future (stuff I'll be doing)
The last time I posted an update like this was the first where I admitted that I had (almost) nothing planned, networking- and speaking-wise. After years of go-go-go, it was time to stop. Full stop.
Now, after many months of rest, contemplation, and other manifestations of interior reconstruction, I'm sticking a toe in the waters of Real Life again—now, with the full knowledge that really, it is no more real than the other kind. It is, however, easier for others to attend and/or participate in!
- DV Expo (Los Angeles, September 25) :: I will be giving a one-hour talk titled, "Sell Me a Story: Building Your Own Fan Base in the Digital Economy"—possibly my favorite talk title I have ever come up with. Like most things, it came to me when I'd all but given up on it.
- PACA Conference (NYC, October 21) :: I'm honored to be giving the keynote address at the 18th Annual event for PACA, the Digital Media Licensing Association. This year's theme is "Opportunity in Change," and as we know, that is right up my particular alley.
I would love love LOVE to come speak to your organization or institution about marketing/social media, crowdfunding, and communicating across the digital divide. I'm especially interested in speaking at schools and institutions local to Southern California, including guest speaking in college programs for actors, photographers, writers, and other creative types.
Please see my speaking page for more information, or email me: colleen AT communicatrix DOT com.
Colleen of the Past (stuff that has already gone down)
- The Career Clinic :: I am thrilled every time I get to be a guest on my friend Maureen Anderson's terrestrial radio show. She must love it, too, because not only does she keep having me back, but she lets me talk about all kinds of stuff that could only be very generously considered career-related. In June of this year, we talked about why I continue to shave my head some two years after my pledge to do it once.
- Visual Connections blog :: I advocate for margins in this post for the visual media buyers' blog, which I wrote partly as a warm-up for my talk at the PACA Conference this October. Also, it has my favorite title of any blog post I've written, ever—I've been wanting to use it since I dreamed it up back in 2008, and was thrilled to finally find a topic it worked for.
- AdvancementLive :: My friend and colleague Andrew Gossen, Director of Social Media Strategy at Cornell University, hosted a Google+ chat on Crowdfunding and Higher Education and asked really good questions. I come at it from the individual/marketing angle, and Ryan Davies of Carleton University talks about it from the institutional perspective.
- Walking Wilshire :: For National Walking Day, my favorite L.A. pedestrian, Alissa Walker, did a series of podcasts on Wilshire Boulvard for KCRW. Literally, ON WILSHIRE. She caught up with me after a panel at The SAG Foundation, and interviewed me on my 20 years (!!) of living in the 'hood.
- The Setup :: My rig has changed a bit in the 11 months since this interview ran, but I'm too much of a nerd fangirl not to share this interview with my favorite geek-paradise website.
- The Strictly Business Blog :: Fifteen new posts on marketing, self-improvement, and a whole lot of other cool stuff since the last round-up! No, I'm not going to link to each individually!
I've also been fortunate to represent my client ASMP with some new talks on branding and marketing at WPPI, WPPI On the Road, the Palm Springs Photo Festival, and to return to both Cornell's Alumni Leadership Conference and to HOW'S Creative Freelancer Conference (where, in what may be my craziest bit of serendipitous freakitude to date, I presented a talk featuring, among other things, a story about Jessica Hische while she was sitting a mere 20 feet from me! It was absolutely as awesome as you might imagine.)
Oh—and I also got to give a little teaching-style lecture to my fellow actors again on behalf of my longtime client, Casting Networks, and to a photography business class at Pasadena City College, which I LOVED. Did I mention I love speaking and that you should email me about doing it for your organization? WELL, I'M DOING IT AGAIN.
Colleen of the Present (stuff I do, rain or shine)
- Act Smart! is my monthly column about marketing for LA Casting. Nominally for actors, there's a ton of good info in there for any creative business person. Browse the archives, here.
- Internet flotsam :: I remain hopefully optimistic about social media, despite the crapulous happenings one must endure every day on the major channels. Currently, I am most active on Facebook, but I will occasionally post to Flickr and Twitter, and, once in a blue moon, Instagram and Pinterest. I've also been writing at least a very short summary about (almost) every book I read to Goodreads.
xxx c