One of the best parts of going home for the holidays is digging through old family photos. In an effort to save some of the memories before the paper disintegrates, I scanned a few of them and uploaded to Flickr.
Opa & Omi
I am especially enchanted with the story of my Mom’s parents (my grandparents) because they survived World War II and each had only one leg. My grandmother and grandfather met in rehabilitation camp and both suffered some extraordinary hardships but managed to raise 5 kids and provide a colorful life for their family.
My mother grew up in a 2 bedroom apartment with her 4 siblings. That means there was 7 people living in a 2 bedroom apartment in Germany. I am amazed to look back at how far we have come and remind myself that when I “might” be having a bad day, I’m lucky compared to what my Grandparents have endured.
On my plane ride home for the holidays I downloaded The Pixar Story, just made available December 17th, to my iPhone and was inspired by the struggles and successes of Pixar. If you love the art of animation, 3D technology or strive to break new grounds in your business, you can learn something from this film. Pixar is like a beacon of light that represents the merger of technology and art.
My favorite quote: “The art challenges technology, technology inspires the art.” – John Lasseter, Director Pixar.
Trailer Below: (You can buy it here from iTunes. )
A few things I learned about Pixar:
Pixar isn’t afraid of change. Even when they had multiple hits and knew whatever it was they were doing was working – they wanted to bring on a new director and give them a chance to keep things fresh.
They believe in their staff and allow them to take ownership of their work.
Their people are all part of the Pixar family and are passionate about the work. They do whatever it takes to do it right.
Pixar is not afraid to start over if the story isn’t right.
Culture is a an important part of the their creative and collaborative environment.
Pixar was successful because of a group of individuals with diverse talents. (It was not just one person’s dream).
Additionally, you can follow news on the unnoffical Pixar blog.
I’m an admitted dog lover but the video below (after the jump) made me want a cat. Sometimes I think I should have been a vet because I’ve always had a soft spot for furry creatures.
I had 14 pet rats in high school. Yes, 14 pet rats and they were incredibly clever little creatures. One day I went to a pet store and decided to get a rat because I wasn’t allowed to have a dog. I couldn’t have just one because it would have been lonely so I purchased two. Laughably, the pet store owner told me that because the rats were brother and sister they would not mate. Ha! Yeah, right. I didn’t realize that they would breed so quickly. At least my biology teacher was impressed. Yes, rats can be cute.
I ended up with 14 rats and my Mom was not all too happy. Luckily, I had some friends who adopted the new furry additions and they found happy homes. I adored those little creepy-tailed nibblers, even though everyone thought I was crazy. They would even run to me when I called their names.
So… back to the point. The video below is about Charley the disabled Cat and it shows that love can be found in the most unexpected places.
Just because something isn’t perfect, doesn’t mean it can’t be lovable – even if it’s a rat or a very special cat.
OwnYourC 2.0 has been named today’s FWA S.O.T.D. Click here to reminisce on the original OwnYourC, former FWA Site of the Month.
Earlier this year, a few of us at AgencyNet had just gotten off the phone with Cactus Marketing to discuss “Own Your C,” the award-winning public service campaign that just two years earlier had blown the doors off of the way campaigns talk to teens about choosing not to smoke. The conversation was simple and to the point.
“It’s time to give ‘Own Your C’ a serious facelift,” we all agreed.
Since the launch of the campaign in 2006, the media landscape had changed dramatically, and with it, consumer behavior indisputably had changed as well. It was time to rally around the cause that had inspired such creativity the first time around, and do it all over again.
We were thrilled at the challenge, but to be honest, the idea of completely overhauling a highly successful campaign like Own Your C was a daunting one.
How do we follow THAT, we all thought.
A COMMUNITY OF CHOICES
Knowing this, our solution was to give teens what they want most—a soapbox to express themselves.
We envisioned a rich, immersive environment that would invite users in, encouraging exploration, dialogue, and above all—debate. We knew that the same power of peer influence that might cause a teen to smoke in the first place also had the power to inspire positive change when put to constructive use.
We knew that Own Your C needed more than a campaign—it needed a community.
OWNYOURC 2.0
When all was said and done, we’d go on to build the new ownyourC.com 2.0, a rich online community allowing teens to share their opinions about the choices they face each and every day. Taking advantage of the latest technologies to provide the community with the most robust and user-friendly experience possible, we developed the front-end using Flash 9 and Papervision for the streamlined rendering of 3-D objects, and used Adobe Flex for all Action Scripting.
Teens can express themselves through text, photo, or video—and we’re even building in the ability to record yourself live on webcam directly within the site. From smoking, to fast food, to the existence of UFOs, every choice in this community matters.
A robust Content Management System, developed in ASP.NET 3.5 on a Windows Server Platform, makes the piles and piles of data parsed by the site invisible to the end user, and an elaborate filtering system allows teens to view responses in a way that is most meaningful to them.
The fully integrated and synergistic campaign also includes a series of 15-second TV spots, online rich media banners, and Live “C-Ride” events that invite teens to participate in the new ownyourC.com 2.0 community.
My name is Larissa Meek. I'm Assoc. Creative Director at AgencyNet based in Los Angeles, CA. This blog serves as showcase for my artwork and personal ramblings. Read More »
