R|com Creative Blog

There is a long-held rumor that Edward Teach, also known as Blackbeard the Pirate, told his crew that the only way to die was to stand still when in battle. Keep moving, and you live. Regardless of whether the craggy old pirate really uttered those words, the truth of the matter is – stand still and others will pass you by.

Our team understands this issue, and we’re working diligently to move a number of our products and services forward. To that end, this summer will see some significant evolution in how we support our clients.

Actually, before noting what we’re going to be doing this coming quarter, let me quickly review what we’ve already done this year… We’ve completely converted our media production to a tapeless workflow. All of our media capture is now sans tape.

We’ve spent a lot of time focusing on the quality of work we produce, and the recent spat of awards and trophies for our work product is both gratifying and supports the effort. Our team is very much on the quality bandwagon. We want that to translate to better products and services for you, our clients.

We’ve also just completed a completely new hosting and server environment. We’ve created a completely new set of cabinets, server architecture, wiring, firewall, switch, etc. The immediate result will be improved performance for all of our clients. The more long-term result will be announced over the course of the coming few months.

So, on to the new stuff that is coming…

The first step will be a completely new web environment for R/com. We will launch the new site in June. It will be very simple, but will clearly communicate what we do with our client and prospect base. And, we are adding some important support services, for both web and media clients.

The second step will be the addition of a new Internet environment for our content management software. It will focus on the capabilities of the software, as well as offer training and support for our existing and new clients.

The third step will be a new revision of our content software overall. We’ll be implementing some new ideas, combining various capabilities into object-oriented presentation of “ideas” via the web. Imagine being able to automatically create families of information (PDF, video, data, etc) around an object (product) and then to present that to the viewer.

There’s more to follow, but in the short run, that’s what we’re up to. And, we invite you along for the ride.

Jessica Sanders "make.believe" commercial was shown all over CES

The new year began well enough, with a trip to Las Vegas to work for both clients and our own technology interests at the International Consumer Electronics Show (CES). It was a nice change from recent shows, with lots of positive energy, not to mention a wealth of new and exciting technology. In a time when people are out of work, tempers are on edge, and people are distrustful of almost everything, it was really nice to speak to so many upbeat people, see so many fun, new products, and in general, to start the year off on a great note.

From a techie perspective, there was a lot to like. Let’s touch on a few of the more memorable things. Sharp’s QuadPixel technology was really terrific to see. Bright and even perhaps overly colorful, there are a ton of possible applications. The LG OLED television was similar in terms of being both impressive and perhaps too colorful. Images tended to look like they were painted on the screen. Nobody every looked that bright in real life – but it looks cool!

On the phone front, the appearance of the Android operating system (based on Linux) in phones from Motorola (like the Backflip) and others was really great to see. On the other side of the coin, I would say that Palm is dead, but perhaps still staggering along. It’s odd that so many former Apple execs are at Palm, and the company is to totally out of the mix moving forward. Oh, well!

There were “tablet” computers everywhere, from HP, Lenova, ICD, Dell and others. Essentially, they’re all laptops without the folding case. With a touch screen and fast display refresh, some are interesting to see, but I think the thing that’s missing is that each of these new boxes seem to be focused on the hardware specs, rather than the user experience. It will be interesting to see what Apple comes up with later in the month, when they are expected to introduce a similar type of device.

Lots of manufacturers were showing off 3D television. Panasonic had a 152-inch (yup!) plasma 3D television. It was a movie theater screen – but sharper. I don’t know how any of us feel about 3D, as you need two eyes for it to work and everyone must wear those silly glasses.

On a related note, Panasonic was showing off a prototype of a prosumer 3D HD video camera, and that was freakin’ awesome. If 3D is gonna be a big hit, producing shows must be simple and straight-forward.

There was lame stuff too…

Intel was showing off a medical monitoring system that permits patients to be linked to their physician via a secure link. The doc sees his patients daily health stats in a sort of triage view (red, yellow, green). It isn’t web enables, is expensive, and is just, well… so 1995. The concept is awesome and powerful, but isn’t not what the world is doing now… Docs want to see this type of data on their mobile device, and they want to be able to click and point and adjust appointments, meds, etc. Relying on a dedicated piece of hardware and software is… well, I already said it.

The folks at Visteon are still in business, but their technology is two years old – they showed off the same stuff we collaborated with them on more than a year ago. No doubt they have new things in the pipeline, but it wasn’t obvious at the CES. We wish them all well, however!

The BING section of the Microsoft booth was nearly always empty. The BING exterior display and transport stage was always empty.

If you haven’t been to one of these shows before, they’re beyond what anyone can take in during a single visit or even over four days. There are the main show floors, where you can take in Microsoft, Intel, Panasonic, Sony, etc. Adjacent to the main floorspace, there is an auto pavilion, which was also filled with iPhone and related solutions – including a projector for your iPhone. Actually, we saw three examples of the iPhone projection hype, and they all suck. Keep pushing though, as the idea is a good one (unless the new Apple iSlate or whatever is better).

At the Venetian Hotel, the top floors are jammed with audio manufacturers. Each one rents a suite and inside, they show off their speakers, mono amplifiers, DVD players and even, um… turntables. That’s right – vinyl is back. It sounds great, but the turntables cost what a laptop does – a good one! So, walking these floors is kind of odd – lots of geeks and people who like to sit alone in their “audio rooms” and so on. We did get to check out lots of hot audio, however.

For us, the coolest thing we saw at the show was in the Sony booth. First, they offered a glimpse at the consumer version of their new AVCHD HD video camera. It rocks the planet. Our team will certainly use the the new professional version. Just going through the paces with the prototype was worth the trip.

The second thing we saw that we loved was a Sony feature on its new marketing endeavor. Called make.believe, it features a series of creative film directors, including my half-sister, Jessica Sanders. Her commercial spot is really fantastic and was a huge hit at the show.

There was other stuff that made Vegas fun…

First of all, if you haven’t been to the new City Center, stop everything and check it out. It’s freakin’ amazing. There are so many interesting angles, fresh oranges in the walkways, amazing shops, and a really fun atmosphere. It’s crazy, just like everything in Vegas, but it is really worth a look.

City Center is the most expensive private real estate venture in the U.S.A.

And not only is City Center cool, the new Aria Hotel and Casino is just about the coolest hotel (except for the Four Seasons!) you’ll find anywhere in a big city. It’s totally hip, has a great waterfall, water “fireworks” and the best restaurants anywhere in town. When there, you must try out Julian Serrano, one of the most remarkable places to enjoy some wine, good friends (thanks Ronnie V and Melissa) and great food.  In addition to the Aria, the new vDara Hotel is also pretty cool.

The folks at Kinoma are doing well, and it was a blast to share a great dinner with Mitchell Weinstock, an old and dear friend who runs BizDev for the Kinoma clan.

The Golden Nuggett opened their new Rush Tower and it’s fantastic – really nice. If you’re headed to Vegas for any reason, it’s worth checking out.

So, the year started out well in Vegas. There is new techie stuff coming, and people seem to be eager for optimism. It will take some real energy, including new jobs to make a difference, but the spirit was good! Here’s to a great 2010. Be good to your friends and family.

As 2009 comes to a close, many of us are probably feeling some degree of relief. It has been, by all accounts, a challenging year. I know that our family, friends, and clients have spent considerable time dealing with the stress of economic, military, and other challenges. We all know someone out of work. We have all read about the conflicts that are continuing in multiple arenas. Emotions have been running high – and the challenges we all face, regardless of position or wealth, remain enormous.

This holiday season, our team is focusing on looking forward to a better 2010 for our clients and personal relationships. It is our wish that all of us can collaborate on things that will help us see these challenging times through – and will ultimately lead to a better future for those we love and care for. Regardless of religion, ethnicity, employment or political affiliation, there is plenty of common ground on which we can stand together.

Nearly 100 years ago, the world was at war. In 1914, the British and French were engaged in what would soon be outdated combat with the German army. The loss of life was beyond comprehension, and the most tragic battles were still to come. Yet, something remarkable happened at Christmas in 1914.

photo credit: Hulton Archive/Getty Images

In many places, beginning on Christmas Eve, enemies and combatants stopped fighting. It is now historically referred to as, “The Christmas Truce.”

In the Ypres area of Belgium, Germans and British soldiers were hunkered down in trenches just hundreds of feet from one another. During the early evening, Germans began decorating their trenches. They put candles in trees and began singing Christmas carols. As their voices carried across the battlefield, the British were amazed to hear “Still Nacht” (Silent Night). The British responded with their own rendition of the much-loved song.

Singing escalated into holiday greetings shouted across the “no man’s land” of the battlefield. And shortly thereafter, soldiers from both sides climbed out of their trenches, walked exposed and without shelter into the night and began to greet their “enemies” with handshakes and in fact, gifts. Whiskey, bread, jam, chocolate and cigars were traded, along with more song.

The truce spread along the lines. Wounded soldiers left on the battlefield earlier in the day were rescued and removed to have their wounds treated. And the dead were buried. Proper burials for soldiers on both sides were performed, and both sides stood, side by side, to pay their respects.

It has been reported that on that Christmas day – December the Twenty Fifth, Nineteen Hundred and Fourteen, instead of firing bullets and shells at one another, the British and Germans played football. Apparently, there were many matches played all along the lines, and more food, song, and drink were shared. So too were addresses, as many soldiers befriended those they were shooting at just days before – and promises were made to visit once the war was over.

Although there is no concrete evidence to support the length of the truce, some written reports indicate the cessation of hostilities lasted until New Year’s Day.

The following year, a similar truce occurred, this time between French and German troops. A repeat of the previous year’s truce took hold in some places, and in fact, through to the end of the war, soldiers collaborated in multiple areas with informal armistice agreements. While the politicians and senior commanders were continuing to plot war, the combatants were plotting peace.

An unknown British soldier wrote home about the truce, and in part, his letter reads:

This will be the most memorable Christmas I’ve ever spent or likely to spend: since about tea time yesterday I don’t think there’s been a shot fired on either side up to now. Last night turned a very clear frost moonlight night, so soon after dusk we had some decent fires going and had a few carols and songs. The Germans commenced by placing lights all along the edge of their trenches and coming over to us, wishing us a Happy Christmas etc. They also gave us a few songs etc. so we had quite a social party. Several of them can speak English very well so we had a few conversations. Some of our chaps went to over to their lines. I think they’ve all come back bar one from ‘E’ Co. They no doubt kept him as a souvenir.

I exchanged one of my balaclavas for a hat. I’ve also got a button off one of their tunics. We also exchanged smokes etc. and had a decent chat. They say they won’t fire tomorrow if we don’t so I suppose we shall get a bit of a holiday… perhaps. After exchanging autographs and them wishing us a Happy New Year we departed and came back and had our dinner.

We can hardly believe that we’ve been firing at them for the last week or two. It all seems so strange. At present its freezing hard and everything is covered with ice…

And so, in this new century, with new challenges and obstacles to overcome, I would like to wish you the happiest of times possible. Reach out and find someone in need of a smile, and share something festive with them. Their smile will certainly be contagious and hopefully we can all enjoy the holidays together. And may 2010 bring you new prosperity, hope, and good health.

Kind regards,
David Barrett & everyone at R|com Creative!

P.S. If the Christmas Truce is of some continuing interest to you, the “Truce” is dramatized in the 2005 French film Joyeux Noël (nominated for “Best Foreign Language Film category at the 78th Academy Awards). The Christmas Truce was also briefly portrayed in Richard Attenborough’s 1969 film Oh What a Lovely War.

A number of books have been written on the Christmas Truce, including Stanley Weintraub ‘s Silent Night: The Story of the World War I Christmas Truce, which chronicles the event itself from first hand accounts.

As twilight settles over LA, the Swift Water team from 88s swings into action.

It’s difficult to go anywhere these days without hearing about how the Canon 5dMKII and the 7D are changing the indie film world. And while that’s true, it’s also true that the 7D is a remarkably capable still camera as well.

The Canon 7D represents part of a new arsenal of equipment for our team. We’ve spent the past year evaluating various bits of kit, and with the knowledge that we’d need to use the gear for a wide range of projects, the 7D became a leading contender. The remarkable reviews by noted DP Philip Bloom and some of his amazing 7D videos didn’t hurt either.

Just this past week, on December 7th, while on location in Los Angeles, our LAFD radio crackled with a river rescue assignment. This was a wet week in the City of Angels, and the risk of being swept away was higher than normal (normal is no worries, as the LA River is man-made and is concrete and dry!). Even with rush hour traffic, we were able to safely get on scene within a few minutes. A homeless person, perhaps living in the vegetation in the center of the concrete channel was trapped – not in water, but unable to get off his “island.”

Swift Water Experts from LA, Glendale, and Pasadena rescue a stranded person.

Cameron took the trusty HD video camera and I grabbed the Canon 7D. We’d only taken possession of the camera a few weeks earlier, so this was going to be an interesting assignment. The sun was already down and it was twilight. How would the Canon hold up in extremely low light?

Several things happened: The homeless person was rescued successfully, uninjured, and in need of only fresh clothes (regardless of the weather). And, the Canon 7D really came through. I mean – it was a joy. The viewfinder makes it easy to properly frame images quickly, and the information provided helps me, as a photographer, make decisions about each visual setting prior to exposing a frame (on a CF card, too!). And, finally, every other photog or videographer on scene had a comment to add: “Oh, is that the new Canon? Nice!” Even a river rescue firefighter stopped to say, “I love that camera! Have you seen the HD video that comes out of it?” Um… yes! I shoot HD video with it!

As the rescue was executed, the light of day was gone. Yet, the 7D continues to deliver detailed images with limited noise.

In this case, I was most impressed with the image quality in near black conditions. As night fell, only the jumpy circle of light from a hovering LAFD helicopter lit the area. Overall, it was dark enough to want a flashlight. Yet, the 7D really brought the story to life. See the images attached to this story. No light. Really.

During the coming few weeks, we’ll offer up some field review entries, and hopefully share how the 7D is being integrated into our equipment inventory. Consider this entry to be a bit of rah rah over our delight with this new bit of kit. And if you have a Canon 7D, we’d love to hear from you as well.

NOTE: Our team works closely with the Los Angeles Fire Department, and as such, shooting video at incidents such as this are an ongoing and normal part of our activities.

We’ve added a Canon EOS 7D to our production equipment inventory. Already, I’ve found multiple occasions to use it during the first week we’ve had it. It is a fabulous production tool. It also represents a major breakthrough in some respects, but it is not, as some would tell you, a fix-all for video production.

First of all, a few initial comments for anyone not familiar with the Canon EOS 7D, or why we’d write about it. This is a digital SLR (D-SLR) still camera that also happens to record lovely 1080p video images. It is one notch below the Canon 5D MKII, and is competitive with a number of other DSLRs on the market.

As a still camera, it offers a new 18 megapixel sensor, a fantastic three inch viewfinder that displays 100% of the frame (many cameras show 90 or 95% of the frame). It includes a flexible AF system with a dedicated processor for focusing – so it’s fast. The shutter system is also new, permitting an impressive 8 frames per second (in still mode). As with other Canon products, it features the EF / EF-S lens mount system. Sensitivity is also terrific, with Auto ISO (100 – 3200) or manual ISO from 100 – 6400 in 0.3 or 0.5 EV increments. It offers nearly all of the professional features you could imagine for a camera of this type, and a great place to see a review of its still capabilities is at dpreview.

As a video camera, it’s also pretty amazing. It has standard video outputs in both NTSC and PAL, plus HDMI output for HD video. It includes a built-in microphone and has an input for an external mic as well (mini plug). The camera will shoot 1920×1080 at 29.97, 25, or 23fps. It will shoot 1280×720 at 59.94, 50fps or even (but why?) 6340×480 at 59.94, 50fps. It records using H.264 in a QuickTime .Mov wrapper. Note however, that the QuickTime wrapper does not mean any NLE will recognize the footage. More on video reviews in a bit.

There are three ways to use this camera: As a still camera. As a video camera. As a film-style camera.

Image shot with EOS 7D - Battalion Chief Kawai

When using this as a still camera, it’s a joy. Many people wrestle with the Nikon vs. Canon brand issue. In my experience, I see both everywhere. However, it does seem that when you’re a portrait photographer, there are reasons to use Nikon products, and if you’re a journalist or sports photographer, Canon offers some benefits.

This camera is easy to hold. It’s easy to read. The menu system is a snap, and you can pre-set commonly used menu elements. As a result, getting high-quality stills is literally a snap. As a photographer, you can really focus (sorry!) on the image to be captured – framing, lighting, depth, etc. A fantastic review of the camera can be found at Rob Galbraith’s blog. Additional reviews for photographers can be found at Alexa.

As a video camera, this is a bit of a different animal. You can’t (obviously) shoot with a vertical orientation, as you can with stills. The camera is heavy to hold for video motion, and a tripod or camera rig is an absolute requirement over the long term. However, this doesn’t make it unusable in “camera format.” Some things work differently, but it is still quite capable with just Canon lens and related support gear. Simply put, you can point and shoot and get really nice images.

There are some things you can do to improve the immediate video capabilities of the camera. One is to add a proper microphone. Rode makes a stereo mic that mounts to the shoe and plugs into the body. We purchased a Rode with the camera and it has been fantastic. Philip Bloom, the noted British DP has recently produced a really nice video package with the 7D and the Rode mic – right here in California at Venice Beach. It’s a really nice video story and highlights the EOS 7D.

It’s when you think of the 7D as a film camera that it really changes the landscape (again, sorry!) for producers. This is a camera that starts at perhaps $2,000 with a nice lens. You can start to add various bits and pieces to it, including a mic, follow-focus, matte box, remote trigger, etc. Suddenly, it’s a complete motion picture camera rig – for less than $5,000. And the images it creates are full-on cinematic quality – no “cinema mode” crap either. To see a great example of the camera rigged for news video, check out this Matt Jasper 7D video clip.

The difference is the glass. This is a camera that allows total control over the Z-axis as well as the overall frame. As such, you can dial in a lovely depth of field that permits you to shoot video with a realistic, natural, film look. You can add a prime lens to the Canon. In fact, there are a few firms already making PL mount conversions. While that may only be useful to anyone who already owns a suite of PL glass, the knowledge that you can pick a lens for any specific shot is a breakthrough event for most videographers. In fact, if Panavision rented glass without a camera, you could really lose your mind. Check this out.

In my initial shoots with the 7D, I found the camera to be very balanced. The image was crisp and as with any HD camera, the critical issue was and is focus. But the ability to shoot with such a nice depth of field is eye-opening (I’m so sorry!). Even in the first day of shooting, I was thinking, “oh this is sweet!” as I was rolling chip. That’s another thing: no tape. The EOS 7D uses CF cards (UDMA only, type 6 or faster). And with a 32GB card, I can capture more than 80 minutes at the highest resolution.

We have been really busy with production the past few weeks, so publishing our own 7D clips will have to wait for a few weeks. Rest assured, however, that we will publish a variety of 7D clips. We’ll also share opinion regarding the workflow overall and our use with editing software.

In the meanwhile, here are some fantastic examples of the 7D at work:

Canon EOS 7D at 30p – by Philip Bloom

Dublin’s People – by Philip Bloom

Around Rome – by Shawn Landersz

Burned Hills in the Station Fire

During the past week, the northern end of Los Angeles County has been burning. The Station Fire, which to-date is the biggest wildfire in the history of LA County, has swept from the hillside communities above Pasadena and Duarte into the Angeles National Forest. Unburned for more than 60 years, the thick, deep brush provided ample fuel for a monster fire.

In addition to spending time at base camp working on several assignments, Cameron Barrett shot quite a bit of HD video, and the images will be remarkable. I took a few photographs of aftermath, and even those (you can see a few here) images are striking.

Perhaps the most interesting aspect of this was not the drama of billowing smoke and fire, but the stark emptiness of the “morning after,” so to speak. Hillsides and canyons looked like they had been sculpted by a model railroader, then painted black and some flour dusted here and there to represent ash. And the same image goes on and on – we drove up several canyon roads for mile after mile and the only thing we saw besides burned out hills were smoldering tree stumps, and wisps of smoke drifting up from the rubble that wildfire can create.

Cameron Barrett capturing destroyed home footage

And, several miles up Big Tujunga Canyon, we came across several burned out cottages. As the sun set, the only things left standing were chimneys and black tree trunks. Destroyed cars remained parked in driveways, never to wheel along a highway again. At one home, we found nearly a dozen dead cats – and an angry group of people (ourselves and several network photographers) who couldn’t believe these animals were just left behind. Still, Cameron, who is an animal advocate, captured the scene, all in High-Def.

Another interesting aspect of the aftermath is the sound. It’s really quiet. There are no leaves to rustle in the breeze. No squirrels to scamper through the underbrush. Just dead sound. At least until you hear the rumble of a fire engine, or the thump, thump, thump of a helicopter overhead.

Spot fires continue to threaten the containment lines.

And the fires continue to burn as I type this. Although nearly 50% contained, there is ongoing risk and danger. And thankfully, most residents took the advice of law enforcement and fire officials and evacuated when asked. Two LA County firefighters lost their lives in the midst of this arson-generated wildfire. Perhaps the only good news relates to weather: This fire took place in August, with little or no wind. If the same thing had occurred in November, when the Santa Ana winds sweep through the canyons, it’s really unimaginable to think what might have happened.

As this is part of our job, we’ve become familiar with these types of situations in general. Yet this particular incident will remain etched in our memories for quite awhile. We can only hope it will be at least another 60 years before anything like this happens again – and never would be a much better option.

An example of web design, including specific theme, function, and purpose.

Our people are often asked, “What’s your design style?” We have many pat answers, including, “your style is our style,” and, “whatever you want it to be,” and my favorite, “crayons.” But the key point we try to make is: design is totally subjective, so the bottom line is that it had better work.

There’s no point to any design if it doesn’t accelerate an idea, a product, a service, or a person. There are plenty of designs that are drop-dead gorgeous, but ten minutes later, you can’t remember what the purpose of the design was – or what it was about. This is especially true for the Internet, as many print designers have stepped sideways into the World Wide Interweb (apologies) and their ideas are as 2-D (read flat) as a sheet of 110lb matte stock.

We design for results. That means we are concerned that our client’s requirements be met not only in the boardroom, where satisfaction has no relationship to market success, but in practice, too. If our client’s don’t see a spike in sales, or an increase in website visits, we haven’t done our job.

Many people think design is all about looks. It really isn’t. Design involves how things fit together. How things work. How easily they are understood. I’ve seen people take other people’s designs and stamp their own logo on top, giggling at how they were able to leverage someone else’s work product. While that’s certainly both lazy and unethical (without permission), it does speak to the potential effectiveness of the design.

Design should either be timeless or totally time-based. When was the Coca Cola logo invented? Who cares? It’s timeless. What about Google’s logo? It’s freakin’ ugly, but it’s also effective – and it speaks to a specific time – and it will likely evolve over time as well.

The timer on your grandparent’s VCR? Bad design.

The iPod. Great design.

No matter what the product, service, or purpose, good design isn’t good at all unless people react to it. We’re very sensitive to that issue – and it’s one reason we enjoy every new challenge we’re presented with. Have a design idea? Let us mull it over and give you some comps.

R|com Creative is working with the Los Angeles Fire Department to create a new series of education materials based around an important initiative called Ready, Set, Go! Essentially, there has been some ongoing debate about the value of staying at your residence, as opposed to evacuating. In Southern California, we live in not only earthquake country, but wildfire country as well. And when they strike, people often prefer to stay and protect their property.

The initiative for not leaving, often referred to as “Stay and Defend,” was gaining ground earlier this year with several departments, as there have been some stories of people who have elected to ignore officials and as a result, participated in saving their structures. It’s important to remember that many homes don’t burn as a result of the fire front in a wildfire. They burn because of spot fires that start as the fire moves through, and without resources to suppress those spot fires, the home burns.

Just as this “Stay and Defend” option began to get people’s attention, Australia suffered through a terrible wildfire incident and many lives were lost. Australia has been known for its serious wildfire devastation, including Hobart in 1967 (1400 homes lost, 62 dead); Victoria in 1983 (2400 homes lost, 71 dead), Canberra in 2003 (500 homes lost, 5 dead), and Victoria in 2009 (3000 homes lost, 173 dead). Many of the victims in the Victoria fires this year elected to stay behind, and then attempted to evacuate, but too late. They were caught on the road and died.

Ready, Set, Go! as an initiative is being supported by a wide array of Southern California emergency services agencies. The Los Angeles Fire Department’s position is clear: If there is a wildfire, prepare your home and family, get set to evacuate if required, and when asked, or even before that, leave the area. Your home can be saved. Once you die, coming back is apparently problematic.

Our program will include a series of components – and it will highlight the use of digital technology and Web 2.0 capabilities. A video/DVD will tell the story of why its important to leave and how to prepare. A brochure will be available to schools, senior centers, council district offices, and LA City Fire Stations. Separately, a digital magazine will be created and it will be available to anyone who is interested in the Ready, Set, Go initiative. And finally, information will be available via the MySafe:LA public education website.

We’re enthused about the project, and once complete, are committed to seeing it reach as many people as possible, so the citizens of Los Angeles can be properly prepared.

Looking back nearly 25 years ago, I was sitting at my table in my hotel in San Francisco, probably about two in the morning, wondering what the reaction would be to a new game my software company was about to launch. I was looking at our distribution plan and I was uneasy. I was terrified that we would fail. Just hours earlier, my co-founders and I were sitting around a table, shrink wrapping the product together, with a major trade show taking place the following morning.

Less than a year before, I had sat at lunch with the Japanese President of the computer company I worked for, and he explained to me that as far as he was concerned, there was no opportunity for success without failure. He praised me for trying new things relative to the job I had been given to promote a new operating system for an innovative new personal computer. He told me a remarkable story about the differences in theory behind Japanese research and American research – not really related to the people, but to the need for instant success, and the fear of failure. I remember it well, because I was fired the next morning by my American supervisor for taking too many risks. It was the only time in my adult life that I was fired from a job. But it gave me the opportunity to start something new, and to create new products and ideas that evolved into something successful.

It was about the same time that I became really excited about motorsport in general, and Formula One and CART IndyCar specifically. There is a purity in racing. Everything is measured. Everything is calculated. And there is no room to hide. You win, or you lose. And everything is on the table for everyone to see. It is the perfect technical competition and when properly done, the ideal opportunity for one person to excel based on the performance of a team of people. Wow.

At the time, Honda was not involved in U.S racing, but they became involved a bit later and they were terrible. Engines blew constantly, and even with superstar drivers, they couldn’t get their act together. But, after a few years, they improved and then, they won a championship. Today, every engine in the IRL Indycar Series is powered by Honda. So, they can’t lose in that formula.

Today, I’m reminded of that for several reasons. The economy is forcing people to get serious about understanding where they stand, where their professional and personal lives stand, and what they can do to reinvent, or even invent for the first time – something successful. I’m also reminded about that because I’m seeing new innovation all around me at the moment. And there are ironies as well. Honda just quit F-1, and racing guru Ross Brawn picked up the team for a song and with the Chinese Grand Prix about to take place, has outpaced everyone, winning both races so far in 2009, and giving the entire paddock fits with every rising sun.

I’m reminded of it because I’ve had the chance to spend time with some of the people I collaborated with 25 years ago, including software genius Bill Volk. And I am reminded of the value failure can have when creating something successful every day at R|com, my current adventure. We’re helping our clients with new ideas, new products, and new vision, and it is leading to some exciting new opportunities.

And, I’m reminded of it by a short film. A really interesting film by Honda, part of their Dream the Impossible documentary series. The film is called Failure: The Secret to Success. I think everyone should watch it.

What a great idea! After a trip to San Diego, my wife and I passed by a California Pizza Kitchen on our way home and decided to stop. “I haven’t been there for a long time,” I remarked, “and I wonder how they’re doing in the climate?”

The food was fine – Pepsi quality still, not terrific like the early days. But, the place was clean, the service fast, and the people polite. That makes for a fairly winning combination in my book. Still, it wasn’t until we were paying the bill that I realized someone with some talent was working in marketing.

Our server appeared at the table with a yellow card. “Here is your ‘Don’t Open it’ card.” It almost guarantees that whomever receives it will return to CPK for another meal. It’s really a terrific idea – here is how it works:

After you dine in at a CPK, you receive a yellow card that proclaims, “Don’t Open it!” If you open the card, the content is worthless. If you return to CPK (at least one day later), the manager will open the card and there is a 100% guaranteed gift inside. It could be a free meal, or a year’s worth of frozen pizza pies, or perhaps $50,000. Every card is a winner. Ordinarily, I might have said, “not bad. We’ll try this again in a few months,” or whatever. Now, thanks to the “Do Not Open Me!” card, I will be back… just make the check out to…

When biz is down, there are many ways to deal with the situation. Unfortunately, one of the most common is to pull back, freeze up, stop everything, and then repeat. It’s a huge component of the reaction to some remarkable events in our domestic, not to mention international economy.

But it doesn’t have to be a complete standstill, “deer in the headlights” type of year. No, this can be the year of invention, evolution, and progress. And to do so, you’ve got to get competitive in the truest sense of the word. I’m often asked about our competition. My reaction is always the same: “Our competition is ourselves. It’s the brochure that was delayed at the printer. It’s the employee who was less than polite on the phone. It’s any number of things, but overall, if we do our job properly, nobody can compete.”

And when I speak about competition, I’m referring to the idea that if you have a good product, good service, and you can support your clients, you have a winning formula – assuming of course there is a need for your product or service.

So, what are we doing this year?

I’ve created a checklist for our company – and it’s one that we’re going to share with our clients – with you – and anyone who is interested. It’s a list that if followed will help your business grow (and ours, too).

To give you a preview, here are the top ten items (Read a la Letterman):

Number Ten: Think Community. The world has changed. Now, get with it and change, too – or get left behind.

Number Nine: Small is the New Big. Small business thrives in this economic environment.

Number Eight: Understand Competition. Are you it? Does someone offer the same solution, but with something you don’t?

Number Seven: Focus on Your Expertise. If you are an expert, flaunt it. If you aren’t one – become one.

Number Six: Create Your Online Presence. If you aren’t online, in today’s world, you’re not open for business. It’s time to open the doors to the Web and use it for profit and gain.

Number Five: Know What Your Customer Wants. ‘Nuf said.

Number Four: Promote Your Business, On- and Off-line. If nobody knows you, your client base will be very small.

Number Three: Build Your Brand. What makes you and your firm or service different? Tell everyone!

Number Two: Reinvent Your Sales Team. Don’t just go back to the well with the same old pitch. Make it count. New ideas, or even new people, may be the answer.

Number One: Have a Plan. You’d be surprised at how many people – and companies do not.

We’ll be creating a fun, short, white paper on “Ten Ways to Build Biz in 2009″ and offering it to anyone who is interested. Oh – and we’re also trying to follow our own advice. Let us know what you think.

Many years ago, when I was actively involved in the development of software (Aegis Development, Inc.), there were several important phases to software development. These included not only the creation of new products, but the retention of an existing/evolving customer base with upgraded versions of software. At the time, we created new customers with new releases, and we ensured ongoing revenue by adding features to existing products.

It was an interesting period (late 1980s), and our use of direct mail, events, and endorsement was probably a bit ahead of its time. Flash forward to 2009, and the cycle is the same, but the necessity is vastly different.

Today, upgrading is not something that is limited to your own evaluation of functionality. It is quickly becoming a component of being efficient, effective, and secure. Today, upgrades often keep a company’s ability to touch their clients, manage their vendors, and keep their marketing and sales people active than ever before. I’ll provide two examples of how this can work, depending on your situation:

Case One: Company A always upgrades

We have a client that is very active with their customer base. They utilize a blog, online tools for research development, opinion, customer satisfaction, and other functions. They upgrade their software roughly every 18 months. In so doing, they are perceived by their clients as investing in the tools they use to communicate, market and sell. To put it another way, the company image always appears to be “fresh” – and most importantly, they rarely find themselves lacking when it comes to sharing data, connecting their sales team with clients, and closing new business.

It also means they are invested and proactive in that investment. They can determine, in advance, what the benefit may be, and how it will affect their ability to sell. Each upgrade has specific purposes, including:

• Improved performance of software
• Improved ability to support evolving web trends
• Reduced cost relative to unexpected maintenance or support
• Defined return on investment via projected costs
• Upgrades become a cost of sales, amortized across each closed engagement

These requirements help the company’s management focus on the sales process. Of equal importance, the company is able to more effectively connect using modern tools. And those tools change continually. Web browsers, operating systems, applications, and hardware are all replaced on average every 12 – 15 months. If this company were to miss one upgrade cycle (based on an 18-month upgrade plan), that would put their hardware and software essentially three generations behind the latest releases of mainstream hardware and software.

Case Two: Company B waits until forced to upgrade

Company B is happy with the software they’re using to reach their clients. It was installed in 2005 and it continues to function. The company in fact notes that the quality of the originally installed software is, in part, a reason not to upgrade. At the same time, the company’s ability to reach its clients, support its sales team, and to manage its costs looking forward are being compromised. How is that?

Because the company doesn’t upgrade, they don’t have built-in tools for mobile page support, so there is no mobile browser detection when someone tries to access a web page via a PDA or mobile phone. Because of the age of their software, integration of the latest version of Flash, Java, and other technologies is more complex, as the older software cannot support newer tools. And, as marketing departments ask for these new technologies, the company has a growing in-house “request list” that is not being addressed, creating some degree of confusion and frustration.

And finally, maintenance is more expensive, as older hardware and software (interacting) often develop hiccups. As an example, this company’s website did not crash once in year one, crashed six times in year two, crashed 97 times in year three, etc. Because the company invested in a maintenance Agreement, the downtime was resolved behind the scenes and their customers continued to experience a running website (thank you to our engineers!).

Most importantly, the system crashes encountered have been directly related to the growth in the company’s business and traffic to their websites, online software applications, etc. The load on their infrastructure is such that at some point, the system will run home to mama. The company says when that happens, they’ll upgrade.

Why Upgrade if Everything is Working?

There’s no point to upgrade something just because there is a new version. At the same time, it’s important to evaluate the purpose and outcome of any upgrade. As an example, I purchased one of the first generation iPhone devices from Apple. Because the phone supports software upgrades, I have been able to keep up-to-date with bug fixes, and upgrades that I choose to acquire. When the second generation of iPhone emerged, it offered a few key improvements, notably 3G support. But, my phone was working, and the cost vs. return on investment (hardware), was to me, unwarranted. Now, nine months later, I am stuck – my phone is not fast enough to do some of the work my peers are doing. The upgrades I’m downloading struuggle to perform, based on the hardware in my mobile device. And, I cannot justify investing in a new iPhone (v2) today (March 2009), because there will be a completely new v3 iPhone released this summer (est. July 2009). I will be at the head of the queue to pick up a new phone.

Upgrade When Your Business Will Benefit

The point of my own situation shouldn’t be missed: My phone was working, so I chose not to upgrade. The result of that decision was that I saved some money (always good), but am now a full generation behind relative to the ability to use my phone for business purposes.

In this case, the decision to delay was probably appropriate. There’s no need to make a change for the sake of change. But, the key issue is that in a single year, the industry has leapfrogged what my device can properly manage, and I’m missing functionality my competitors are using.

If I were dealing with a web application, or a database, or something more central to my business, I believe the decision would then have been short-sighted. The current economy requires every business to be as adept as possible at promoting their products, services, and support. Uupgrading is an inexpensive route to efficiency and increased productivity. The key is knowing how any upgrade will benefit your organization, and then taking advantage of that upgrade path to better your business.

Nearly 65% of employees say they fall asleep at work.

The opportunities for outsourcing are just now beginning to pick up steam. By the summer of 2009, I would project that small, effective firms that offer specific expertise in areas of sales, marketing, IT, and creative services will be among the first to realize improved sales trends.

Larger firms typical budget annually. As the market slid over the wall street cliff in the fall of 2008, budgets for 2009 were beginning to develop. Even firms that operate on a fiscal year have had to look forward on an annual basis. The most common change: a 100% hiring freeze.

In the midst of fewer people in-house to produce, manage, or market products and services, larger companies have not lost the need for expertise in these areas. As such, offering services that can help a company increase its sales or market position is beginning to make sense, even in an environment that is clearly still searching for dry land to stand on.

Outsourcing is clearly economically reasonable as well. As an example, let’s assume you want to hire someone to manage your annual sales catalog. On average, a creative services person capable of this type of print media will cost $32,000 to $45,000 per year. Add 25 – 30% for benefits and you have an annual cost of (average) $46,000.

As an alternative, outsource the sales catalog, and you have three months of work, typically managed by three people, and your costs are directly tied to an approved and satisfactory deliverable: the sales catalog. On average, this type of work will likely have a (creative) cost of approximately $18,000 (production will cost more). No vacation pay, time off, insurance, or other benefits hit your books. When you’re done with the project, you can begin to think about the sales process and not on finding something else for someone to do.

Salary.com, an internet-based resource that tracks employment trends, calculated that employers spend $759 billion per year on salaries for which real work was expected, but not actually performed. In today’s market, timely deliverables are vital to sales growth and success. Outsourcing can solve many problems, while also improving your bottom line.

It seems that every week, we’re reading about another multi-billion dollar loss and the threat of another huge firm closing or filing for protection from creditors using chapter 11, etc. The trickle down effect that has on suppliers, consultants, staff, etc. means we are all impacted in one way or another. But it doesn’t mean we’re cut off at the pass.

Big companies have problems that little companies don’t. And overall, it seems to be that smaller is bigger than big these days. A small company can change direction more quickly, can create products or services more rapidly, and overall, can be more effective in servicing their customer base.

Even the way we communicate is affected by big vs. small. As one example, email is big. It’s big enough to attract spammers. So, unless we spend the time to properly manage our email filters, plug-ins, etc., our in-boxes fill with nonsense on a daily, if not hourly basis. Email is so big, it’s causing people to put off reading their email.

But Twitter is growing, and it’s getting bigger because it’s service is smaller. A Twitter Tweet is short. It’s simple. 140 characters, please. It shows up on your phone, your PDA, or your web browser. And, you subscribe to it. So, you follow those whom you’d like to hear from. I know at least a few of our team get nearly as many tweets now as they get email messages. Of course, learning to manage Twitter is important, or your phone or PDA will go beep, beep, beep all day long.

So, give it some thought – we can help you better understand how to creatively and effectively manage your products or services in a rapidly changing marketplace. By thinking small, you could eventually be big. And we can help.

Did you know you can use video to reduce the cost of sales? It’s true. Consider the typical sales cycle: initial contact is followed by a meet and greet. If successful, a formal presentation is prepared. Negotiations follow; objections are overcome, and over time, if appropriate, a sale is closed.

Video can help shorten the sales cycle, and it can help grow your business. By creating short, informative, and professionally produced “sales” pieces, your sales team can share more information with prospects than previously – and nearly instantly. When you highlight a video following a phone or lunch discussion, you demonstrate prompt follow-up. And, a short video is something nearly anyone has time for.

Most decision makers desks are filled with clutter. There’s too much to deal with and not enough time. Having the ability to run a video via a web-browser, while also reviewing email, or other tasks, increases your opportunity to be seen – and for your message to be heard.

It also means you can concentrate on the sales process, not on scheduling more meetings, which can lead to lower productivity. If your prospect is more highly qualified when you meet, your time spent will be more effective as it relates to helping both parties get what the want – and need.

And, it works, too. A non-profit client of ours reports that the short membership video we developed for them secures more new members than all of their other efforts combined. A manufacturer client of ours is still securing new sales with video components developed for them by our team several years ago (maybe it’s time to update those videos!). The popularity of online video, combined with the increasing comfort with watching video on your desktop as a part of your business day makes  the case for using video even stronger.