On mobilesocialwebdigitalinteractiveonlinegeotagecommercephonepadding.

Get on board or get the hell out of the way. I swear to god if I hear one more agency person give another lame-ass excuse for why they don't use Facebook or Twitter or any other "new media" technology, I'm going to start packing their office up for them. Yes, the brave new world can be scary as shit, but like it or not it is what the world is. Brave. New. And changing at a pace our feeble brains never could have imagined. But that rapid change is today's norm. Younger born-digitals don't know anything different. As I'm whining about how I had a party line when I was a kid (which, for those of you punk kids reading my blog who weren't lucky enough to experience a party line, meant we literally shared our phone line with our neighbors, much like having multiple phones on the same line in your house), my four-year-old son is opening up my iPhone and playing Pocket God with no help from his old man. By not fully engaging and opening your eyes to the fact that whether or not you think Facebook is a waste of time doesn't mean jack shit to the millions and millions of Facebook users out there, you are rendering yourself obsolete and announcing to those around you, "I am no longer qualified to do this job. Someone please put me on the street so I can join the ever-growing ranks of ad folks who will never work in this industry again." Look, at least dip your toes in. Use a fake name and create an accompanying fake gmail address if you don't want to put your personal stuff out there. Lurk at first. Watch and observe. Then start to participate, just a little bit. Buy something online or with your mobile device. Use a Visa gift card if you're paranoid about getting your info hacked. There are all kinds of ways to learn about what people out there are doing without compromising your perceived safety or privacy. For every excuse you give, I have twelve ways to call bullshit. Don't make me call bullshit. Get on board.

Ba Naché dol Fonn Baeo

Ba Naché dol Fonn Baeo_Trailer.1 from Brad Stabio on Vimeo.

This is the first official trailer for our short film, Ba Naché dol Fonn Baeo. Here's the official synopsis:

Ba Nache dol Fonn Baeo is a foreign film. But unlike other foreign films, this one is foreign to everyone no matter what their nationality. Because the entire dialog of this film is in no known language; it was a language made up on the spot, improvised on the fly by the actors. Only after the final edit were subtitles written and added. Walking the delicate line of both paying homage to and spoofing the New Wave of French Cinema from the early 1960s, Ba Nache dol Fonn Baeo is stylish, hilarious and wonderfully melodramatic.

Beautifully shot in B&W by Brook Aitken, cinematographer of the 2010 Oscar-winning documentary THE COVE, it follows ultra-cool Fonn Baeo and his lover Moulousse as they spend a carefree day playing in the city. Reuniting with an old acquaintance, however, brings an unexpected twist to their seemingly charmed lives. Will their luck run out, or will love prevail?

Ba Nache dol Fonn Baeo is a story of love, jealousy, friendship and betrayal told in a manner that would make Godard, Truffaut and Melville proud. Or possibly roll over in their graves.

Check out the whole movie, as well as lots of other cool stuff from Cinema Geeks Productions.

On men wearing capri pants.

Don't.

On discomfort.

If at any point in the day I say something that causes you to feel a little uncomfortable, please let me know so I can check that off my to-do list and move on to the next person.

On apologies.

Don't do it unless you mean it.

"I'm sorry you were hurt by what I said," is not an apology.

Nor is, "I'm sorry you misunderstood me."

Those pseudo-apologies aren't fooling anyone. They're your passive-aggressive way of saying, "This is your issue, not mine. Don't be so sensitive."

If that's what you feel, say that. You'll be seen as an asshole, but at least an honest one.

For the record, this is a true apology.

On leadership.

In the words of leadership guru Kyle Craig, there's leadership and there's management. Both are necessary to run a business, but for a lot of people in leadership positions the latter is mistaken for the former.

Management is about making sure boxes are checked and details are, well, managed. Things in their right places.

Leadership, however, is about inspiration. Inspiring people to give their all and do their best.

Leadership requires empathy. Foresight. Humility. Sacrifice. Trust. Risk.

If you truly want to be a leader – whether your job title says you are, you want your job title to say you are, or you are simply inclined to do it regardless of your position – you need to know the people you are leading.

I mean, really know them. How do they think? How do they process feedback? When are they at their best? Are they the type that come up with their best ideas when they're doing something else? Or do they do best when they hole up in their office and crank? What motivates them? A kick in the ass? A pat on the back? Know them. Then you can inspire them, and push them out of their comfort zones into places they didn't think possible. That's where their best work resides.

Managers tend to do things their own way, and expect other people to come to them.

Great leaders are chameleons. They understand the power of empathy.

If you can't do that, you may still end up in management.

But you'll never be a leader.

On buzzwords.

Stop it.

Just stop now.

Look, I get it. The clients talk like that, and you want them to know that you know what they're talking about.

But when you sound like them, I start thinking you are one of them. Trust me, you don't want me thinking that. You don't want anyone you work with thinking that.

The origins of most buzzwords and jargon are based in a complete lack of understanding of the English language. Verbs used as nouns. Nouns used as verbs. Fictitious adverbs created by putting "ful" at the end of a noun. That's not professional.

It's dumbing down.

Don't have a wish-for. Have a request.

Don't have an add. Have an addition.

Don't be choiceful. Be selective.

Don't have a watch-out. Have a concern. Or a caution. Or a warning. Or a caveat.

Don't ladder up or double-click or ramp up or net out or opt in.

There are so many brilliant words in the English language, most of which can be found in a dictionary and thesaurus. Find them. Use them!

Again, language is the most powerful weapon in your communication arsenal. When you continue to use the same bullshit buzzwords and jargon that everyone else is using, your words become white noise. And you become easily ignored. But if you speak with authority, and embrace the power of the English language, people will listen. They'll pay attention.

And most importantly, they'll know you're not just another clone.

On toes.

If you're a dude, I don't want to see them. Put on some fucking shoes.

On feedback.

It seems that we don't really get feedback anymore. We get changes. We get revisions. We get direction. But not feedback. Rather than, "Here are the client's thoughts on the work we sent over. Let's give them a call and discuss," we get marked-up layouts or emailed revision work orders with six bullet-pointed changes and a deadline of EOD or COB (please stop using COB, by the way. stop now). When you send that RWO, it makes you nothing more than an ambiguous set of hands at the dinner table, passing the mashed potatoes from your kid sister to your dad. When the client calls you to comment on the work, don't do an RWO. Take notes. Ask questions. If the comments are complicated or will cause a significant change to the work, see if you can get a creative to join you on the call. Or ask the client if you can call back in a bit with the team or the CD. If all you do is pass the RWO, you are completely dispensable. But if you facilitate a conversation about feedback, you'll be invaluable.

On language.

I don't care what you do for a living. Not knowing how to speak properly is unforgivable, and worthy of scorn and ridicule.