A teaser for a forthcoming short film on our experience of rapidly prototyping a social venture in the media space under the COMMON Brand. Big thanks to Rob Griffith, David Hamburger and Evan Swinehart for their help with this piece.
COMMON Media MBA
Tuesday, June 28th, 2011Austin Business Journal Profile
Friday, May 6th, 2011
COMMON Story Bureau
We participated in a lab co-created by The Fearless Cottage and NOMAD to rapidly prototype a new COMMON media brand. We created this short film to capture the feeling of the lab.
COMMON – a brand new way to create value
Saturday, January 29th, 2011
After spending this past Thursday at the FearLess Cottage in Boulder documenting the launch of COMMON I awoke Friday with one word in mind – decompartmentalize.
So many people I know feel like they must rob Peter to pay Paul if they are to make a difference in this world, that they must compromise their values now in order to be in a position to donate to their values later. I fit into this category as well. And despite working for many cause organizations over the years I feel like a net supporter not a net innovator on social issues, a service provider not a social entrepreneur. I believe in the causes my firm gets paid to amplify but I see problems that I want to address outside of those contracts. So does my business partner. Perhaps you do as well.
We’ve compartmentalized our values. Haven’t we? Our best intentions are often rendered after the fact. We only pay Peter after mugging Paul. And this is the dominant model for people who actually give a damn. Many people, read institutions, don’t really give a damn. Sometimes Paul never gets paid. The results are all around us. We are swimming in the externalized costs of the old economy. Our global economic system is in crisis. Our environment is in crisis. Etc. The game is up. (more…)
Neorealism. Our favorite brief.
Tuesday, July 27th, 2010
About a year ago a gent by the name of Paul Julien Freed asked me if I was a fan of neorealist films. I confessed that I wasn’t. Not because I disliked them but because I hadn’t really watched any. He have gave me a list. He was sure that I’d enjoy them because of the way I’d described our story telling ethos at Butler Bros. which to him sounded a lot like the following wikipedia entry:
Neorealism is characterized by a general atmosphere of authenticity. Andre Bazin, a French film theorist and critic, argued that neorealism portrays: truth, naturalness, authenticity, and is a cinema of duration. The necessary characteristics of neo-realism in film include:
- a definite social context;
- a sense of historical actuality and immediacy;
- political commitment to progressive, even violent, social change;
- authentic on-location shooting as opposed to the artificial studio;
- a rejection of classical Hollywood acting styles; extensive use of non-professional actors as much as possible;
- a documentary style of cinematography.
Without knowing it really this is very close to how we’ve marketed Brand Films since 2002. The major difference really is the fact that there isn’t a script at all in our films. That and they aren’t violent. We curate questions that highlight a narrative we think we are likely to capture and believe will most compel our audience. True to the documentary ethos though we allow stories to unfold and remold our expectations – and our clients allow this too.
Having spent some time with Alex Bogusky in Boulder recently and sharing our work and POV with him, he coined the term “advermentary” to categorize it. I like this too. It’s very transparent in name. It’s all laid out. Advertising with a documentary ethos. For people and companies that are trying like hell to do things right, to create in a considered manner, and drive needed changes, non-fiction is nothing to be afraid off. More and more the world demands it. More and more companies begin with this notion instead of bolting it on later.
“Bicycle Thieves,” which I watched this weekend, did exactly what I hoped it would: it had me considering the heart and mind of the character, not the surrounding artifice. We believe that companies can achieve this same feat. It begins long before the cameras roll however, it begins with deep motivations held by the “actor”.
LIVE FROM LOHAS
Friday, June 25th, 2010A few ideas from the soup I swam in yesterday. First and foremost the tenor of LOHAS is one of action. It vibrates with the feeling that doing good is great but that even great isn’t good enough. It’s about constantly examining your practices in the name of green, sustainability, and holistic health. This mindful way of being is perhaps the opposite of leading an unconscious existence whether corporately or individually. This is why the sustainability movement often takes on spiritual tones. There is meditation in the search for a truer, higher path. But make no mistake this is a rigorous exercise that takes equal parts left and right brain. Maintaining the status quo may be easier and more profitable but it is also fraught with danger as the natural world and consumer consciousness crush in on the “way things were”.
The gusher in the Gulf only fuels the fire of innovation. What I am seeing here is a very Jedi like attempt to channel the rage / fear / confusion into kindling for a bonfire of solutions. Call it the fire under our collective ass. You get it, metaphor extended. Yesterday the entire conference sat in a room with Stephanie Owens from the EPA, Charles Hambleton producer from The Cove film (who is now working the Gulf region camera in hand), and Philippe Cousteau via Skype. The dialogue was very real but carried reason over reaction. It was heart wrenching to hear Philippe describe his dives into the spill site. “Looking up from under the plumes, the sun shines through, turning the sea a red color and outlining dead sea life.” He then spoke of visiting the Exxon Valdez spill site and spoke of the ongoing devastation to the ecosystem these many decades later. The takeaway – this isn’t going away in our lifetimes. The conversation then turned to action – Charles and Stephanie both made a great point about not punishing private owners of BP stations saying that it only hurts locals, not the company who trades fuel anyway. My take – retribution made in individual acts that curb personal consumption of petro products is the first order. Use this as a personal call to action. First look within, then look out. We finished this session with a moment of silence guided by Dr. Larry Dorsey. I prayed that I would have the perseverance to make personal change and the wisdom to teach my children a better way.
This takes me to the last thought on yesterday which spawned while listening to a man named Tom LaForge, whose company puts a drink on the lips of billion people everyday. Tom is Global Director of Human and Cultural Insights for Coca Cola. You can follow and inspire him on twitter at @otama Tom is smart and affable. He carries a massive corporate line on his shoulder when he comes to a conference like this. He tows it well. Coca Cola does some good. Does plenty of harm too. Not going to get granular here but I will share what I believe the most powerful thing Tom shared with us. It felt more like a poker tell then a direct call to action but still he said it though I am paraphrasing here – “the most important thing consumers can do is organize and speak to companies in a compelling collective voice.” The mandate for massive change will be an external force. Seems to me like he was asking for help, blinking morse code at the audience.
Bogusky B-Cycle’s to B-Bros.
Monday, February 23rd, 2009Alex Bogusky is an ad man of some renown. That’s all well and good if you’ve got a product to sell. But he’s up to something more than interrupting and selling gypsy wares. He’s also interrupting and attempting to shift a behavior that has an enormously negative impact on the planet – driving. He isn’t doing it with a Truth style campaign though. He, along with Humana and Trek bicycles, are doing it with B-Cycle. It’s an uber dialed bike sharing plan. He is coming to Austin on 13 March to share the vision with SXSW interactive conference attendees.
We are gathering a group of Austinites that can help him see this vision to fruition. As a bike friendly office with two full time bike commuters rolling in and out each day we’d love to see it go. If you want Austin on the B-Cycle map get off your Facebook and get over here. If you have any great ideas for how to drive grassroots awareness of this mission drop us a comment, tweet it, or just launch it into the universe in your own special way.