SJSU: Hone Your Presentation Skills w/MCOM 181A - 04

JMC is offering a new, 1-unit course in presentation skills this semester. The course will be taught by the schools most fabulous professor, Denise Delaney.

Topics covered in the course:

Slide design
Connecting w/your audience
Using handouts
Looking the part
Posture
Rehearsing
Managing nervous energy

Anyone remotely interested in advertising should take this course. Presenting is key to climbing the ladder at any agency - those who master the art of speaking in an engaging manner are the ones who get promoted fastest. Think of it this way, the more time you spend in front of an audience the less likely you'll be a bumbling mess in front of your boss (which then equals less money you spend at the bar trying to forget it).

The course runs from March 10th - April 28th from 6-8:45pm on Tuesday evenings. If you're interested in the course, you must register by Feb. 10.

See Sylvia in the JMC office or contact Professor Delaney at dd@brandingclass.com for an add code.

And I'm back . . . With a Purpose

So I'm fresh off three presentations at San Jose State University where I spoke with students in the advertising program about how to land an internship at an agency. With two more to go and one workshop on resume building/essay writing I'm hoping that more students will become excited about the possibilities that the advertising program @ SJSU affords them.

If you attended any of the presentations, please don't hesitate to use this blog as an open forum for questions you may have about anything I discussed. Remember - there are no stupid questions.

Also - I'm in the beginning stages of launching a new branch of this blog that you may find useful in your own endeavors into the ad world.

Until then, I look forward to the next chapter of this blog and to helping plant more SJSU students at agencies.

Life After AAF - NSAC

Warning: This is probably the most personal blog I've posted (don't get used to it).

It's been two days since San Jose State's NSAC team (Kismet) placed 3rd in the District 14 competition and I must admit that I'm enjoying my cup of coffee this morning.

I'll admit that I joined the team for all the wrong reasons - fame, glory and another trophy on my resume. What I got instead was the most genuine understanding of what working with a great team of people is all about.

For months, we poured our souls into the campaign - we scratched/butted/pounded our heads over every detail until we had created a message that we knew would send shivers down ones spine.

Coffee never tasted so good

New York - A Huge Pill

I've taken the past few days off since returning from New York City to reflect on the madness that occurred within a weeks time. To say that my life has changed in the previous week would undermine everything that I experienced. To sum it up - New York was my alarm call.

For the past few months, maybe even the past few years, I've allowed myself to fall into a life of complacency - driven mostly by my ego and most definitely by laziness. It's easy to be one of the "best" in a city like San Jose - thankfully New York gave me a big sister "Nu uh!"

In addition to a much needed reality check, New York has provided me with some really great stories. Let me start off with the creation of the term Bartended.

Background: Chuck (a long-time friend, confidante, and fellow lush), his sister Jennifer and I decide to go out for drinks at Splash, New York's answer to the utterly cookie-cutter gay bar. On this particular night the majority of the bar patrons were singing along to The Wiz, Cabaret and Chorus Line (just to name a few). To avoid the sing-a-long madness, the three of us decided to go downstairs. There, we found solace in cozy couches and expensive drinks. After two jack & cokes, we all saw Brian - the bartender from Jersey. Clad in translucent white chonies - we all thought we had found the most perfect man on earth. The remainder of the night Brian served up mean drinks, flirted with Jen and let me touch his pectorals - this was on top of the free drinks he shelled out. By the end of the night - I was drunk, Chuck was poor, and Jennifer was in love.

So we went back the next night.

This time we made a bee-line straight to Brian. However, the Brian from the night before (the one who melted Jen Jen's heart and made Chuck and I say Mmm mmm mmm) was not anywhere to be found. Instead - the Brian we found was arrogant, shallow and wearing different undies! Needless to say, we left early. In the cramped quarters of a cab - Jennifer proclaimed: We've been bartended!

Bartended (v.): the process by which a bartender flirts, flits and flutters into a customers mind, body and soul with the purpose of getting the most buck for his bang.

Don't even think of hijacking this definition - it's my Urban Dictionary!

Moving on - As part of the SJSU Ad group, I was granted the opportunity to meet with representatives from Deutsch NYC and McCann Erickson. Both agencies made us feel at home and gave presentations that demonstrated each agencies strengths and gave us an overview of many of the departments within an agency. I couldn't have been more happy with the information that each bestowed upon us - particularly the advice given for those of us going into art direction (if you're wondering - I love copy).

At the recommendation of a McCanner, I spent a night gyrating to one of the best sets I've heard in a while at the Marquee. Admittedly, I've been so out of the club scene since leaving LA last summer (perhaps even longer). So the notion of working the line and a promoter was daunting, particularly because I was solo. Needless to say - I must have seemed completely eager and so uncool because I showed up at 10:30 or so. After a few sips of Jameson, the awkwardness quickly faded and before I knew it I was slurring directions to a cab driver - I love this slurred language, it's so ridiculous scandalous!

The rest of the trip was quite a blur - but there is one story that I may share with you at a later date (as I am quickly finding this blog to be entirely too long - but then again, it's been entirely too long since I've really blogged).

I just want to say a friendly San Josian Hello to the Catalonians, Mr. 7 years later (aka Mr. Catherine Malandrino), Mr.Tag, Miss.Iliveacrossthestreetfromagaybarandwilldoanythingforsex, and Lilly (who has been on my ass for weeks now to get this thing going again).


In the weeks to come, look forward to a new direction with this blog. As I am feeling completely revived from hibernation, I will be discussing all things from great advertising, the ad industry, magazine spreads/articles that rock and of course, the weekly meal I treat myself for a job-well-done at the end of every week. That's not too hard to swallow now, is it?

Drinking Coffee Elsewhere: Other than SJSU

I was asked to review another candidate for San Jose State Universities Campus Reading Program. Drinking Coffee Elsewhere is a series of short-stories by ZZ Packer.


The collection of short stories found in Drinking Coffee Elsewhere is rich with events that people often live but rarely have the talent (or courage) to write. As someone who enjoys the slice of life genre that Packer has so eloquently composed, I would highly recommend reading Drinking Coffee Elsewhere, but not as part of the San Jose State University Campus Reading Program.

The themes of Packer’s stories revolve around African-Americans and women, both of which need people with a strong voice to bring attention to their stories. However, I feel that a work of fiction whose focus is so narrow would alienate many of the students at SJSU and would recycle ideas that the majority of the student population has already been exposed to. This would go against the very idea of what I believe this program should be about, which is to generate discussion of problems unique to our generation. This is not to say that the struggles of African-Americans and women are of no concern to the student body, but rather these issues have had their opportunity to be discussed. My fear, if the committee chooses Drinking Coffee Elsewhere, is that many students will tune out before they take the time to read Packers work.

Furthermore, the idea of presenting a series of short stories to the students of SJSU and expecting them to read them all in their entirety is an absurd notion. Though there is a common thread in the stories, they are unique to themselves and would present a difficult challenge to most students, in the event they are assigned work related to the book. On a more personal note – think about how you read a collection of short stories. Do you read them from cover to cover? Do you read all of them? Chances are you read the ones that interest you and leave the others alone. To assign every story in Drinking Coffee Elsewhere would go against the principles of how one should read such a collection. With that said, I encourage you to select a different book for the Campus Reading Program, but please, do spread the word of the undeniable talent of ZZ Packer.


Miss Packer - if you come across this, I aspire to write even 1/10 as well as you ...no, 1/20.

Oryx and Crake - One step closer to 33,000 sold

The following is a letter/review I did for Margaret Atwood's novel, Oryx and Crake. It is up for the SJSU campus wide reading program. With a student body of 33,000+, the author whose work is chosen will be blessed with a high volume of book sales and the opportunity to speak at a university that is making a name for itself.



I find myself thinking often about the speculative nature of Margaret Atwood’s Oryx and Crake since I was approached with the task of reviewing it from a students’ perspective. Simply put, the book is haunting. It’s a glimpse into a future that I fear (as we all should) but one that can become a reality. Atwood’s writing is fluid and beautifully descriptive while maintaining a core of truth.

There are moments when I have woken up with my morning cup of coffee reading the news, where I’d have, an “oh shit” moment – you know the almost frightening déjà vu that takes over and you can almost hear someone saying, “I told you so.” This is the feeling I’ve had ever since reading Atwood’s book and for very good reasons. Atwood’s story of the future is one that has roots in the present. Her novel dives into the effects of a world that we are now shaping – everything from cloning, biotechnology, genetics, child pornography and social division. As a student and inhabitant of a world that is evolving rapidly, the topics Atwood addresses are conducive to discussions that those at the university level should be prepared to share. For those students (and faculty) who have little exposure to the topics that Atwood explores, Oryx and Crake is a great introduction.

Naturally, the committee making the final decision on which book to choose for 33,000 students needs to take into account the functionality for such a broad student body. Atwood’s novel presents contemporary ideas that are universal to most, if not all SJSU students. Not to say that every person who reads Oryx and Crake will have such a disturbing revelation as I have had over a cup of coffee, but I do feel that everyone who reads Atwood’s novel will walk away with something much more than, “Geez, that was a good book.”

The effects of MCOM 72: A change in Media Consumption

Within the past seven months, I've quit a nice paying job, kissed LA goodbye, been laid off and started a blog. The blog, not surprisingly, has been one of the highlights of my first semester at SJSU. I admit, I didn't expect much when I was enrolling for MCOM 72, or any of my other courses in the School of Journalism and Mass Communications, however, that is no longer the case. With the blog and the guidance of some really terrific professors, I can say that the media I now consume is much more rich and substantial.


In September, I told you that I consumed Craigslist, Paula Deen's Home Cooking, Flaunt and stolen music - and all with food. Most of that still holds true, especially the food part. However, I can say that in addition to those listed, I am now a huge fan of gossip blogs. Thanks to Lilly, who directed me to Pink Is the New Blog, I have been feasting on the tastiest of celebrity dish. Spurred on to find others like it, I came across Go Fug Yourself, The Defamer and Jossip (all listed under "Chisme" in my blogroll - Spanish slang for gossip for you gringos).


In addition to blogs, I have also become an avid reader. This is in part to Mitch Berman, creative writing professor at SJSU. He introduced myself and about 15 other students to Neil Gaiman and since then, I've been devouring his books left and right. If you were one of the fortunate ones to hear Neil read in November then you know of the spell this man has cast upon us - he's just fucking brilliant, and rather attractive, I might add.

One of the things that has changed since that initial blog, is that I no longer steal music. That's right, Limewire is no-longer a part of my routine. After the class discussions we had on the music industry, I felt a bit dirty for ripping music, particularly, from musicians who probably make far less money than I do. To compensate for this, I've started an account with Rhapsody where I can stream music, on my desktop and throughout my house. I was initially skeptical that they would not have many of the musicians that I love - The Rentals, Figurine, Peaches, Antony and the Johnsons, and Kraftwerk. To my surprise, they do - and so much more! Well worth the $9.99/month.

Another change in my consumption occured with my viewing habits. I underestimated the amount of time I would need to put into going to a university - and like most college students, found myself constantly unable to watch my favorite shows. Thankfully, I am now a subscriber to TiVo, which has changed my viewing habits so that the television now revolves around my schedule - I never have to miss Medium or Project Runway now!

My subscription to Netflix has also changed my consumption of movies. Growing up in LA, you take for granted all the opportunities to watch some really great films. It wasn't until I moved to San Jose that I felt completely out of the loop. This is where Netflix has really helped out, because now, I can just log onto Netflix.com, and place movies in my que, even before they're released.

Since enrolling in MCOM 72, I am beginning to understand the media machine. It is much more than just TV, Film and Radio - New Media is rapidly changing the way that we recieve and process information, and this course is a perfect example of how it is doing just that. As far as continuing to blog - I'll be playing with a few ideas in the next few weeks as to the direction I would like to take it in.

At this time I'd like to point out two classmates whose blogs I have really enjoyed reading. First, Kelley Lugea. Her insights are always enlightening and her writing fresh, clear and concise. Secondly, Amir Masood. He's got a knack for wit, dry humor and has a clever approach to writing. I've had an opportunity to work with both of these individuals on group projects - they have what it takes and I encourage them and the rest of you to keep on pushing your talents - GO SJSU!