This is Big Fucking Logo’s first ever video which means you get to see Fernando live and in person. Man, does he walk funny.

This is a talk I gave at ignite Denver about how teaching people how to sell themselves will change the world for the better. Kisses!

1. You’re always adding new content and sharing that content with others so you build a much larger audience for your work.

2. It’s easier to show your personality in a blog than it is in a traditional portfolio site, and it’s easier for people to get attached to personality than it is for them to get attached to work.

3. Broadcasting your personality also makes it far easier to attract like-minded people whom you love working with.

4. Most people aren’t using a blog for their portfolio, so you stand out. Read more…

I saw Brandi speak about how easy it is to start a business doing what you love at Pecha Kucha in Denver and ever since I’ve been a huge fan of hers. If you ever get to meet Brandi you see right away how her ebullience melts obstacles and makes it possible for her to not only be a creative entrepreneur herself but to also help tons of other creative entrepreneurs through Fashion Denver. If you live in Denver, Brandi teaches “Do What You Love, Love What You Do” classes that are inspiring, affordable and of course, super fun. You can read about them right here. So here, in her own words and in a lovely shade of plum, is Brandi’s launch story. Read more…

The other day at work I met a girl; let’s call her Anne. Anne is temping at the front desk and she saved my ass by sending a fax for me. As we talked, I realized that Anne has way more personality than 90% of the people that I meet. I was intrigued, so I struck up a conversation. It turns out she went to film school in Kentucky and then moved out to California to pursue her dream of getting into film. As is typical of major Universities, UK didn’t prepare her too well for the quotidian details of breaking into the business. She spent her first 8 months in California temping for the University of California in their food services department. But now she’s at a major ad agency at the front desk for 3 weeks. This is her big chance. So I ask her, “Do you realize we have an entire production department upstairs?” Read more…

Dan Balser is a freelance Creative Director, head of the Advertising Department at the Creative Circus and the creator of Don’t Get Me Started, a biweekly podcast where he interviews advertising professionals like Dan Wieden, Amir Farhang, and Susan Corbo. I write Launch Stories to inspire you to launch your own project but listening to Dan’s podcast will light a fire under you because of the passion, dedication and love his guests share. My words are in black, Dan’s are in dijon mustard. And if you’d like to check out his podcast, go to http://balserville.com or go to the iTunes store and search “Dan Balser.”

Good morning Dan! Would you start by describing Don’t Get Me Started for people who haven’t heard the podcast?

The show is a chat between ad-biz veterans. It’s more about our lives and careers than about trends in the industry. It’s supposed to feel like the listener is eavesdropping on two seasoned ad professionals, talking over beers. Read more…

The biggest problem with traditional portfolio websites is that they aren’t built to accommodate new content on a weekly basis. If they’re built using flash, it’s hard to find them with search engines or optimize them for SEO. And too often these sites focus on the work at the expense of the person who created it. Read more…

“People are taking the piss out of you everyday. They butt into your life, take a cheap shot at you and then disappear. They leer at you from tall buildings and make you feel small. They make flippant comments from buses that imply you’re not sexy enough and that all the fun is happening somewhere else. They are on TV making your girlfriend feel inadequate. They have access to the most sophisticated technology the world has ever seen and they bully you with it. They are The Advertisers and they are laughing at you. Read more…

It’s easy to lose touch with the purity of advertising, but I believe staying in touch with the purity of advertising will make your work better and your spirits more buoyant.

The craft of selling has been practiced rather forcibly by some unsavory characters in our culture. That doesn’t make selling bad. In our current economic structure, selling is the only way to provide for yourself. We help people provide for themselves. That, to me, is pure, honest, full of integrity and beneficial for the common welfare. Read more…

It amazes me that ad people bitch. But man do they bitch. They bitch a lot.

It amazes me because we are trained to be creative problem solvers. Bitching does not solve problems. And it doesn’t demand much creativity. Read more…