The almighty and powerful . . .

Just yesterday in my tweet stream I came across a blog post by Thomas Frey, Senior Futurist at the DaVinci Institute, and Google's top rated futurist speaker, entitled Shifting Trends and the World Ahead. It was written in December of 2008 and spoke about fourteen trends to look for in 2009 and beyond. Now personally I'm not a big fan of futurists but at a minimum many of them provide interesting conversation topics worth discussing, debating, and maybe even debunking.

As we look at how technology has begun to slowly change the power of the market into the hands of the individual consumer, Thomas' third trend definitely caught my eye. . . 

The Coming “Empire of One.” As a general rule, 7 percent of the recently jobless will attempt to start their own businesses. While those who create our next breakaway success story will be but a tiny fraction of this phenomenon, we will see a strong entrepreneurial push and a realignment of the systems supporting entrepreneurs.

With financial markets being pinched, the most popular form of startup will be the Empire of One, one-person businesses with far reaching influence. Technology is driving a trend of placing unprecedented power and capability into the hands of the individual. That trend coupled with sky-rocketing costs of employment make this a perfect environment for a no-employee business to thrive.

Look for rapid growth of support structures, management systems, and outsourcing options. Even colleges and traditional business schools will see this emerging trend and start to teach courses on one-person entrepreneurship.

Now, from my perspective the question isn't will this trend happen, or how long will it continue for (it is here to and changing the landscape as we speak), it is how profound of an impact will it make?

Only time will tell.

A very cool gift . . .

Everyday gifts are given and received; a hug, a bit of advice, a homemade, chocolate chip cookie, a cd of an incredible music group, a link to an amazing website, and the list goes on.

So for me, I feel a gift I've received, is simply to be alive during these amazing times.  A time where, change is happening literally in front of our eyes, where technology is allowing previously unimaginable possibilities, possible, and where community has the ability to not only exist just within our neighborhoods, but also across the world. 

The music video below, shot for the song 'Hibi no Neiro' (Tone of Everyday) from the Japanese band Sour, is an awesome example of all of this.

The cast were selected from the actual Sour fan base, from many countries around the world. Each person and scene was filmed purely via web cam - Very cool!

Not quite gift wrapped, but a little present from me to you. I hope you enjoy!

Lyrics

Your heart that gently reflects in the puddle
is your tone, as you pass through the maze of everyday

Footsteps of spring
the city starts adding color
The melody flows LE LU LA LI
Through the colored lenses

ReggaeDubHiphopTechnoLatin
Between the waves of all the different values
JazzRockPops Category no more
Whats the most important thing?

Spinning and turning on the overpass
as we overtake that season
this and that, which color is your melody?
Sometimes you could get confused

ReggaeDubHiphopTechnoLatin
Between the waves of all different values
JazzRockPops Category no more
What are you thinking of now?

If we can embrace all the differences
It will shine the sky in rainbow colors
Your heart that gently reflects in the puddle
is your tone, as you pass through the maze of everyday

You can see it in any color, because of your clear feeling
Don't worry about it, lets just go as we are.
If we can embrace all the differences
The rain will stop, and the sky will shines in rainbow colors

Your heart that gently reflects in the puddle
is your tone, as you pass through the maze of everyday
You can see it in any color, because of your clear feeling
Let your tone shine like the rainbow

Pass through the maze of everyday
And start playing your tone

Whoooaaa. . .

Hey folks, I just went to see Avatar last night. . .

In-cre-di-ble. The movie is OUTSTANDING, on so many levels!

No amount of words or explanation can capture how good this film is (just go see it). From a Cnvrgnc perspective (leveraging emerging trends at the intersection of business, technology and culture to create remarkable products, services and experiences) it's an awesome example of new and innovative thinking.  

• Business - as both a product and an experience (I saw it in 3-D. . .woooww. . .), the movie is definitely a gamechanger.
• Technology - The movie merges performance-capture (a souped-up version of motion-capture) with live action shot in 3-D, using cameras invented by Cameron.
• Culture - In the US our foundational concept is on the identity and the rights of the individual. With Avatar, it juxtaposes that with the exploration of the power of the collective.

As is the case with any storytelling, wondrous images always enhance the relationship between the narrative and the audience. . .either imagined or beautifully depicted. . .

Additionally in order to create a truly powerful idea, story, or movement, the amount of attention paid to details has to be sophisticated to the point that it potentially becomes painful.  Cameron not only directed an absolutely incredible film about a new planet called Pandora, but he created an entirely new world.

On a final note, what really strikes me about this work that Cameron has put together, is that it's a timely piece of entertainment that reflects, in a very intimate, yet otherworldly way, the shifts that are taking place right now in the market: the power of the masses, sustainable thinking, and technology as a powerful and innovative tool (to name a few). He incorporates these themes in a very sophisticated and thought provoking way, while also providing some outright cool and kick ass entertainment!

By no stretch of the imagination am i a big James Cameron fan, but, bravo James, freakin' bravo. . .

Be fluid. . . be Transient

Everything in life is transient.  The only thing that stays the same is change.  Trends come and go (some more permanent than others), so you must constantly be flexible and adaptive. You must be open to new ideas, new people and new experiences. 

Enter Transient, a hot clothing line (I love that brand name!  So apropos for the times) by my boy Bill Johnson. It's also the official clothing line of Cnvrgnc (well not actually, but maybe Bill will step on board as our fashion and style sponsor!)

I've recently teamed up with Society SHAE of New York to bring you the creative community of DC - Flip Mino sponsors SHAE and they hooked me up with the camera I used to shoot the interview. .. it's a hot little video cam!

So my first project was to check out my good friend Bill, of Bill Johnson Studio and talk with him about the hot designs he's creating for the fashion world. He and his work have been featured in Elle, Essence, and DC Modern Luxury magazine (to name a few) as well as appearing on HGTV's Modern Masters.  Keep your eye on Mr. Johnson. . .

Check it out I hope you enjoy!

The defintion of: a BRAND

Sometimes there is no point to re-invent the wheel.

I could easily come up with my own definition, but as he often does, Seth Godin expertly and succinctly captures the essence of a concept.  In this instance its a brand.

. . .A brand is the set of expectations, memories, stories and relationships that, taken together, account for a consumer’s decision to choose one product or service over another. If the consumer (whether it’s a business, a buyer, a voter or a donor) doesn’t pay a premium, make a selection or spread the word, then no brand value exists for that consumer. 

A brand's value is merely the sum total of how much extra people will pay, or how often they choose, the expectations, memories, stories and relationships of one brand over the alternatives.

A brand used to be something else. It used to be a logo or a design or a wrapper. Today, that’s a shadow of the brand, something that might mark the brand’s existence. But just as it takes more than a hat to be a cowboy, it takes more than a designer prattling on about texture to make a brand. If you’ve never heard of it, if you wouldn’t choose it, if you don’t recommend it, then there is no brand, at least not for you.

This pretty much sums it up.

Thanks Seth.