I spoke to a class of university film students at Biola University in Los Angeles, who asked me to give them some career advice before graduation. A friend, award winning advertising writer David Morgenstern, shared some tips with me for the class that he had given to USC film students a few years ago, and they were so fantastic, I wanted to share them with you: ... read more

Listen to these quotes

Question: "If you could live forever, would you and why?"
Answer: "I would not live forever, because we should not live forever, because if we were supposed to live forever, then we would live forever, but we cannot live forever, which is why I would not live forever."
--Miss Alabama in the 1994 Miss USA contest.

"Smoking kills. If you're killed, you've lost a very important part of your life." ... read more

Matthew PhllipsMatthew Phillips pointed out this list from Evan Williams blog on "10 Rules for Web Startups". It's been around for awhile, but the list is still right on. Truth is, sounds like most are good rules for starting up any media company. I'd love to hear your thoughts. What's your experience? ... read more

Charlotte, NCAs the debates on healthcare, military defense, Acorn, and other issues fill the news, I'm seeing more and more questionable sources cited. I'm reminded that a couple of years ago, watching the evening "Eyewitness News" on WSOC-TV Channel 9 in Charlotte, North Carolina I heard an interesting statement from anchor reporter Kim Brattain. The station was covering a story in Charlotte where a small child was put in the care of three 20-something men only to have the men "get distracted," resulting in the child eating a significant quantity of the guy's cocaine. I guess they just kept their stash laying around on the coffee table. Needless to say, ... read more

Beethoven re-wrote each piece of music he created at least a dozen times...

Historians have discovered over 2,000 preliminary drawings of the Michaelangelo's "Last Judgement"... ... read more

Los Angeles comedy writer and performer Dan Rupple has discovered the media's shift toward narrowcasting has even effected the world of comedy. Rupple says today's audiences want it fast, want it their way, and want it random. Just as the old "mass" media model of creating one program and sending it out to a mass audience is quickly dying, so is the idea of a mass audience for comedy. With the advent of personal digital devices, downloadable media, and narrowcasting, audiences are looking for ... read more

As a television and film producer and director based in Burbank, California - the home of global entertainment giants like Warner Brothers Studios, Walt Disney Studios, NBC, Nickelodeon, The Cartoon Network, and more, I meet a lot of Christians who come to Hollywood to seek their fame and fortune. There's no question that Christian media professionals can make an impact in the entertainment industry, and we shouldn't shy away from putting our imprint as people of faith in that arena. ... read more

Recently, I spoke to a class of film students at Biola University in Los Angeles, who asked me to give them some career advice before graduation. My friend, award winning advertising writer David Morgenstern, shared some tips with me for the class that he had given to USC film students a few years ago, and they were so fantastic, I wanted to share them with you. ... read more

For a long time I've encouraged my clients to use customer's personal stories more effectively. In my experience for instance, phone response rises in infomercials during personal testimonies. Apparently a host can talk all day about a product, but when the viewer sees someone like him or her actually using the product, something clicks. They think, "Hey - if it works for him, maybe it will work for me." That's why I counsel product manufacturers, non-profit organizations, churches, and ministries to ... read more

I work with a few clients who feel like "the more the better" with creative work. They want everyone they can think of to be part of our creative or marketing meetings. But when it comes to brainstorming and creative teams, Jeff Bezos at Amazon.com says to keep them small.

Usually, when I'm involved in creative meetings with clients, most organizations want 20-30 people in the meetings and that's just too large ... read more

Aside from directing and producing numerous television programs and films, over the years I've also had the opportunity to help various churches and ministries begin media outreaches. From weekly television programs, to one-hour specials, to television commercial and advertising campaigns, I've worked with all types of Christian organizations, helping them take a message of hope to a culture desperately in need. In most cases, when I receive a call from a pastor, evangelist, or other ministry leader, thei ... read more

Fun site of the week: Who's Alive and Who's Dead. If you love the old TV stars we grew up with, this site will tell you who's still left on the earth and who's passed on. Check it out. It lists by individual and by show. Who thinks of this stuff? ... read more

Media professionals remember that back in the days of the legendary battle between videotape formats VHS and Betamax, the final victory was won by VHS, but few know why. The reason, according to industry experts was that the porn industry made the decision to move to VHS, and because they were such a powerful force in video sales, Betamax (which many experts believed was a better technical format) disappeared off the scene. ... read more

If you've ever been in a branding meeting or workshop with me, you've heard me talk about "unifying the brand." My contention is that with 90% of major (and minor) organizations, if you look at the website, print advertising, TV promotions and programming, podcasts, and more, they could all be coming from five or six different organizations. None look similar, often are completely different looking, and only occasionally ... read more

When it comes to employees, I often encounter religious organizations and non-profits who have an "us against them" mentality. Rather than creating an environment of creativity and innovation, they believe a culture of domination works better. So for all you religious and non-profits that still try to "manage by fear and respect," here's some highlights from a Wall Street Journal article by Joann Lubin describing the techniques of innovative ad agency "Mother" in the U.K.: ... read more

I work in the media business, but there are plenty of times I agree with the Kill Your Television website - especially during an election year. But before you throw a brick through your screen, check out the site. It might just be theraputic... ... read more

With the upcoming release of my new book, and the more I study branding as it relates to non-profits, churches, and ministries, the more I'm drawn back to religion itself. Over and over, branding experts point to religious faith as the template for real branding. Here's a few interesting insights from Martin Lindstrom on the religious context of branding. I'd be curious about your thoughts on the issue... ... read more

Are your commercials working? If they're not, it's probably because your writing needs real work. Most commercial writers fall into repeating the same old repetitive phrases that always worked before, and the truth is, today, when it comes to commercials on religious television, it seems like they're all written by the same guy. I've been writing spots for religious and non-profit television since the late 70's, so I've seen a few, and I'm growing tired of the same old "Christian Lingo." That's why this advice from advertising teacher Roy Williams hit a chord: ... read more

As 2008 comes closer, I want to throw out a few statements that I'd like you to be thinking about. I want to write about each of them more fully in the near future, but let me toss out a few controversial topics and see if you agree that each one is something we need to confront: ... read more

I've been invited to be a presenter at the "Rethink Conference" January 17-19 at the Crystal Cathedral in Garden Grove, California. With a speaking roster like Erwin McManus, Charles Colson, Rupert Murdoch, Larry King, Dan Kimball, Robert Schuller, Kay Warren, Gary Smalley, George Bush Sr., Henry Cloud, and many more (including yours truly), it should be an interesting and innovative conference indeed. I'd love to see you there. ... read more