G Routine

The withdrawal from skiing can be hard during the summer, especially the first month after lifts close. Luckily Nimbus Independent is here to make it just a little easier with the release of their third “Hunting Yeti” webisode.

This latest installment has a fun, end of the season feel. Watch as the Nimbus Crew packs up their gear and heads out for some volcano camping on Mount St. Helens and Mt. Hood. Nothing like campfires, hot dogs and PBR during sunset sessions. Then there’s playing on a cornice, doing natural wall rides. Also check out Chris Benchetlers neighborhood as the group converges on Mammoth Mountain, meets up with Garrett Russell and gets laps in at Snowboarder Magazines Superpark.

I have to say Eric Pollard, the Crew and I have been working hard. We just finished tons of forms, copy writing, the teaser, box art, print ads and a big PR kit. Well, I still have a little bit to do but we've accomplished a lot in the last couple weeks. The teaser and a bunch more information will be posted in another two weeks. Have to let webisode 3 breathe for a little while. On behalf of the Nimbus Crew, we hope you enjoy the latest installment.

Webisode 3, Part 1:

Webisode 3, Part 2:

To view the webisode in all it's glory, go to our producer page at www.rip.tv/nimbusindependent and you can download it as an iPod or HD computer version. It has more footage and a full credit run.

Posted by Gary at 08:00 AM | Permalink

If you live in the northwest, chances are you've seen it. You just didn't know what it was. Look around and you'll see the iconic symbol of an old Tucker snow cat. This image was made into stickers and placed all over Seattle and other cities to bring the magical feeling of the mountains into the city. The idea behind this was that an image could contain intrinsic value and could affect humans on a sub-conscious, archetypal level. It's safe to say the stickers were a hit.

As different people joined the movement, the stickers organically spread out around the world. It's amazing the different places you may spy one of the many Spacecraft stickers. I was at a friends wedding last summer, deep outside of Winthrop at a horse ranch. Beautiful setting, miles from anything and there it was on the back side of a stop sign, bam, a Spacecraft sticker.

But what is Spacecraft really? It's a vision of creativity, purpose, and the blending of different themes by an artist whose communication medium just happens to be stickers, posters, hand knit beanies, t-shirts, sweat shirts, jackets, belts, wallets, bags, and other collectables. Which to me is interesting coming from an industry that's similar but sort of in reverse. Where other companies are manufacturers first, who then hire artists to create designs for their products. I would compare it a little to street graffiti artists. It isn't about money, it's about sharing art and a creative vision with people. It's an answer to the question of how to display ones work and reach as many people as possible. I really like the Spacecraft look and feel. It combines natural and man-made elements from where water touches the shore, into the city and onward into the snow covered mountains. It's a totally unique blend that's hard to categorize, so I'll stop trying.

So who's vision is it? The artist who took that iconic picture of the snow cat, Stefan Hofmann. From what I know, Stefan took what was an idea or art project and it sort of organically turned into a functional, profitable business while maintaining creative integrity. He draws influence from life, with sports like skateboarding, climbing, surfing and snowboarding to experiences traveling throughout Asia and exposing himself to other cultures. Then somewhere along the journey Stefan meet Sarah O'Brien Parker and together they put together a capable crew, sharing their creative vision for the last six years. Spacecraft has two space stations, one in Seattle and another in Bali.

Check out the Bali office, now that's a great work environment.

It's an amazing story, one which I can barely scratch the surface of in a blog. I guess I just like companies with a true and meaningful purpose. I'm drawn to brands that are a mixture of art, fashion, imagery, sport, community, and culture. "The Story" is explained as the following: "Spacecraft is cultural mythologies. Spacecraft is visual propaganda. Spacecraft is dreams and reflections. Spacecraft is Godzilla reruns, spicy noodles, jet-lag, peeling waves and 18 inches of fresh snow. Spacecraft is a story in progress. Spacecraft combines recurring characters, themes, images and ideas to create an ever-changing, ancient narrative that hasn't been written yet."

Yeah I know that sounds pretty deep, but pretty cool too. It has passion and purpose. It's a strong brand, surrounded by and made up of good people with an outstanding product. That's why I'm so excited to have the opportunity to work for Spacecraft. The G Brand has partnered with Spacecraft, which now becomes my second client. I'm so happy to be focusing my efforts on Spacecraft and Nimbus Independent, it's a career dream come true.

Check out the following Spacecraft video. Click HERE to check out their website.

Posted by Gary at 06:16 PM | Permalink

History has been made. A black man has clinched the democratic nomination for the President of the United States of America. I will admit, I lacked some hope in the beginning, that Barack could beat Hillary Clinton. I just didn't think it would be possible. But what appeared impossible, became possible. The Obama team still has a long and hard road ahead of them, but I believe he win the Presidency.

I think it's not just the fact a black man won the nomination, but how he did it. He appealed to Americans of all races, not just African Americans. Granted he could position himself this way because he comes from a multi-ethnic background. If Barack hadn't had a white mother, it would have been more difficult. But he didn't run as a black man, he ran as an American with a diverse background.

Obama's campaign has inspired me to get involved in the democratic process. Look out friends, I'll be talking a lot of politics and looking to debate our countries issues over a few beers or at a barbeque. I really hope he wins.

There is an opportunity for Americans to openly discuss the state of our nation. We could have some of the most important and healthy discussions that we seem to have avoided the past decade. We have two very different candidates running for the top office. We need to stay focused on important issues and not get side tracked by spinsters and the media focusing on 'reality show' type drama. I don't want to hear about McCain having lobbyist on his team, what preachers endorse him, or the trials of Obama's church and pastor. As citizens, we need to try to keep ourselves and the media focused on what's important.

Okay, so what's important. We need to talk about the war in Iraq and America's standing in the Middle East and world, we need to talk about health care, the economy, our education system, fixing our infrastructure, the environment, mass transit, balancing the budget, homelessness, poverty, border security, our military and veterans and equality for those living within our borders.

How I would love to see Obama, if not somebody just list and state our countries problems. Although Obama is inspirational in his speeches, we need to define our failings and problems. How can we begin to address what needs to be fixed until we define the problems. To agree as Americans what the biggest problems are. That will unite us, to fix what's wrong and establish common goals. We have had eight years of mistakes, compounded by propaganda and misinformation that will be very hard to fix. It won't happen quickly. It has to be fixed from the top down and the bottom up. We need the president, politicians and people to create a movement. We need to have somebody like Obama build the bridge, inspire a nation and bring about positive change.

Funny, as I write this I could go on for a long time. But I keep hearing the voices of friends who recommend I stay away from politics on my blog. Why? Let's not fight over the issues, lets discuss them openly and challenge each other on our beliefs. Educate yourselves, pick up and read both candidates books. Just become active in the process.

Posted by Gary at 08:40 AM | Permalink

The time has come and the second webisode is ready for your viewing. Once again my friend Eric Pollard created an amazing edit. He and the whole Nimbus Crew again delivers a film that's a true joy to watch. I hope you like it as much as I do, but then again I'm a little biased.

Part 1: The Nimbus crew gasses up, grabs their snowmobiles and heads north to explore the backcountry of Whistler, BC. Here they team up with pro snowboarder Shin Campos for a tour of his favorite zones, hitting pillows, cliffs, and natural features.

Part 2: The Nimbus crew continues to showcase their backcountry snowmobiling skills with road trips to Sonora, CA and Cooke City, MT.

To download the full-length version for you iPod or computer, go HERE

Posted by Gary at 09:32 PM | Permalink

The wait is over! It’s been two months since Nimbus Independent premiered their first installment of a five part webisode series titled, “Hunting Yeti”. Now on April 15th, the Nimbus crew delivers another stellar episode of documented ski culture and filmmaking. Witness the crew of Pep Fujas, Chris Benchetler, Andy Mahre, Ike Smith, Justin Wiegand, Eric Pollard, Christian Sirianni, and Shin Campos as they hit the backcountry slopes around Whistler, BC, Sonora, CA and Cooke City, MT.

The second webisode takes you more behind the scenes with injuries, travel challenges, down days, herding Bison and the crew’s snowmobiling skills, while maintaining the same signature vibe only Pollard edits bring. Also returning are some original music tracks from H-Mob Productions, the group that brought you the original soundtrack to the debut film “IDEA”.

Having previewed the episode, I can tell you it just keeps getting better. This one has more backcountry freestyle skiing with huge kickers, natural booters, and lots of air time. It's a seriously talented group of people.

Posted by Gary at 07:30 AM | Permalink

After a fun evening hanging out with the local Valdezians, we awoke to almost totally blue skis. We were packed, ready to go and out the door at 8:00am. Today was probably one of my top all-time ski days.

Nothing like touring the Chugach with the legendary Dean Cummings. Amazing pace and a great variety of runs today. A little deep, ultra blower powder, some nice long chutes, and some of the steepest terrain I've ever skied in my life.

Here's a couple photo's from the day.

Here's a shot of Harvey in the helicopter on the ride out. It's almost more of a self-portrait with the reflection in his goggles.

At the bottom of our first run, we looked up to see the shelf of our second run. We landed the heli on top where the black arrow is pointing.

This is what the same run looks like from the top. Can you say amazing?

Dean Cummings shows Matt Harvey his line and where to stop.

Here's after Harvey skied it.

The above image is the view of the mountains from the top of our 4th run. A super long blower pow run over a bunch of rollers down through a bunch of crevasses. The next couple shots are all of the same run, until the last image which is of the same mountain range but on the glacier bottom.

We trade off each run on who gets to go first. Here's the first turns of the run.

This is the view looking up the run we just skied down. Scale and perspective are so different in AK. Things that look small are actually twice as big as they seem.

And this last image is from the pick-up zone on the glacier, pointing towards the same peaks as the image previously.

I didn't post the image here, but we skied some super steep true Alaska terrain today. The kind you hear about and see in the movies, about 50-55 degrees. Dean our guide told us before we dropped in, "this is serious guys, hands out in front, take your time, don't make a turn unless you are 110% sure you're going to make it, and whatever you do, this is not a place to fall. This is the real deal." I'll post the image in the gallery or maybe in the final blog post for this trip. Don't worry Mom, we're being really careful and safe.

The mountains are so big and beautiful it's absolutely mystifing. We skied approximately 25,000 vertical feet in 6 runs. We were done by with our daily quota by 1:00 pm. More to come.

Posted by Gary at 08:21 PM | Permalink

There isn't a whole lot going on up in Alaska, but that is exactly the point. I am lucky enough to be included in a Valdez Heli trip at H20 with Freeskier Magazine. The crew is a fun bunch, composed of: Matt Harvey (editor), Luke Blaser (ad guy), Gabe (Scott USA), and Jimbo Morgan (Olympic Medalist, Electric, Skullcandy dude) and myself.

We arrived in Anchorage, rented an RV and drove to Valdez. Fun road trip of looking out over the mountains and seeing the scenery. After six hours of cruising the roads captain Blazer brought us into the Valdez port. We checked in, got a briefing and then did our beacon searches. Long day of getting up at 4:30am to bed at a little past midnight.

Next morning we were on weather hold for a while, then got up and flew for the afternoon and logged some runs. Half of the fun is just riding in the helicopters, banking turns, taking off, and coming in for landings. Some impressive landings on top of very small LZ's.

Then today we got in a few more runs until it got super milky and we had to huff it out on a glacier. Polling out of the glacier was actually pretty fun. The mountains, the vastness of it all, and the thrill of landing on huge peaks keeps my blood pumping. Today we had the legend himself, Dean Cummings, as our guide.

These are just a few pics from the last couple days. I have a ton more and will put some together in my gallery when the trip is done.

Can you see the guy in the picture skiing? Hard to tell as the light was getting bad by now.

Posted by Gary at 04:41 PM | Permalink

The only way to solve a problem is to identify it. To discuss the problem openly. Through debate and discussion to find a solution that may be heated at times, but earns one another's respect in the end. Part of the problem facing American politics is the media. The nit picking of issues to spark drama instead of substance. Their need to debate and continually discuss insignificant matters like a high school altercation of 'he said, she said" instead of weighing in on issues of substance. As they did on picking only controversial content by the Reverend Jeremiah Wright.

The speech Barack Obama gives goes a long way in addressing the issue of race in America. I hope he continues in this fashion and finds time to address the failings of the media to not just entertain but to educate its viewers on matters of importance. I believe that if media changed their methodology and provided intellectual content they would see an increase in ratings as well as be providing a much needed service.

If you missed Obama's speech I encourage you to view it here. Regardless of whether or not you like him or plan on voting for him, this is something outside of the political race for the Presidency, and just something we should all learn and address as individuals.

Posted by Gary at 01:50 PM | Permalink

I could wait no longer. The new 16 GB Apple iPhone came out and I just had to have one. I have envied friends with their hand-held computers that happen to also make phone calls since the first one came out. It's amazing I made it this long, limping ahead with a blackberry Pearl. I am afflicted with instant gratification syndrome.

The iPhone is truly a revolutionary device. I only know how to use some of its features, but learning new capabilities every day. Go pick yourself up one today, it's an eye opening experience.

Posted by Gary at 10:53 AM | Permalink

I have to admit, as much as I want Barack Obama to win the Presidency, I didn't think it was possible. With how this country has been making decisions and how things have been going, I lacked hope for something good to happen. I feel a change and conscious shift in the country.

Its not over yet, Barack has to first get the Democratic nomination, but it's looking better and better every day. The above image I grabbed of Draplins site, a true blogger.

Posted by Gary at 09:39 AM | Permalink

Throwing an event, party, or premiere is always just as entertaining behind the scenes as it is for the attendee. There always seems to be a little stress, anxiety, doubt towards success, and exhaustion upon completion. The world premiere of “Hunting Yeti”, presented by K2 Skis, at evo was no exception.

The question you have to ask yourself in the beginning, is how big do you want to go? Since this was a ‘world’ premiere I wanted to go freaking HUGE. But going big takes serious budget, something Nimbus doesn’t have yet. I had visions of renting a thousand dollar HD projector, getting a band or big name DJ, finding a drink sponsor (booze), hiring an event staff, filming the event, and presenting to a sea of people. It’s important to aim high, even if you miss the mark.

So we showed the film without the band, DJ, booze, event staff, or red carpet. Instead we showed the film to a smaller crowd of friends, evo employees, industry insiders, our partners, and about 150 people who were truly interested in the project and there to support the cause. It was as I should have envisioned from the beginning.

Leading up to the show, the amp blew so we had no sound. I rushed to American Music up the street to rent one, just to arrive as they closed. Then I called my friend, Ryan Goedhart, who rushed over to the POW Gloves office and we ripped out the company stereo. Then rushed back to evo just in time to set up before the show started. The sound problem was averted. Thanks buddy, I owe you one.

The next challenge was my very own computer. My old Apple Powerbook is lacking the processor strength to play a 10 GB HD movie file without becoming jerky. It drove me crazy but the crowd didn’t seem to notice.

The first episode ended to the sounds of applause and praise. We then cleaned up, put merchandise back on the floor, and the crowd headed for the High Dive for something to quench their thirst. I told people I needed to drop gear off in my car and would be right there, but pulled a phantom move instead, went home, and crashed.

A big thanks to everybody who came and showed their support. Also thanks to all our partners, as it’s been a collective effort. Thanks to Matt, Molly, Peter and Grace at evo for staying late and hosting the event.

Posted by Gary at 09:15 AM | Permalink

Whew, what a couple of weeks. I can honestly say I haven't worked this hard and enjoyed my work like this since my prime at Helly Hansen. I love coming up with a new business plan and doing things different. The beginning thought you have, "is this possible?" Then as you explore the opportunities and things take shape, I can see that "yes" it truly can happen. Which makes my mind race and sleep hard to find. It's the uncertainty of every day and the learning that comes with trying something new that becomes more of an adventure than a job.

Had a prescreening of the film on last Monday, then a world premiere on Friday night, and have been pressing hard for a while. More to do than there is time in a day, week, month... But we hit our deadlines, at least pretty close.

Probably the most fun and passion I've had for a project was a promo film I produced and directed called HAPPY HAPPY. I worked 14-16 hour days with my good friend Kris Ostness for two months straight and loved almost every minute of it. Every day doubt seeped into my mind whether or not we'd accomplish the objective. Yet we did. We distributed more ski/snowboard DVD's than anybody ever has (412,000). The goal was to reach as many people as possible. This new project feels much the same. Lack of sleep driven on potential and passion.

The fuel? People telling me that they'd be surprised if we accomplish 50% of what we set out too. Those nah sayers just motivate me to prove them wrong. There is so much potential here it's ridiculous. Every night new ideas come to me which I promptly put down in my journal. It"s a feeling of accomplishment that can not be measured monetarily.

It's a great group of people which also makes a big difference. I want to see everybody in the group feel the same sense of satisfaction that I am. That and I know, respect, and enjoy working with all the partners. I get just as much fulfillment from them sharing and contributing to the project then just us doing it ourselves. For this business plan (I'm not going to get into it fully, but we're trying to revolutionize the way people view wintersports films) to succeed, it will take all of our business partners working together collectively towards our common objective. Alright, enough of my babbling and time to get on with the show.

So we have only released two parts of the first "Hunting Yeti" webisode. They are about 10 and 13 minutes in length. Then you can also go to our producer page and download them for your iPod. We will also have HD computer and another iPod download of a full-length version that's 28 minutes long. We may release the full length one on a couple sponsor sites and do some guerilla marketing where kids find it and tell the rest of the viewers via different chat rooms. That and we need to share the streaming and downloading so Rip doesn't take as big of a monetary hit. But hopefully all formats and all versions will be available for free to anybody who has the patience for the download.

Okay, okay, I'm getting to it. Here's Webisode 1, Part 1 - This is opening day at Mt. Hood, some night riding, and then a little kicker session.

And here's part 2 - The second segment is all riding at North Cascade Heli Skiing. Just to give you a taste of some big mountain and amazing powder pillow riding action. Wow what a great early season it's been.

So this has been the only client of mine for the G Brand so far. I keep contemplating how much further I go just working for them, as it's not enough money to make a comfortable living, yet. Do I keep charging forward and try to raise enough support so that it's my one and only client? Do I put everything I have into Nimbus, although I'm not an owner? Do I change the way the film industry does business or do I take on other clients and dilute the potential for success I may achieve if I stay solely focused? I hope that in the next couple weeks I can raise the support I need to just do this project, at least for another 5-6 months. I have other potential clients just waiting for an answer. I keep putting them off to keep on the Nimbus, Hunting Yeti quest. I guess it's just a matter of faith in the group and faith in my abilities to make it happen. Stay tuned.

Hope you like it. Be sure to check out our producer page and download the film for your computer or iPod HERE

Posted by Gary at 09:25 PM | Permalink

Getting ready for the first webisode for Nimbus Independent. Too busy to blog really. Hope to get back on a regular schedule again. Come check out the prescreening Monday and the big public showing this Friday.

Posted by Gary at 11:12 PM | Permalink

I am more interested in the upcoming election than I ever have in my lifetime. We need CHANGE. We need HOPE. We need TRUTH. We need to help one another. We need more LOVE and less HATE. We need JUSTICE. We as a nation need to do what's RIGHT.

I have read up on the candidates, listened to the debates, and feel that Barack Obama is the person best qualified to lead us into the future. I"m almost through his book, "The Audacity of Hope", and recommend it to everyone.

GET OUT AND VOTE!!!

Plus, check out this cool video.

Posted by Gary at 01:13 PM | Permalink

I seemed to have this itch that needed scratching. The itch to work for myself and get the G Brand under way. It just took a friend of mine Eric Pollard to ask if I would be his business manager for a new ski film company for me to take the risk. So I left K2, got my business license and now have been working for Nimbus Independent selling sponsorship, setting up trips, doing PR, contracts, media relations, and a little strategy. I'm very excited for this new opportunity and enjoy working from home. I will miss the folks at K2 and wish good luck to LINE and Full Tilt.

So we are just really starting to roll. The first Nimbus Independent print ad just hit in Freeskier Magazine. Check it out..

So we are pushing the whole web side of things with online webisodes. Should be pretty cool. So the following is sort of a beta test on the player. Below is the video press release for the project.

The following is the press release:

NImbus Independent, Inc.
24655 E. Bright Ave
Welches, OR 97067
www.rip.tv/nimbusindependent

Contact: Gary Winberg
Ph. 425-246-9668
gary@garywinberg.com

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE:

NIMBUS INDEPENDENT CONTINUES QUEST WITH RELEASE OF
“HUNTING YETI” AND SHORT FILM WEBISODES

New Ski Film Production Company Follows Success of 2007’s IDEA Release with Films that Offer Different Viewpoint on Skiing and Mountain Culture

WELCHES, Oregon (January 17, 2008) – Nimbus Independent, a new ski film production company driven by Eric Pollard, Pep Fujas, Andy Marhe, and Chris Benchetler released its critically-acclaimed debut film “IDEA” in September 2007. In 2008, Nimbus intends to reach a much broader audience with the release of five short-film webisodes through Rip.Tv that showcase an innovative and creative viewpoint on skiing and film making, followed by a feature film release of “Hunting Yeti” presented by K2 Skis.

“Hunting Yeti” takes skiers on a global tour as seen through the eyes of the athletes. Unique to Nimbus Independent, the riders in the film share the duties of producing, directing, filming and music selection for the final cut while Pollard creates the edits. After successfully capturing the artistic and soulful footage in IDEA, videographers Justin Wiegand and Ike Smith return to help document the “Hunting Yeti” quest. The webisodes and the feature film follow the tight crew around the globe and share life from their perspective as they meet up with other skiers, both professional and locals, to capture all aspects of skiing and culture along the way.

Nimbus is developing a unique business and distribution model founded on digital/web technology and has partnered with Rip.Tv to host their website, webisodes, and become their digital distributor. Check out the online Nimbus Independent producer channel at: www.rip.tv/nimbusindependent.

Sponsors and media partners can embed the Rip.Tv media player for skiers to view the “Hunting Yeti” short films. Each webisode will be broken up into multiple 5-8 minute streams with the option to download the entire 15-24 minute feature in Standard or High Definition format. Catch all five free webisode premiers on the 15th of February, April, June, August, and October.

Additionally, Nimbus Independent has partnered with evogear.com. Evogear.com will be the official online storefront for all things Nimbus. Look for limited edition products, new product releases, pro models, and the option to purchase exactly what you see in the “Hunting Yeti” films.

“Hunting Yeti” is presented by K2 Skis and produced by Nimbus Independent in association with Poor Boyz Productions. Look for more information on the crew, films and partners at: www.rip.tv/nimbusindependent.

###

Posted by Gary at 02:19 PM | Permalink

There are certain films that everybody should see. The ones that make you question, debate, and hopefully act on what you see. People don't have to agree or disagree with them (although that's is usually the outcome), they just have to question and be open to the premise the movie suggests.

My friend Mark Abma sent me a link to a film called Zeitgeist that everybody needs to see. Sit down, get comfortable, and push play. It's pretty long, maybe two hours, but worth it. It takes on three very interesting topics: Christianity, War & 911, and who really runs the world (The Financial Institutions). Zeitgeist was created as a nonprofit film expression to inspire people to start looking at the world from a more critical perspective and to understand that very often things are not what the population at large think they are. Please watch the following movie.

I grew up going to church every Sunday, believing in God, went through confirmation, and became a member of the church. There was a minister at my church named Dale Turner who I truly enjoyed listening to because he made me think. Then I took some Origins of Religion and Philosophy courses that really made me question religion. There are many positive things that come from religion, like giving people hope, but there have been horrible things associated with religion as well, when an organization or power over people is abused.

The U.S. government, our political system, and mainstream media, I've been feeling are broken. I haven't been able to put my finger on why or how, but things just haven't added up. SO many things just aren't right about what happened on 911 and the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan. It just doesn't seem like we know what we are doing. Or we do know, we just don't want to say.

What is the root of the worlds and our countries problem? It's money and power. Who has it and who doesn't. There are so many appropriate sayings to express this thought. You know what I mean.

When the power of love overcomes the love of power,
the world will know peace. - Jimi Hendirx.

Anyway, watch this film and you'll get the picture. Pass on the website information and get more people to watch this challenging film. Discuss it's possibilities with your friends and families.

Other films that you should see:

01. An Inconvenient Truth
02. Sicko
03. Fahrenheit 9/11
04. Bowling for Columbine - Okay, enough Michael Moore
05. Super Size Me
06. Crash
07. American History X
08. Gandhi
09. Who Killed the Electric Car?
10. Star Wars Trilogy

Posted by Gary at 08:41 PM | Permalink

I've wanted to become more of a photographer for some time. The problem is, finding the time, learning, and the investment in gear. So my roommate Fletch just bought a new camera, some lenses, filters, and has been going out capturing some Seattle classics.

So I've started to think about taking more pictures. I started surfing the web for some of the photographers I've worked with in the past to see their latest work. Lots of good stuff out there.

The other thing I've been looking into and thinking about is an Action Sports College Seminar deal. Who could speak, what the curriculum would include, what campuses, and who would sponsor it. So when I was at Chase Jarvis's site, I saw his presentation video for Photoshelter. It's good stuff but pretty long. So if you're interested in photography, give it a look. Also big ups on having a DJ spin during your presentation.

Posted by Gary at 10:02 PM | Permalink

So in doing a little website maintenance, I checked out DDC or Aaron Draplin's website and saw this thing called Layered Tennis. Pretty freaking cool if you like checking out graphic design. DDC takes on David aka. "Multifresh" Nakamoto. Both do amazing work. I was lucky enough to be influenced by them when they were both working for Cinco Design. Both these cats can hold it down. Who is going to win this one? Upon my viewing, I'm going for Multifresh.

So Layered Tennis is where two designers shoot designs back and forth. First, go check out Cloudal Partners and view the coin toss. Then click here to see the match. Go through the volleys numbered 1-10 and you'll get the idea.

Also, be sure to check out David's site, lately he's done some pretty cool work. Especially the HOLDEN apparel site. So clean and the videos showing everything is cool. I dig on artsy fartsy.

Posted by Gary at 08:30 PM | Permalink

The winter season is so close I can almost feel the burning in my legs. There are resorts in Colorado who've already opened a few runs by blowing enough snow. There's one thing good about the jib scene, a resort can blow a bunch of snow and set up their terrain parks and the kids eat it up.

It's been snowing here in the PNW as well. Fresh dusting in the mountains last night and the arrival of the new chair at Crystal Mountain has me excited. My friends at Helly Hansen were nice enough to still hook me up with new gear. Time to sell my old skis, mount up my new ones, and try to score some discounted passes. Thanks for the glove hook up from the boys at POW.

I've completed my normal rituals of going to see the new film premiers at the local spots. Watched a great new production by MSP, called "Seven Sunny Days". Went to evo and saw the triple threat of "PNW, Yeah Dude, and IDEA." Might go to WME, we'll see if I can get up for it. Now there are only two things left, well three things, on the "to do" list. 1) Work out as much as possible to get in shape, 2) go to Alpine Huts Pray for Snow Party, and 3) get the first day of skiing under my belt.

Every time I've gone to this event, it's been a huge success. My good friend Adam even asked his current wife out for the first time at the party. Now I'm not hoping for that kind of magic, but I'll still be keeping my eye open. I always run into the Crystal Mountain crew that I make a few laps with.

So if you happen to be a skier or snowboarder and want to come out and get pumped up for the ski season, I hope to see you at the Red Door this Wednesday, it's sure to be a great time.

Posted by Gary at 07:24 PM | Permalink

So I haven't blogged a lot in the last, oh, 5 months... because my blog plug-in to my website has been on the fritz. Sometimes it would work but most of the time I was getting error messages. Super frustrating. Especially when you write something, reformat imagery, get around to hitting publish and then you get denied.

I went through reading the user's guide, trying my best to fix the situation. Then I emailed the company Movable Type and got nothing back from them to help me fix the issue. So I tried calling customer service but all you get is a recorded voice telling you to email customer service. It became a never ending loop without any results. Not the biggest fan of Movable Type anymore.

Then I got a hold of Harrison Boyce, who programmed my site and he was able to fix the problem. Weird how it just stopped working one day. Or how on a couple nights while drinking too much and just needing to write for therapeutic reasons, it just happened to publish. Then when I went to re-edit the piece, it wouldn't work again. That would be my last two entries. One about my grandmother passing, another about my folks cabin. Never drink and blog is my new rule. Well, except for the beer I'm drinking now.

So this is sort of a test, to check and see if it is truly working again. I have lots of topics and much I want to start sharing again. I want to re-connect to the interweb for multiple reasons. The main one is to keep writing, to help further my copy writing ability. Practice, practice, practice. Another is to keep my friends and family in the loop with what's going on in my life and in my head. Lastly, it's just good for my mental well being. If you are like some people who used to check my blog on a regular basis, I'm here to tell you, "I'm back."

Posted by Gary at 06:51 PM | Permalink

As the seasons change, so does ones life. It's summer in Seattle, it's a time to be outdoors, enjoying nature, blue skies, and it tends to make one feel more social. The weather has been on pace with Global Warming, beautiful with hot nights.

It's now been just over a year since I left my old job, took some time off, and am now threee months into my new employment. I think after my time off I was expecting my new job to be something more than what my old job was, it hasn't been, but it's what I missed, and I'm glad to be at it again.

My old roommate has left and successfully finished her training as a flight attendant. I have a new roommate, an old friend from college who just moved in. Not as clean and easy on the eyes as my old roommate, but it's nice to be living with somebody again.

I've gone up to my parents beach house a few times, it's been an amazing place to relax and get away from the fast paced life of the city. Besides that, it's mostly been back to work. I'm still playing soccer twice a week, going to the gym some, and running here and there. I haven't been to Pilates or Yoga since I started working and I miss the balance and health it brought to my life. I need to get back to Maya, as it was one of the better parts of my new routine.

The rest of July is going to be busy. I have a good friends wedding this weekend in which I'm a groomsman. Tis the season for weddings and this one will be perfect to start things off. Then it's off to Mt. Hood and Hood River to edit video for the LINE website. Back working with my friends Kris Ostness and Eric Pollard. That and I'll have a chance to make a few turns and experience Windells summer ski camp.

August is going to be the time to start looking for a new place to live I think. I'm hoping I can afford a house, at least a town-home, but maybe just a condo. I know Condos are the big thing, but they just feel kind of like living in a fancy hotel to me. Having spent so much of my life on the road, I need my home to feel just like that, a home.

I need to become more diligent in my blogging. I paid a fair junk of change for my website and it just makes sense to put it to good use, keeping my friends and family up to date on the happenings of my life.

I hope the summer finds you all well, enjoying the sunshine, friends, and getting a good tan. Peace.

Posted by Gary at 09:41 PM | Permalink

So as you may have heard, I'm back in the wintersports industry and couldn't be happier. Good product, good people, and good times. So my first month was pretty much a sprint. The last week of April and I did a photo shoot in Lake Tahoe. We stayed in Kings Beach on the water at Ferrai's Hotel. Then during the day we got our shred on at Squaw Valley.

In years past I had a little more time to plan photo shoots. This one I had basically 2 weeks to get together. Contact a bunch of riders I had never met before, book flights, hotels, rental cars, and get the resort relations dialed in.

Like all photo shoots, you have to sorta roll with the punches. One athlete didn't have a passport, and decided to communicate this after booking his flight. The first day of the shoot, and park manager had stayed up the night before creating two big jumps, only to have the hill manager tear them down that morning.

First days of photo shoots can be junk shows, so I was prepared. We showed up, met Savannah, the PR Manager at Squaw and filled out our liability waivers. Then it was off to the Special Ticket office where Squaw was cool enough to give us spring passes. Then of course some of the riders didn't bring ID, so they had to get lift tickets. All took a long time, especially since we were such a large group.

We went up the lifts to find no special features built for the photo shoot. No problem, just a concern. Time to get the rails, wall ride, and hiking shots out of the way. Got the crew going and then called Tom. Super cool guy who came up to the hill and we made a new plan of action. For the following evening, we would build a quarter pipe up to the last riblet of a chairlift. Then he'd re-make the big kickers for us the next day. Bamn. We are rocking and rolling.

So the next evening we had the quarter pipe session. Had a few too many people along for the show, but that's the way it goes some times. Almost got closed down again, but it all came together, including the weather. Beautiful sunset and the evening yielded some great shots.

Next day we hit the big kickers and killed it again. Then to have the evening sunset shoot go a little better, we picked just four riders. That night was super-productive. Just did laps with two snowmobiles over and over until we nailed every trick with grabs. Then down the tram at the end of the sunset.

Big thanks goes out the the athletes who worked their butts off. It was refreshing to be out with younger athletes. Thanks to Savannah and Tom at Squaw Valley who were super to work with. You made the shoot easy when we were a bit of a junk show and a BIG group. To Rom and Matt Connelly our local reps, thanks for being such a great support team, shuttling athletes and grabbing food. And a big thanks to Porters for letting us take over your ski shop and fit boots and mount skis.

If you go to my gallery, you'll see a small selection of images by the pro photographer Felix, and just a couple that I took. There are a butt load more, but this will give you a sampling of what went down. It's good to be back.

Posted by Gary at 12:14 PM | Permalink

The wait is over. Yep, as you may have guessed from my lack of blogging, I got the job I wanted. Funny thing life, you never know how good you have it until it's gone. Now that I'm back to work, I realize how much I love my work.

I still would have liked to execute the G Plan, and still intend on doing my plan down the road. It hasn't gone away, it's just been updated. So what am I doing you may want to know? Well, I'm the new marketing guy for LINE skis and Full Tilt boots. K2 Sports bought LINE skis a little while back and it's been a dream of mine to work for K2 in my youth and for LINE as an adult. Full Tilt are the old Raichle Flexon boots whose molds were purchased by K2.

Both great products, have great people working for them, and has amazing potential. More importantly, I'm back working doing what I love. I also get to keep seeing and working with all the friends I made through my time in the industry. So many positive things about it, now I just have to get er' done.

I found it funny that while I was waiting, some people asked me when my next blog update would be every day. Then you all stopped asking. Recently, you started asking again. Now that I have re-organized myself a little, I will try to post at least 3 times a week.

I'm afraid I've missed a lot of topics. Went on my friend Adam's bachelor party and went Cat and Helicopter skiing in Nelson, BC. You can see the images in the photo gallery. Then I took my new job. First week was testing skis and boots up at Snoqualmie, then a couple days in the office and it was off to Whistler and WSSI, home Sunday and flew out Monday, and off to Lake Tahoe for a week long photo shoot. There's my first month of work.

Lots of images to upload in the gallery, lots of new ideas and topics for my blog. All of which I will get on. So, if you've stopped checking in on the world of the G, I'm back. Back on the great world wide web of information.

Ah, it's good to be back. Both online and as a contributing member of the working world.

Posted by Gary at 10:44 AM | Permalink

Aarrghhh... I know I'm an instant gratification type of person. I'm all about an action then a re-action. Ya know, badda bing, badda boom. I can see my life ahead of me, or the life that I want laid out. But there are certain turn key situations that have to unfold for everything to work out.

That first 'thing' being a new job. I recently found out that if you are hired in an industry that you were previously successful and established, that your interest rates can be lower. So I am waiting for this job to come around, to receive an offer, to then finish my home loan, to then negotiate the purchase of my new place, to remodel it, to move in, and to get to work.

I have been unemployed for 8 months. I have achieved a good number of things in this time period. But now I'm done with my self improvement. I had planned on getting back to work in March and had job offers when an new opportunity arose. I've now just been waiting. I never thought it would take this long. Waiting for it to happen or not. I continue helping a few friends out with their businesses, but my mind is stuck in time. I have brain freeze. Or maybe not brain freeze, just that's it's stuck on this possible employment scenario. It's the job I want and I won't be able to look or accept any other job until this has been resolved.

Oh how I want to start working the beginning of April. I want this life that I can envision to play out before me and not unravel. I think I'm a confident person, but every day that goes by without communication makes me slightly doubt myself. Is there some skeleton in my closet that I'm not aware of? Does one of my references not care for me anymore? What could be taking so long? My mind just keeps going round and round.

Well, to get my mind off my possible new life scenario, I'm going on vacation. I'm leaving in a couple hours to Nelson, BC for a little helicopter and snowcat skiing. I threw together a little bachelor party ski/snowboard trip for my friend. We'll be back next Monday. I'm bringing my photo pack so you'll be able to see the trip in the gallery. Then I think I'll go up to my folks cabin, walk the beach and play a little golf.

Wow, this is only my second entry for March and it's almost over. I have tons of topics for my blog, I just have had writters block, all focus being on my potential new path. I will start writing again on a regular basis soon.

Posted by Gary at 10:26 AM | Permalink

Life got a little busy. After going to Las Vegas I figured out what a great "network" I had. Noticed a lot of friends working really hard but some need a little help. I decided I have time to help them. Bought my business license online and am patiently waiting for it to come in the mail.

I currently have four clients. Mostly working on business and marketing plans. Some for executional purposes and a couple to obtain new investors. It's fun to do as I love strategy and planning. It's also exciting because two of them are outside of the action sports industry. Haven't sat in front of my computer this much in months. Realized how much I enjoy my work. Crazy thing is I have clients lining up. I think it can easily become a full-time job if I so desire.

Trying to get everything that I'm currently working on done by months end. I'm hoping the beginning of March will bring some fun and exciting new challenges. I'd say what they are but I don't want to let the cat out of the bag in case it doesn't come to fruition. Oh but I'm so hoping that it does...

Still exercising like crazy. The more I work the more I find I want to exercise. Been working out, doing Pilates, running more, and playing soccer. I want to enter some running races coming up, so I've been running around the inside of Green Lake at 'race-pace', running around the the inside twice at a medium speed, then running around the outside and up through the dog park into the Zoo at a super slow pace. Training like I did in college.

My co-rec soccer team won it's first game of the new season last Thursday night. Our team won the championship the last two seasons, so GSSL moved us up two divisions. All of our games have been close, we just haven't been able to pull out the wins. The whole team played extremely well the other night. I'm not sure when it happened, as I had a couple good collisions, but I ended up with a big bump on my head and a slight concussion. That evening I couldn't sleep, was dizzy in bed, and threw-up in the middle of the night. It's been awhile.

Still went skiing the next day. After skiing 2, 3, or 4 times a week most of the winter and then not going for 2 weeks, I needed a dose of nature. I also needed to go set up a photo shoot, get lift tickets and lodging dialed in. It was awesome. The mountain air and exercise cleared my head by lunch time. My goggles were a little tight on my welt, but otherwise all was good. Also saw a few friends on the hill and did some fun runs.

Ah what else. Been hanging out trying to better myself for seven months. The money I put aside for this semi-retirement stint is starting to run low. I told myself I wouldn't dip into my "house account" or retirement funds so it's time to get serious about a new salary stream.

Another interesting note, I found an intriguing woman I want to ask out. I haven't really dated anybody for four years. Why? Well my excuse is that I was always traveling, on the road, and the relationships I did have didn't last. So I stopped trying. Once I started to look for something, now that I'm not traveling, I didn't see anything that caught my eye. But all that has changed. Truthfully I'm a little nervous, but a good and excited nervous. Time to ask her out.

The Ski Journal Party was really fun. Great artwork from K2 in the gallery. Great magazine. Also a few friends have been in town. Been going out and networking a lot. Kevin Back of Powder Mag was here, thanks for picking up dinner. Went to a DOE and Utility open house. Cool agency. Few more magazine folk in town this upcoming week. Should be fun.

Okay, time to get back to work on these business plans.

Posted by Gary at 11:44 AM | Permalink

Click on the image to go big, otherwise you won't be able to read the copy. This Friday, in the gallery at EVO, will be the launch party of THE SKI JOURNAL. If you are a true skier and want to support a magazine that will make skiing and the industry better, then you need to come. I got the first issue and read it cover to cover. This is a magazine that skiing has been waiting for. I mean there are really good ski magazines out there, for me it's the business model of how the magazine is put together that I applaud.

Upon reading the first issue, ever article and every page spoke to me. I'm looking forward to celebrating this great new venture and voice. Please come on down and tip one back with me. Hope to see you there. For more information, go to: http://www.evoseattle.com/.

Posted by Gary at 05:44 PM | Permalink

Ok, I'm breaking my first rule of blogging. Never drink, write, and post. So if you are reading this, it's most likely the day after and I haven't proof read nor edited it to a more tasteful version. Read it now because it won't be the same later on tomorrow .

Went out tonight for my friend 'Lil T's' B-day party and then was supposed to meet another beautiful woman later. Got home around quarter to midnight and decided I should stay in and catch up on my 'Routine' and other work items. I should go back out to the party, but the next stop on the tour was the Make Out Room and I'm already a kissy face after cocktails, so I would have probably gone around kissing all the ladies I could. Trying to change my ways even though there's no harm in kissing the ladies in my book. Practice makes perfect, right?

So on to the Vegas trip in review. I realize my last few posts have been a little gushy for a dude. A lot of how great friends and people are, but my trip to Vegas was like getting back together with a girlfriend who once broke your heart. My past experience with the Action Sports Industry was a Love/Hate relationship. I loved it to death but became unhealthy with the fun and partying aspect.

I also left having over extended myself and made business promises I could no longer fulfill. This being the main reasons why I left. I thought my reputation was tarnished and that my name no longer held much credibility. I think that was one of the reasons why I was looking for work outside of the Industry. But going back to the SIA trade show made me realize how amazing the people are. How much positive energy there is and how happy the work makes me. How could I possibly leave it?

The first thing I came to realize is that I lived many men's corporate fantasy. I had three amazingly hot interns at HH. They were all awesome and I wish them the best in life and in business. I was fortunate enough to go out with two of them in one evening. They are Lynsey Dyer and Kylee Miller. Completely beautiful people and more like sisters than anything else (including the 3rd named Nancy). They are the ones that you root(sp?) for. Hoping that they find success and happiness. Check out the pictures of us in the limo. Yeah, two nights in a row we used limo's instead of taxi's. So spoiled. Love the VIP lifestyle sometimes.

Then I saw so many athletes, people who work for magazines, individuals who run film companies, graphic designers, peers in marketing at other companies, and just good people that I used to spend time with on the road. The positive energy was almost overwhelming. So much friendship that I had missed and no hard feelings with how I left things with my old job that I felt a huge relief. I hadn't blown it, I hadn't burnt my bridges or lost the respect of those I worked so hard to earn. The following are a few pictures of those people. First off, check out Pat (The Community Project Film), Murray (MSP) and Jonny (Poor Boyz Productions). Icons of the Action Sports film industry partying together. Then the following image is Joel Berman, graphic's guru at Scott USA, and I.

The whole trip was magic. Checked in at the Mandalay Bay and they upgraded my best friends fiance and I to 'The Hotel' and a amazing room with two bathrooms, a small office, bar, living room, and a nice big ol' flat screen TV. We started out living the good life in Vegas. Here's a shot of the room. They hadn't completely cleaned it as you can see, they missed taking down the Bachelorette party sign and didn't vacum up all the confetty. I was happy none the less and they cleaned it up a little better the second day.

Every night included expensive dinners with friends and VIP parties through the evening. But at the same time, I managed to pace myself and only drink a little, making sure I had lots of water in between my cocktails. This was also my first time in Vegas where I didn't go to the Crazy Horse. Still haven't decided if that is an accomplishment or not. Here's a couple images of the MSP kids and Hugo in the limo on the way to the Biz Markee party. My friend who works at Giro helmets had a co-worker in the band who opened. Crazy small world. So many more photos, wait till the gallery posting, it should be entertaining.

It was awesome to see so many of my past and current friends, that I am now making more of an effort to stay in touch. I'm back, healthier and smarter than before. I love skiing and snowboarding (only sometimes, I'm not going to pretend that I'm a snowboarder) and if I can work, doing something that I love to do more than anything else, than it's a win-win situation. I loved my work before, and I will love it again, I'm just going to be smarter about it the second time around. More balance...

I would liked to have taken more pictures, but since I was working and flapping my lips to get paid , I just didn't make a good enough effort. I plan on gathering a bunch of images from friends and will post them in my gallery when I have time.

Thanks again to Ryan and Dustin of POW Gloves for getting me there on contract. Without you I wouldn't have realized all that I missed. I'm so looking forward to getting back to work and sharing our passion for the sport, having fun, and making wintersports better for everybody. Peace.

I also plan on catching up with my 'Routine' entries. This one is over a week past due and I have 15 topics in my journal I need to get down. Stay tuned, more to come. That and they are getting out of order. Whatever.

Posted by Gary at 12:39 AM | Permalink

Today I received my first paycheck for contract work under the G Brand. It's a proud moment really. I'm even happier because the check couldn't have come from a better group of people. Sometimes things just align and unlock a certain chain of events that make you wonder about the possibilities...

As I've been floating around the last few months, putting together my "life's plan", I've been asked by multiple people to help with their businesses. I am truly fortunate to have so many people interested in my talents. One of those people is my friend Ryan Goedhart. We started out at HH together as the passionate marketing kids who could see where the US division of HH should go, yet couldn't seem to find the right voice to communicate our good intentions.

Ryan created his own business and became a HH sales representative in the Northwest while I started to slowly climb the corporate ladder. Recently we both parted ways from our first employer. He took the reigns and is now the Sales Guy for POW Gloves and still a sales rep for Bern Helmets. Through him I have gotten to know an interesting and good group of people.

They are: Dustin Goss, Dan Egan, Scott Scoggin, and as you can see from the picture above, the beautiful Liesel Kiel. There is no question that following your dream in business is a scary and exciting thing to do. It take guts. What you have to have is a good product, good people, positive energy, and the need for adventure. POW Gloves has these attributes.

Ryan approached me a couple weeks ago needing some marketing and PR help for the company. That meant going to Las Vegas for the SIA trade show which I have eluded to in early 'routine' entries. I wasn't sure if I should go? I had changed my partying ways and this meant going to the city of temptation. Could I go and not party too hard? I figured this would be a good test of will power. That and if somebody will pay for your room and then a day rate to reconnect with old friends, it hit me as a no brainer.

The show was a huge success for POW and the energy/response was very positive. It's easy when there is good product. All I had to do was tell people to touch and feel the glove, then put it on their hand and watch their facial expression. "Wow, that's the most comfortable glove I've ever put on", were the most common words coming out of peoples mouths. Plus they have a great PR story. People from the Northwest getting together because they love action sports and want to make the best gloves in the business.

I heard owner/founder Dustin say, "When every Nascar driver is wearing a pair of POW gloves, then I'll relax." They also have some great products that offer a point of differentiation. They may be the first one to bring cinematography and photography gloves to the market. Then they have the 'fun factor' glove in the SHOCKER, which if you don't know what that is, you're outta luck because I can't explain it here. Then they also have the most fashionable golf gloves made. It ties back to them providing the highest quality leather gloves in a fashion forward design, at an amazing price. So if you need a pair of the best gloves in the Wintersports Industry, go buy some POW.

They also brought in some local Seattle talent to entertain the show goers. Local band The Mob Law put on a very entertaining show. They are a mix of Danzig, Rage Against the Machine, and Sublime. Keep an eye out as it won't be long before they hit it big. Hopefully both groups make it big.

Outside of my first G Brand payment, I want to thank POW for bringing me to Vegas. I hadn't realized how much I missed everybody. Below are a couple more pictures of the booth, the band, and the fans of both.

Posted by Gary at 08:01 PM | Permalink

Took a little while to figure it out but I'm off to Las Vegas for the Snowsports Industry of America Trade Show (SIA). I'm excited to catch up with tons of people I used to work with. I'm also really excited to be working again. I'm so ready!!!

So the G Brand has landed it's first paying client. Yep, it's official. Nothing long term as of yet but some fun projects to help pay the rent. Well, that and it gets me to Vegas.

Still keeping my irons in the fire for more clients, projects, and potential 'in-house' employment opportunities. I'm just happy to have good options and different opportunities. I'm truly fortunate.

Sealed the deal last night with this Wintersports client up at the local hill, Alpental. Nothing more appropriate than a little brainstorming session and business while sharing your passion. It was my first night skiing of the season and it was so much fun.

Granted there isn't as much challenging terrain to ride, there's just something about being on the mountain at night that makes it a party on snow. You navigate the trails and hit the little jumps like a kid, pulling out what little tricks you have in your bag. Then it's fast cruiser runs and a few bumps to get the blood flowing. I had even forgotten how fun it is to just cruise the groomed.

There was also this quarter pipe hit with a horrible transition but it didn't even matter. Tried to pull off nose presses and a little rock in roll action just about every run.

Grabbed a couple beers in the pub to cap off the fun evening. Listened to a bunch a guys at the bar talk about Helly Hansen and how they used to dumpster dive looking for cut up samples. Too funny. Then watched as the bartender tried to sell a matt shot to the same group of guys. Now that's rough. Below is a shot of the 'night riders' and the making of the matt shot.

See you in Vegas Baby!!!

Posted by Gary at 11:29 AM | Permalink

Not as much fun stuff to report lately. Been getting serious about finding work. Got my 20th ski day of the season in last weekend. But it was one of the first weeks where I only skied one day. Going up to Alpental this evening to talk "business" with a potential G Brand client. Will be my first night ride of the season.

Did have a fun playoff filled day of watching football at a friends house. Ate, drank, cheered, and was merry. Too bad for the Seahawks but what great games.

Looking forward to my Pilates instructor coming back from Hawaii. I miss my Pilates. I've talked a couple friends into signing up at Maya to share in good health.

Been typing up and sending out some more cover letters and resumes. I like switching up the styles. Some are more "ACT NOW" used car salesmen type with fun tonality, others are straight up business. I find it's interesting that I'm getting better responses with the fun cover letters. I think HR people need to be entertained.

Helped my sister and let her use my Mac to reformat an ad for an interview test. Glad I could help her out but she reformatted all my pallets in Illustrator. She even changed the highlight color from blue to red? Took me a while to get everything back to how I like it. I wonder if the companies I'm sending my cover letter and resume to realize I did them in Illustrator.

Working on my calendar a little and inserting the next wave of summer weddings. Got three 'save the date' and wedding invitations last week. Good thing is now I have more bachelor parties to go to. I've been unemployed for a while and spending money like I still have a job. Just dropped some coin on going Helicopter skiing for one day and Cat skiing for another two. Going up to Valhalla Powdercats in Nelson, BC the fourth weekend of March. I'm just impressed we have 12 guys going and it's for my friends bachelor party. Went there on a photo shoot a couple years ago and it was awesome. I'm sure this year will be no different. It will be my first time as a true end consumer.

Ok, time to get back to my 'semi-retired' work. Take it easy.

Posted by Gary at 12:25 PM | Permalink

I am so glad I bought stock in Apple. They are pushing technology farther and faster than anybody else. They announced two new products for 2007: Apple TV and the iPhone.

I can't do either full justice here in my blog, you need to go to apple.com and take the tour for yourself. First check out the new iPhone. I mean, this should change cell phones like the iPod changed MP3 players and how we listen to music. I just bought the new Blackberry Pearl and can tell you that I will be switching to the iPhone once it's available in June. It's basically a really, really small laptop computer. I'm going to call it a pockettop, see if that catches on.

Then there is Apple TV. The thing is, it's so cheap. Microsoft for a long time wanted to bring the internet and computers to every home and integrate entertainment and computing. Well they tired where Apple has succeeded.

I made the switch from PC's to Mac's and Apple products about four years ago and couldn't be happier. My stuff doesn't break down and give me the chronic blue screen. Everything just looks and works better. I'm glad I made the switch because I think down the road, more people will be working on Mac's than PC's. It's a long way out, but if you want a competitive advantage then you'll be using Apple products, period.

I could rant about this for a long time, but I have to keep working on using my Mac competitive advantage in getting a new job. Be sure to also click on the Macworld Keynote address. It's pretty long so get comfortable. There is also a great live performance by John Mayer at the end. Trust me, watching the whole thing is worth it. It will blow your mind.

Posted by Gary at 12:27 PM | Permalink

I'm closer than I have been to being fully employed again. Lately I've been exploring the possibilities of working for myself doing contract work under the G Brand. Right now it's looking really good.

I have contacted and am in communication with three Wintersports brands. All of which seem interested in having me be apart of their business if the sun, moon, and the stars can align properly. The question for some is whether it would be better if I just worked in-house. I'd be willing to do so with one of the brands.

At the same time I've been researching what it entails to own your own business. I'd have to make more on contract to take care of taxes, health care, retirement, 401K and IRA's, office supplies, cell phone, computer, etc. I've been trying to figure out what to charge for my services. What percentage of what I bring in would have to be put aside for the previously mentioned? Right now it's looking like anywhere between 30-34%.

Then there is how much to take on. The work is all on me, which is actually pretty exciting. I think I'd like the pressure since I've been so relaxed the last few months. The trick would be to have a very defined contract with clear parameters stating what my responsibilities are and what's outside the scope of the contract.

If I start my own business, I will most likely only take on two of the three potential clients. I want to try and find local non-Wintersports contract work to expand my creative marketing brain. I have so many ideas that I don't want to be a one-trick pony.

What I need to decide next is whether or not I should go to SIA. SIA is the Snowsports Industry of America trade show in Las Vegas. It would be great to see everybody and the work aspect I could do in my sleep. I have enough flight miles to go for free and multiple lodging options.

I think I'll make up my mind after reviewing some business plans and see how the interview process goes with different agencies here in Seattle. Stay tuned.

Posted by Gary at 03:47 PM | Permalink