Once upon a time I interviewed with Bloomberg. I had been sent in by a recruiter and was in the middle of being transferred from one interview room to another when low and behold I ran into a former colleague.
She was so excited to see me she ran up and gave me a hug (professionalism rules!) before a rather stunned HR person and the HR person's shadow-for-the-day. "What you are doing here?" my former colleague asked. "Interviewing," I said, completely unable to keep the grin from my face.
Come on. How can you keep a straight face when someone comes up and hugs you during an interview.
My former colleague turned to the HR person and exclaimed, "You've GOT to hire, Wayne. He's great!" It is one of the topmost, unexpected recommendations I have ever gotten.
Fast forward to nine years later. Nine years. That is a long time. Excuse me while I wrap my brain around that. Okay, brain wrapped around that.
I was coming up the escalator when I saw two familiar faces. My former physical therapists Rob and Rick (not their real names). Having a former physical therapist is GREAT, since they are not exactly people you really want to spend too much time with.
"What the heck are you doing here?" I couldn't help but smile at seeing two. Rob and Rick had put me through a tremendous amount of pain rehabbing me after my labrum surgery and has also rehabbed Danielle through a nasty ankle sprain.
That is correct. I like them so much I referred my wife to them.
"Trying to become a preferred specialist to you guys," Rob said. The company I work for offers a tremendous amount of preferred specialists - which is a fancy way of saying, People that have been vetted and recommended.
We caught up quickly. Rob had his third kid. He congratulated myself on the arrival of Sienna. As quickly as we talked the HR person receiving Rob and Rick arrived, so I took my leave.
Not before I jotted off a quick email to her (it can be awkward sometimes to do it in person as some HR reps can be prickly) that I give Rob and Rick my highest recommendations and that if I had know ahead of time I would have given her a heads up about them.
One never really knows if these comments or emails ever REALLY matter. Though the HR person thanked me for taking the time to email her, and later I emailed Rick and Rob to let them know. Rick got back to me and apparently it DID make a difference.
There is no reward in it for me. Rick and Rob are good guys - they were recommended to me and I passed the recommendation along. They do their job well. Though it certainly didn't hurt that I spoke up, err emailed them.
It might have been awesome if I hugged them good bye though. A least as far as a conversation piece went.
Wayne
Wednesday, August 3, 2011
The Pitch...Approved
"That's a great idea. If you have the sponsorship, we can do this."
I waited for the but. There is always a but. Always.
There was no but.
It is a simple of mathematics. My co-producer has arranged sponsorship money and if the show pays for itself we get to be on television. The TV minor-GATEKEEPER (there is GATEKEEPER up higher) was straight forward.
For those immediately crying, "Pay for play!" please contain yourselves. Sponsorship and advertising pay for television - that is the reality of life. There are t's to be crossed and i's to be dotted - however at the end of the day the show is one more step to reality.
One more step closer than yesterday. It is a good day people. A very good day.
Someday I'll be able to talk about the exact details - like WHAT THE DANG SHOW IS! For now though it is a victory.
Wayne
I waited for the but. There is always a but. Always.
There was no but.
It is a simple of mathematics. My co-producer has arranged sponsorship money and if the show pays for itself we get to be on television. The TV minor-GATEKEEPER (there is GATEKEEPER up higher) was straight forward.
For those immediately crying, "Pay for play!" please contain yourselves. Sponsorship and advertising pay for television - that is the reality of life. There are t's to be crossed and i's to be dotted - however at the end of the day the show is one more step to reality.
One more step closer than yesterday. It is a good day people. A very good day.
Someday I'll be able to talk about the exact details - like WHAT THE DANG SHOW IS! For now though it is a victory.
Wayne
Tuesday, August 2, 2011
Pitching When Your Project Has Already Been Approved (Sort of)
"We love the project. We want to do it. You can do it! You just have one more person to meet with!"
We've all been there - taking a few deep breaths before you go into meet with the person I semi-jokingly call THE GATEKEEPER. I use all caps since THE GATEKEEPER is really the final decision maker and despite the 49 people or so you've already made it past this is really the person that has the final say.
Usually this person controls the purse strings. Or is the marketing director. Or it might be an Executive Assistant who gives everything one final look (yes, I have seen it.)
I wish I had some brilliant words of wisdom that includes a sure fire method of getting approval every time - though that would be a blatant lie. Instead I'll just go with what has worked in the past.
You're already past the hardest part. You're in the room. Face-to-face. Fuck yeah. Let us take it from there.
We're all in this to be successful People often forget about this part. The other person wants this to go well. I've been on both sides of pitches and really, most of the time you just want it to end. You WANT the silver bullet that solves all the problems of the universe, makes the money, and launches a spectacle that everyone talks about forever.
Elevator Pitch. Practice. Practice. Practice. If this is an in person pitch you have more than two lines to get your point across. You have three. At the most. If it takes more than 15 seconds then you're dead. You still need it in this situation. Sometimes the person sitting across from you doesn't really know what the project is about - it isn't a smack in the face or anything - people are busy.
Paint the Best Picture Possible I am talking about getting the imagination flowing from the person on the other side of the table. Sometimes a little hand holding is in order.
Stop Talking. If you feel like you're monologuing and the other person isn't reacting to what you're saying - stop. talking. right. now. As much as this is about your project it really about the person on the other side of the table. Give them a chance to ask questions, or engage them with the simple, "Any questions so far?"
If you hear "We're going with it" Stop Talking. The second the person gives any sort of confirmation that the project is going to happen stop. right. now. Really the ONLY appropriate comment at this point is, "Great. Who should I speak with regarding next steps?"
These are the reminders for when your project has already gotten SOME backing. Meaning that there are two, three people in the room who actually like where you're going and what you're saying.
Next up. I start discussing about getting a project off the ground for a corporation when there is no money, no distribution, and how to (try) to keep everyone happy.
Wayne
We've all been there - taking a few deep breaths before you go into meet with the person I semi-jokingly call THE GATEKEEPER. I use all caps since THE GATEKEEPER is really the final decision maker and despite the 49 people or so you've already made it past this is really the person that has the final say.
Usually this person controls the purse strings. Or is the marketing director. Or it might be an Executive Assistant who gives everything one final look (yes, I have seen it.)
I wish I had some brilliant words of wisdom that includes a sure fire method of getting approval every time - though that would be a blatant lie. Instead I'll just go with what has worked in the past.
You're already past the hardest part. You're in the room. Face-to-face. Fuck yeah. Let us take it from there.
We're all in this to be successful People often forget about this part. The other person wants this to go well. I've been on both sides of pitches and really, most of the time you just want it to end. You WANT the silver bullet that solves all the problems of the universe, makes the money, and launches a spectacle that everyone talks about forever.
Elevator Pitch. Practice. Practice. Practice. If this is an in person pitch you have more than two lines to get your point across. You have three. At the most. If it takes more than 15 seconds then you're dead. You still need it in this situation. Sometimes the person sitting across from you doesn't really know what the project is about - it isn't a smack in the face or anything - people are busy.
Paint the Best Picture Possible I am talking about getting the imagination flowing from the person on the other side of the table. Sometimes a little hand holding is in order.
Stop Talking. If you feel like you're monologuing and the other person isn't reacting to what you're saying - stop. talking. right. now. As much as this is about your project it really about the person on the other side of the table. Give them a chance to ask questions, or engage them with the simple, "Any questions so far?"
If you hear "We're going with it" Stop Talking. The second the person gives any sort of confirmation that the project is going to happen stop. right. now. Really the ONLY appropriate comment at this point is, "Great. Who should I speak with regarding next steps?"
These are the reminders for when your project has already gotten SOME backing. Meaning that there are two, three people in the room who actually like where you're going and what you're saying.
Next up. I start discussing about getting a project off the ground for a corporation when there is no money, no distribution, and how to (try) to keep everyone happy.
Wayne
Friday, July 29, 2011
Accidental Carolina Style
Leave to Sienna to help get my pulled pork recipe correct.
I've been experimenting with various Pulled Pork recipes in my crockpot for oh, the last two years and FINALLY I managed to experiment my way into a little tasty bit. It ends up wet, tasty, and more toward a tangy Carolina style.
What happened was I had pork butt in the fridge that I was going to cook overnight. Probably. Sienna had to visit the Doctor, so I worked from home. I ended up dropping her off at day care around noon and upon coming home I figured I'd throw the pork into the crockpot.
I wasn't paying attention to the time or I would have notice that five hours from putting the food into the pot would put me right into the middle of picking up Sienna from day care. After five hours in the pot I had to do a SUPER FAST shread, adding of BBQ and rushing off to pick her up.
Naturally it worked out perfectly. Happy accidents. Here is the recipe.
Very excited.
Now she knows where the recipe came from.
Wayne
I've been experimenting with various Pulled Pork recipes in my crockpot for oh, the last two years and FINALLY I managed to experiment my way into a little tasty bit. It ends up wet, tasty, and more toward a tangy Carolina style.
What happened was I had pork butt in the fridge that I was going to cook overnight. Probably. Sienna had to visit the Doctor, so I worked from home. I ended up dropping her off at day care around noon and upon coming home I figured I'd throw the pork into the crockpot.
I wasn't paying attention to the time or I would have notice that five hours from putting the food into the pot would put me right into the middle of picking up Sienna from day care. After five hours in the pot I had to do a SUPER FAST shread, adding of BBQ and rushing off to pick her up.
Naturally it worked out perfectly. Happy accidents. Here is the recipe.
- 5 pounds of pork butt (I prefer the fattiness of a pork butt to the tenderness of the pork shoulder)
- 4 cups of apple cider vinegar
- 2 cups of red wine vinegar
- 1 white onion sliced (in retrospect I'd go with 2
- 16 ounces bottle of bbq sauce - I used mesquite, though you can go with whatever you flavor preference happens to be
- Throw it all the crock pot, 5 hours on low
- Drain 99.5% of the liquid and LEAVE the onions in
- Shred, removing most of the fat as you go along
- Add sauce and stir it up
- One hour on high
Tasty.
Very excited.
Now she knows where the recipe came from.
Wayne
Tuesday, July 26, 2011
AAA Ratings: Government v Banks
Interesting question in the offering - at least to me. If the Debt Ceiling limit is reached without a new agreement , the U.S. defaults on its loans and Moody's downgrades the U.S Government rating to less than AAA.
Fair enough ask the Greeks what happen when a nation defaults. The real question I have is how banks were never downgraded after the MBS mess. Could private banks suddenly have better ratings than the U.S. Government?
Scary though.
Wayne
Fair enough ask the Greeks what happen when a nation defaults. The real question I have is how banks were never downgraded after the MBS mess. Could private banks suddenly have better ratings than the U.S. Government?
Scary though.
Wayne
Monday, July 25, 2011
Movie Review: The Smurfs
Let me get straight to the point: you can see this movie with kids, with family, and on a regular 2-D screen. It is a perfect escape for a blistering summer day or even a mildly warm summer day where the kids wants to see the movie. It covers enough nostalgia and Smurfs canon for people like myself and gives the adults chuckle at the jokes thrown in for our sake. Some violence - think Home Alone - throughout the film. No need to see it in 3-D though.
Feel free to skip the rest of the review.
Danielle and I made a way to the World Premiere* on Sunday; since the tickets were free I'm sure this disqualifies my opinion in most people's minds. That is fair. You have to consider the source in my case. One bit that we were both wondering was: do today's kids know who the Smurfs are?
The Smurfs have not been on Saturday mornings (though they can be found on assorted cartoon channels) since the 80s I was curious on whether kids in the theater had any idea who they were. Luckily there were two children - ages approximately 4 to 7 next to us and Danielle asked the mother. "From the iPad game," the mother said. Well all right then, question answered.
Story wise, the Smurfs manages to pull off actually having a point. It is about family. Hokey, yes; though this is the Smurfs and it was actually well executed (and what did you expect?). For comparisons sake it's up there with the animated movie Cars for actually having a plot and point.
Neil Patrick Harris balances the line of husband who wants to keep his career going and becoming a parent with Jayma Mays (best known for her work on Glee) who holds up her end of the bargain by actually being a three dimensional wife in the middle of a movie with little blue creatures running around. It is also going to be remembered as the movie where Hank Azaria steals the show at Gargamel. It is rather difficult to comment on the Smurfs acting - after all they pretty much play their namesakes through out the movie.
The most you can ask for from this type of movie is that you believe in the reality that Smurfs would be running around New York City being chased by Gargamel. Which you do. Your small children will also not be screaming and fleeing the theater (I think) though Danielle remarked there was some dark scenes.
Remember Smurfs canon? The movie shows some great self referential humor by actually showing Peyo's cartoons, joking about 99 guys and 1 girl, Smurfette's lack of wardrobe, Gargamel blowing up his own castle, and even how Smurfette was originally created by Gargamel.
What can I say? I grew up watching the Smurfs and remember this. It's more the a nostalgia trip, it is actually a really well done movie, and yes, you will be singing the Smurf's song at the end. Which is a good thing.
Wayne
* Free chicken McNuggets, popcorn, celebrity sightings including Katy Perry, Brooke Shields, someone from N' Sync and Tim Gunn.
Feel free to skip the rest of the review.
Danielle and I made a way to the World Premiere* on Sunday; since the tickets were free I'm sure this disqualifies my opinion in most people's minds. That is fair. You have to consider the source in my case. One bit that we were both wondering was: do today's kids know who the Smurfs are?
The Smurfs have not been on Saturday mornings (though they can be found on assorted cartoon channels) since the 80s I was curious on whether kids in the theater had any idea who they were. Luckily there were two children - ages approximately 4 to 7 next to us and Danielle asked the mother. "From the iPad game," the mother said. Well all right then, question answered.
Story wise, the Smurfs manages to pull off actually having a point. It is about family. Hokey, yes; though this is the Smurfs and it was actually well executed (and what did you expect?). For comparisons sake it's up there with the animated movie Cars for actually having a plot and point.
Neil Patrick Harris balances the line of husband who wants to keep his career going and becoming a parent with Jayma Mays (best known for her work on Glee) who holds up her end of the bargain by actually being a three dimensional wife in the middle of a movie with little blue creatures running around. It is also going to be remembered as the movie where Hank Azaria steals the show at Gargamel. It is rather difficult to comment on the Smurfs acting - after all they pretty much play their namesakes through out the movie.
The most you can ask for from this type of movie is that you believe in the reality that Smurfs would be running around New York City being chased by Gargamel. Which you do. Your small children will also not be screaming and fleeing the theater (I think) though Danielle remarked there was some dark scenes.
Remember Smurfs canon? The movie shows some great self referential humor by actually showing Peyo's cartoons, joking about 99 guys and 1 girl, Smurfette's lack of wardrobe, Gargamel blowing up his own castle, and even how Smurfette was originally created by Gargamel.
What can I say? I grew up watching the Smurfs and remember this. It's more the a nostalgia trip, it is actually a really well done movie, and yes, you will be singing the Smurf's song at the end. Which is a good thing.
Wayne
* Free chicken McNuggets, popcorn, celebrity sightings including Katy Perry, Brooke Shields, someone from N' Sync and Tim Gunn.
Wednesday, July 13, 2011
Sienna turns (turned?) five today
Really. Holy shit. I mean seriously. Wow.
How did this happen? Biologically, of course, I know EXACTLY how it happened. The kid eats like a horse - okay, she is a little small so it is more like a pony.
Still. Five months.
People weren't kidding when they said kids grow up fast. Well...all I can say. I haven't dropped her yet.
Wayne
How did this happen? Biologically, of course, I know EXACTLY how it happened. The kid eats like a horse - okay, she is a little small so it is more like a pony.
Still. Five months.
People weren't kidding when they said kids grow up fast. Well...all I can say. I haven't dropped her yet.
Wayne
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