So I’m in St. Louis for the next few days for the International Christian Retail Show. Interesting things, these trade shows. They’re great for getting the pulse of an industry. Actually, being here reminds me of those wildlife researchers who camp out on the Serengeti and observe a herd on the move. The herd gathers, grazes, and migrates together. It’s what the herd does. The same is true of cultures and industries.

Back to the convention, though. You can learn a lot just by hanging out in Starbucks just off the lobby. Great example happened to me this morning. I plop down in one of the leather chairs next to this guy and dig into my oatmeal. I watch him for a minute. I figure he’s in marketing.  Must be because he has an iPad and he’s caressing a new iPhone 4. I think I hear him muttering, “My precious,” but I may have imagined that. I strike up a conversation knowing that he probably doesn’t think I’m here for ICRS. After all, I’m wearing a black rock-n-roll festival t-shirt with a skull and crossbones sporting a cowboy hat on it.

We talk for a few minutes about the big topic of the weekend–the shift to digital publishing–and what his company, a well known publisher, is doing to stay ahead of the curve. He talks about how publishers must build their brands with consumers over the next few years and how important it is that they become the trusted providers of books. I drink my coffee and eat my oatmeal, smiling when I get the chance. And I wonder, does this guy really believe what he’s saying?

Finally, I tell him that I think he’s wrong. He stares at me for a second. I tell him that he should go out on the street right now and ask ten people to name the last good book that they read and who the author was. I’m sure they would all be able to name one, at least one. Then, I say, ask them who published that book. Which publishing house? He stares at me. I don’t think you’d find one who could do it, I say. He blinks. So, whose brand should we be concerned with?

I’ll have several conversations with people this week about the digital shift, I’m sure. I’m curious to know how open publishers, authors, and agents truly are to change and what their plans are to meet the challenge. I have a feeling I know the answer to my own question, but we’ll find out.

Attention Videophiles:

Looking for a chance to do something cool this summer and gain some real-world experience to put in your portfolio? If so, we’ve got a proposition for you.

Kevin Kaiser, Ted’s brand manager at Creative Trust, is looking for one highly motivated VIDEO EDITOR to assist with two top-secret Dekker projects over the summer.

If you’re that person, you would be working directly with Kevin and Ted during the months of July and August to take a couple ideas they have to the next level.

Think that sounds like fun? It will be, but you’ve obviously never worked with these guys before. Be warned, they demand a lot from themselves and others. So, if you apply, do so knowing that this will be an internship that will stretch and challenge you.

Read on if you’re still interested.

The person they’re looking for must:

• Be at least 18 years old
• Be willing to work for the experience. This is an unpaid gig.
• Do what they say they’re going to do.
• Have the ability to follow up relentlessly on instructions.
• Do what they say they’re going to do. (Yes, we said it twice. It’s a big deal.)
• Be available during a regularly scheduled block of the workday during which you can be reached.
• Be proficient with Final Cut or similar video editing suites. You earn bonus points if you are proficient with Adobe CS and After Effects.
• Mostly importantly, have a passion for telling stories through the visual medium.

If the above describes you and we haven’t scared you off, email Kevin[dot]Kaiser[at]creativetrust[dot]com for instructions on what to do next. He has a different sort of interview process in mind that will see if you’re the real deal or not. If you survive that then you’re probably our person.

Deadline for applications is 12p CT on Wednesday, June 30^th.

My wife and I saw this short film on PBS last night. It was the 2009 winner of the Doorpost Project, an ongoing independent film project that showcases some really fantastic talent. Powerful message about hope. The world needs more stories like this. If you have problems loading the player below, click THIS LINK.

You will never find time for anything. If you want time, you must make it.

This week I’ve taken a few days off from my normal schedule to relax. We had originally planned a vacation to the Gulf, but BP happened. Thanks for that one. Now, my 5-year old daughter is with Grandma and Papa in Indiana, my wife and I have the world to ourselves, and we don’t have to be anywhere except where we want to be. A rare thing indeed these days when schedules rule us, instead of the other way around, and time is never time enough.

Which brings us to “Make Something Cool Friday.” I’d thought it’d be interesting to make something that visualizes my feelings over these past few days off. So I took a watch that I haven’t worn in a year (I rarely where watches) and deconstructed it. I gutted the thing, trashed the cogs and such, but left the shell intact. The result: a wearable reminder of the constraint of time, but also the infinite possibilities that can be found in it if we can let go of convention for a minute or two. Time, too, is a blank slate to write a story on.

Behold the Un-Watch