Offering my work for the world to see

I was starting to feel like I was bragging by placing my work on my blog well after the fact. However, I do have an alternative purpose for it as well. This blog will be a record of sort of my work. Think of it as a back up drive of sorts.

Once I figure out how best to get my work from other courses up here...you'll be the first to know. It also allows you the opportunity to offer me suggestions for improvement or simply say great job.

Does this mean there will be a 1EPIPHANEE website in the distant future?

Media of Note: Sex (still) Sells

I've been catching up on my advertising industry email subscriptions. I've probably signed up for way too many because every time I make a dent in the list, it seems that 30 more pop up within a day or two. I want to cut down on them so I can actually keep up especially once school starts again. Oh well...what can I say - they're interesting. So sue me!

Below are a few links to products that are using advertising methods I have found intriguing. I would provide summary details, but you won't be the same...you got to see it. Enjoy.

(1) Agent Provocateur (Agency: Unknown) - The URL for this product is actually part 2 of a series. It is definitely a new way to sell lingerie.

(2) Wonderbra (Agency: Saatchi & Saatchi, Frankfurt) - This one probably caused a few double takes or accidents.

(3) OhMiBod - DailyCandy.com brought this product to my attention.

The Business of Baseball

I'm not a baseball fan at the least. However given the "praises" on how interesting a read the Mitchell Report is, I decided to share a cool flow diagram summarizing the report. I like diagram so much I'm going to keep it in my arsenal for future business presentations. For those who were not aware of the Mitchell Report, here is a little background from the NY Times.

Randy Pausch - Amazing

I just saw an inspirational video lecture given by Professor Randy Pausch at Carnegie Mellon. He is coming to notoriety because of a recent segment on the Oprah Show, but I think his words will continue well beyond his recent fame.

If you don’t have time to listen to the full lecture, these are some of the comments that struck home with me. Unless indicated all quotes are from Mr. Pausch.

1. Brickwalls are there for a reason: they let us prove how badly we want things
2. Have something you bring to the table because that will make you more welcomed
3. Got to get the fundamentals down otherwise the fancy stuff isn’t going to work
4. When you’re screwing up and no one is saying anything to you anymore that means they gave up.
5. Experience is what you get when you didn’t get what you want
6. Wait long enough and people will surprise and impress you – Jon Snoddy
7. Decide if you are a Tigger or a Eeyore
8. Never lose the child-like wonder
9. Help Others
10. Never Give Up
11. Don’t bail; the best gold is at the bottom of barrels of crap
12. Get a feedback loop; and listen to it
13. Show Gratitude
14. Don’t complain; just work harder
15. Be good at something; it makes you valuable
16. Find the best in everybody; no matter how long you have to wait for them to show it
17. Be prepared: “luck” is where preparation meets opportunity
18. You can’t get there alone, believe in karma
19. Tell the truth
20. Be earnest, not hip
21. Apologize when you screw up
22. Focus on others, not yourself

Full lecture from September 2007 can be found on You Tube. (Searched for “randy pausch” posted by “thduynguyen”. It is an 11 part series starting with zero.)

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Watch a 10 minute version of Randy's famous "Last Lecture.”

Randy Pausch is a married father of three, a very popular professor at Carnegie Mellon University—and he is dying. He is suffering from pancreatic cancer, which he says has returned after surgery, chemotherapy and radiation. Doctors say he has only a few months to live.

In September 2007, Randy gave a final lecture to his students at Carnegie Mellon that has since been downloaded more than a million times on the Internet. Despite the lecture's wide popularity, Randy says he really only intended his words for his three small children. "I think it's great that so many people have benefited from this lecture, but the truth of the matter is that I didn't really even give it to the 400 people at Carnegie Mellon who came. I only wrote this lecture for three people, and when they're older, they'll watch it," he says. (Oprah Show)

The dreamcatcher caught a wierd one

I find it so very odd that I dreamt about a man I have not spoken to in at least 5 years. I don’t remember too many of my dreams, but this one I do and it doesn’t make complete sense to me. Maybe you can help me.

The guy was a friend from college. In the dream I don’t know how we crossed paths again, but we were evidently a couple attending a surprise birthday dinner in a fancy suite within a very fancy hotel in Detroit, MI (go figure). We were quite affectionate with one another and finally I said I needed to go to the drug store. I had nasal congestion and didn’t want to be sniffling throughout the entire evening.

A British classmate was also in my dream as he was attending the dinner party as well. A few other folks were arriving as I left, I knew them as well but my dream is fading so I can’t tell you immediately who they were.

One of the dinner servers told me the hotel didn’t have a drugstore within it so I would have to go outside. The hotel was HUGE. I found another hotel employee and asked how to get to the lobby so I could exit and go to the drugstore. The employee got stuck in a communication loop and repeated the same thing to me no matter how many different ways I asked it. She focused on how it is better for me to get on a higher floor so I can get down faster. Since I was already on the 5th floor, I didn’t mind taking the stairs to get to the lobby. All I wanted to do was know how to find an exit so I could go to drugstore and get back before the birthday boy arrived.

I woke up shortly after yelling in frustration at the hotel employee and some other hotel guests that all I wanted to know was how to get to the lobby and didn’t care if I could get down faster by taking an elevator up before going down.

Does anyone know what this all means?

I believe you dream about things that have been on your mind. Well, here is what has been on mine. I am congested and been so for several days so a decongestant would be great. I haven’t thought about the college friend in I don’t know how long so I am completely amazed that I dreamt about him. I did however recently email an acquaintance with a similar name. The closest thing I have to an upcoming dinner party with gifts involved is Christmas dinner. And maybe the hotel comes into play because I was telling my sister how it would be nice to go and take a fancy trip somewhere, while on holiday break.

But boy was this an interesting way to put all those thoughts together!

Finally a BK commercial I like

I've been catching up on reading the advertising related email subscriptions and came across one regarding the new Burger King campaign. It is done in a documentary style format where customers are led to believe BK has eliminated the Whopper from the menu forever. Real customers share their thoughts and feelings about the Whopper being gone.

This campaign is brilliant especially if you take the time to watch the 10 minute video documenting the entire experiment called "Whopper Freakout". The real life reactions of the customers are more humorous than depicted in the few 30 sec commercials produced.

Sample Work: First Semester

Here is some more of my work from Creative Thinking 2007.

Assignment (9/20): Make the Students & Faculty of the Adcenter aware of Jena Six

This project is my pride and joy since it is my first project where I really used the full functionalities of Photoshop. The picture is a blending of two pictures and then I created an effect where it appears that "Justice 4 Jena 6" has been carved into the tree.

Not bad for a non-Art Director....don't you think?

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Assignment (9/27): Write a Love Poem
Creative Thinking is all about taking an idea as far as you can go. When assigned a love poem to write, I wanted a topic that was dear to me, but need something unexpected to others.

Each picture represents a particular person who is my extended family and lives on W. 136th Street. I mailed the letter to them and got a really good response.





Click here to zoom and read the poem



Special Shout Out: Thank you Sekou for helping me with my writer's block.

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Assignment (10/4): Create a comic strip where you are the Superhero
Special Shout Out: Bobby C. for the comic strip / hero expertise.

Special Shout Out: Kyle L. for the application and art direction.

The only thing I have to say for this assignment is that I spent WAY TOO MUCH time on it to have gotten a "C". The one time I don't take my computer to class is the day the professor was expecting everyone to show their work on the big screen so everyone could see. That's what less than 2 hours of sleep will do to ya!

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Assignment (10/19): Your home has been broken into and your most prized possession was stolen. What was it, who took it, and how will you get it back.

I remember when I my apartment was burglarized in college. I was distraught that the thieves had taken my camera that still had undeveloped film from my first trip to France.

So it's no surprise that my most prized possessions are my memories. This is the wanted poster I created. If you're curious about how I got my memories back, well...you should have been in class that day.

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If I could figure out a way to show you some of my remaining work for Creative Thinking, I would. I think it is my best work was for the movie "American Gangster" because of how I presented it in class. I was also extremely pleased with how I concepted the "soap box" assignment.

Sample Work: First Semester

Since I am a little delayed in setting up my blog, I am backfilling with select samples of my 1st semester work so when 2nd semester starts you'll be caught up and can continue to monitor my progress.

1st Creative Thinking Assignment - Create an album cover that tells your life story

The album front is better seen in the physical form as the wording is pressed into the cover so a person can feel the words. One can see the wording if holding the cover at a certain angle or if in a certain type of light.


The words used on the cover were provided by family & friends who I asked how would they describe me. The cover album words are written below:

Budding Superstar, Sassy, Wise, Voila, Goal Oriented, Independent, Focused, Strong-Minded, Supportive, Dynamic, Biz & Balance, Popular, Dedicated, What’s With The Hair?, Beautiful, Determined, Dependable, Smart, Loyal, Ambitious, Fiercely Committed, Natural Beauty, Persistent, Responsible, Sister, Creative Soul, Sexy, Beautifully Driven Passion…

Breathless

Album back cover:

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It's Amazing: 15 weeks

I am completely in awe. Amazed at where I am and what I have accomplished in the 15 weeks that equal my first semester at the VCU Adcenter. If anyone had asked me last year, what I would be doing right now - living in Richmond, VA to earn my masters in advertising - would not have been one them.

It may sound conceited, but I am extremely proud of myself. My family and many friends have always seen me as an independent, no nonsense, goal-oriented person who is willing to do whatever it takes to get the most out of life. That has been so far from the truth, for so many years - until now.

In under 6 months, I resigned from a great company, move to an unknown city, bought a house, and started THE MOST INTENSE advertising program. My journey to becoming a Creative Brand Manager began on a rough, rocky, unstable path that made me consistently unsure of my footing. Luckily with the support of family and a very special friend, I was soon able to gain enough of my balance to continue and see where this path leads me. This blog will document the remaining 45 weeks of this 60 week adventure.