My WordCamp Whistler co-conspiritor, photographerKris Krug , shot video of my entire “Are you Worthy?” spiel with his new Flipcam and posted it in a YouTube playlist in 5 segments for your viewing convenience – in 2009 (when Youtube had a 10 minute limit). Meanwhile in 2018, I’ve stitched the bits together into one video for your viewing amusement.
My professional journey has led me – and several of my dear colleagues – to a lovely acknowledgement from MyCMgr.com “Community Manager of the Day.” You can read the whole article – “Community Manager of the Day: Dave Olson” – but i’ve excerpted a favourite bit below:
Who has been an inspiration for you as a community manager? For me, there were three key sources for learning about community building and wrangling:
1. Travelling along with The Grateful Dead taught me the audience is part of the band, so to speak. They encouraged sharing, trading, recording, and loads of instant entrepreneurship with a crazy, spontaneous market outside selling everything from veggie burritos to libations.
2. Cub Scouts taught me the importance of skill learning, working with small teams towards a common goal, and celebrating micro-leveling-up by earning badges. My Mom ran the pack and she also taught me about running small businesses and helped start my first media projects at 7 years old.
3. Hitchhiking in foreign countries taught me to be trusting of strangers, open to new opportunities, and to enjoy the differences between cultures. Plus I learned how to hustle to earn money by selling chestnuts, picking grapes, and being a lazy roadie for rock bands, among dozens of other (very) odd jobs.
My final act for my MovieSet.com was writing and presenting a white-paper-like guide, laden with tips, tricks and best practices for filmmakers to build audience for their movie during production – especially tuned for those filmmakers working outside of the studio system producing movies in the 1-10 million budget range. I suppose the learning began when making documentary film HempenRoad on shoestring budget back in 1996-7 and continued helping films like The Irishman, Daydream Nation and many others spread the word while working as Director of Fan Communities.
While some of the content is specific MovieSet’s production tools and movies marketing in general, most of the knowledge contained within can be applied to other products or projects you are promoting using social media and search marketing – plus all tools mentioned are free or cheap. So excuse the marketing sales stuff and you should gather a few juicy bits outta this guide. Happy to hear your comments however this is likely a final iteration as my time at the company is finished.
“The key to a perfect ending is knowing when to roll the credits” Drive By Truckers #
Keep it light enough to travel
My ukulele-playing pal in Guam would always begin his humourous anecdotes on the boat with “so there i was … ” In this case, my story begins thusly, “so there i was, recording a podcast along the banks of Rice Lake, reflecting on the past year and figuring out my next move – i walked home and then the craziest thing happened in the form of an email from Mexico.” (here’s the podcast: Festive Greetings to Ice Fishermen – Choogle On #82).
Of all the things i mentioned in the podcast, the note of “staying at one job for the year” struck me as funny. Yup, here we were a year ago New Year, New Gig ~ Moving closer to Self-Actualization in Kitsilano with the media chiming in and high-fives around. And, like a diligent dude, I gave er a full-on effort and left with a list of checked off accomplishment longer than i woulda predicted.
But, in short, i knew i was under-utilizing my passions and wanted to be a little part of something a little more in tune with my love of helping artists and entrepreneurs learn how to grow audience and share their work. In many ways, i’ve moved around dot-coms seeking something as mighty and fun as my first big internety success in Olympia WA ~ Yup, best is working hard with respected friends while providing a service which help all sorts of people fulfil the ambitions – like selling tools to the miners rather than ice to Inuit.
Changing Movies
Without unneeded details, the ensuing weeks were a whirlwind of giving notice to my gig in Kits, finishing up several big projects, hopping the train to the secret village, paying respects to departed brewer Dick Young and Pe Ell ringleader Lee Roy, interviewing rock n roll younglings Numbskulz and surviving a bus ride back up.
Then i added a maraschino cherry to my professional sundae by publishing the Social Promotion for Movies guide (go ahead and download) and presented to a group of producers (slides) before turning in my laptop and walking out onto the Granville St. evening ~ aflutter with festive bunting.
The next morning, I hopped on the same bus as usual but hopped off a different stop to begin spreading the gospel of the owl as Community Wrangler for HootSuite – a social media dashboard + professional twitter tool which I’ve used since early release and evangelized far and wide to interns, friends and clients.
Kitsilano Flashbacks
I will miss lunchtime walks in Kits and taking a seat in the community gardens along the track – i also worked with a sterling cast of characters at various times in a transitory environment. But I won’t miss trying to change an industry which is resistant (and even hostile) to the web as a communication, distribution and promotion medium.
I introduced myself to the world at the new gig and laid out my big ideas with: HootSuite adds Owls – I’m DaveO, Community Wrangler and the kind accolades via Twitter, FB, comments and every other channel was truly mighty and a real treat to be honest. {thanks to each of you}
One week after announcing that they raised $1.9 Million from VCs and Angels, HootSuite is putting that money to work and have hired Dave Olson as their new Community Director.
Olson will be responsible for overseeing marketing, outreach, and support for HootSute and already has a number of educational and aspirational campaigns planned to evangelize the social media dashboard to content makers.
Olson was an early user of the initial Bright Kit tool and has actively used HootSuite for promoting his own projects – so this appears to be a perfect fit on both sides.
Up in until very recently, Olson was with Vancouver startup MovieSet – he wrapped up his duties there just last night after presenting a white paper called Social Promotion for Movies to the Canadian Film and TV Producers BC branch.
Dave Olson talks about the sources of inspiration, the creative process and publishing your work in this lively mixed-media presentation. Watch this and you’ll understand why Dave has been dubbed a “local cultural artifact”. From Northern Voice 2009. Note: Contains adult language.
Uncle Weed is in fine form as he illuminates the creative process behind Letters from Russia. From #northernvoice09
He and others – including my buddy Dale – made sure to mic up the presenters and set up a good angle for the shots. As the guy on the other end of the lens, i truly appreciate their work to provide a cool artifact from the preso (although i must admit my shock at seeing my decreasing hair follicles!) – my Mom will likely enjoy it as well ;-).
photo by randy stewart >> He’s a poet, dontcha know? – Northern Voice 2009 (CC) Randy Stewart, blog.stewtopia.com.
Blurb: Whether blog article, photo, video, podcast – social media should tell a story. The best stories are retold and shared with others, and the very best stories create conversations which might live on for generations.
How does a content creator elevate their work from craft to art? The same creative parameters apply whether the delivery method is digital or analog or both. When applied with vigour, the work elevates to something beyond an ephemeral musing.
Using a mixed-media project called “Letters from Russia” as an example, Dave discusses practical tactics for harnessing inspiration, plotting the big picture, grinding out the “real work”, and finally creating a satisfying tangible artifact.
Including the role of blogs, podcasts, reader interaction, RSS, and self-publishing with chapbooks and/or on-demand web services as efficient methods of sharing and distributing the project to an audience.
Very happy to announce I am the last change to the SXSW Interactive schedule. The goodly Mr. Hugh Forrest called me at home to ask if i was interested in presenting.
Of course, i said “Yes” and will be presenting a Core Conversation called “Fuck Stats Make Art” on March 13th to kick off the legendary fest in Austin, Texas.
You may have caught the original gig at Northern Voice 2008, (Fuck Stats, Make Art recap) – if so, come again since I’ll remix my presentation for maximum amusement and interactivity with the audience. If not, consider attending as i’ll do my best to get you inspired and thinking about big picture stuff throughout the conference.
My preso will be analog with papery bits to explain my stories and thoughts about creativity, inspiration, publishing and finding your/our place in history.
Are you speaking? Please drop a comment so i can stop by and bask in your wisdom.
I’ll be holding forth on March 13 (happy birthday Lt. Magnum) from 3:30 – 4:30 … ahhh here’s the full deets so you can add to your intinerary:
Via a pictorial journey through his own career of creating grassroots art and publications, renegade social media producer and writer Dave Olson will extol, encourage and explain the importance oftaming the intimidation, solving conundrums and digging deep to muster authentic creative self expression in the digital era.
Dave Olsen{note to self: ask them to spell my name “Olson”}
Field with drying rice in Gonda village, Nagano, Japan by Uncleweed
Moving jobs across English Bay
While i keep hearing that staying with one company results in a “career” with more vacations, raises and professional reputation, i’ve never worried much about my resume but rather try to focus on personal results and most importantly, moving closer to self-actualization.
With this in mind, effective immediately, I’ve moved on from Raincity Studios and joined Movieset.com to help jumpstart their mission of connecting moviefans with moviemakers from the office in Kitsilano.
Thanks for snacks and smarts
I’ll truly miss each of my Raincity Studios comrades – we went through some massive projects together under tight timelines, and curious circumstances. To each of you, sincerely thank you.
Each one of the Raincity Studios crew at times soothed my mental health, weary soul, and achey body in this rather treacherous year. Your kind words, wise counsel, sweet snack, or a coffee break (with the magical Dane at Workspaces’ absurdly perfect beverages) will never be forgotten. I am smarter for working with each of you and happier knowing each of you. To get to work each day with your best pals is something everyone should get to do.
Truly thanks to each of Robert, Kris, Mark, Erik, Francis, Roland, Richard, Audrey, Hubert, Steve, Smith, Katherine, and especially Mariska, plus Niall, Nicky, Boris, Djun, Corinn, Ansleigh, and colleagues in China and South Africa.
I’ll still be around working on the Olympic Indie/Alt/Social media centre plan and stopping by to goof around and trying to distract you from your important work. I am very proud with the work accomplished at RCS including winning the Best of 604’s best company blog award, writing most all marketing copy and messaging for Bryght.com and RaincityStudios.com, producing long form blog essays about net neutrality, copyright reform, and heaps of events, and using social web to inform social justice concerns as evidenced in my finals projects – the Phones for Fearless City campaign and a forthcoming Drupal case study about Homeless Nation.
Sampling Vancouver’s finest
Since moving to my now beloved North Vancouver in Oct. 2005, I’ve assisted a handful of Vancouver’s finest companies in raising their profile, refining messaging, effectuating social media campaigns and magnifying internal culture. At Elastic Path, happyfrog.ca, 3rd Whale and Raincity Studios, I’ve learned much about ecommerce, eco-entrepreneurship, and web community building while riffing with diverse teams to create remarkable projects.
At Movieset.com, I’ll help filmmakers reach out to filmfans using social media tools. As a movie enthusiast and a filmmaker (Hempenroad, 1997), i think i can bring a lot to the table. And I’ll have a chance to work closely with Michael Fergusson who i first met when i interviewed him for a Raincity Radio podcast (thanks Megan Cole). He showed up wearing a vintage Vancouver Millionaires sweater and talked about poetry so I knew we had something in common.
Digital Samurai for hire
Maybe it’s my love of Kurosawa films like the Seven Samurai and/or my feeling of being the reincarnation of writer/explorer Lafcadio Hearn (who lived in Shimane, Japan in the early days of modern western cultural exchange 1870-1910-ish), or sailor/diplomat William Adams (who was the first Brit to make it there in early 1600s and became an advisor to shogun Tokugawa Ieyasu), but sometimes i feel like a digital samurai. No not a stealthy fighter, but a hired hand, loyal until i move on to another fortress to defend, quest to fulfill, or princess to save (or is that Donkey Kong?).
Like the earnest Samurai who left money matters to the merchant class (another story for another time), I’m not in it for just the money and I have a sense of intrepid loyalty which drives my daily life … and I deftly handle a big sword (or laptop in this case).
Changing my bus route (again)
So, again I’ve changed my Translink bus route – this time from Upper Lynn Valley to Kitsilano – which will provide even more time to think about the neighbourhoods in the Vancouver gray.
So, a year later, I am in Michaels’ office. I am wearing slippers, there are several dogs wandering about, a green screen room down the hall, and a nice lady just brought me coffee. Anyone who knows me realizes i thrive on change and new input from words, scenes and smells – so there you go, another life remix.
Don’t worry, i am still here and available for beverages and conversation. See me at Wordcamp Whistler, Northern Voice among other funtimes.
