Archive for the ‘Events’ Category
Here is the recent interview of New Media Creative’s Joe Klein by Chuck Joiner that was just posted on MACVOICES TV. It’s a decent interview where Joe talks about his return to production in the new media realm, his views on new media as well as his take on the convergence of blogs, podcasts and video content.
The interview was shot on the second day of the 2009 MacWorld Expo in the “Podloft” located high above the main exhibit floor of this year’s conference a couple weeks ago.
Click on the play button in the video player below to watch the interview.
NEW MEDIA CREATIVE team members JOE KLEIN and BRETT BUMETER kicked off the New Year by attending five trade shows and conferences plus dozens of parties in the first two weeks of January.
Joe traveled to California after Christmas to visit dozens of friends from L.A. to San Francisco (and points between). The last days of 2008 and first week of 2009 included reunions with several long, lost comrades from the distant past, a few of which he hadn’t seen in decades. With the start of MacWorld, however, it was time to get on with the serious business of networking while catching up with the latest technologies and trends affecting the world of new media.
Joe attended the first days of the 2009 MACWORLD EXPO along with podcaster and video host MICHAEL BUTLER and Apple technology super-consultant SAM LEVIN. The three amigos dropped in on a few sessions, but spent most of the daylight hours checking out the exhibit floors. Michael and Sam kept themselves busy shooting several VIDEO SEGMENTS for the MEVIO NETWORK.
MICHAEL BUTLER AND SAM LEVIN SAM LEVIN
Joe roamed the conference connecting and networking with friends and colleagues and was interviewed himself by CHUCK JOINER, who blogs at MACVOICES and is producer and host of MACVOICES TV. In the interview, which was conducted in the “Podloft” studio above the convention floor, Joe offered up his views about the current state of new media content and production. (Note: Chuck’s been delayed in editing the video, but we’ll have it posted soon.)
MacWorld was a great conference with lots of energy and, as usual, some great new stuff to gawk at. Lacking from the event was the presence and charisma of Steve Jobs or any major announcements of groundbreaking new products or apps. Still it was enjoyable, as always, to make the scene. CHUCK JOINER INTERVIEWING JOE
There has been ample coverage of MacWorld all over the net. There is an ample selection of stories and reports on tech sites like TECHMEME, TECHCRUNCH, GIZMODO, ZDNET and CNET just to name a few. Additionally, hundreds, if not thousands, of blogs are online bursting with all the information on commentaries about the show that you could ever hope to digest. Since tech coverage is not our primary function, we’ll refrain from offering it here.
Of course, no conference or trade show is without its after-hours parties and events, and MacWorld had its fair share! Joe, Michael and Sam attended several, including the event’s “official” welcoming party, MacBlast, Cirque De Mac 6.0, the premiere of the documentary film MACHEADS, a couple of Microsoft bashes (as Microsoft continues to promote their compatible products at MacWorld) and a very cool Six Apart party where several iPhone applications which were created by Japanese programmers were unveiled.
Here are some photo highlights from the conference and parties……
ENTRANCE TO MOSCONE CENTER ENTRANCE TO EXHIBIT FLOOR
MACBOOK PRO DEMO TABLE EXHIBIT FLOOR FROM PODLOFT BALCONY
JOE AND iJUSTINE iJUSTINE IN YOUTUBE BOOTH
CHRIS PIRILLO IN YOUTUBE BOOTH CHRIS PRILLO AND JOE
JOE AND IRINA SLUTSKY JOE AT BLUE MICROPHONES BOOTH
JOE AND KEN RAY GUY KAWASAKI AND JOE
JOE, GEOFF SMITH AND MICHAEL BUTLER JOE AND ADAM CHRISTIANSON
JOE AND SCOTT BOURNE DANIEL BRUSILOVSKY AND JOE
MACBREAK WEEKLY MACWORLD SHOW LEO LAPORTE AT 21ST AMENDMENT
DAN BACH JOE AND SAM LEVIN
DAVE HAMILTON AND JOE CIRQUE DE MAC 6.0
MACBLAST PARTY MACHEADS MOVIE POSTER
KOTO PLAYERS AT SIX APART’S iPHONE APP DEVELOPERS PARTY
Overall, San Francisco was the usual blast and a half and most definitely worth the trip! Never a dull moment in the city by the Bay! Joe’s next stop was Las Vegas. He and Michael made the trek together, to be reunited with Sam Levin and join up with our blogger supreme, affiliate marketing and social media expert, Brett Bumeter. The fun follies have just barely started. We still have CES, The Adult Entertainment Expo, Wordcamp and Affiliate Summit West happening in Vegas, baby!
Check back for more “super fun” coverage of our six-day foray into Sin City. Coming soon to your browser courtesy of NEW MEDIA CREATIVE!
Wow! What a year it’s been! Of course, for us, it was the rebranding of THE PODCAST VOICE GUYS and the launch of NEW MECIA CREATIVE last summer that marked a turning point and new beginning.
Since then, we’ve been busier than ever with new clients, new projects and a marathon of trade shows and conferences. Then, as the year drew to a close, there was all of the unexpected coolness surrounding the twentieth anniversary of Joe Klein’s newly-annointed holiday classic Christmas In Malibu!
What a wild and crazy five months it’s been, to be sure……
To regain a little sanity, reset our mildly sautéed brains and prepare for the next onslaught of craziness that the new year will bring, we’re taking a break for the last week of December.
We’ll be diving back into the new media madness at MacWorld Expo in San Francisco, followed by the Consumer Electronics Show and Affiliate Summit West conference in Las Vegas. Joe will be flying solo at MacWorld, then joining NMC associate Brett Bumeter in Vegas for the CES and Affiliate Summit.
We look forward to seeing friends old and new and meeting new colleagues over the next few weeks. We’ll be checking the blogs and following Twitter throughout all three events, so look for us at various sessions, meetups and after-hours parties!
Look for updates following the events and lots of breaking news about upcoming projects we have on the boards for 2009! This next year already has lots going on for us.
It would be remiss not to address the fact that this past year, and particularly the past few months, have been a challenge for a large percentage of us in the business community, as the economy has experienced a pretty significant downturn through the second half of 2008. New Media has not been spared the wrath of the deepening recession and these are difficult times for us all!
But let’s not let these financial potholes run us off the road to success! It’s more important than ever to keep a positive attitude and outlook, and especially to keep on innovating and moving the exciting and promising world of new media forward!
2009 is a new year, with young and exciting new leadership. Hopefully, together, we will put unbridled greed and competition aside, pull ourselves out of the current economic rut we find ourselves in and, with a little bit of luck, end up with a “new and improved” planet Earth, filled with exciting new opportunities and possibilities for us all to explore and exploit!
MAY THE NEW YEAR BRING
PEACE AND PROSPERITY ALL!
By Joe Klein
So, okay, here it is. My final recap and thoughts about the 2008 PUBCON LAS VEGAS conference, including a few photos of the Pucon 2008 Networking event that took place on Friday, the “day after” the conference officially ended.
Overall, my take on the event is that it was very received and very well staged. It seems that, after a few years, Pubcon continues to be a relevant conference that serves its participants and attendees quite well. Let’s face it. SEO, web design optimization and affiliate marketing strategies continue to be very vital areas in the ever-expanding Web 2.0 environment. The thing that most impressed me was that, even given the dire and deteriorating economic climate, most of the attendees were relatively upbeat and in good spirits. Positive attitudes abounded throughout, and nearly everyone I encountered had high expectations of what lies ahead. Maybe the recent election factored in or the boundless youthful energy of those involved in the cutting edge New Media world. Whatever it was, this old dogg was uplifted and energized by all the optimism!
Another aspect Pubcon that I found most interesting was the cross-promotion between this and other new media related conferences. For what I believe is the first time, a competing conference actually had a booth at Pubcon, specifically the Blogworld and New Media Expo. It was fascinating to see Patti Hosking openly soliciting exhibitors and sponsors for next year’s Expo at this “competing” event. The team from the New Media Expo was very visible at Pubcon as well, with Tim and Emile Bourquin not only attending, but Tim was part of a panel of conference presenters as well. With the economy placing an ever-increasing strain on sponsors, exhibitors and attendees of trade shows and conferences, it was intriguing to see fellow event organizers attending a show to spur sponsorship and attendance for their own future events. Personally, in these difficult times, I found it promising to see an emerging spirit of symbiotic cooperation replacing a tradition of fierce competition. I chatted with Susan, Tim and Emile about the subject and was heartened to hear that they seemed to be open to the notion of alliance among the organizers of trade shows targeted to the new media community. I have never myself been a very competitive beast, so the idea of working together for the common good was most definitely welcomed by yours truly.
On Friday, the final official event of Pubcon took place at a great German restaurant called the HofbrauHaus Las Vegas. This was especially cool for me, as I was staying at the Hard Rock Hotel, located just across the street from the place on Paradise Road. Although I have never attended an industry event there, I’ve eaten there once or twice before, and the food and atmosphere are really great. It has excellent authentic German grub, incredible beer (several varieties actually flown in direct from Deutschland in actual wooden barrels) and a totally authentic atmosphere. (Only in Vegas!) If you are into German cuisine, I highly recommend this eatery when visiting Vegas.
The Pubcon networking party on Friday afternoon was a cool bash to be sure. Several hundred die-hard Pubcon attendees showed up to network and schmooze. Dozens of rolling suitcases lined up against the wall near the entrance indicated that many made this party their last stop before heading home, while I am sure that many others, like myself would be staying in town to enjoy some of the sinful delights of a weekend in Vegas. The free beer flowed like water, served in full liter mugs! There were huge bowls of soft pretzels and several cute frauleines continuously circulating with the beer mugs plus trays loaded with Wiener Schnitzel, Knockwurst and many other varieties of German finger foods.
The positive vibes and camaraderie of the conference carried on and the volume level of happy voices in the cavernous banquet room where the event was held (actually the whole rear half of this huge restaurant) steadily increased to a near-deafening drone as the beer continued to flow through the afternoon. It’s an understatement to say that a good time was had by all, as the Pubcon revelers networked and reminisced their way into the weekend.
I chatted with a few folks I had met over the previous couple of days. With my vision a bit blurred after a couple of huge mugs of great German beer and the loud cacophony of conversation beginning to get a little tiresome, it was time to wander back across the street to the hotel for my own final night in Vegas. With my “New Media” duties finally behind me and a nice little buzz already in place, I was looking forward to an evening of relaxation and a bit of card playing, to be preceded by a wonderful dinner at the famed AJ’s Steak House at the Hard Rock. This great eatery will be closing forever by the end of the year, so it was only fitting to invite my good friend, local Las Vegas television news anchorman, fellow voice-over artist and blogger DAVE COURVOISIER, to join me for one last incredible steak and a couple hours of great gabbing about all things media, new and mainstream!
JOE AND DAVE COURVOISIER AT AJ’S STEAKHOUSE
After dinner, Dave had to get back to the TV station for his 11:00 PM newscast. I then retreated to the bustling Hard Rock casino, brimming, as usual, with gorgeous young women, and dutifully proceeded to “pay for” the cool “comp” room that had been offered up to me by the hotel. Before retiring for the evening, I dug out my camera and shot this photo of the awesome view of the Vegas strip from my room on the top floor.
Saturday morning, I woke up to a mild hangover, shot a few more photos of the Hard Rock Pool (sadly “closed for the season”) and the huge expansion construction project going on at the property. Finally, it was time to head for home, having received yet another healthy dose of “Vegas 2.0!” I had to ask myself, “Am i just getting too old for all of this??” NAH!!!
