Mitch Joel's Blog: Six Pixels of Separation, page 75

Six Links Worthy of Your Attention #630

Is there one link, story, picture or thought that you saw online this week that you think somebody you know must see?

My friends: Alistair Croll (Solve for Interesting, Tilt the Windmill, Interesting Bits, HBS, chair of Strata, Startupfest, FWD50, and Scaletechconf; author of Lean Analytics and some other books), Hugh McGuire (Rebus Foundation, PressBooks, LibriVox) and I decided that every week the three of us are going to share one link for one another (for a total of six links) that each individual feels the other person “must see.”

Check out these six links that we’re recommending to one another: 

Things You’re Allowed To Do – Milan Cvitkovic. “I didn’t know what to make of this post by Milan Cvitkovic when I first read it. But, it’s brilliant. Rather than a listicle of lifehacks or bucket list items to check, it’s just a list of things you can do — some of them obvious, some surprising, many with reference material. Some are reminders trhat live is for living (‘travel to friends just to visit them’), while others are practical (‘Tape over annoying LED lights’). But, as I read the list, it reminded me of how much we’ve given away our agency in the pursuit of careers. Of course, now I feel inadequate for not having done them.” (Alistair for Hugh). ‘No Aliens, No Spaceships, No Invasion of Earth’ An oral history of Contact, the sci-fi movie that defied Hollywood norms and made it big anyway – Vulture . “Contact is one of my favorite films of any kind, and arguably one of the best science fiction movies ever made. I didn’t know it started as a screenplay project between Carl Sagan and his wife before it became a novel. I learned that — and many other things about its complicated journey from scientific hypothesis to the big screen — in this excellent oral history. I’m gonna watch it again with my daughter, soon.” (Alistair for Mitch). Catholic school house – Chicago Reader . “Catholic schools, Chicago teens in the 70s, and the origins of house music.” (Hugh for Alistair). The hidden stonemasons – NRK . “The incredible story of the Monolith, a massive seventeen meter sculpture carved from a single stone by Norwegian artist, Gustav Vigeland, and three largely forgotten stonemasons, erected in 1942 after almost two decades of conception, and creation.” (Hugh for Mitch). Brian Eno’s Ambient Album Music for Airports Performed by Musicians in an Airport – Open Culture . “ I know that Alistair is fine with weird music. Weird music keeps me going. Some might argue that ambient music isn’t weird. I think it is. It usually has no verses and no chorus, and tends to be more experimental than most would give it credit for. The Godfather of ambient music is Brian Eno. If you don’t know who Brian Eno is, dive deep… very deep into both his career, his music, the music he has produced, and anything (and everything) he has ever written, spoken publicly about or been interviewed on in relation to creativity, arts and music. One of his more loved ambient albums is, Ambient 1: Music For Airports. I’m am not joking around when I say that I have a Brian Eno, Music For Airports t-shirt that I wear often (like, once a week). Randomly, I will get nods of approval, and that’s just what I need to keep pushing forward in life. Well, this is a trippy treat as the entire album is performed by real life musicians in an airport (of course). Taking something so singular and electronic and bringing it into a different kind of protein form. I couldn’t love this more. Plus, if you’re stuck in an airport or dealing with travel woes, just slip on those noise-cancelling headphones and let this album draw you down the river…” (Mitch for Alistair). The Springsteen Ticket Fracas – The Lefsetz Letter . “Tickets to any live performance are a fortune. Like, eye watering expensive. So, when Bruce Springsteen announced a series of live dates, the anticipation and desire was there. If you didn’t know this yet (because it’s an evolving story in the news), the price for those tickets will take your breath away (like $4-$5k per ticket). Now, is this the artist demanding all of this money? Is it the concert promoter? Is it just consumer and pent-demand from the pandemic and lockdowns? Is a traveling show of that size so much more expensive in a world of inflation, supply chain issues, the cost of fuel, a tough labor market? Or, is it simply, that because of third-party ticket sellers (and resellers) like StubHub, artists (and the promoters) now know what people will actually pay for a ticket? And, if you were the artist (or the promoter) would you let all of that money go resellers? As always, Bob Lefsetz lays it all down, for what may be one of the more interesting business stories that we will watch unfold, live in front of our watering eyes.” (Mitch for Hugh).

Feel free to share these links and add your picks on Twitter, Facebook, in the comments below or wherever you play.

ThinkersOne And Why I Started A New Business

If you had asked me eight years ago (when I sold my agency to WPP) if I would be starting another business, I would have been a hard “no.”

This is a very difficult statement for someone like me to acknowledge. I skew more towards the “never retire… keep busy… keep learning…” than the, “It was a nice run… time to take it easy… I should take up golf” personality type. There is a truth that lies somewhere in between. My main work at the agency revolved around creating content and getting enough attention on that content so that clients would want to hire us. It was a model that worked so well, that once I was able to leave the agency (about four years ago), I just did what I was doing at the agency, without the need to convert those interactions into an agency/client relationship.

What does that mean?

I took a small office space near my home along with Aubrey Rosenhek (who was our CFO/COO at the agency), and we decided to build a business around my professional speaking and content creation (Six Pixels of Separation podcast and blog, media appearances, writing articles, etc…). We also added in investing in other businesses, advising startups and taking on board seats. It was (and still is) a lot of fun.

You learn as you go.

During the process of growing both the speaking and content side of the business, we found ourselves with requests that we couldn’t take on. What we quickly realized is that there wasn’t any mid-tier products for those who couldn’t afford the services or wanted something just a little bit different. The worst part about it was that these were companies, organizations and individuals that were the right “fit” for the work that we were creating. Aubrey and I developed three products that we felt could meet their needs, but as we were about to launch them, we realized that the work (amount of time to produce, contracts, invoices, receivables, admin, management, etc.) was the same amount of work as our main offerings. It just didn’t make sense to roll it out.

Then Covid hit.

Everything went remote and virtual. Personally, this was fine for me. It’s not like I had not created or been engaged in the digital/virtual space. It was seamless for me to present virtually or shift towards more video-based content. We had been doing this for almost two decades before the entire world was forced to do it in March 2020. As someone with experience in the music business, I understood the difference between performing live and broadcasting, so the idea of webcams and ringlights instead of lav mics and wandering a stage didn’t phase me. We realized that our new ideas to grow our business was an even bigger idea that would work for anyone who creates and sells content. More importantly, it would be a huge value-add for businesses of all shapes and sizes that were left to figure out a new world of work where meetings, events, client engagements and more would be physical, virtual or hybrid. We have collected a vast network of content creators (now known as “Thinkers”) and have decades of experience building online platforms for some of the world’s biggest brands.

Welcome to ThinkersOne.

ThinkersOne is a new way for businesses to buy bite-sized and personalized thought leadership from the best Thinkers in the world. An organization can choose between three unique video experiences (a short, personalized thought-leadership video based on their needs, a one-to-one virtual pep-talk, and a “go live” opportunity). I’m really proud of the line-up of thought leaders that we have, and we are continually updating the platform to ensure quality, diversity and emerging topics.

So, if your business is looking to add insight, excitement, and big smarts to your regularly scheduled meetings, corporate events, company off-sites, “lunch & learns” and beyond, I think that you will love this. We have democratized access to the smartest people by providing a platform for these incredible and personalized “moments in time” that will add value to the work that you’re doing. Aubrey and I built ThinkersOne with the goal of empowering organizations to ignite their next meeting or inspire the person sitting next to them to build their businesses and expand their personal capabilities.

I hope that you will check it out, and share it with your network (if you think it makes sense).

So… yeah… I started a new business… ThinkersOne.

Ashish Goel On Overcoming The Challenges Of Creative Work – This Week’s Six Pixels of Separation Podcast

Episode #836 of Six Pixels of Separation is now live and ready for you to listen to.

Ashish Goel has launched and run design divisions for multiple international companies. He is an entrepreneur, designer, former teaching fellow and a collaborator on the Stanford 2025 project. He is the former head of design at Zomato (India’s larger-scale Yelp!). He currently runs Boca, his sparkling water start-up, and advises some of India’s top technology companies on design and product management. His new book via the d.school, The Hasso Plattner Institute of Design at Stanford, is called Drawing on Courage – Risks Worth Taking and Stands Worth Making. Ashish believes that this topic is not-always-talked about, yet fundamental to doing cutting edge design work. According to Ashish, “You can do good-enough design-for-life work with its associated tools, but to do great design work you need grit.” His book is a practical, illustrated guide to overcoming the challenges of creative work, including where to start, how to give or get feedback, when to change direction, and how to stand up for what matters. Enjoy the conversation…

You can grab the latest episode of Six Pixels of Separation here (or feel free to subscribe via Apple Podcast or whatever platform you may choose): Six Pixels of Separation #836.

Before you go… if you enjoyed this, please subscribe (all new content arrives in your inbox). It’s easy, it’s free and it’s right here.

SPOS #836 – Ashish Goel On Overcoming The Challenges Of Creative Work

Welcome to episode #836 of Six Pixels of Separation.

Here it is: Six Pixels of Separation – Episode #836 – Host: Mitch Joel. Ashish Goel has launched and run design divisions for multiple international companies. He is an entrepreneur, designer, former teaching fellow and a collaborator on the Stanford 2025 project. He is the former head of design at Zomato (India’s larger-scale Yelp!). He currently runs Boca, his sparkling water start-up, and advises some of India’s top technology companies on design and product management. His new book via the d.school, The Hasso Plattner Institute of Design at Stanford, is called Drawing on Courage – Risks Worth Taking and Stands Worth Making. Ashish believes that this topic is not-always-talked about, yet fundamental to doing cutting edge design work. According to Ashish, “You can do good-enough design-for-life work with its associated tools, but to do great design work you need grit.” His book is a practical, illustrated guide to overcoming the challenges of creative work, including where to start, how to give or get feedback, when to change direction, and how to stand up for what matters. Enjoy the conversation…

Running time: 48:16.Hello from beautiful Montreal.Subscribe over at Apple Podcasts.Please visit and leave comments on the blog – Six Pixels of Separation.Feel free to connect to me directly on Facebook here: Mitch Joel on Facebook.or you can connect on LinkedIn.…or on Twitter.Here is my conversation with Ashish Goel.Drawing on Courage – Risks Worth Taking and Stands Worth Making.d.school.Boca.Follow Ashish on LinkedIn.Follow Ashish on Twitter.

This week’s music: David Usher ‘St. Lawrence River’.

Download the Podcast here: Six Pixels of Separation – Episode #836 – Host: Mitch Joel.

Before you go… if you enjoyed this, please subscribe (all new content arrives in your inbox). It’s easy, it’s free and it’s right here.

Six Links Worthy of Your Attention #629

Is there one link, story, picture or thought that you saw online this week that you think somebody you know must see?

My friends: Alistair Croll (Solve for Interesting, Tilt the Windmill, Interesting Bits, HBS, chair of Strata, Startupfest, FWD50, and Scaletechconf; author of Lean Analytics and some other books), Hugh McGuire (Rebus Foundation, PressBooks, LibriVox) and I decided that every week the three of us are going to share one link for one another (for a total of six links) that each individual feels the other person “must see.”

Check out these six links that we’re recommending to one another: 

Filter Failure at the Outrage Factory – Chris Swan’s Blog. “I hadn’t heard this expression before, but it accurately sums up a whole range of sins. When historians look back at the widespread adoption of tech, they will wonder how we didn’t make the obvious connection between political splintering (and the emboldening of extremism on both sides), and the fact that we built a system to amplify and steer us towards the fringes. This is an older post, but it is full of interesting links for the next time that you want to get, umm, outraged about algorithmic content.” (Alistair for Hugh). The Library of Babel . “There is a book that accurately predicts the way Mitch will die. Don’t feel bad; it also predicts the means of my death, and Hugh’s. This thought experiment has a fascinating backstory (that includes the estate of a dead author). But it makes you think.” (Alistair for Mitch). Marvel At The First Batch Of Full-Color Images From NASA’s James Webb Space Telescope – The Verge . “Pretty awesome pics from the newly launched James Webb Telescope.” (Hugh for Alistair). The Lost Art of Looking at Nature – Dissent . “Is there anything better than a good David Attenborough nature documentary?” (Hugh for Mitch). Leaders: Get ready for the ‘Great Reengagement’ – Fast Company . “When it comes to ‘experts’ about work, I am starting to have my suspicions. It doesn’t seem like many of the experts about work called ’The Great Resignation’, and it now seems like many of them have an idea about how this unfolds. I still think this is a very painful and lumpy recovery. We don’t even know what this recession will do. We don’t even know what the actual workforce wants (or needs). We don’t even know what consumers will be looking for as everything from inflation, supply chain, customer service, etc. continues to feel a level of pressure that we’ve never seen before. With that, I do believe that if companies are not neck-deep in trying to engage their team members (and their customers), it’s going to get a lot uglier much quicker. So, as you struggle to figure out what your employees and customers need, you may want to spend a multiple of that energy on engaging your employees. Otherwise, it’s going to get a lot worse…” (Mitch for Alistair). Joe Rogan: Comedy, Controversy, Aliens, UFOs, Putin, CIA, and Freedom – The Lex Fridman Podcast . “No matter how you feel about Joe Rogan, politics, cancel culture and everything else about our societal discourse (which, to me, always seems to be both right and wrong at the same time), this conversation really gave me pause. Not too long ago, I remember saying to a media friend, ‘what happened to cancelling Joe Rogan? The war in Ukraine seems more concerning to the media?’ Can’t we focus on more than one issue at a time? Well, it turns out that Joe Rogan gained two million listeners during his controversy (something I wasn’t aware of). I’ve stopped following his content long before the myriad of controversies that made the headlines. With that, I was reflecting on a time (not that long ago), where his work was truly inspiring. It seemed like everything Joe Rogan did, he did with a level of success that most people could never attain. From standup comedy to acting to color commentary for the UFC to podcasting and beyond. He was more than a ’triple threat.’ Suddenly, he became a threat to society. Then it went away, when he wasn’t cancelled, but had a huge growth in audience. Have his apologies been accepted by society? Are we moving on? Or have we found others to target? Our world is a strange and scary place. What we accept. What we shut down. What we’re silent about. What enrages us. No matter how you might feel, I do believe that this is a fascinating conversation about culture, humanity, the media machine, controversy, apologies, and much more. It says a lot about us. And, I’m not one hundred percent certain, that it’s a good thing.” (Mitch for Hugh).

Feel free to share these links and add your picks on Twitter, Facebook, in the comments below or wherever you play.

Kim Scott On Radical Candor And Ultimate Culture – This Week’s Six Pixels of Separation Podcast

Episode #835 of Six Pixels of Separation is now live and ready for you to listen to.

I have been hard at work trying to find a way to meet Kim Scott since she first published the book, Radical Candor. A special thanks to Dorie Clark and Alisa Cohn for inviting Kim to a dinner that we hosted during the last TED event in Vancouver. Along with Radical Candor, Kim is also the author of Just Work – How to Root Out Bias, Prejudice, and Bullying to Build a Kick-ass Culture of Inclusivity and co-founder of the companies, Just Work and Radical Candor. Kim was a CEO coach at Dropbox, Qualtrics, Twitter, and other tech companies. She was a member of the faculty at Apple University and before that led AdSense, YouTube, and DoubleClick teams at Google. Prior to that Kim managed a pediatric clinic in Kosovo and started a diamond-cutting factory in Moscow. She lives with her family in Silicon Valley, and loves to write fiction novels almost as much (maybe more) than business books. Enjoy the conversation…

You can grab the latest episode of Six Pixels of Separation here (or feel free to subscribe via Apple Podcast or whatever platform you may choose): Six Pixels of Separation #835.

Before you go… if you enjoyed this, please subscribe (all new content arrives in your inbox). It’s easy, it’s free and it’s right here.

SPOS #835 – Kim Scott On Radical Candor And Ultimate Culture

Welcome to episode #835 of Six Pixels of Separation.

Here it is: Six Pixels of Separation – Episode #835 – Host: Mitch Joel. I have been hard at work trying to find a way to meet Kim Scott since she first published the book, Radical Candor. A special thanks to Dorie Clark and Alisa Cohn for inviting Kim to a dinner that we hosted during the last TED event in Vancouver. Along with Radical Candor, Kim is also the author of Just Work – How to Root Out Bias, Prejudice, and Bullying to Build a Kick-ass Culture of Inclusivity and co-founder of the companies, Just Work and Radical Candor. Kim was a CEO coach at Dropbox, Qualtrics, Twitter, and other tech companies. She was a member of the faculty at Apple University and before that led AdSense, YouTube, and DoubleClick teams at Google. Prior to that Kim managed a pediatric clinic in Kosovo and started a diamond-cutting factory in Moscow. She lives with her family in Silicon Valley, and loves to write fiction novels almost as much (maybe more) than business books. Enjoy the conversation…

Running time: 59:01.Hello from beautiful Montreal.Subscribe over at Apple Podcasts.Please visit and leave comments on the blog – Six Pixels of Separation.Feel free to connect to me directly on Facebook here: Mitch Joel on Facebook.or you can connect on LinkedIn.…or on Twitter.Here is my conversation with Kim Scott.Just Work – How to Root Out Bias, Prejudice, and Bullying to Build a Kick-ass Culture of Inclusivity.Radical Candor.Follow Kim on LinkedIn.Follow Kim on Instagram.Follow Kim on Twitter.

This week’s music: David Usher ‘St. Lawrence River’.

Download the Podcast here: Six Pixels of Separation – Episode #835 – Host: Mitch Joel.

Before you go… if you enjoyed this, please subscribe (all new content arrives in your inbox). It’s easy, it’s free and it’s right here.

Six Links Worthy of Your Attention #628

Is there one link, story, picture or thought that you saw online this week that you think somebody you know must see?

My friends: Alistair Croll (Solve for Interesting, Tilt the Windmill, Interesting Bits, HBS, chair of Strata, Startupfest, FWD50, and Scaletechconf; author of Lean Analytics and some other books), Hugh McGuire (Rebus Foundation, PressBooks, LibriVox) and I decided that every week the three of us are going to share one link for one another (for a total of six links) that each individual feels the other person “must see.”

Check out these six links that we’re recommending to one another: 

Computational Thinking – Viewpoint . “In 2006, the head of the Carnegie Mellon Computer Science department, Jeannette M. Wing, wrote this short piece on what ‘computational thinking’ is. She reasons that it’s a different kind of problem solving, in many ways the purest of forms, in which search, synthesis, and conceptualizing. I read it years ago, and came across it recently. As we spend more of our lives on bits, ideas, and information, and less of it on atoms, matter, and the physical world, I find it useful to step back and think just how different thinking for a living has become.” (Alistair for Hugh). The Plan Was Simple: Infiltrate MAGA World and Tell Everyone What She Saw. Then She Was Found Out – Mother Jones . “I avoid posting links from partisan sites on either side of the political aisle, so this one comes with a caveat. But it’s a story of infiltration, and how we learn about fringe groups. When allies and enemies look identical, all we have to go on is reputation and the flimsy veneer of search results. Blending in at rallies was easy—’if she didn’t wear a mask, held her tongue, and acted friendly, demonstrators simply assumed she was on their side.’ The risks are real, but they also make me wonder about the amateur sleuthing of an increasingly divided politik, infiltrating one another, and what happens as extremism gets even more extreme.” (Alistair for Mitch). Your Fitbit has stolen your soul – UnHerd . “This one is for Alistair, one of the first people I heard talking about the ‘quantified self’ (or something like it) many many years ago. I’ve always resisted the notion – the idea of tracking my steps, sleep, calories, heart rate etc has never appealed to me. I don’t begrudge anyone who finds this kind of data-driven self examination helpful in leading a more contented/balanced life, but I’m not interested. On the other hand, Justin E. H. Smith, thinks your soul is at risk.” (Hugh for Alistair). Cat gap – Wikipedia . “‘The cat gap is a period in the fossil record of approximately 2.5 million to 18.5 million years ago in which there are few fossils of cats or cat-like species found in North America.'” (Hugh for Mitch). The rise of boring architecture – and the case for radically human buildings – Thomas Heatherwick – TED . “This was, without a doubt, one of the best talks that I saw at this year’s TED conference in Vancouver. I’m always a sucker for sessions about cities, architecture, and the places that we work and live. This one really shook me. It made me think very differently about construction, architecture and the buildings that surround us. Is it all this dull? Maybe we don’t need urban infrastructure to be so bland, gray, and unwelcoming. Thomas Heatherwick‘s work proves that we can build things differently… But he also believes that we have a long way to go. This is especially powerful, when we start thinking about buildings that we are working now, and going forward.” (Mitch for Alistair).    Why Write? – The Paris Review . “I do consider myself a writer, but I do not think I have the proclivity of writers like Stephen King or people like Ann Handley. I do have a level of frequency and consistency, but I don’t – to quote Steven Pressfield – ‘put my ass where my heart is.’ As a writer, I think that’s just a part of the personality – this constant nag that you should be writing more. Still, reading this incredible and inspiring article makes me want to spend more time banging on the keyboard and tapping out the words. I think you will agree. No matter what type of writing you are doing (or want to do).” (Mitch for Hugh).

Feel free to share these links and add your picks on Twitter, Facebook, in the comments below or wherever you play.

Are you interested in what’s next? How to decode the future? I publish between 2-3 times per week and then the Six Pixels of Separation Podcast comes out every Sunday. Feel free to subscribe (and tell your friends)

Andy Curran On This Month’s Groove – The No Treble Podcast

Andy Curran is this month’s conversation on Groove – The No Treble Podcast.

You can listen the new episode right here: Groove – The No Treble Podcast – Episode #91 – Andy Curran.

Who is Andy Curran ?

My career in the music industry started in the late 80s. Andy Curran, is like that best friend in your life that you can’t ever remember meeting, because they have always been there. When I first met Andy, he was already recording as a solo artist under the name, Curran. Prior to that, the Canadian rock musician was known as the co-lead singer for famed band, Coney Hatch. From recognition on television and in the media to award winning recorded and live performances, Andy went on to form bands like Soho 69 Caramel, and more recently he’s part of a fascinating new band called, Envy of None, with Rush guitarist, Alex Lifeson. Envy of None marks Lifeson’s return to music following the tragic passing of legendary Rush drummer, Neil Peart. But, there is another – equally fascinating – side to Andy. He’s also been a part of the music business since the early 2000s. Andy was friends with longtime Rush manager and Anthem Records owner, Ray Danniels. Ray is the founder of SRO Management and rose to prominence as the manager for Rush, Extreme, King’s X, Van Halen, The Tea Party, and many more. Andy became the A&R rep for Anthem Records and stayed on – working in various capacities – with Rush and and a myriad of other artists. To this day, Andy works with Rush’s Geddy Lee and Alex Lifeson on their product endorsement deals and beyond. As if that weren’t enough, Andy has composed and performed music for television, sports leagues and more. The party never ends, and his ability to adapt to the times and discover music genres before they attract the mainstream is fascinating. Enjoy the conversation…

What is Groove – The No Treble Podcast?

This is an ambitious effort. This will be a fascinating conversation. Our goal at Groove is to build the largest oral history of bass players. Why Groove? Most of the content about the bass revolves around gear, playing techniques, and more technical chatter. For us, bassists are creative artists with stories to tell. They are a force to be reckon with. These are the stories and conversation that we will capture. To create this oral history of why these artists chose the bass, what their creative lives are like, and where inspiration can be found.

Listen in:  Groove – The No Treble Podcast – Episode #91 – Andy Curran.

Groove – Episode #91: Andy Curran by No Treble

Are you interested in what’s next? How to decode the future? I publish between 2-3 times per week and then the Six Pixels of Separation Podcast comes out every Sunday. Feel free to subscribe (and tell your friends). 

Ron Carucci On How To Lead With Truth, Justice And Purpose – This Week’s Six Pixels of Separation Podcast

Episode #834 of Six Pixels of Separation is now live and ready for you to listen to.

Under what conditions will people tell the truth, behave fairly and act with purpose at work? And when will they lie, cheat and be selfish? Based on 15 years of research, Ron Carucci‘s latest book, To Be Honest, looks at four factors and how they foster the right (or wrong) culture. Ron has a thirty-year track record helping executives tackle challenges of strategy, organization, and leadership — from start-ups to Fortune 10s, non-profits to heads-of-state, turn-arounds to new markets and strategies, overhauling leadership and culture to re-designing for growth. With experience in more than 25 countries on four continents, he helps organizations articulate strategies that lead to accelerated growth, and then designs programs to execute those strategies. The author of eight books, Ron shares the stories of leaders who have acted with purpose, honesty and justice even when it was difficult to do so, and how they came out on top. Enjoy the conversation…

You can grab the latest episode of Six Pixels of Separation here (or feel free to subscribe via Apple Podcast or whatever platform you may choose): Six Pixels of Separation #834.

Before you go… if you enjoyed this, please subscribe (all new content arrives in your inbox). It’s easy, it’s free and it’s right here.