Dana Sitar's Blog, page 30

This Week in Words | Nick Hart, Frandu, and My New Comedy Column

Busy, busy week! We still haven't slowed down. I'm not sure how long it's been now, but our crazy-exciting week turned into a crazy-fun weekend has turned into another busy, crazy, fun, exciting week.

First, my exciting news: I have a new column for SF Weekly's arts blog, The Exhibitionist, covering stand-up comedy in San Francisco. Yes! Are you as stoked as I am? I pitched a story to the editor of this weekly magazine, and he replied that my pitch needed a lot of work. The story was only...

Life Lessons with Frandu

We've been delighted to spend this week with our friends from Madison, comedians Nick Hart and Frandu. We have been showing them the town and the comedy scene, and benefiting from the unusual and quirky wisdom of Frandu — this old Colombian man who dropped into the Madison comedy scene about a year ago and has, unsurprisingly, attached himself to Nick and Stefan.

This video just scratches the surface of Frandu's spritely, cartoonish character. Having this man so present makes me just want...

When You Need to Hold Back

My greatest challenge as my career develops is holding back. Being an avid blogger and active on social media, I have this easy-to-use platform from which I can broadcast anything I want, and it is so hard not to gush all of my excitement about every possible good thing that comes my way.

Other writers –or any artists —  just getting started can probably relate to the stop-and-go rhythm of such a business. Huge opportunities come your way, you make huge leaps, and then, the momentum just...

The Writing That REALLY Sells Your Book, and Other Fabulous Guest Posts

If you haven't already seen it, stop by Cover to Cover today to check out my guest post on how authors can market their books to ensure that it gets picked up and read by those who will love it most. Thanks to the blog's author Jessica Lawlor, for having me!

Since I'm just about halfway through The Hart Compound Blog Tour, I want to take a moment to thank all of the bloggers who are letting me borrow their blogs this month to connect with their readers and share my thoughts. I encourage you...

This Week in Words | Comedy, Journalism, and Meeting Robin Williams

That's right. This week has been absolutely fantastic. It started Tuesday with a great show at 142 Throckmorton Theatre in Mill Valley, just north over the Golden Gate Bridge from San Francisco. The historic theatre is gorgeous, and the culture is so welcoming and warm. Stefan performed with seasoned pros and Bay Area favorites, with a special performance from Mort Sahl, whose famous comedy career spans the greater part of the 20th century.

Robin Williams, who lives in the area in Marin...

The Power of Positive Thinking

My week has been extraordinary – and it's not over. I took so many steps forward in the past four days that Monday seems a lifetime away. I'll gush the details of the week, as usual, tomorrow, but today I want to talk about the snowball effect of positive thinking.

Doesn't it always seem that good things all happen at once? One awesome thing happens in life, and suddenly the good fortune comes tumbling in. I am sure that some of this has to do with the positive attitude triggered by the first ...

How to Utilize Your Email to Grow Your Network

Anyone who is working for herself will tell you that email will quickly become a gigantic chore. But, if you look at it right, you'll realize that it also offers a fantastic opportunity for growing your network. Every email is an interaction with a possible client, customer, subject, reader, friend, or business partner — a virtual handshake. There are tons of simple ways to optimize these everyday interactions to grow your network.

Optimize your signature. Your email signature is like a...

How to Utilize Your Email for Networking

Anyone who is working for herself will tell you that email will quickly become a gigantic chore. But, if you look at it right, you'll realize that it also offers a fantastic opportunity for growing your network. Every email is an interaction with a possible client, customer, subject, reader, friend, or business partner — a virtual handshake. There are tons of simple ways to optimize these everyday interactions to grow your network.

Optimize your signature. Your email signature is like a...

Launching a Start-up | More from Craig Follett of Uniiverse

Uniiverse founders (L-R) Craig Follett, Ben Raffi, and Adam Meghji

Last week, I introduced you to Uniiverse, a new collaborative marketplace, through a Q&A with CEO Craig Follett. Today, we finish the interview and take a look behind the scenes of this start-up to see how the company got off the ground, and how they've been doing since their February 7 site launch.

Dana: How did the idea for Uniiverse come about, and how did you (Craig, co-CEO Ben Raffi, and CTO Adam Meghji) come together to...

This Week in Words | Comedy Journalist

Tonight completes our five-night run of shows for Stefan. He hasn't taken a night off since he came home from Idaho on Tuesday! He made his debut at the Punchline in San Francisco Tuesday night, with a great set for the charity show Operation: Funny.

We enjoyed a weird night of open mics on Wednesday, stopping by Ladies' Night at the Brainwash cafe, where male comedians who drop in usually get a spot because of the lack of female performers at the mic. And we ended the night at the rowdy a