Brand Camp University is excited to announce their partnership with the School of Information Studies (iSchoolSU) at Syracuse University for Brand Camp – NYC. On Tuesday, May 24^th Syracuse University will be sending five students to the Brand Camp – Personal Branding 2.0 Conference in New York City. These are not your ordinary students they are fully integrated into the digital 2.0 lifestyle.

We want to personally thank Kelly Lux, the Social Media Manager at the Syracuse University iSchool for working diligently to make this possible. Below are the bios of the Syracuse students/alumni who are attending. Follow them on Twitter and look for their tweets during the conference.

Conference Hashtag: #brandcampu

Conference Blog: http://brandcampu.com

Conference Registration: http://bcnyc.eventbrite.com

Bios

David Rosen (@dhrosen)

David Rosen is recent graduate of Syracuse University where he dual majored in Information Management Technology (School of Information Studies, iSchool) and Finance (Whitman School of Management). As a member of Syracuse’s Social Media Initiative, he works to help develop and manage the University’s presence on popular Social Media networks. Rosen fashioned the relationship between the SU and Foursquare, leading to the launch of SU’s Foursquare brand page. During this process, he collaborated with Foursquare to develop the “Foursquare for Universities” program.

As the official Foursquare campus representative for SU, he works closely with many university departments as well as local businesses to promote student events via the Foursquare platform. In addition to Rosen’s involvement in all things Social Media, he has been the Streaming Media Manager at Internet Consulting Services for the past 4 years. Rosen was named Class Marshal for the iSchool Class of 2011, co-chaired the American Cancer Society Relay for Life this past year, and will be returning to the iSchool in Fall 2011 to begin his masters in Information Management with a Certificate of Advanced Study in Information Innovation.

Lauren Wannermeyer (@colormelauren)

My name is Lauren Wannermeyer and I am a Syracuse University student attending BrandCampU this year. I am a Hospitality Management major with a minor in Marketing. I am a social media geek who is twitter-obsessed and I love my iPad. I work freelance as a social media strategist and consultant for restaurants in the Syracuse area and this summer I am starting a Public Relations internship with BR Guest Hospitality.

Gretchen Schroeder (@gretchenclare)

Gretchen Schroeder is finishing up her public relations master’s at Syracuse University’s S.I. Newhouse School of Public Communications. She is a member of the University’s social media team, and tweets on behalf of Syracuse’s Twitter account (@SyracuseU). She has also helped local businesses integrate social media into their communication strategy. Schroeder graduated cum laude from Cornell University in 2010 with a B.S. in communication. She will join Chandler Chicco Companies, a healthcare communications firm, in July. Connect with Gretchen on Twitter: @gretchenclare.

Brad Slavin (@bradslavin)

Brad is currently a Television Radio & Film and Information and Systems Management dual major at Syracuse University. An active member of the Reneé Crown Honors Program, he DJs a radio show on WERW 1570AM in Syracuse, and is the Executive Communications Officer for the student section organization, Otto’s Army. His strong interest in video production an editing has led him to be a producer at CitrusTV. He has directed 5+ camera live shoots, as well as edited documentaries, promo reels, sports packages, music videos and more. He was deeply involved with the local music scene on Long Island for several years, where he both booked events and performed with various groups.

More recently he has turned his interests towards technology and social media, adding a second major in hopes of combining new technologies with his film interests. With professional experience at HBO and freelance work, Brad is always looking to expand his professional network in order to find new and exciting stories to share. Follow him on twitter @bradslavin.

Daniel Entrup (@dtentrup)

Daniel is a rising senior at Syracuse University, studying finance and global enterprise technology. He is passionate about fine automobiles, fashion, social media, and consumer electronics.

An early adopter and leader by personality, Daniel is constantly looking for ways to improve his life and lives of others through the use of technology. He regularly volunteers at non-profit organizations, sharing his passion for technology by mentoring students of all ages.

Daniel is from Wayland, Massachusetts (a suburb of Boston). His current work includes an internship at a large financial institution and establishment of SMART: Social Media And Related Technologies, a university-level social media club consisting of forums, a speaker series, site visits, and community engagement and service. Daniel is a member of the Delta Kappa Epsilon fraternity where he has held various leadership positions.

Terence Nip (@terryatjn)

I’m currently a sophomore Computer Science and Mathematics dual major at Syracuse University’s L. C. Smith College of Engineering and Computer Science. Most recently, I was a site administrator for Jellyneo.net, a popular helpsite for Neopets, and was responsible for developing modules within the custom CMS to help use social media as another medium to reach our users, amongst other duties. I’m also a web developer, working on projects that I find to be both intellectually stimulating and useful to the general public.

John Burke (@JohnBurke)

We will see you at Brand Camp - NYC on Tuesday, May 24, 2011!!!

My name is Dr. Tóth Tamás former Commercial Director of IBM Hungary turned consultant and I want to share why I am traveling 4,400 miles to attend Brand Camp.

Every year, around springtime I spend a week in NY, to get energized, to visit friends, to visit contemporary art galleries, Broadway and Joyce dance theatre, restaurants and some shopping. There is always a professional part of my visit to New York; this year’s visit has been scheduled to be able to attend the Brand Camp, personal branding 2.0 - NYC conference on Tuesday, May 24th at the Riverside Theatre.

In the 90’s and early 2000 I was a headhunter with one of the leading international search companies, after I created my own consulting company on leadership development and executive coaching, for 3-years. I am deeply involved in personal branding projects (I believe being a pioneer with personal branding in Hungary) to advise top management on this absolutely new kind of service.

I am absolutely excited about the speakers and meeting experienced professionals of personal branding.

Bio

Mr. Tóth holds a first degree in electric engineering and a second degree in economics.

From 1972, he worked for IBM in a variety of consulting and commercial positions, and then he became the commercial director of IBM Hungary, in 1985.

In the middle of 1989, he became managing director of the Budapest Office of Neumann International; in that capacity, he was the first to launch executive search and HR consulting in the region. From 1992, he served as director of the East-European region at Neumann International, and then as a member of the international board of directors of the Neumann Group, located in Vienna, in that capacity he was responsible for the communication and marketing tasks of the entire international group.

In 2001, he set up his own consulting firm under the name of Leadership & Coaching Center, whose main objective was to launch leadership development and executive coaching services. In 2001 and 2002, he studied at LINKAGE Inc., an international leadership and coaching company in London, participating in an executive coaching training series in leadership development.

Today we are announcing the workshop topics for the Brand Camp – NYC Personal Branding Conference that will be held at the Riverside Theater on Tuesday, May 24th. This conference is designed to inspire and educate entrepreneurs, startups, and young/seasoned professionals alike.

We will cover content that includes: personal brand personas, coworking strategies, communications in government, the science of selling, social media, developing a personal brand while working for a big brand and everything in between. Attendees will walk away with a full understanding of growing a personal brand that benefits the brand/company that they work for or as an entrepreneur.

One of the real benefits of attending Brand Camp is to learn and engage with people who are making real money in the real world with their personal brands.

Register: http://bcnyc.eventbrite.com

Hajj E. Flemings
Founder of Brand Camp University

Human Brand Design: How to Develop a Personal Brand Persona

With close to billion brand stories being told in all the major social networks how does an individual stand out? The science of human brand design is about taking ‘Disruptive Talent’ (hyper-connected people) and helping them clearly articulate their brand story in three dimensions (in-person, in-print, and online). The goal of this workshop is to help you integrate your values, passion and human capital into a personal brand persona through digital technology. This message is relevant to entrepreneurs and corporate ambassadors to help them communicate and create sustainable value.

Peter Shankman
Founder of HARO

Using Haters to your Advantage

Baratunde Thurston
Director of Digital at the Onion

The Onion Brand and Me

Greg Clayman
Publisher of The Daily

Built From Scratch: Creating Something New

Created by a small team of “intrapreneurs” within the halls of News Corporation, The Daily launched in February 2011 with the mission to provide the best news experience by combining world-class storytelling with the unique interactive capabilities of the iPad. Greg Clayman is the Publisher of The Daily, charged with managing the game-changing shifts in technology, process, subscription models and approach to content enabled by the latest developments in Tablet Media. Only a few months out from the launch of The Daily, Greg will discuss what went into building this cutting-edge product and what it takes to run it every day.

Amanda Steinberg
Founder/CEO of DailyWorth

The Science of Selling Your Brand

In this session, finance expert Amanda Steinberg will talk taking your brand to market. While mostly applicable to entrepreneurs, anyone can benefit from learning the science of sales. Ever wonder why, despite your fabulous talents, brilliant insights and exuberant charisma, you’re not making more money? Sales and revenue generation are a science. Attend this session to learn the tactical side and emotional side of being a deal maker.

Dayna Steele
Fast Company Blogger/Author of Rock to the Top

Find Your Inner Rock Star

To succeed in today’s increasingly competitive world, you need more than just talent. You need to be better than the rest and take your business to the next level. You need to stand out like a ROCK STAR. Dayna Steele creates rock stars! A serial entrepreneur, media strategist, nationally recognized rock radio and television personality and the author of Rock to the Top: What I Learned about Success from the World’s Greatest Rock Stars, Dayna Steele has created thousands of rock stars for her clients using her proven ROCK STAR PRINCIPLES of success.

• What your fans (customers) really want
• The best way to find opportunities
• The one thing that guarantees success
• The most overlooked (and easiest) way to stay top of mind

Dayna Steele creates Rock Stars with her proven Rock Star Principles highlighted by her experiences and photographs with the top rock stars in the world – to give you what it takes to grow your business. Move from back stage to center stage at Brand Camp!

Tamsen Fadal
TV News Anchor - WPIX

The Media, The Brand and You

Media personality Tamsen Fadal show you how to grow your personal brand so you can grow your own personal identity while still thrilling the media with exactly what you’re offering.

A news anchor by day and an author and relationship expert when she is off the clock, Tamsen is going to show you the steps to making the sure media look to you first when they need an expert.

Tamsen will show you have to:
Make your message clear to both the media and to the masses.
Always keep your brand consistent, no matter the topic.
Make the connection with the audience in three minutes or less.
How to make sure your personal brand keeps the media coming back for more.

Desiree Peterkin Bell

Director of Communications and Strategic Partnerships, City of Philadelphia, Mayor Michael A. Nutter

Redefining Communications in Government: Political Brands, New Media and You

How does an elected official and a government define its “brand”? How does a City or municipality and/or a politician build an effective brand on line with social media? Today, Government and elected officials have had to evolve how they communicate with their constituencies in a time when people are used to receiving information quickly and often. Dramatically over the last few years, driven by new technologies, new media and precipitous losses in the newspaper industry, elected officials and government have to redefine how they communicate, how they get their “message out” in a way that at times inspires, resonates and informs. Social Media has fast become a resource and created opportunities and pitfalls for government and elected officials as they grapple with this new communication phenomenon.

Knowledge and information have become more democratized while content consumers become content creators. Policy makers need to be knowledgeable and savvy about how to advocate on-line while protecting one’s on-line reputation. This session will use case-studies to take a dive into the world of Political Brands, New Media and discuss how it relates to YOU.

Campbell McKellar
Founder/CEO of Loose Cubes

Building your Business and Personal Brand through Coworking

“GenJuice has partnered with Brand Camp U as a media sponsor, and we’re working together to tell Gen Y’ers all about the importance of personal branding. Together, we will be hosting a contest and co-hosting a #GenYChat to get everyone excited about the upcoming Brand Camp - NYC conference on Tuesday, May 24th.

Personal Brand Tweet Contest

To participate in the contest, simply tweet your personal branding statement in 140 characters or less via Twitter. Make sure to tweet us @BrandCampU to enter the contest. The GenJuice team will decide who is our favorite and they’ll win a free admission to the Brand Camp - NYC conference!

#GenYChat

To participate in our #GenYChat about personal branding, make sure to join us on Twitter on May 18, 2011 and track the #genychat hashtag. We have some great questions to get the entire community talking about how to build better personal brands.”

Please feel free to rewrite it in your own language. Shoot me some feedback first and I’m going to use this post today and put it on our Tumblr. Also, I need your questions for the #genychat to follow-up with Chanelle and get that all confirmed.

Info about GenJuice

Twitter: @GenJuice
Facebook: GenJuice

Today, Brand Camp University is proud to announce a great new partnership with Moo.com. Moo is a printing company that was born out of a love of beautiful, high-quality print. Check them out online at Moo.com.

Anyone who registers for Brand Camp – NYC is eligible for a free set of Moo business cards. This offer is valid until 11:59pm (PST) 17th May 2011, details are listed below.

How?

Register at: www.BrandCampU.com

Your confirmation email will contain the link for your 50 free Moo business cards.

Business Card Info

Conferences are great for networking - you never know who you might end up swapping business cards with. Make sure you stand out with customized Business Cards that remind new contacts who you are, what you do, and more importantly (when they dig your card out a week later), where on earth they met you!

With MOO’s new “We met at Brand Camp” Business Cards - you can upload your logo, photos and text to customize your cards and, as always, feature a different image on every card in the pack. And the best part is, just because we like you, we’re giving you a set of 50 Brand Camp Business Cards absolutely free!

Your 50 FREE Business Cards come with with a ‘We met at Brand Camp’ Watermark. NO Cards will be shipped directly to you. These cards will be hand delivered to you at registration at Brand Camp University. This offer is valid until 11:59pm (PST) 17th May

Greg Clayman, Publisher of The Daily

Today we are excited to announce Greg’s topic for Brand Camp – NYC. The Daily is a category first: a tablet-native national news brand built from the ground up to publish original content exclusively for the iPad.

Built From Scratch: Creating Something New

Created by a small team of “intrapreneurs” within the halls of News Corporation, The Daily launched in February 2011 with the mission to provide the best news experience by combining world-class storytelling with the unique interactive capabilities of the iPad. Greg Clayman is the Publisher of The Daily, charged with managing the game-changing shifts in technology, process, subscription models and approach to content enabled by the latest developments in Tablet Media. Only a few months out from the launch of The Daily, Greg will discuss what went into building this cutting-edge product and what it takes to run it every day.

Bio

Greg Clayman is the Publisher of News Corporation’s The Daily: the first national news publication built from the ground up to create original content exclusively for tablet devices. Prior to The Daily, Greg was executive vice president of Digital Distribution & Business Development for MTV Networks and ran MTVN Mobile Media. There he managed digital business across MTVN’s channels to develop and manage new opportunities for digital content and strategic partnerships. Before joining MTVN, Greg co-founded Upoc, one of the first mobile media companies in the United States, and ran its marketing, sales and business development groups.

Register: http://bcnyc.eventbrite.com

Is personal branding important? The answer is yes, but it is more important whom you learn from than the fact you need to learn personal branding. It is becoming more and more difficult for people to standout. With the increasing popularity of social media the Internet is becoming more polluted with noise making it difficult to establish a strong signal. Everyday I read blog post loaded with tips from many individuals with no CASE STUDIES but the so-called magic dusk to transform your life.

Brand Camp – NYC is a one-day event that was created to help you (students, entrepreneurs, and professionals) to cut through the clutter and learn about personal branding from subject matter experts. Not just any subject matter experts but those who are living their passion and making real MONEY in the real World.

Register at: http://bcnyc.eventbrite.com

Our speakers have generated millions of dollars in companies they have grown and sold, worked with some of the largest Musicians in Rock history, and are working on cool tech startups or businesses that are transforming industries.

Our speakers have deep domain knowledge in the following area:

• Media (traditional and new media)
• Public Relations (traditional and new media)
• Tech Startups (Bootstrapped and VC funded companies)
• Personal Branding Champions: They have worked with Fortune 50 companies, athletes, and universities nationwide.
• Government: Those who have championed change and multi-platform communication strategies in municipal government.

Subject Matter Champions Speaking at Brand Camp – NYC

• Hajj Flemings (@Hajjflemings) – Founder of Brand Camp/gokit
• Peter Shankman (@PeterShankman) – Founder of HARO/The Geek Factory
• Tamsen Fadal (@tamsenfadal) - TV Anchor - WPIX (New York)
• Greg Clayman (@Clayman) – Publisher of The Daily (iPad Newspaper)
• Amanda Steinberg (@AmandaSteinberg) – Founder/CEO of DailyWorth
• Dayna Steele (@DaynaSteele) - Fast Company Blogger/Author of Rock to the Top
• Baratunde Thurston (@Baratunde) - Director of Digital at The Onion
• Desiree Peterkin Bell (@dpbell) - Director of Communication for the City of Philadelphia

You don’t want to miss Brand Camp – NYC on Tuesday, May 24^th at The Riverside Theatre

Photo Credit: I found the photo on http://kelleemontgomery.com/ (Designed by Roland Reiner Tiangco)

Why did we choose to expand the Brand Camp 2.0 – Personal Branding Conference to the New York City (NYC) market? Location. Location. Location. You hear this word used over and over in real estate, but how important is location in creating a success conference experience?

Paul Graham founder of Y Combinator and one of the top tech VCs on the planet addressed the following question in 2006, Could you reproduce Silicon Valley elsewhere, or is there something unique about it? His response was, “What it takes are the right people. If you could get the right ten thousand people to move from Silicon Valley to Buffalo, Buffalo would become Silicon Valley.”

This is the catalyst for selecting the NYC market and having a good friend and strategic partner named Peter Shankman who lives there as well didn’t hurt.

The mission of Brand Camp University is to create experiences in cities with entrepreneurs, startups and intrepreneurial thinkers and tap into the intellectual capital in that region.

History

Brand Camp was birthed in Detroit in 2008 and has grown to become the largest personal branding conference in the Midwest serving 300 attendees annually. Detroit is a gritty, blue-collar town that was the Silicon Valley of its day. Detroit is going through a transformation of rethinking its city brand and diversifying its economy. We used the creative DNA of the city and designed the conference programming around the people that we serve in that region.

As we look to expand Brand Camp and to take it to new markets there were a few specific things really stood out.

Four Reasons the New York City (NYC) was Right

• The Hustle – the work ethic of New Yorkers is legendary as well as the entrepreneurial spirit.
• Great Universities – The New York City area has a great system of fine Universities: Columbia, NYU, Parsons, NYIT, Alvin Ailey, and Fordham University to name a few.
• Silicon Alley – There is a very strong vibrant startup community. According to Mayor Bloomberg at TechCrunch Disrupt Conference (2010) he stated that VC funding increased by 19% for the 1^st quarter of 2010 while Silicon Valley funding has decreased. Unofficial NYC Startup List (136 NYC Tech Startups) doesn’t include tech companies that have been formed: http://startupalley.net/nyc-startup-list)

• The density of great minds – There is great intellectual density in NYC; the city has a population of 8.4M people. New York City is the largest U.S. city by an order of 2, the second closest is Los Angeles at 3.8M people. What is the more important aspect of a conference the speakers or the attendees? Is it the chicken or the egg? This has allowed us to pull our speakers directly from the NYC area, which is a first for us.

Brand Camp –’11 – NYC

Will take place at the historical, Riverside Theatre in New York, NY. We choose this venue because we wanted to create an experience; this is the first time we have moved from a university setting. We know that an environment is extremely important to get people to create cool stuff and to rethink old paradigms.

Speakers

• Hajj Flemings (@Hajjflemings) – Founder of Brand Camp/gokit
• Peter Shankman (@PeterShankman) – Founder of HARO/The Geek Factory
• Tamsen Fadal (@tamsenfadal) - TV Anchor - WPIX (New York)
• Greg Clayman (@Clayman) – Publisher of The Daily (iPad Newspaper)
• Amanda Steinberg (@AmandaSteinberg) – Founder/CEO of DailyWorth
• Dayna Steele (@DaynaSteele) - Fast Company Blogger/Author of Rock to the Top
• Baratunde Thurston (@Baratunde) - Director of Digital at The Onion

Registration Information

Conference Registration: http://bcnyc.eventbrite.com

Early Bird Registration Ends: 04/20

Today I am announcing Brand Camp Personal Branding 2.0 Conference is coming to the NYC. On Tuesday, May 24th at the Riverside Church Theatre I will be partnering with Peter Shankman to bring the message of personal branding, digital technology and entrepreneurship to New York. Listed below are the conference speakers, additional speakers will be announced in the coming days. There are limited tickets so be sure to get your tickets today!

• Early Bird Registration ($100) – Ends 04/20

• Student Discounts ($50)

Register at http://bcnyc.eventbrite.com

Follow Us Online Twitter: @brandcampu Facebook: www.Facebook.com/brandcampu

Conference Speakers

• Hajj E. Flemings, Founder of Brand Camp University/gokit Hajj is the founder of Brand Camp University, which runs the largest personal branding conference in the Midwest. He is also the author of “The Brand YU Life: Re-thinking Who You Are Through Personal Brand Management” which was selected as one of Fast Company Magazine 2008 Readers Choice Business Books of the year. He has been featured on NBC, Fox News, ABC, ESPN.com and BusinessWeek.com and travels nationally speaking as a brand strategist enabling personal and business brands to remain relevant. His clients include Walt Disney, Ford Motor Company, Skechers Footwear, U.S. Department of Defense (Telecom Division). He has spoken at Iowa State University, Davidson College, University of Michigan and numerous colleges and universities around the nation on personal branding, social media and career development. He recently launched a tech startup called gokit a company that develops identity kits.

• Peter Shankman, Founder of HARO/The Geek Factory PR Week Magazine has described Peter as “redefining the art of networking,” and Investor’s Business Daily has called him “crazy, but effective.” Peter Shankman is a spectacular example of what happens when you merge the power of Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD) with pure creativity and a dose of adventure, and make it work to your advantage. An entrepreneur, author, speaker, and worldwide connector, Peter is recognized worldwide for radically new ways of thinking about Social Media, PR, marketing, advertising, creativity, and customer service.

• Greg Clayman, Publisher of The Daily Greg Clayman is the Publisher of News Corporation’s The Daily: the first national news publication built from the ground up to create original content exclusively for tablet devices. Prior to The Daily, Greg was executive vice president of Digital Distribution & Business Development for MTV Networks and ran MTVN Mobile Media. There he managed digital business across MTVN’s channels to develop and manage new opportunities for digital content and strategic partnerships. Before joining MTVN, Greg co-founded Upoc, one of the first mobile media companies in the United States, and ran its marketing, sales and business development groups.

• Amanda Steinberg, Founder/CEO of DailyWorth Amanda Steinberg started DailyWorth.com to give women key insights into building real net worth. DailyWorth delivers practical tips on personal finance to thousands of women’s inboxes daily. Founded in 2009 as a trusted platform for women to learn about money management, DailyWorth has since stood out as the go-to source about personal finance for women, garnering a stream of media appearances including NYT, Cosmopolitan, USAToday, Forbes, and Inc., among others.

• Tamsen Fadal, TV Anchor – WPIX Tamsen Fadal is an Emmy Award winning Television Journalist, Relationship Expert and Author. From U.S Presidents to Hollywood Royalty to hottest stars on Broadway, Tamsen Fadal has interviewed some of the most exciting names out there. This award-winning television personality is also the author of two top selling books, Why Hasn’t He Called? and Why Hasn’t He Proposed? Tamsen loves all things tech, fashion and green and she can be seen bright and early Monday-Friday anchor the WPIX-TV, Morning News starting at 4AM.

• Baratunde Thurston – Director of Digital at The Onion Baratunde Thurston is a comedian, author and vigilante pundit who successfully combines technology, politics and comedy. He co-founded the black political blog, Jack & Jill Politics in the summer of 2006. hosted Popular Science’s Future Of on Science Channel and works as the Director of Digital at The Onion. Baratunde has contributed to Vanity Fair, The UK Independent and WNYC, and with over 55,000 followers he tweets very, very hard. His stage presence has earned him speaking duties at the National Conference for Media Reform, Netroots Nation, South by Southwest Interactive & Film and Web 2.0 Expo. He has been featured various media outlets including ABC, NPR, BBC, CNN, MSNBC, The New York Times, C-SPAN and Comedy Central.

• Dayna Steele – Fast Company Blogger/Author of Rock to the Top Dayna Steele is a successful entrepreneur, media strategist, nationally recognized radio and TV personality, the author of the best-selling business book Rock to the Top: What I Learned about Success from the World’s Greatest Rock Stars, and a popular motivational speaker. AOL calls Dayna “one of the foremost experts on career networking” and Reader’s Digest Magazine named Dayna one of the “35 People Who Inspire Us.”

I recently attended SXSW Interactive 2011 in Austin, TX. At the conference CNN had an interesting concept at their booth called, ‘The Things You Carry’ a take from ‘The Persona’ photography series by Atlanta photographer Jason Travis. Jason worked in conjunction with CNN to take pictures of interesting people and their stuff.

“The idea is in the name, Persona, because I wanted to show how we use our possessions to define ourselves, to create our personas,” Travis said.

CNN Link to all the photos

As a personal brand strategist I truly believe that as people the brands that we purchase or frequent are representative of our persona or who we really are. So when the opportunity to reveal to the world the brands that I carry which also communicates my personal brand I jumped at the chance.

I was very fortunate to be selected as one of the top photos (#16 from over #700 shots). Great honor thanks @cnnireportPRJCT!

Listed below are the items that were in my bag at the time of the photo shoot.

• Facebook Company Magazine – Wrinkled with pages that are dog-eared from reading it.
• The Brand YU Life – The book that I wrote that demanded 2-years of my life to write.
• Flip Video – Capturing the moment in HD.
• iPad – Productivity and Relevance. It enables me to be mobile and nimble
• Unbranded Sunglasses – Represents the hidden star quality on the inside of me.

The Call to Action!!!!

Would love your assistance in getting the most views and comments!!! Thanks for your support!!!

My CNN Persona Photo Link: http://on.cnn.com/gPzERD

Ask yourself, ‘Does the stuff that I carry really represent me?’

Site Helps Individuals to Create Virtual “Press Kits”

Austin, TX USA – March 15, 2011

gokit is an easy standardized way to create identity kits, whether they are press, media or social kits.

With gokit, users pick from custom themes and then users integrate their talent, text, and images into a simple friendly identity “kit” that they can create in a few easy steps. The end result is a beautiful digital site.

gokit.me is a new online tool for building an instant website that represents a person’s individual identity.

With gokit, users pick from custom themes and then users integrate their talent, text, and images into a simple friendly identity “kit” that they can create in a few easy steps. The end result is a beautiful digital site.

“We realized that there is not an easy way for individuals to create a virtual ‘press kit’ about themselves,” said Hajj Flemings, founder and CEO of gokit. “Our site gokit helps people to tell their story and to share it easily.”

The web site gokit.me evolved from a conversation over dinner during the South by Southwest (SXSW) Interactive Festival 2011 about the lack of an easy customizable platform that an author, athlete, journalist/writer, publisher, or PR firm can use to create an online identity kit. gokit is the first tool designed to make an instant identity kit to tell your story. Beautifully.

The gokit team members are Wayne Sutton, Andre Barnes, Justin Dawkins, Terrance Gains, and Hank Williams.

Help spread the word and reserve your URL today!!

website: http://gokit.me
twitter: http://twitter.com/gokitme

Modern job seekers have a lot of weapons they can use in the fight for a new job: the trusty old standbys like resumes and in-person networking, and brand new social media sites like LinkedIn and Twitter. So which are the best ones to use in a job search?
The answer is all of them. There’s no need to limit yourself to any one method-you should pursue all the avenues open to you, to make sure you don’t bypass any great opportunities. Here are some of the best tools to leverage in your job search:

Personal Branding is one of the most important steps in the job-search process, but it’s also often the most neglected. Job seekers need to be able to communicate their unique value to potential employers and career stakeholders quickly and effectively, in order to stand out. To identify your personal brand, first write down your unique strengths, and ask your friends, family, and colleagues to do the same for you. Then choose the top three to five commonly mentioned strengths that you feel will support the career direction you want to pursue. Next, find a word or phrase that that represents these strengths and can become your brand. Finally, develop a short pitch that supports the brand, describing your strengths in more detail. You can leverage this “elevator pitch” in all of your networking and interviews.

Resumes are often the first impression an employer has of you as a candidate. To make a strong impression, your resume should communicate your personal brand, be targeted to your industry and the position you’re applying to, and be easy to read (and without errors). There are many free resources that can help you with general resume writing, keyword inclusion, and formatting, but if your resume isn’t returning the right results, you should consider consulting a certified resume writer. A well-written resume will serve you throughout your career, no matter what form it takes as technology advances.

Social Media can be a great way for job seekers to build their personal brands and connect and network online. Networks and tools like Twitter, blogs, and YouTube can all increase your visibility online and demonstrate your value to your industry. A blog, for example, can be a great entrepreneurial venture to include on your resume and online profiles, and it demonstrates industry involvement. Twitter is a great way to learn what’s going on at your target companies, and to connect with people. Your LinkedIn profile can be a convenient place to which to refer potential career stakeholders for more information about your personal brand and experience, and it provides you more visibility online. Plus, LinkedIn’s Companies directory allows you to browse companies by multiple criteria, and the People search feature helps you identify key contacts within each of your target companies.

Job Boards will always be essential tools for job seekers. They serve as one-stop shops for job seekers pursuing the latest job postings in their target industry, company, field, or geographic area. For many companies, a search for relevant resumes posted on job boards is the first step in a candidate search. A job board’s search capabilities can save job seekers a lot of time by helping them help home in on relevant results, and by introducing them to new employers.

Informational Interviews are effective both in a job search and in career networking. By reaching out to contacts in your target industry or company and asking for a few minutes to learn about their career and experience, as well as for a bit of advice (note: this does not mean asking for a job), you get an opportunity to introduce yourself and your personal brand, and make a stronger connection with a potential career stakeholder.

Online Networking can be as simple as sending someone a connection invitation on LinkedIn, writing someone a thank-you email, answering someone’s question on a forum, asking a question during a webinar, following someone on Twitter, or leaving a comment on a blog post. All of these actions initiate a connection and perhaps even a relationship with someone new, increase your visibility online, and may mark you as a potential candidate for current or future job opportunities. In everything you do online, always look for ways to contribute value-with no expectation of anything in return.

In-Person Networking is becoming increasingly effective in the job-search process, especially as more and more people interact digitally. In-person connections and relationships are often much stronger and longer-lasting; therefore, meeting someone face-to-face may help you stand out from the crowd of other job candidates who have been in contact only via email or LinkedIn. Therefore, whenever possible and appropriate, introduce yourself to other professionals and get to know them (and how you and your brand can help them). Join an industry association and attend its meetings and events, volunteer for a local organization, go to job fairs, or look for similar events that are interesting to you. Even if you aren’t at an event specifically to find a job, networking and sharing your brand with others puts you on their radar for future opportunities.

Chris Perry, MBA is a Gen Y brand and marketing generator, a career search and personal branding expert and the founder of Career Rocketeer and Launchpad.

On the eve of SXSW Interactive 2011 in Austin, Texas a new Dell commercial was shot and released. The commercial included @baratunde @waynesutton @drgoddess @robertmurray @amoyal and @hajjflemings .

Are you tried of using a laptop or mobile devices that doesn’t stand out? It is time to get a new Dell Vostro V130 checkout our video.

Today what do you SEE?

Why do some Creative’s, Visionaries, Leaders, CEO’s, Athletes, Educators, and Entrepreneurs SEE opportunities when others SEE: junk, risk, 0.4 seconds and a relentless defender, and under performing students (who are diagnosed as ADD -Attention Deficit Disorder because they are over mediated and under exposed to resources that could unlock their true potential). The Internet, TV, and digital technology are great tools but nothing parallels the ability of the human mind to tap into a reservoir of creativity, ideas, knowledge and passion to create something that has never before existed.

I challenge you today to Zig when everyone else is Zagging. I challenge you to write an original blog post versus copying and re-hashing old, tire content that isn’t original. I challenge you to work on that idea that you have sat on for the past 5 years and as Seth Godin says, ‘Ship it’.

If the idea that you SEE stays locked up inside of you and is never released it is useless and has zero value. The impact of your idea is only felt when it is birthed and set free to change the lives of others.

Today what do you SEE?

Photo Credit to Shawn Lee

Link to WDIV Flashpoint Segment (02/13/11): Imported from Detroit/The Detroit Image:

On WDIV (Channel 4-News) we discussed the Chrysler ‘Imported from Detroit’ commercial as a catalyst to the Detroit Image. After doing the piece for Flashpoint I thought it would be interesting to expand on the story and include other regional and local Detroit digital storytellers who are doing a good job telling our story.

The Imported from Detroit commercial spot was an initiator to discuss Detroit Storytelling. So I wanted to recap others who are telling the Detroit Story. This story communicated the power of storytelling on a national level.

National Detroit Storytelling

Imported from Detroit

The Imported from Detroit commercial was the buzz of Super Bowl XLV and national media since it was aired. On the event of Super Bowl XLV, Brand Bowl 2011 that was presented Radian 6/Mullen/Boston.com tracked and monitored the Twitter buzz of the Super Bowl commercials. The people voted with their tweets and selected Chrysler, ‘Imported from Detroit’ as the overall winner.

o Overall Score: 90, Tweets: 32,514, Sentiment: +16.5%)

o BrandBowl: Radian 6 (Social Media Monitoring and Engagement)

o Total Tweets: Over 300K tweets

o Chrysler Tweets: Over 32K tweets

o Radian 6: Radian6’s social media monitoring software helps businesses listen, measure and engage in conversations across the social web.

o YouTube Views: 4.7M (as of 02/10/11)

According to the Wall Street Journal Chrysler and the Chrysler 200 spiked on auto-shopping web sites. Edmunds.com reports that research on Chrysler models on its web site jumped 328% after the ad appeared.

Does this mean that Detroit is back? Does this mean that Chrysler is back? I don’t think any one commercial alone saves a city, state or company. But I will say the commercial did exactly what it was suppose to do. Create buzz (mostly positive), engage potentials customers, get people sharing content, and driving traffic to their site.

Regional Detroit Storytelling

Pure Michigan Ad Campaign - http://www.michigan.org/

Gov. Rick Snyder (in his State of the Union (SOTU) address, stated that $2 in tourism is generated for every $1 spent on the ad campaign. He will continue to fund it. Michigan is a tourist destination for Chicago, Indianapolis, Milwaukee, Cincinnati and Cleveland. This story can and will only be told by Michigan’ers. The campaign has gone so well funding has been increased by $10M (Total Funding is $25.4M for 2011)

Local Detroit Storytelling

Lemonade Detroit – www.LemonadeDetroit.com

Founder Eric Proulx and Greg Meyer

Bad news is sensational. It’s the stuff of prime time exposés and gotcha news hours. People are attracted to bad news for the same reason they slow down past car accidents and watch horror movies: It’s impossible to turn away.

Thankfully, the same can be said for good news. Instead of sensationalizing blight, one new film will sensationalize hope. “Lemonade: Detroit” is about the disarming resilience of a city that can no longer rely on a single industry for its livelihood, as told through the intensely personal stories of people who are actively changing their city.

In November, 2010 Erik Proulx and Greg Meyer launched

http://buyaframe.lemonadedetroit.com, a microfunding site to both build community and raise money, one frame at a time. The premise is simple – with 24 frames in a second of film and 129,000 frames in a 90-minute feature, Erik and Greg worked with Loveland’s Jerry Paffendorf to create a space for people to own their piece of the film. For $1/frame, $24/second, $1,440/minute and so on, every person who buys frames gets their name listed as a producer in the rolling credits as well as on IMDB.com, the premiere internet movie database.

The response to the site has been overwhelmingly positive. As of the New Year 2011, more than 1000 producers have funded just shy of $30,000. The site has also attracted corporate matching from Blue Cross Blue Shield of Michigan and Quicken Loans.

I am Young Detroit – www.IamYoungDetroit.com

Margarita Barry (Founder & CEO)

The Detroit story that we’re sharing is that although we’re struggling with a HUGE brain drain, we DO have young people choosing to stay here: entrepreneurs, creatives, and thought leaders who are paving their own paths. With our launch this year we’ll be showing the world the young people, places, events, and spaces that make Detroit a vibrant place to live. Already during our beta first year, we’ve established a large following in Chicago and New York, and have garnered some national press on Time.com, WorldNews.com and Venus magazine, and national funding opportunities. Most importantly, our efforts of attracting and retaining young people to the city have already shown some promise.

“When I was offered a position in Detroit everyone was scared or my well-being (including myself). I searched online for days for anything positive I could find about Detroit and ran across the I am Young Detroit blog. I read about all the young pioneers in this city with a desire to revitalize the essence that is Detroit. Needless to say, I made to the move to Detroit from Florida over some other offers in great cities, including Chicago, Charlotte, NC, Columbia, SC, Tampa, FL, Orando, Florida. I credit I am Young Detroit for opening my eyes to all that Detroit has to offer! I have an awesome transition to the Motor City and even though the snow and cold can really be trouble at times I never regret my move. I look forward to more adventures, things to see and people to meet everyday I’m here in the D!”

- Kendyll Myles, 24 years old, Program Analyst at the Detroit VA Medical Center

Kendyll Myles’s story is definitely one that we hope to replicate over and over again!

Links

• http://iamyoungdetroit.com/index.php/2010/11/venuszine/
• http://wn.com/i_am_young_detroit
• http:// detroit.blogs.time.com/2010/04/30/podcast-i-am-young-detroit/

Detroit Moxie – www.DetroitMoxie.com

Founder Becks Davis

I started Detroit Moxie because I was finding amazing things that we’re happening in Detroit that the general public didn’t seem to know about. I often get tweets, Facebook messages, and emails from people telling me that they went somewhere because of one of my blog posts. I’ve also had people email me about advice for moving to Detroit. Most recently, someone in France asked me for suggestions for cheap places to stay in Detroit for their upcoming visit in April. I was able to direct them to Hostel Detroit, which will be opening around the same time, and recommend different things to do in the city.

Links

• Detroit Moxie was recently featured in Groupons
• One of Detroit Moxie’s Top Blog Post: 40-Things to Do in Detroit Before You’re Dead

I See Detroit – www.ISeeDetroit.com

Founder Shawn Lee

Photographer and Community Leader Shawn Lee of Shawn Lee Studios www.ShawnLeeStudios.com launched his critically acclaimed photographic project titled I SEE DETROIT. Mr. Lee’s vision of a positive Detroit is by highlighting what he calls the true “Spirit of Detroit” through several photographic works.

“I SEE DETROIT is what I see as I make my way in and around Detroit City. Photographs I take of Buildings, People and Landmarks either significant to the history of Detroit or to me. I have coined the phrase “I SEE DETROIT” for this is my vision of the beauty and ashes of the city.” Says noted photographer Shawn Lee when asked why he started this groundbreaking initiative.

Who are the New Detroit Storytellers?

The new Detroit storytellers are you and I. The new storytellers are anyone with a message, an idea or something they are passionate about sharing. With the power of the new media we have an incredible ability to create a new narrative of Detroit. The examples I listed are a few small examples. I would like to hear about others.

New Media enables all of us to be curators of stories that will open up the world to those who want to see Detroit.

Please share your ideas, blog post, blog domain names, hashtags or Facebook Fan Pages that you are using to communicate the Detroit story. The new Detroit Narrative.