Video Interviews — Capture Your Flag

Experience Diversity

Jason Anello on Hosting an Annual Thanksgiving Potluck Dinner Party

In Chapter 4 of 20 in his 2014 Capture Your Flag interview, creative director and marketing agency co-founder Jason Anello answers "What Have You Learned from Your Experience Hosting an Annual Thanksgiving Dinner Party With Friends?" Anello shares how hosting a potluck dinner party for friends every Thanksgiving - Thanksbringing - has allowed him to experiment with different types of food and ways to cook turkey. Consistently hosting every year has also given him a lens to see how his friendships are evolving, including new faces of friends and babies, and what that has meant in his life.

Jason Anello is a founding partner and creative director at Manifold Partners, an award-winning marketing agency. Previously, Anello worked in creative leadership roles at Yahoo!, Ogilvy & Mather, and Digitas. Passionate about food, friendship and travel, Anello also runs the Forking Tasty food blog. He earned a BFA from University at Albany. 

Cathy Erway on What a Cookbook Writer Does After Recipes are Written

In Chapter 4 of 20 in her 2014 Capture Your Flag interview, author and food writer Cathy Erway answers "How Has Writing a Cookbook Compared and Contrasted to What You Expected It Would Be Like?" Erway shares what it has been like writing a full-color, photo-heavy cookbook and how it contrasts to writing her first book, a memoir. Erway's cookbook demands she cast a creative vision and also play a project manager role to complement the team of assistants, designers, editors, food stylists, and food photographers.

Cathy Erway is an author, food writer, freelance copywriter, radio show host and teacher focused on healthy food advocacy. Her second book, "The Food of Taiwan: Recipes From the Beautiful Island" is a cookbook featuring Taiwanese recipes ranging from homestyle dishes to street food favorites. Her first book, "The Art of Eating In" developed from her blog "Not Eating Out in New York".  Erway earned a BA in creative writing from Emerson College. 

Cathy Erway on Testing Cookbook Recipes by Hosting Dinner Parties

In Chapter 6 of 20 in her 2014 Capture Your Flag interview, author and food writer Cathy Erway answers "What Process Did You Use to Develop and Test the Recipes for Your Cookbook?" Erway shares how she added fun into the trial and error equation developing her cookbook recipes. She hosts a series of ten dinners, cooking ten dishes per dinner to cover the 100 recipe options for her cookbook. Erway gets feedback from dinner party attendees she uses to practice, refine and edit recipes.

Cathy Erway is an author, food writer, freelance copywriter, radio show host and teacher focused on healthy food advocacy. Her second book, "The Food of Taiwan: Recipes From the Beautiful Island" is a cookbook featuring Taiwanese recipes ranging from homestyle dishes to street food favorites. Her first book, "The Art of Eating In" developed from her blog "Not Eating Out in New York".  Erway earned a BA in creative writing from Emerson College. 

Cathy Erway on Identifying Sources of Strength and Struggle

In Chapter 20 of 20 in her 2014 Capture Your Flag interview, author and food writer Cathy Erway answers "At This Moment in Time, What are the Sources of Strength and Struggle in Your Life?" Erway shares how friends and family have been sources of strength for her. She shares how her family has come together in unexpected ways to encourage her while she writes her cookbook on Taiwanese food. Erway shares how it can be difficult to adapt to the many changes that come with freelance writing project work and how she is working on balancing change and consistency.

Cathy Erway is an author, food writer, freelance copywriter, radio show host and teacher focused on healthy food advocacy. Her second book, "The Food of Taiwan: Recipes From the Beautiful Island" is a cookbook featuring Taiwanese recipes ranging from homestyle dishes to street food favorites. Her first book, "The Art of Eating In" developed from her blog "Not Eating Out in New York".  Erway earned a BA in creative writing from Emerson College. 

Phil McKenzie on How Brooklyn Builds Character and Confidence

In Chapter 5 of 20 in his 2014 Capture Your Flag interview, entrepreneur Phil McKenzie answers "What is Your Comfort Zone and What Do You Do to Break Free of Living in It?" McKenzie shares how growing up in Brooklyn during the 1970s and 1980s taught him to adapt and be comfortable in new situations. He takes this Brooklyn mindset with him wherever he goes and shares how it helps him appreciate diversity and connect with people in new places all over the world.

Philip L. McKenzie is the Founder of Influencer Conference, a global content platform that brings together tastemakers in the arts, entrepreneurship, philanthropy and technology to discuss influencer culture. Previously, he led an influencer marketing agency and was an equities trader at Goldman, Sachs & Co. He earned an MBA from Duke University and a BBA from Howard University.

Hammans Stallings on Staying Passionate About a Fast-Changing Job

In Chapter 1 of 19 in his 2014 Capture Your Flag interview, strategist and management consultant Hammans Stallings answers "How Are You Learning to Use Your Passions in New Ways?" Stallings shares how working at frog design gives him new opportunities to learn all the time. Stallings finds the wide variety of projects and wicked problems that come with his work huge motivators to stay curious and embrace a passion for learning new things.

Hammans Stallings is a Principal Strategist at frog design. Previously Stallings worked in strategy at Dell and investment banking at Stephens. He earned an MBA from the Northwestern University Kellogg School of Management, a MS in Technology Commercialization from the University of Texas and a BA in Economics and Psychology from the University of Virginia.

Hammans Stallings on Improving Complex Problem Solving Skills

In Chapter 6 of 19 in his 2014 Capture Your Flag interview, strategist and management consultant Hammans Stallings answers "How Are You Improving How You Assess and Solve Complex Problems?" Stallings shares how dedicating himself to constantly practicing problem solving in his work is allowing him to progressively develop mastery-level skills. He notes how, over time, things slow down and he is more capable to see things clearly. Working with teams helps him evolve academic thinking into practical, personalized thinking around specific client problems.

Hammans Stallings is a Principal Strategist at frog design. Previously Stallings worked in strategy at Dell and investment banking at Stephens. He earned an MBA from the Northwestern University Kellogg School of Management, a MS in Technology Commercialization from the University of Texas and a BA in Economics and Psychology from the University of Virginia.

Hammans Stallings on Assessing Fit Interviewing a Job Candidate

In Chapter 16 of 19 in his 2014 Capture Your Flag interview, strategist and management consultant Hammans Stallings answers "How Have You Learned to Better Assess Fit When Hiring New Employees?" Stallings shares how frog design approaches new hire candidate assessment. He notes it is not about trick questions or mind benders but more about understanding candidate capabilities via behavioral interviewing and having them present work as they might on an actual client project. The next step is to have an interdisciplinary team review the candidate.

Hammans Stallings is a Principal Strategist at frog design. Previously Stallings worked in strategy at Dell and investment banking at Stephens. He earned an MBA from the Northwestern University Kellogg School of Management, a MS in Technology Commercialization from the University of Texas and a BA in Economics and Psychology from the University of Virginia.

Matt Curtis on The Joy of Working in the Travel and Tourism Industry

In Chapter 6 of 20 in his 2014 Capture Your Flag interview, Matt Curtis answers "What Do You Find Most Enjoyable About Working in the Travel Industry?" After losing over 200 pounds and starting to travel, Curtis embraces the adventure part of his job. He embraces opportunities to travel to new cities and meeting with people. In trips to Bruges, Belgium and Nashville, USA, Curtis also makes time to explore the city via city bike rental or bike share options.

Matt Curtis is the director of government relations at HomeAway Inc. Previously he was deputy to Austin mayors Lee Leffingwell and Will Wynn. He has represented the City of Austin at the U.S. Conference of Mayors and the National League of Cities. In 2011, Curtis joined the Harvard Kennedy School Urban Policy Advisory Board to work on national best practices facing American cities. He earned his bachelor's degree in radio, television and film from the University of North Texas. 

Matt Curtis on How to Identify City Government Best Practices

In Chapter 8 of 20 in his 2014 Capture Your Flag interview, Matt Curtis answers "How Are You Deepening Your Understanding of How City Government Works?" By working in city government and working with city government in his job at HomeAway, Curtis travels the world and finds ways for local governments to identify and implement best practices from other cities. He finds there is nearly always a case study of a city developing a program or implementing a solution that eliminates for any local government to "reinvent the wheel" on a project, on areas such as economic development and city infrastructure.

Matt Curtis is the director of government relations at HomeAway Inc. Previously he was deputy to Austin mayors Lee Leffingwell and Will Wynn. He has represented the City of Austin at the U.S. Conference of Mayors and the National League of Cities. In 2011, Curtis joined the Harvard Kennedy School Urban Policy Advisory Board to work on national best practices facing American cities. He earned his bachelor's degree in radio, television and film from the University of North Texas. 

Bijoy Goswami on Simplifying Focus To Do More Impactful Work

In Chapter 7 of 17 in his 2014 Capture Your Flag interview, community leader Bijoy Goswami answers "On a Daily Basis, What Does It Means to Contribute in the Work That You Do?" Goswami shares how the contribution he makes in his work as a steward to help others on their journey is rooted in focusing his energy on journey stewardship each and every day. By taking a singular focus on stewardship, Goswami can repurpose this action across different mediums, from a YouTube cartoon project to speaking engagements to writing.

Bijoy Goswami is a writer, teacher, and community leader based in Austin, Texas. He develops learning models to help individuals, organizations and communities live more meaningfully. Previously, he co-founded Aviri Software after working at Trilogy Software. Goswami graduated from Stanford University. 

Randall Metting on Growing Into a Craft Spirits Marketing Manager Job

In Chapter 5 of 16 in his 2014 Capture Your Flag interview, Randall Metting answers "How Are Your Responsibilities Changing As You Gain Work Experience?" Promoted into a marketing manager role, Metting shares how increasing sales and marketing responsibilities are giving him deeper exposure to what life is like working at a fast growing craft spirits beverage company.

Randall Metting is a brand development and marketing manager at Dulce Vida Spirits in Austin, Texas. Over 17 years, he has built brands in spirits, luxury real estate and lifestyle, music, and sports industries. He has been a radio personality at KGSR Radio and a marketer at a hyperlocal startup acquired by NBC Universal. Metting earned a BA in Advertising from the University of Florida and started his career at The Coca-Cola Company. 

Randall Metting on How to Avoid Burnout Working a Fast-Paced Job

In Chapter 14 of 16 in his 2014 Capture Your Flag interview, Randall Metting answers "How Do You Avoid Burnout and Maintain Performance Working a Fast-Paced Job?" Metting shares how he avoids burning out at work by keeping it fresh and new. On a daily basis, his work ranges from hands-on landscaping for events and recoopering whiskey barrels to traveling for meetings to working booths at events such as South By Southwest, Austin City Limits and Formula One races.

Randall Metting is a brand development and marketing manager at Dulce Vida Spirits in Austin, Texas. Over 17 years, he has built brands in spirits, luxury real estate and lifestyle, music, and sports industries. He has been a radio personality at KGSR Radio and a marketer at a hyperlocal startup acquired by NBC Universal. Metting earned a BA in Advertising from the University of Florida and started his career at The Coca-Cola Company. 

Anatole Faykin on How to Work With People Who Do Not Think Like You

In Chapter 4 of 16 in his 2014 Capture Your Flag interview, Internet entrepreneur Anatole Faykin answers "How Are You Learning to Work More Effectively With Different Personality Types?" Faykin shares how he has learned to listening to and observing others to understand how they perform best. He finds there are many ways to be successful and keeps an open mind to embrace these different approaches on a team.

Anatole Faykin is an Internet entrepreneur and digital marketer exploring new career options. A passionate world traveler and problem solver, Faykin plans to return to graduate school to earn a biosciences masters degree. Previously, Faykin has started multiple companies, including Tuanpin, a Shanghai startup he sold in 2011. He holds an MBA from NYU and a BS in computer science and biology from the California Institute of Technology.

Anatole Faykin on Career Benefits of Interdisciplinary Job Skills

In Chapter 6 of 16 in his 2014 Capture Your Flag interview, Internet entrepreneur Anatole Faykin answers "How Has Your Interdisciplinary Education Proven Valuable in Your Development?" As an internet marketing consultant who has started multiple businesses, Faykin finds a blend of hard and soft job skills, from online marketing and analytics to effective communication skills, essential to succeeding in both startup and corporate work environments.

Anatole Faykin is an Internet entrepreneur and digital marketer exploring new career options. A passionate world traveler and problem solver, Faykin plans to return to graduate school to earn a biosciences masters degree. Previously, Faykin has started multiple companies, including Tuanpin, a Shanghai startup he sold in 2011. He holds an MBA from NYU and a BS in computer science and biology from the California Institute of Technology.

Michael Olsen on Studying in a Dual Degree MBA MPH Masters Program

In Chapter 7 of 20 in his 2014 Capture Your Flag interview, management consultant Michael Olsen answers "What Were the Benefits of Studying in a Dual Degree Graduate Program?" Reflecting on his time as a dual graduate degree student in business and public health, Olsen finds two benefits. The first is that he is able to bring project management business skills into the public health work his team does on a Paraguay assignment. The second is that studying public health makes him think beyond MBA student goals of getting that job after school and more about lifetime impact he wants to make in his career.

Michael Olsen is a management consultant at Accenture. Previous to Accenture, Olsen earned dual MBA and MPH degrees at Emory University in Atlanta. Olsen earned a BA in symbolic systems from Stanford University and spent the next five years founding an IT consulting company, Redwood Strategies. 

Michael Olsen on Using an Interdisciplinary Education in a Job

In Chapter 11 of 20 in his 2014 Capture Your Flag interview, management consultant Michael Olsen answers "How Has Your Interdisciplinary Education Proven Valuable in Your Development?" Olsen shares how his interdisciplinary education gives him and others a fresh perspective when doing business and researching. He also finds that interdisciplinary learning has helped him apply different processes to solve problems and communicate more effectively.

Michael Olsen is a management consultant at Accenture. Previous to Accenture, Olsen earned dual MBA and MPH degrees at Emory University in Atlanta. Olsen earned a BA in symbolic systems from Stanford University and spent the next five years founding an IT consulting company, Redwood Strategies. 

Bryan Law on Finding Great Value in a Liberal Arts Education

In Chapter 4 of 23 in his 2014 Capture Your Flag interview, business strategist Bryan Law answers "Where Has Your Liberal Arts Education Been Most Valuable in Your Career?" Law finds his liberal arts education from Georgetown University has prepared him well for an international career in business consulting. The diverse education helps him adapt as he moves from country to country and project to project. It also helps inspire him to build a Angola University, a liberal arts college in Africa.

Bryan Law is a Principal in the Global Business Strategy Group at Google and a board member at Angola University. Previously, he was a manager at Monitor, a management consulting firm. He has worked in consulting roles at Watson Wyatt and Mercer. He earned an MBA from the Northwestern University Kellogg School of Business and a BA from Georgetown University.