How to Find Work in Creative Writing and Music - Conrad Doucette

In Chapter 9 of 19 in his 2012 Capture Your Flag interview, musician Conrad Doucette answers "How Are You Finding New Ways to Find Jobs That Blend Your Passions for Writing and Music?"  Doucette shares that he did not know what exactly he wanted to do but knew he would find it in New York City.  By putting himself in close proximity to inspiring individuals in digital media, creative writing and music, he meets people who share similar passions.  Doucette continues to do this as he moves into writing, copywriting, digital producer, branding and communications jobs.  Each gives him an opportunity not only to work with musicians but also with people who share many of the same goals. 

Conrad Doucette is a Brooklyn musician and the drummer for Takka Takka, which released its 3rd studio album, AM Landscapes, in late 2012.  He has performed with Bob Weir of the Grateful Dead, The National, Alina Simone, and many other leading acts.  When not performing music, Doucette is the communications and brand director at music licensing and publishing startup Jingle Punks.  Doucette earned a BA in History from the University of Michigan.

Simon Sinek on How Growing Up All Over World Shapes Family Values

In Chapter 3 of 16 in his 2012 Capture Your Flag interview, author and public speaker Simon Sinek answers "What Childhood Experiences Have Been Most Fundamental in Shaping Who You Are Today?"  By the age of 10, Sinek had lived on four continents - North America, Europe, Africa, and Asia.  Moving frequently, Simon and his sister do not develop traditional roots and friendships.  Instead, Simon and his family become very close and learn to rely on and support one another.  Simon Sinek teaches leaders and organizations how to inspire people.  His goal is to "inspire people to do the things that inspire them" and help others find fulfillment in their work.  Sinek is the author of "Start With Why: How Great Leaders Inspire Everyone to Take Action".  He works regularly with the United States Military, United States Congress, and many organizations, agencies and entrepreneurs.  Sinek is an adjunct professor at Columbia University and an adjunct staff member at the think tank RAND Corporation.  Sinek earned a BA in Cultural Anthropology from Brandeis University.

Transcript

Erik Michielsen:  How are your family relationships changing as you get older?

Simon Sinek:  My sister and I are adults now. And so we have adult conversations, we will ask each other all kinds of advice that we used to ask our parents about, career advice, relationship advice, things that we used to go to our parents, you know, we go to each other now. And also you know on some level, there’s a click when you grow up at home, you’re at home, from you know, zero to 18, and then whether you go to college or go on to do something else. You leave.

And the problem is, is you keep growing up, or at least I can speak for myself, I kept growing up, but my parents knew me from when I left the house at 18, and so they would still treat me very much like the 18-year-old even though I was still growing up. And they would give me some credit as I sort of entered the workforce, you know, but they still treated me like the person they knew very, very well, even though things had changed, I’ve matured in some ways and—less mature in other ways but the point is that for a good chunk of time most of my 20’s I would say they kind of had a little warped vision of who I was because they’re treating me like the thing they knew, right?

And so I think what has happened now is it’s evened out, which is my parents are still my parents, and there’s that wonderful dynamic but we’re peers much more now. And we treat each other as peers, which is nice. It’s an amazing experience when your parents come to you for advice about something that they’re dealing with, or that my dad and I will have a business conversation, it’s just not me asking him for advice, it’s now him asking me for advice, and that’s been sort of incredible to be able to have that kind of dynamic with my parents. Yeah, huge respect, huge mutual respect. And not sort of the traditional sort of parental respect, oh, you’re my parents. But respect for each other for who we are, not just for the role we play.

How to Make the Most of Living in Your City - Randall Metting

In Chapter 2 of 7 in his 2012 Capture Your Flag interview, brand marketer and on-air radio personality Randall Metting answers "How Do You Make the Most of Living in a City?"  Metting shared how he embraced living in Austin, Texas after relocating from St. Petersburg, Florida.  Learning about the arts and entertainment scene helps Metting identify charities and get involved supporting non-profits.  Ultimately this research shapes his approach to fully embrace his Austin city living experience.  Randall Metting is an on-air radio personality at 93.3 KGSR Radio in Austin, Texas.  When not on the radio, Metting consults organizations on integrated marketing strategy and brand development.  He also writes the Austin community music and entertainment blog at www.randallmetting.com.  Metting earned a B.A. in Advertising from the University of Florida.

How to Use Your Network to Help Others in Need - Randall Metting

In Chapter 7 of 7 in his 2012 Capture Your Flag interview, brand marketer and on-air radio personality Randall Metting answers "How Do You Value Your Business Network?"  Metting frames his network as a "spider web of life" and he finds himself very engaged in helping those in their network, whether they are moving to Austin, traveling to Austin, running a charity, navigating the ins and outs of running a business or building a career.  Randall Metting is an on-air radio personality at 93.3 KGSR Radio in Austin, Texas.  When not on the radio, Metting consults organizations on integrated marketing strategy and brand development.  He also writes the Austin community music and entertainment blog at www.randallmetting.com.  Metting earned a B.A. in Advertising from the University of Florida.

Idan Cohen on Balancing Work and Social Life Living in a Big City

In Chapter 4 of 19 in his 2012 Capture Your Flag interview, Boxee co-founder and head of product Idan Cohen answers "How Do You Make the Most of Living in the City?"  After growing up in the suburbs of Tel Aviv, Israel, Cohen lives in Tel Aviv and embraces the casual nature of connecting with friends after work.  After relocating to New York City, Cohen finds connecting with friends after work more challenging and shifts his attention to making weekend plans.  

This is Idan Cohen's Year 1 Capture Your Flag interview.  Cohen is co-founder and head of product at Boxee Inc, an online video software company.  Previous to Boxee, Cohen held telecom software innovation and developer roles at Comverse.  He was a Captain in the Israeli Defense Force (IDF) and graduated from Tel Aviv University with a Bachelors of Science degree in Geophysics and Art.

Transcript: 

Erik Michielsen: How do you make the most of living in a city?

Idan Cohen: I grew up in Israel, and for about 20 years, I grew up in the suburbs of Tel Aviv. And then for about 10 years, I lived in Tel Aviv after I got out of the army, which was great because something about the life there, people hang out very late, and people are very spontaneous, so you can easily—you come back from work, and even if it’s around 8 or 9, it’s still, you know, what are you doing? What are you doing? You know, I’m just—I’m outside of your apartment. Should I come up? Should you come down? It’s very easy. 

In New York, it’s a little bit different, so I moved to New York just over 2 years ago. And it’s much more strict, I work a lot of hours, I mean very long hours so by the time I get home, there’s not a lot of things to do and people usually start hanging out and socializing around 6 and when I get home around 8 or 9, it’s already kind of past that time. And so I find myself not doing a lot of things, so I don’t take advantage of the city in that perspective. 

Weekends are definitely a great way and a great time for me to do that, and I try and do that mostly on the weekends, so I just—I usually just go around wherever my, you know, wherever I find myself, I just walk around. That’s the thing for me, but I, you know, living in New York which is the cultural kind of mecca of the world, and I still—I don’t feel that I see enough, you know, I go to enough museums and see enough exhibitions or access enough music, or whatever. I need to do that more. But that’s—if it was a, you know, if I could, I would just do that, all the time. 

Why NYC is a Young Digital Talent Destination - Mike Germano

In Chapter 9 of 19 in his 2012 Capture Your Flag interview, social media ad agency CEO Mike Germano answers "How is the New York City Digital Community Changing?"  He notes how progressively more ambitious college graduates are entering digital and tech and how New York City adapted to attract ambitious young talent pool that wants to create digital products and services and is open to not relocating to Silicon Valley.  Mike Germano is co-founder and CEO of DUMBO, Brooklyn based social media advertising agency Carrot Creative.  Previously, Germano ran for and was elected to public office in Connecticut.  He is a graduate of Quinnipiac University. 

How Family Relationships Change With Age - Jason Anello

In Chapter 3 of 20 in his 2012 interview, creative director Jason Anello answers "How Are Your Family Relationships Changing As You Get Older?"  Anello shares how after many years experience in his 20s and 30s, he is no longer perceived as the child.  He notes how the role of parent and child reverses and how he expected it to happen in his 20s when it actually occurred in his 30s after many life events.  Jason Anello is a founding partner and creative director at marketing services agency Manifold Partners.  He is also the co-founder of the Forking Tasty Brooklyn supper club.  Previously, Anello held creative leadership roles at Yahoo! and Ogilvy & Mather.  He graduated from the University at Albany. 

How Storefront Office Transforms Creative Business - Doug Jaeger

In Chapter 9 of 17 in his 2012 interview, entrepreneur Doug Jaeger answers "How Did You Decide Where to Locate Your Office?"  Jaeger learns from mentor, Carl Johnson of Anomaly, how London creative agencies work out of storefront offices.  After opening JaegerSloan as a hybrid office / gallery, Jaeger finds unexpected surprises being connected to the local community.  By being present in the community, Jaeger finds he is able to both participate and contribute as a member and help it flourish.  Doug Jaeger is the co-founder of JaegerSloan, a multimedia design services firm in New York City.  His street front office doubles as the JS55 Gallery. Jaeger is also an adjunct professor at the School of Visual Arts (SVA).  He graduated from Syracuse University.

How to Break Out of a Comfort Zone and Live More Fully - Ramsey Pryor

In Chapter 8 of 15 in his 2011 Capture Your Flag interview, Ramsey Pryor answers "Where is Your Comfort Zone and What Do You Do to Break Free of Living in It?"  Pryor discusses the benefits of immersive moves and travels to change scenery.  He also details how becoming a parent and raising children evolves his approach over time.  Pryor is currently a product management executive at IBM focused on cloud-based communication and collaboration software.  Previously he was VP Product Marketing at Outblaze, acquired by IBM.  Pryor earned an MBA from IESE Business School in Barcelona, Spain and a BA in Economics and Spanish from Northwestern University.

How to Pick a City That Best Matches Your Interests - Andrew Hutson

In Chapter 17 of 17 in his 2011 Capture Your Flag interview, Andrew Hutson answers "What Has Been Your Approach to Determining What City is Best for You?"  Hutson shares the decision process behind his and his wife's move to Durham, North Carolina.  He looks at quality of life and the inputs going into it.  He looks at professional opportunities, including scenes and associated writing communities for Hutson's wife and a supportive non-profit community of his own.  Hutson is a senior project manager at the Environmental Defense Fund (EDF), where he advises corporate partners such as Wal-Mart on sustainable supply chain initiatives.  Hutson holds a PhD from the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill and an MEM from the Duke University Nicholas School of the Environment.  He earned his BA from Michigan State University. 

How Immigrant Learns to Assimilate into Foreign Culture - Anatole Faykin

In Chapter 1 of 18 in his 2011 Capture Your Flag interview, Internet entrepreneur Anatole Faykin answers "What Has Your Own Immigrant Experience Taught You About How to Assimilate into a Foreign Culture?"  Emigrating from Russia to the United States at 13-years old, Faykin learns to listen to learn the language and how others spoke.  He also learns that surviving the American high school experience is far more challenging than moving into foreign cultures.  As a result, it makes sense since high school Faykin has lived all over the world.  Faykin is the founder of Tuanpin, a Shanghai-based daily deals site he grew to 25 employees and sold in the fall of 2011.  Previously, he worked for British Telecom in London, Intel in Shanghai, American Express in New York, and Oracle in San Francisco as well as several startup ventures.  He holds an MBA from the NYU Stern School of Business and a BS in computer science and biology from the California Institute of Technology.

How Parents Learn to Understand Their Son - Anatole Faykin

In Chapter 2 of 18 in his 2011 Capture Your Flag interview, Internet entrepreneur Anatole Faykin answers "How Have Your Parents Encouraged You to Pursue Your Passion and Explore the World?"  Faykin shares how his parents have moved from allowing him to move far away to supporting and, ultimately, understanding his decisions to live abroad in other countries.  Faykin is the founder of Tuanpin, a Shanghai-based daily deals site he grew to 25 employees and sold in the fall of 2011.  Previously, he worked for British Telecom in London, Intel in Shanghai, American Express in New York, and Oracle in San Francisco as well as several startup ventures.  He holds an MBA from the NYU Stern School of Business and a BS in computer science and biology from the California Institute of Technology.

Why to Live Abroad Multiple Times - Anatole Faykin

In Chapter 10 of 18 in his 2011 Capture Your Flag interview, Internet entrepreneur Anatole Faykin answers "Why Have You Made it a Point Not to Just See Living Abroad as Checking a Box and More of Something to Embrace, Then Bring Back, Then Repeat?"  Faykin shares his approach to living, having one life to life, and making the most of one lifetime.  He finds himself living differently abroad than at home.  The different attitude, viewpoints, and conversations are anything but temporal, and Faykin repeats abroad experiences to make them permanent.  Faykin is the founder of Tuanpin, a Shanghai-based daily deals site he grew to 25 employees and sold in the fall of 2011.  Previously, he worked for British Telecom in London, Intel in Shanghai, American Express in New York, and Oracle in San Francisco as well as several startup ventures.  He holds an MBA from the NYU Stern School of Business and a BS in computer science and biology from the California Institute of Technology.

What Gets Easier and What Gets Harder - Scott Gold

In Chapter 1 of 20 of his 2011 Capture Your Flag interview with host Erik Michielsen, author and writer Scott Gold answers "What is Getting Easier and What is Getting Harder in Your Life?" Gold notes that after ten years in New York City, it is becoming harder to be away from his New Orleans roots. Professionally, as a writer, it is getting easier for Gold as he settles into his style, makes connections, and as a result carries himself more confidently. Scott Gold is an author and writer based in New York City. When not writing, Gold moonlights as a bartender at Char no. 4 restaurant in Brooklyn. He earned a BA in Philosophy from Washington University in St. Louis.

Why to Stop Working from Home and Get an Office - Lulu Chen

In Chapter 1 of 10 in her 2011 Capture Your Flag interview with host Erik Michielsen, fashion stylist Lulu Chen answers "Since We Last Spoke What Has Been the Most Exciting Thing to Happen in Your Life?"  Chen notes how her fashion styling small business is expanding and she has gotten her own office space.  She values separating personal and professional space, especially given she has assistants and has many client meetings.  She finds chemistry with an artistic community in an office space nearby her apartment.  Lulu Chen is a New York City based fashion stylist.  Chen earned a Bachelor of Fine Arts degree studying design and art history from the University of Michigan.

What Gets Easier and What Gets Harder - Ken Rona

In Chapter 1 of 13 in his 2011 Capture Your Flag interview with host Erik Michielsen, data analytics expert Ken Rona answers "What is Getting Easier and What is Getting More Difficult in What You Do?"  He notes how he is maturing with a manager, being more consistent and clear in behavior and communication.  Additionally, experience has taught him how to more easily extract value from data.  From a challenge perspective, he notes how commuting to another city - from DC to Atlanta - has been stressful and is something he will address by moving the family to Atlanta.  Rona is currently VP Audience Insights and Ad Sales Partnerships at Turner Broadcasting.  Previously, Rona has worked in roles in data analytics at IXI Digital and AOL and management consulting at McKinsey & Co.  He earned a BA and MA in Political Science from Stony Brook University and a PhD in Behavioral Economics from Duke University. 

How to Overcome Career Insecurity - Ken Rona

In Chapter 2 of 13 in his 2011 Capture Your Flag interview with host Erik Michielsen, data analytics expert Ken Rona answers "What Factored into Your Decision to Take a Job That Would Relocate Your Family?"  As a newly graduated PhD working for McKinsey, Rona loses his job during the dotcom blow up.  The experience scars Rona and during the many years that follow, he remains wary of employer job security given his 'at will' employee status.  He learns to let go of this insecurity and need to have a backup plan and focus more about making a contribution and committing to a company, town and establish family roots.  Rona is currently VP Audience Insights and Ad Sales Partnerships at Turner Broadcasting.  Previously, Rona has worked in roles in data analytics at IXI Digital and AOL and management consulting at McKinsey & Co.  He earned a BA and MA in Political Science from Stony Brook University and a PhD in Behavioral Economics from Duke University.

How to Select the Best School for Your Children - Ken Rona

In Chapter 3 of 13 in his 2011 Capture Your Flag interview with host Erik Michielsen, data analytics expert Ken Rona answers "How are You Approaching the K-12 School Search Relocating from DC to Atlanta?"  Moving to DC before having children teaches Rona the importance of moving to a place where schools are well matched to the kids' learning needs.  Now, as he moves to Atlanta, Rona shares how he and his wife are navigating the school search process.  Rona is currently VP Audience Insights and Ad Sales Partnerships at Turner Broadcasting.  Previously, Rona has worked in roles in data analytics at IXI Digital and AOL and management consulting at McKinsey & Co.  He earned a BA and MA in Political Science from Stony Brook University and a PhD in Behavioral Economics from Duke University.