In 2002 I was a very green PR intern for the Vancouver Canucks of the National Hockey League. One of my jobs with the team was to give VIP tours to celebrities and other dignitaries. Typically, the tours were for friends and family of the players, and my main role was to get them as quickly as possible from the VIP boxes to the dressing room through a labyrinth of stairs, doors and hallways. So, despite the somewhat fancy title, VIP tours were typically non-descript. Except Once During a game in 2002 when the Canucks were playing the Carolina Hurricanes, I was asked to assist a guest. When I arrived at the box, I was greeted by four very serious...
The NBA and NHL playoffs are in full-swing, meaning significant social media activity, media coverage and online traffic for both leagues. The NHL and NBA do a great job of promoting their sports, and both are advancing into the wonderful world of online streaming, mobile phones, iBeacons, and more specialized fan experiences. But... there's a problem. Actually, it's more like an opportunity: I think both leagues are missing the boat online, and that they should stream all of their games, for free. Why you ask? Because it would be a lights out fan experience, and would position them well for the future. In the meantime, fans have to put up with the dreaded Paywall. Can We Ditch the Paywall Please?...
There is a little-known company that is Silicon Valley's moral equivalent of “The Smoking Man” in The X-Files. It's one of the most influential tech companies in the world… and hardly anybody outside of Silicon Valley has heard of them. You’ve likely heard of their offspring though: Dropbox, Code Academy, Heroku, Genius.com and AirBNB. Y-Combinator is a company that exclusively focuses on funding and launching tech startups, and readers are given insider access into their exclusive world through “The Launchpad” by Randall Stross. Set in 2011, the book reads like The Shark Tank for tech startups, and is an outstanding overview of what it takes to launch a startup in Silicon Valley… in three short months. Here are five lessons...
When Bill Walsh took over the NFL Head Coaching role in San Francisco, the 49ers were described in the media as “Moribund.” This word means “in terminal decline" or to be “at the point of death.” If your doctor ever describes you as Moribund, it’s time to get your affairs in order. Walsh took the Niners from the point of death in 1979 to Super Bowl Champions in 1982, marking one of the most remarkable turnarounds ever in professional sports. He went on to win three Super Bowls with the 49ers, and had no fewer than 24 of his assistant coaches go on to be NFL head coaches themselves. In short, Bill Walsh is a legend, and even if you’re...
