When I left Nike one of the things I wanted to try my hand at was writing for money. It'd always been a little dream to be writer, but I've always been too lazy/nervous/crap to do it. Blogging made it possible, it led to the Campaign thing and today they're letting me try a new experiment; 'live-blogging' for Campaign from a seminar in Cannes. It's going to be interesting. I've managed to avoid Cannes for my whole career but now someone's paying me to go I'm quite interested to see what it'll be like, because I'm going to feel like an outsider. And with any luck I might get to meet Rob for the first time. Of course the grim reality of it is that I had to be up at 4.30 this morning and I'm typing this at 6am in Terminal One at Heathrow. Still, I'm managing to convince myself it's a bit more glamorous than usual because I'm being 'a writer', not just going to present some nonsense or other to someone, but obviously that's a delusion.
(I'm quite liking the meta-ness of this; blogging about blogging. Maybe I should do a Campaign column about it and blog about that.)
The whole idea is to get to the party on the largest boat. Can't wait for your live floating blog later this evening.
Posted by: hobart65 | June 20, 2007 at 09:27 AM
Haha! One man's meat...
On Saturday, I was really glad to not be live-blogging and realised how long it's been since anyone asked me to stand up and talk about stuff, wishing for more chances to do so. Of course when someone *ahem* last gave me the opportunity, I chose to plunge the room into silence for 15 minutes :D
Posted by: Lloyd Davis | June 20, 2007 at 11:12 AM
The pleasure was all mine mate - and I am sorry I made you walk 42 miles to find a cafe!
Posted by: Rob @ Cynic | June 21, 2007 at 06:59 AM
mind elaborating a bit about the reasons you've been avoiding cannes?
it was quite a surprise for me.
PS> one suggestion from a writer: writing about writing is crap. the worst kind of selfcentered crap I can think of. but it's just one man's opinion
Posted by: radovan grezo | June 21, 2007 at 08:11 AM
Russell,
Are you not just a frustrated creative?
I love your blog, but why such a strong emphasis on planning when really all you want to do is write and create?
In order for planning to be effective it must be the abstract of creative. You have blurred the two...
Posted by: MATT | June 22, 2007 at 09:20 AM
The thought of Cannes makes me feel really poorly. I did it a few times in the '80s (yes, I am that old). I like advertising people. Honestly, I do. But a lot of them all at the same time is just too exhausting for more than a couple of hours.
Came to say something about your Campaign column this week and the 'interruption' issue. I don't like it when theories that might have been formed by thinking people (like you) take root and get used by unthinking people. I get all snitty about people talking about 'fragmentation' too.
So, although I do sort of agree with you about interruption- and passionately so about the good manners bit - I think it's all about the trade-off or the unconscious contract. Why should I let you, the brand, enter my world and brain? What do I get out of it? Are you going to amuse me or interest me or make something I want cheaper/free?
So it's your behaviour once you have interrupted that matters far more than the structures of 'interruption' in my opinion. I think John Webster understood that.
And I'd argue that TV is created and structured around breaks and hence they are not really an interruption at all. Unsolicited mail, pop-ups, inserts - now you're talking.
Posted by: Tess Alps | June 22, 2007 at 05:06 PM