Dr. X

It's not often that you pitch a crazy idea to a client, and it actually turns out exactly as you imagined it.

Our Dr. X project for Luminex was one of those rare exceptions.

Luminex is one of my favorite clients - they have patented technology for laboratory testing.  Through Elephant Productions and working with flash animation guru Cal Rogers, we've done a lot of work for the company over the past several years, including many online training modules.  They're a young, fun company, and this project was one of the craziest!

Dr. X on set 

The idea was to create a viral video that explained their technology with humor.  We pitched creating a fictional 50's scientist - a take off on those classic 50's films.  Check out the video here. (Click on the Dr. X tab.)  By the way, "Dr. X" is actually a real scientist who worked at Luminex and has many patents to his name.  Yes, and he really does speak Danish.  I love a good Danish ad lib.

Can you make science funny?
Well, that video was so well received, that Luminex came back to us for two more funny videos.  Sure...I could write a silly script once, but twice?  Petrified, I sat down this summer to write another two installments of the Dr. X serial.  You can see the next installment here....just scroll down.

Another Dr. X addition is coming soon - and honestly, I hope the series continues.  However much that scares the "comedy" writer in me. (yes, I use that term very loosely.)

Selection, not compression

When I was working as an investigative reporter, I was lucky enough to attend an investigative reporting seminar at the Poynter Institute.  We were there to sharpen our reporting skills and evaluate the ethical choices we make as journalists.

What stays with me, more than a dozen years later, is a concept taught at that seminar:  selection, not compression.  "Don't pack your investigative story full of all of the small details you turned up in your investigation," the instructor told us.  "Pick the best, most dramatic information and build your story around that."

Pick the best, leave the rest.

The concept certainly helped my reporting.  It still applies when I sit down to write videos or training materials.

What if we were able to apply that concept to our daily lives?  How difficult would it be to choose only the work, volunteer causes, clients and friendships that really fulfilled us?

It's a lot easier to say than to do.  Especially since I have the tendency to pack 10 pounds of stuff into a five pound sack.  (Hello, PTA volunteering...)

Whether we're speaking to a group, writing an email or leading our lives, it's good to remember to select the bits that matter and leave the rest on the cutting room floor.

Hello World! Redux

Once upon a time, I had a website.  And it stunk.

Sure, it was great for the first six months - but like any content left static too long, it aged and decayed.  

So, I've thrown out the traditional website in favor of a blog. 

I know.  How 2005 of me.

My goal for this blog is to be what my website never achieved - to share my thoughts on telling stories, display my completed work, and to share oddities that seem to follow people who work with cameras.

Thanks for tuning in.