kathy garfield. - Blog

Why I love Glee

Mon, 24 May 2010 21:17:19 -0800

Every Tuesday, I look forward to a certain TV show about a bunch of high school glee students. I started watching this season and have quickly become addicted. I have bought many of the songs from the soundtrack on iTunes, spent hours searching for the perfect 'Gleek' t-shirt, and shed a tear over the fact that the Glee tour doesn't come to my area. So why such the sudden obsession? It's simple, this is one of the first shows I feel I can truly relate to.

The characters represent the underdog in all of us. At one point or another, we all feel like life is working against us. The characters go through things we all go through, and you can't help but pull for them each week.

Another major reason is because I was heavily involved in choir and musicals throughout high school. I even sang in an all-girls a capella group. My school had one of the best choir programs in the state, and one of the best teachers to go along with it. Some of my favorite high school memories took place in the choir room or on stage. I remember performing in the musical each spring and wishing I could do that every day. The high you get from performing on stage is like nothing else.

Now one might advise that someone with that passion go on and pursue their dream, but I'm also realistic. I didn't have the strongest solo voice, and even though I loved being in the chorus, chorus members typically don't get cast on broadway. Even the kid who gets the lead role for four years straight sometimes can't even make it, and I dont think i could stomach the rejection.

Deep down, we all want our time to shine, and Glee lets us live vicariously through the characters each week. Glee is my weekly musical escape and gives me the joy I used to feel singing every day in choir.

Finally, I love the characters. One of my favorites is the role of Will Schuester, the loveable choir teacher who instills hope in each of his students, acting as their biggest cheerleader. Played by broadway veteran Matthew Morrison, Mr. Schuester is the kind of teacher everyone wishes they had to inspire and encourage the geek inside of all of us. His curly hair and good looks dont hurt either.

Another role I admire is Kurt, a boy learning to deal with being gay- a character not typically portrayed on TV. He is picked on by the jocks, and doesn't have many friends, but he finds strength through song. I know there are young boys across America who love to sing and dance, yet are teased by others. Now, they finally have someone they can look up to, and know they are not alone.

Last, but not least, there's Rachel Berry. She's cute, outgoing, a bit of an over-acheiver, and classified dork. She gets picked on by the cheerleaders, but that doesn't stop her. She knows what she wants, and she doesn't let anyone stand in the way of her dream. Characters like this have always been portrayed in a negative light- as the suck up who puts others down to get where she needs to be. Rachel's not like that. Yes, she wants the solo, but she has a heart, and always tries to do the right thing. I like how they show that it's okay to be a bit over-the-top and have a passion for something, even if others think its lame.

The essence of Glee is about accepting others for who they are- not who you'd like them to be. It's a show that represents how the majority of kids out there feel, and it's refreshing to watch good, clean, comedy you can sing along to for a change.

Where is the originality?

Wed, 24 Feb 2010 22:36:33 -0800

I understand that most of today's music is influenced by previous music, but these three songs are eerily similar. They all contain the same four chord progressions, and are nearly identical if you swapped out the melodies.

My issue is that I don't enjoy a revamped version of a song I liked two years ago. I want to hear something fresh, something new. Do they not think their listeners can tell the difference? Alicia Keys even won some Grammy's for her version, regardless to the fact that it came out after the Black Eyed Peas' song, and is essentially the same.

Listen for yourself and you be the judge:

"Where Is The Love?" - Black Eyed Peas (2004)

"No One" - Alicia Keys (2007)

"Hey Soul Sister" - Train (2009)

Social Media Quick List

Wed, 24 Feb 2010 11:18:01 -0800

For those of you confused by social media is all about, I've compiled a list of articles, videos, and other resources to help you get started.

Social Media 101

What is Social Media?

How to: Implement a Social Media Business Strategy

How to: Make Social Media Work for Non-Consumer Brands

Understanding Twitter

The Twitter Guidebook

Twitter in Plain English

How to: Build your Twitter Community

How NOT To: Build Your Twitter Community

Follow Fail: The Top 10 Reasons I Will Not Follow You in Return on Twitter

How to: Use Twitter for Customer Service

How to: Design a custom twitter background

50 Ideas on Using Twitter for Business

Guide to Facebook

The Facebook Guidebook

Killer Facebook Fan Pages: 5 Inspiring Case Studies

How to Develop of Facebook Fan Page That Attracts Millions of Fans

Measuring Your Social Media Efforts

How to: Measure Social Media ROI

How to: Track Social Media Analytics

5 Near Free Social Media Monitoring Tools

Additional reading...

Twitter for Dummies by Laura Fitton

Socialnomics by Eric Qualman

Trust Agents by Chris Brogan

For your inbox...

Blogs worth subscribing to for daily, useful advice on marketing and building trust online:

Seth Godin
Chris Brogan

Sources: www.mashable.com

My Music Timeline: Songs I've obsessed over through the years

Tue, 23 Feb 2010 06:09:41 -0800

You know those songs you become completely obsessed with to the point where you feel the need to press 'replay' non-stop? You might play them over and over again for days on end, and then eventually they wear out. This happens to me fairly often, and when I hear these old favorites again, I get this nostalgic feeling taking me right back to that day, month, or semester in college when those songs were so vivid in my mind.

Here are the songs I can recall in my "timeline" of music. Curious to know if anyone else feels the same...

Winter 2010

"Need You Now"- Lade Antebellum
My current obsession.

"Black Rock" -O.A.R.
Probably one of my favorite songs of all-time. It just puts me in the greatest mood.

In Rainbows- Radiohead
This album is really chill, mellow, and reminds me of my morning drive to work in the winter.

Fall 2009

Big Whiskey and the Groogrux King- Dave Matthews Band
Thank you Uncle David for giving me this album. I listened to it in its entirety during my move out to Grand Haven and it remind me of those first few weeks driving around town. Especially the first night where Tracy and I made a late night trip to the Grand Haven Meijer : )

"Chinese" - Lily Allen
This version done by a children's choir is absolutely beautiful. The original version by Lily Allen is good too, just a more pop sound. I don't exactly remember how I discovered this song, but I COULD NOT stop listening to it at work or at home. Let's just say I hit "replay" on YouTube a ridiculous amount of times throughout the day. This will forever remind me of the fall.

"Career Day" - The Format
"Russian Roulette" - Rhianna
Both these songs remind me of my first couple months in my apartment.

"Never Say Never" - The Fray
This song was stuck in my head around the time I was apartment-hunting in Grand Haven. I vividly remember walking through model apartments singing this.

Summer 2010

"Smile" and "Earth Song" - Michael Jackson
Here starts my obsession with MJ. After his tragic death in July, I played his songs all day at work (The Smile YouTube video was always a tab on my browswer) and pretty much watched his entire music video collection surrounding those first few days of his passing (who didn't?)

I fell in love with his music all over again and grew to love some of his lesser-known songs. This takes me back to the summer after graduation big-time. Here are some of my favorites:

"Linger" - The Cranberries
I watched the movie "Click" one day on TV where they play this song in a scene. I've always loved the song, but I probably overplayed it after hearing it that summer.

"Dream a Little Dream of Me" - The Mamas and The Papas
"I'll Be Seeing You" - Cass Elliot
Thank you Biography channel for providing me with an instant fascination of all things The Mamas and The Papas. These songs bring back summer evenings where my sister had to tell me stop playing them because she was getting sick of them.

"What I Did for Love" - A Chorus Line
After seeing the documentary "Every Little Step" about the casting of the musical "A Chorus Line," I completely fell in love with their soundtrack, but this song in particular reminds me of the summer nights I listened to it over and over.

Fall 2008

"Without Love" - Hairspray
I have my THR 305 class to thank for introducing me to the Hairspray soundtrack since we had to read the play and watch the movie for class. My roomates probably got sick of me singing along to this on YouTube for a good two weeks, but it's such a feel-good song. I even got my sister obsessed with it.

Summer 2008

"On the Tower" - Sondre Lerche
"Face Down" - Red JI discovered both of these songs while listening to Pandora at my internship at Campbell-Ewald the summer after my junior year. There's a chance someone may have walked past my cube and seen me totally rocking out to hem haha.

Winter 2008

"Never Alone" - Barlow Girl
"So Close" - Jon McLaughlin
Both these songs remind me of junior year listening to these nonstop while doing homework- or just going online in my room on Cedar St.

Summer 2007

"Miscommunication" - Timbaland
Whenever I hear this song it brings me back to Study Abroad. That summer before I left for Asia I was living on a duplex with one of my sister's sorority sisters and she introduced me to Timbaland. She played his album, "Shock Value" in the car and I had no clue who was singing this music, but I loved it. I bought a bunch of his songs before my trip, and I listened to them non-stop throughout my 4-week trip. In particular, 'Miscommunication' totally reminds me of getting ready for our nights out in Tokyo.

Winter 2007

"Winter" - Bayside
"Angels/Losing/Sleep" - Our Lady Peace
Both these songs remind me of my sophomore year walking to class in the snow, because that was right around when I got my iPod and I listened to it everywhere I went.

Fall 2006

"Please Remember Me" - Tim McGraw
I heard this song playing one night in a friend's room and immediately went to their iTunesd to find out who sang it. Let's just say it was on my iTunes most frequently played list for a good 4 months.

"Thumbelina" and "In the Bathroom Is Where I Want You" - Nightmare of You
Both these Nightmare of You songs remind me of fall semester Sophomore year when I would listen to Pandora at my front desk job in Wonders hall. I discovered this band through Pandora, and listened to their entire album nonstop while house hunting online that fall.

Spring 2006

"Dice" - Finley Quaye-William Orbit
Reminds me of the my second semster of freshman year at MSU when my sister and I started watching her roomates' dvds of "The OC" and quickly fell in love with their amazing soundtrack. This is just one of the many songs that totally take me back to late night OC marathons in Tracy's dorm : )

Summer 2005

"Several Ways to Die Trying" - Dashboard Confessional
This song reminds me of the summer after high school graduation when I listened to this in the car on the way to work (Starbucks).

Things I'll miss about Team Detroit

Fri, 28 Aug 2009 08:55:30 -0800

It's been 3 months since I started interning at Team Detroit, and it will all come to and end on Monday. I have learned a great deal while I was here, and I've met some cool people along the way. I thought I'd take a look back on the things I'll miss most about this agency:

My dual screen computers (and being one of the few interns to get a Mac- thank God!)
The atmosphere. Team Detroit, or TDI as we call it, has a very laid-back, casual environment. The floor where I sit has a loud, busy energy which definitely kept me going.
The people. I sit by a very entertaining group of people including print producers, art buyers, and traffic coordinators who never fail to strike up a conversation about last night's TV, random celebrity gossip, or their families. They always made me laugh and made going to work fun every day.
The chance to work on a huge brand we call Ford. I had the opportunity to learn all about the history of the brand, their current vehicle lineup, and what they're doing to stay on top of social media. It was a great experience to work on one of the country's most well-known and beloved brands.
The chance to work on Warrior Sports. Our intern project allowed us to create a campaign to launch their upcoming line of lifestyle footwear, and we had the freedom to do whatever we want. We immersed ourselves in their brand for 2 months and presented our work to senior management. To our delight, they liked what we had to show them. Granted, we had a tough Q&A session, the feedback we received from them was some of the most useful advice on giving a successful presentation I have heard.
My mentors. So many people at this agency have reached out to me and offered their help and guidance. These include:
Robert Jed- My manager, Robert, was always approachable and willing to talk. He could answer all my questions, no matter how small or silly they were.
Katie Mellor- I heard about Katie through a mutual friend, and I emailed her to see if I could meet with her and pick her brain for half an hour. She offered to take me out to dinner and gave me some great advice on what to do to be successful in this business.
Nicole Frank-Geer- My only female team member in Digital Asset Management. Nicole taught me all about the group and what I needed to know to get by. She was always willing to talk and steer me in the right direction when I was lost.
Molly Tipton- Molly was one of the first people I met. She showed me around the agency and helped make me feel comfortable in my first few weeks.

I hope to cross paths with some of these people in the future because they are truly outstanding indivduals.

If you have worked at TDI past or present, I'd love to know what you think.