Here’s the trailer from Exit Strategy, a web series that I wrote (and we produced) for Teen Nick:

Exit Strategy Trailer from Small Media Extra Large on Vimeo.

A still of me from The Ghost Club, a film I wrote (and acted in) for producer/director Hank Blumenthal.

I got to be thrown out of a window by a ghost in this one. Nothing better than that.

A still from Blood Junkies, a film I wrote and we produced for… well, ourselves.

Next on the horizon? Xandy Smith’s trailer for Resurrection Men, a dark, father/son, save the family funeral home by selling dead bodies comedy. I can’t wait to see what Xandy comes up with!

Hi gang. Apparently the South By Southwest Panel Picker has gone live. I’d love it if you’d take a look at the 2 panels I’ve proposed, and if you like what you see, to vote for them.

Story As a UX Tool
What do screenplays and UX design documents have in common? Both have a cast (though in UX we call them users). Both have plots (use cases/user stories). Both have themes (design principles). And both are blueprints that are used by a team of highly trained technical specialists to create an experience for others. What can UX designers learn from the screenwriting process? Can user personas be thought of as cast members? Can the Hero’s Journey be applied to create user stories? And what does the 3 act structure have to tell us about wireframes? Story can be a powerful tool when applied to user experience. This panel brings together top innovators in the UX world, along with up-and-coming screenwriters to show how storytelling techniques can be applied to interactive design process to create more compelling, useful, and fun UX documentation.

The Future of Webisodics
What is new, episodic, web-only content to do in the age of readily available long form content on sites such as Hulu? Is short still the answer? And where does story fit? How do you build an audience, tell a compelling story, produce something that looks awesome, with a nano-sized budget, and million dollar network produced competition? What is the future of video entertainment produced for the web? Who pays for it, and how? Advertising? Sponsorship? A testbed for more traditional content? And where does transmedia fit? This panel will explore the ever changing world of webisodics, from passion projects, to network produced. How webisodes are created, written, and produced, and how they can be vital sources of new concepts, stories, and compelling entertainment.

So much fun!

Another of my favorite projects of 2010! Congrats to CBS, Funny Garbage, and Star Trek fans everywhere, StarTrek.com has finally relaunched. Leonard Nimoy is the first quest blogger, and the fans seem to be happy with the changes. Here’s a blog post on Entertainment Weekly.

Set your faces to stunned because the new, all-encompassing re-launch of StarTrek.com is upon us.

There is some great feedback in the comments to the blog post.

Live long and prosper, StarTrek.com. Live long, and prosper.

Here are a few:

I, myself, miss the act of letter-writing. In fact I’m not sure I know what my handwriting even looks like, it’s been so long that I’ve written one. I haven’t played with the application yet, as I’m on the road, but I can’t wait to try it out and see how it functions.

Here’s the link to the podcast of our talk provided by SXSW. I’m too skittish to go back and listen to myself ramble, but if you’re so inclined, knock yourselves out.

The Communicator Awards is the leading international awards program honoring creative excellence for Communications Professionals. Founded by communication professionals over a decade ago, The Communicator Awards receives over 9,000 entries from companies and agencies of all sizes, making it one of the largest awards of its kind in the world.

As I said earlier, this was one of my favorite projects from 2009 for many reasons, not least of which is the great team at the Smithsonian Natural History Museum who I had the great pleasure of working with.

Congratulations, you guys, and to Funny Garbage. Great work all the way around. I’m psyched I got to be a part of it.

I’ve been working with the Insider team for the past 2 years providing user experience consulting and UX design. I’m excited to see that Insider has launched. It’s a really interesting product, with great content, and innovative features. Check it out.