REality

As I’ve moved back to a familiar position - working at one of six local Best Buy stores - I’ve also taken some initiative to work in the advertising industry on the side.  My best friend Ryan is a business entrepreneurship major at the University of Oklahoma and, together with me, we’re founding RE:productions (LLC).  RE as in “Ryan, Erick.”  I spent my day today juggling job interviews (okay, only one) and working on the brand of REproductions.

I think, after throwing out several ideas, I’m happy with our slogan.  “Think RE.“

What does it mean?  It means anything, and that’s the idea.  When you look at “RE:productions” as a name and “think RE,” as we invite, you can see it several ways.  “Ryan Erick productions,” if you read it straight ahead, “Regarding:  Productions” if you read it like an email subject; then there’s just thinking about “RE.”  What words come with that prefix?  “Reinvent,” “Renovate,” “Reality,” “Reconcile,” “Rectify,” “Recognize,” “Re-energize,” “Reimagine,” “Rethink,” “Reconstruction,” “Reproduction,” etc.

Then there’s the idea itself:  We’re in it for the RE.  The chance to give your business, your clients, your brand a second look, a second chance, a facelift, whatever you’d like to call it, it’s all summed up by RE.

Stretching it?  Yea.  A bit.  But we like it.

We’re putting the finishing touches on our first proposal bid for a banking association seeking some promotional features.  We’re subcontracting some of it to a video production company and we’ll be handling audio, web, and copywriting.  Ryan, specifically, is the business brain - he’s the one who will make us rich - I’ll just play around with the things I enjoy.

A former employer (not the most recent by any means) told me recently, “Insist on quality.”  It’s part of why I quit my most recent position; it made a huge impression because the particular agency specialized in it even when they failed in other areas.  Advertising isn’t retail:  you can’t mask a bad product with good service.  They have to be equal and, when they aren’t, I’d still prefer the quality be high rather than the service.  Working for myself, I can assure both.

This is just a little side gig, but who knows, Microogle or Googlesoft (one or the other will be the name of the inevitable merger of the conquerers of the digital world) can buy me out in 10 years for a couple million dollars.  Who knows.

“Make me wanna holler.”  (Marvin Gaye, John Mayer Trio, or the newest coverer - Marc Broussard)

Hunt for the Resignant

I resigned from my advertising executive position Thursday. I know, I know, three weeks is a pretty quick stint with an agency, and I would agree with you. Sadly, pathetically short, but it wasn’t meant to be. I wrote an official letter of resignation that was accepted and I wish them the best. Perhaps I’ll post the letter down the line, but for now suffice it to say that the job I thought I would be doing was not actually the job I, in fact, was doing. No hard feelings, it just wasn’t the correct fit.

So now what? I’ll be working at Best Buy in my old position as a computer sales / Geek Squad person for awhile, and am interviewing for supervisor positions there. In addition, I’ll be interviewing at some communications companies and software development firms. On the side, my best friend and I are kickstarting an idea we’ve had for a long time - starting our own production company. REProductions (Ryan Erick Productions). We’ll see what happens.

“I’m not together but I’m getting there.” (John Mayer)