First off, the entire shoot was done on a dairy farm in Petaluma, which looked exactly like the “Happy cows from California” commercials. This means I spent the better portion of my day blowing up Instagram with insanely beautiful photos and accompanying captions that would falsely lead people to believe that this kind of thing was, “Oh just another day at work.”

Of course that’s not really true, but what is social media for if not to trick people into thinking your life is cooler than it really is? Other than being beautiful, I enjoyed the Nordstrom shoot because I got to eat an unlimited amount of craft services and also because of these things:

• Hot chainsaw Nick
• Getting to ride a mini bike with glitter tassels
• Being near a bonfire and a party raccoon
• Happy cows
• Not being in the office

You can check out all the spots by clicking the links below.  In the meantime I’ll be in a dimly lit room dreaming of the next Nordstrom shoot where I can once again monopolize everyone’s feed with my dreamy fashion Instagrams. Oh, just another day at work.

Chainsaw

Mission to Party

Minibike

The PowerDash winners are:

1st  Place – Elijah:  1,508,777

2nd Place – Albert:  648,384

3rd  Place – Mary:   592,241

Interestingly, and I mean suspiciously, all three winners were from the New York office. It should be noted that pretty early on, it seemed like Richard from the SF office had this competition in the bag.  It was his for the taking. He may or may not have even ordered a custom iPad Mini case. Then, like a team of misfit underdogs in a Disney movie, the New York office quietly trained and pulled through at the last minute to win the game!!! Well played you guys. Very sneaky.

The true loss for the San Francisco office was that we didn’t get Richard’s unblinking, table-flipping, “OH HELL NO” stare on film when we announced the winners. A non-reaction that gif worthy should be awarded an iPad in itself. And not some tiny baby iPad. FULL SIZE.

*This is a reenactment. The original was far more impressive.

Anyway, we are all very proud of our winners and everyone who worked to make PowerDash an incredibly addicting game, which you can download right here.

(But seriously New York, what’s really going on over there? 1.5 MILLION points? No one over the age of 14 should be able to score that many points on a video game. We take child labor laws somewhat seriously here at Mekanism.)

Reception: Priority #1 is to open the office in the morning and answer the phones. The OM is the face of Mekanism and maintains a presence on both floors, receiving guests and deliveries, and answering the main phone line throughout each business day.

Office & Kitchen Organization & Inventory: The OM is responsible for keeping the office organized, clean and well stocked. We have an average of 45 employees in house at all times on two separate floors.

The OM should take an active role in keeping up the appearance of our office. The OM is also responsible in managing the general office supply and kitchen/food budget.

Executive Assistance: The OM is to serve as an executive assistant to the four company partners. This includes booking travel, scheduling meetings in and out of the office, making reservations, ordering gifts, getting lunch and whatever else may arise.

Scheduling: Mekanism is largely a project-based agency, the OM must be aware of our many works in progress. Managing calendars for our meeting rooms is an integral part of the OM’s role. This includes being aware of changing needs and communicating with all levels of staff to keep everyone’s schedules running smoothly.

Social Events:  The OM manages social events that happen throughout the year, including but not limited to our annual holiday party and offsite company summit. On a more regular basis the OM plans birthday parties and manages the Social Committee, a team of very dedicated social planners.

QUALIFICATIONS

I’m tabling all the colleague quality bonding fun for the next post, but for now, I have to tell you about our special guests who came to share a piece of their brilliant minds with us.

MIKE DIVA

Mike Diva is a YouTube star and video producer whom Mekanism has worked with often. You may know him best for his groundbreaking viral video Sexy Saxman.  I’ve met him several times before this as well, but he still provided a lot of insight about the industry that was eye-opening. Our producers and editors were blown away when we found out the crazy tight time restraints and meager budgets Mike had to create such amazing videos — his perspective from the other side of the business was really fascinating. And not only is Mike immensely talented and successful for such a young guy, he’s also an incredibly humble and hilarious dude.

BRIAN SOLIS

Brian Solis is one of those really important and influential people I hear about but never imagine of meeting. He’s had so many titles and has so much expertise in various subjects that I have no idea how he would go about introducing himself to strangers. I think we were all pinching ourselves a little bit to have him presenting, and Brian didn’t disappoint. He spoke to us about “Generation C,” a term he coined to describe the growing population of consumers that are connected via social media, and how brands must adapt to this. Just as he stressed that marketing must come from “moments of truth,” Brian kept it real, too.  He may be one of the industry’s savviest visionaries, but he’s also a super funny down-to-earth guy who knew how to hang.

CHASE JARVIS

A self-taught photographer and director, Chase Jarvis has built his reputation on disrupting the industry. Chase talked about his belief in sharing knowledge and making it accessible to as many people as possible, rather than hoarding it for personal gains. In the same spirit he loves collaborating with other artists, many of whom are also his close friends. The projects he shared with us were live, organic experiences that connect members of different creative circles and could be viewed and shared by an ever-expanding community. Oh, and he had beer and margaritas brought in for the talk.  This guy definitely knows his audience.

All of these guys earned honorary Mekanista status for sure, and we had a blast learning from them in such a low-key, intimate environment. My only concern is that we might have scared them a little with our, um, quirky personalities. Stay tuned for the next post to see what I mean.

We’re not sharing our personal resolutions for ourselves with you because (1) that’s what everyone else does and (2) some of our aspirations are too embarrassing or weird, so we decided to set goals for other people  to achieve this year. Read on to hear how your full potential could be reached. I’ve thoughtfully sorted them out into 4 different categories, too:

[People In Advertising, Including Ourselves]

• Leona and Mary- Be more productive and get more sleep. You’re spending way too much time on social media. Get back to work or go to bed.

[Social Media]

• Mary  Evangelista- Still waiting for a meaningful interaction with a famous person on Instagram/Tumblr/Twitter! Or IRL (in real life). I’m not picky.
• Tennyson Wilson- Hey you. Please stop posting random legal notices thinking that they will in any way protect what you put on Facebook.
• Monica Fineis- No more FUIs. Nobody drink and Facebook anymore.

[Mobile Apps]

• Jalahn White- Hey Instagram, can there be a limit on how many hashtags allowed per picture? #Seriously #you #don’t #need #to #hashtag #every #single #word.
• Chin Lu- Can Grindr please finally let straight people in? The OKCupid app and Tindr just aren’t the same.

[YouTube videos]

• Leona Frey – Be more honest with your video titles. I highly doubt that your shaky iPhone video of your kid dancing is the “FUNNIEST VIDEO EVER!”
• Chin Lu- Definitely more cat videos. Like, way more.

You have a whole year ahead of you to accomplish this. Godspeed.

“Mekanistas” 2012 Mekanism Holiday Video from Mekanism on Vimeo

Yep, that is exactly how we wish people happy holidays. It’s tradition. We got some love for this from the folks at SF Egotist, Agency Spy, and Reddit as well.

As for our annual holiday party, we’ll let the photos speak for themselves.

All photographer credit goes to Stian Rasmussen:

Rest of the photos from the festive celebration can be found here.

HAPPY HOLIDAYS, Y’ALL!

Q: Tell me your life story.

A: Born in SF. Married to a beautiful vibrant lady that I met at Burning Man. Papa to a cute, heart-tingling daughter. Addicted to luminescent reflective pulsing shiny stuff.

Panamax from Suryummy on Vimeo.

Emmett’s newest animation short “Panamax.” He said it is “an ode to my daughter and the beautiful, troubled world she is growing up in.”

Q: How did you get into advertising/Mekanism?

A: I initially started working in animation and design by performing at raves in the late 90′s and early 2000′s. At the time, San Francisco had an extremely large, thriving underground dance community. Performing visuals in front of thousands of sparkly dancing party-goers in cavernous abandoned Oakland warehouses was pure joy. It had a wicked combination of primal ancestral campfire grit, cyberpunk utopia, and fuzzy candy cloud sunlight.

At about the same time I became enamored by a new crop of digital animators using motion graphics to tell stories in advertising. I was lucky enough to find a Craig’s List posting for a job at Mekanism. Back then there were only 5 of us. By the end of the first week I knew this group of merry pranksters was the place to be for me.

Q: What is your job like? Favorite and least favorite aspects?

A: I design and animate the strange and wonderful ideas of the Mekanism group mind. My favorite part is getting into a zen design/animation flow.

Image search is my least favorite part since it gets very specific. Try finding a picture of a guy at a 15 degree angle, 22.5 years of age, shot in the late afternoon, eating a double scoop of strawberry praline ice cream from a sugar cone, while texting, in the middle of a snow storm, oh and he has to have no shoes on…. and you only have 5 minutes to do this.

Q: Why did you make suryummy.tv and what’s next for it?

A: Suryummy.tv first started out as a portfolio site to get work in the industry. These days it’s more of a space to post personal animation and music projects. Suryummy stands for “surreal yumminess” of course.

——

This is where I sit back, sip my tea and watch your mind get blown by Emmett.

Group photo of most of Mek East

In the past few days, we in the San Francisco headquarters of Mekanism have been watching the news about Hurricane Sandy closely in our warm homes and reading updates on our smartphones.

Fortunately we received word about our coworkers on the East Coast: Everyone in our New York office is doing OK, for which they’re very thankful.

Store sign

Sean Cosier rose to the occasion as a Mekanism hero when he drove from Brookyln in bumper-to-bumper traffic to help colleague Caroline Moncure and her cat in powerless Manhattan evacuate.

We love you, Sean! Thumbs up right back at ya.

The Mekanism East office has water damage but the power is out. Our folks there have all been working from home or crowded cafes with inconsistent Internet access and bad cell phone reception, which makes call meetings quite interesting.

6 feet tall of water behind our NY office building

Some still managed to go out and celebrate Halloween despite the conditions.

Instagram @gunandagirl

Overall, our spirits remain high.

For those of you affected by Sandy or know someone who is, we hope that everyone is safe and sound.

Empty New York City is still quite beautiful.

Yesterday was pretty crazy here in our San Francisco headquarters. The Giants World Series Champion parade and Halloween combined together to make an extra orange day. (More on our NYC office and Mek East coworkers in tomorrow’s post. We didn’t forget about you guys!)

Enough talking. You just want to see us in costumes anyway. Here are people’s choice awards and a few honorable mentions.

BEST OVERALL

Julie would like you guys to know that (1) she’s a TORNADO (2) she planned this homemade ensemble months in advance, way before Storm Sandy even formed (3) but she still feels bad. It’s ok. I’m sure we all know the differences among storms, typhoon, hurricane, and tornado.

FUNNIEST

Yesterday morning Brian asked me if I happened to have a whistle he can borrow. “Yes,” I said, “I have this rape prevention tool I received from our college police department years ago.” Then I saw him looking for a clipboard in our copy room. An hour later, he emerged as High School Sports Coach. (Brian’s clarification: Arnie Schaven, East Oakland High Lady Trojans Asst. Volleyball Coach)

SCARIEST

Not the kind of Sugar Daddy I had in mind. Apparently not the most comfortable to have fake blood on your face. Good to know.

WTF

Me: “Hey Liam. What are you?”
Liam: “Lettuce.”

Most Obscure

I’m sure everyone and their mom’s neighbor’s dog breeder has watched the hilarious addicting “Gangnam Style” music video by now. But do you remember Psy’s riend in head-to-low yellow who has a dance-off with him at the end? Tommy did. 

Sexiest

Not sure where Cary shops online, but she said this was sold as a “Corn Star” costume. So punny.

Best Pet Costume

Eli and Elizabeth were Marie Antoinette and Louis XVI! Man, I want a pet so I can do this.

Another awesome pet + pet owner duo costumes: Super Dog and Lois Lane

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For all of the photos from our San Francisco office on Halloween 2012, check out our Flickr album.

I know, what the @#%^ does that mean, right? Sean has an impressive and eclectic background in architecture, design, flash, iOS, UX/UI/IA and other acronyms that you probably don’t know. At Mekanism, Sean takes the ideas that make people say “Wow, that sounds really awesome, but how the hell are we going to make that?” and brings them to life.

Sean also keeps us in the loop on cool new technologies that would be epic to use for our work one day, and we thought we’d share some of our favorites. Get inspired, people!

———————————-

Real time video interaction is all the rage right now: Skype, Google+ Hang Out, accidentally sending a video request to the wrong AIM buddy, etc. Even the porn industry is doing it.

But to go one step further in live video, the technology of Facial Recognition is brought in. What if the camera can detect the user’s face and pinpoints their facial features for manipulation while maintaining expressions? That sure would make web cam chats a whole lot more interesting, but the possibilities are endless.

Here are two mind-blowing examples:

Faces from arturo castro on Vimeo.

Want to trick a cyber date into thinking you look like Brad Pitt? Or maybe you’ve been wondering how Mike Tyson’s cheek tattoo will affect his Blue Steel look. This image mapping and substitution technique can help.

You know those avatar makers where you can create a cartoon version of yourself? This is that on crack.  Here you can make a customized character who displays the same facial expressions and movements as you in real time. We’re guessing this would be great for the witness protection program or any anonymous sources who’d really like you to understand the emotions behind their words.

That’s it for today. The nonsense comeback “YOUR FACE!” just might take on a whole new meaning very soon.

Feel free to check out the “Time Machine” yourself to see what your life would have been like in 1940.

On that note, I asked my brilliant coworkers where they would like to time travel. Below are their dream time destinations.

Sean Cosier: “Naples, Italy, 1889 – The first pizza was served with what is now the traditional combo of tomato, mozzarella, basil and olive oil. It was served to a queen, and she liked it because it had all the colors of the Italian flag… I am Irish, but I really like pizza.”

Kate Dubose: “I’d time travel to Twin Pines mall at 1:15 am October 26, 1985 to keep Doc Brown from getting shot.” (Note: I actually asked Kate if Doc Brown was a rapper… Embarrassing.)

Jason Harris: “I would go back in time to 1976 when Mick Jones first saw the Sex Pistols in a tiny bar in London. It inspired him to form The Clash: ‘The Only Band That Matters.’”

Tom Lyons: “I would go back to April 14, 1865, so I could karate chop the shit out of John Wilkes Booth and save President Lincoln.”

Eric Zuncic: “The Renaissance. We knew so little about so much that people were learning groundbreaking new things every day.”

Dan Abramson: “I would travel back to an upscale 1920s speakeasy. Fancy bathtub cocktails, zoot suits, girls experimenting with provocative dresses. It would even more fun to drink illegally back then, even than before I was 21.”

Monica Fineis: “Whatever time period where corsets were popular. They seem more effective than Spanx.”

Mary Evangelista: “Stone Age. Yabadabadoo.”

Bon voyage, everyone. Remember what Mom said, “Safety first!”

She was using Instagram. Taking photos of herself repeatedly. Trying to capture herself in a perfectly natural je-ne-sais-quoi-what-I’m-smiling-about moment. Pondering the merits of her pics using various filters. And finally, uploading one lucky picture for everyone to see.

While I didn’t offer to help take her picture, I enjoyed witnessing the captivating power of this social media tool. So today we’re sharing some of our favorite Instagram accounts. Stalk these people, please.

Fairytale/reality TV show couple: Emily Maynard @emilygmaynard & Jef Holm @jefholm from the Bachelorette (submitted by Meagan Cotruvo)

Even for someone like me who doesn’t watch the show, their pictures are still enticing because (1) Um, she looks like a real life-size Barbie and (2) Ooh! Maybe I can detect signs of their ineivtable break up in their Instagrams! Bitterness aside, the duo should be posting photos that are worthy of being stills from romantic comedies.

Fabulous fashionable gay couple: Christian Ciriano @csiriano from Project Runway & Brad Walsh @bradwalsh (submitted by @CaryCodes)

Arguably the most successful Project Runway winner, Christian lives with long-time boyfriend musician/photographer Brad in NYC, which means their Instagrams are filled with: fashion, celebrity apperances such as Heidi Klum and Courtney Love, and adorable couple-ly pictures. Did I mention that they also got a puppy recently?

Professional photographer specializing in Instagram format and “iPhonegraphy”: Koci Hernadez @koci (submitted by @Dan_Ambramson)

Yeah, I didn’t think this was a thing now either, but the photos are quite convincing.

Hot ladies with tattoos and cool hair: Suicide Girls @suicidegirls (submitted by Elijah Bilotta)

Basically the PG-13 version of the real thing. Sundies (girls in undies on Sundays) and Thigh High Thursdays, y’all.

Rich Kids Of Instagram (Submitted by Mary Evangelista @gunandagirl)

This is technically a Tumblr that posts choice photos from different Instagram accounts, but you know- these wealthy teenagers pay a little extra for the special treatment.

America through the eyes of a surfer traveling across the nation in a van: Foster Huntington from A Restless Transplant @fosterhunting (Submitted by Daisy Cheng @daise)

Teasers for his actual photography blog, and another way to keep tabs on your future husband, according to Daisy.

Coolest mom ever: Danielle Hampton from Sometimes Sweet @danihampton (Submitted by me @ChinHualu)

In a nut shell, Dani’s photos make motherhood and being married look really, really fun and not scary at all.

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Enjoy everybody!  And to that Instragramming gal on CalTrain, let us know how the pic turned out.

This is the second installment of Mekanism’s One Thing:

Jessi Goldstein + Amy Palmiero-Winters

Jessi Goldstein (Finance):

This is Amy Palmiero-Winters, a 39-year-old below-knee amputee who currently holds eleven world records in various track events. In July 2011, she became the first female amputee ever to complete the 135-mile Badwater Ultramarathon. While her many physical accomplish­ments are incredible, what I find the most inspiring is her attitude.

“Yes, bad things can happen, but what counts is how you deal with it. The loss of my leg will never change, but feeling bad won’t change anything either. I have been given a gift, and I feel it’s important to get out there and show the world what can be done.”

Pretty badass for someone who was told she would never run again.

Daisy Cheng + Mark Rothko

Daisy Cheng (Digital Influence Coordinator):

Mark Rothko’s paintings are the One Thing that inspires me. When I first encountered his paintings at an art museum, I didn’t expect a painting with a couple of blended colors to emotionally affect me, but it did. Rothko was an abstract painter who was most famous for his large color block paintings. He wanted them to evoke the most basic human emotions and cre­ate an intimate and intense experience. It wasn’t until later in his career that he created such paintings and saw the power of strip­ping down his ideas.

He believed: Simplicity –> Clarity –> Being Understood

I try to live my life with the same concept in mind, producing work that is simple yet effective.

Elijah Bilotta + KPop

Elijah Bilotta (Social Media Supervisor):

I have been a fan of K-pop since 2008 when I first discovered the Wonder Girls on YouTube. Some of my favorite groups are T-ARA, Girl’s Generation, 2NE1, 4 Minute, Girl’s Day, Sistar, After School, and Su­per Junior.

During our Rise of the Apes promotion, there were only a handful of videos that stayed on the Top Viewed YouTube charts as long as “Ape with an AK-47.” One of those was Hyuna (an original member of the Wonder Girls) with her hit single Bubble Pop. It has 23 million views to date despite promotion being cut short by the Korea Broadcasting and Communications Review Committee for being too “sexually explicit.”

You can fol­low my adventures in K-pop on Pinterest.

Emmett + United Visual Artists

Emmett Feldman (Design Director):

UVA is an interactive art and design practice based in London.

They create work at the intersection of sculpture, architecture, live performance, moving image and digital installation. Key aspects of their projects include minimal light/sound sculptures installed in old world architectural environments.

The synthesis of hi-tech and historic creates a unique experience that is equally humanistic and divine.

Edward Schmidt IV + Snuff Box

Edward Schmidt:

Snuff Box was a short lived BBC Three sketch comedy show from 2006. It lasted one season, and had six episodes.

It stars Matt Berry who plays the ”High Executioner to the King of England” and Rich Fulcher, an American who plays the “Assistant to the Hangman”. Most episodes takes place in a Gentlemen’s Club for Hangmen, where they drink whiskey while moving the loose plot forward and working in reoccurring characters. The show is very dark and often deals with issues of looniness, betrayal and jealousy. The shows theme song is weaved into every episode, and is often featured in sketches.

Here is a picture of Matt Berry. He wrote all of the music from the show, and is the main creative voice through out the series. You can watch every episode on YouTube and Netflix. You can kill the entire series in less amount of time than it takes to watch Das Boot or Fantasia.

The reason this is my Thing is that even though this is TV show, I find myself putting on episodes like they are songs. There is something about the characters that I find hilarious no matter how many times I’ve seen each episode.

Matt Berry is pure gold throughout the show. I weirdly want to be him.

Episode 1: Snuff Box

This week we celebrate our esteemed colleague and well-loved HR Coordinator, Julie Boddorff (pronounced like “dog barf”).

Note: While the writer realizes those words may not help you to say her last name without vile imagery, readers should know that Julie introduces herself this way.

Officially labeled a “hipster” after a still from this short film by Brian Williams appeared in print:

Julie came to our San Francisco office from the pages of “Look At This F*cking Hipster” (a real book) by way of Maryland. She taught art to toddlers in a past life, which lead to her insane ability to wrangle and help the adult-children of Mekanism figure out their shit.

While her main role here involves boring stuff like payroll and benefits, Julie embodies the spirit of the agency. She has made appearances in a lot of Mekanism’s shoots: repeatedly jumping barefoot onto ripe bananas, belly flopping on a mattress face-first from the top of a ladder, and doing other things that would make another HR coordinator think twice.

photo: Jorge Ayala, La Pink One

Being tirelessly enthusiastic all day doesn’t stop Julie from studying woodworking and interior design on her own time. Julie recently built a coffee table of her own design.

Julie is also an incomparable party planner. With the help of our Social Committee, she has made the legendary Mekanism holiday parties what they are. She is without a doubt one of those behind-the-scenes people who makes everything run smoothly with little thanks and a big smile on her face.

Did I mention she has great hair?

photo: Jorge Ayala, La Pink One

When asked what it is that makes Mekanism such a special place to work, she replied, “I guess it’s not a secret that we party really hard.”

Two of Mekanism’s partners, Tommy Means (Founder and Executive Creative Director) and Jason Harris (CEO and President) gave the closing keynote speech to an industry audience. They were followed by some exciting announcements from YouTube.

What every YouTuber should know:

1. YouTube’s new “Video Creation Marketplace” will cut out the middle man (*uneasy cough*) and allow brands and YouTubers to speak directly about creating promotional content together. While this has not launched yet, we’re very interested in the outcome.
2. YouTube is asking content creators to submit “trailers”. It is unclear where these will be shown or whether YouTube plans to pick a few selects or produce a compilation. We think it’s a great idea, nonetheless.
3. TrueView, giving viewers the option to skip a commercial after a few seconds, has worked incredibly well for everyone despite initial skepticism from advertisers. Of course, matching ads with relevant videos content or similar target audiences also helps a lot.
4. Taking a hint from Instagram and Hipstamatic, YouTube will include color and style filters that video creators can apply to uploaded content.
5. YouTube is now rewarding partners. Having 1 million channel subscribers on YouTube now means your “Play” button will turn GOLD. These partners will receive a physical golden-plated replica, as well as other gifts at lower subscriber levels.
6. Right now only top tier YouTube partners have the right to create customized thumbnails for their videos. Soon this feature will be extended to everyone. Equality!
7. YouTube is updating their publishing capabilities. Moving forward, publish dates will reflect when the video goes from private to public, instead of when it was uploaded. This means no more 5 AM upload parties.
8. Three YouTube Next Lab studios are in the works. Los Angeles, Tokyo, and London will each be home to production spaces available free for YouTube partners.
9. A competition for “YouTube’s Next Comic” is coming soon. Can’t wait to see the finalists!

Jason moderating a panel that included our clients from Method & Pepsi and YouTube stars: iJustine, KassemG, and Dane Boe (Annoying Orange).

Overall, the atmosphere at VidCon was remarkably altruistic and relaxed. Panel attendees asked very specific questions about technical concerns and monetizing content on YouTube, and everyone seemed happy to share and help others succeed.

Best of all, the crowd proved to be a very intriguing mix of industry folks, established YouTubers, aspiring YouTube stars, and teenage fans, which made for some interesting “networking” opportunities indeed…

Don’t forget: what happens at VidCon, stays on YouTube.

The Mekanism crew hard at work (Reminder: Someone photoshop Tommy in).