When I was an account manager for high-tech PR firm The Terpin Group in Los Angeles back in 1999 and 2000, my colleagues and I constantly set our sights on helping our clients place their stories inside the world’s leading business publications. Many of the media outlets then considered top-tier have come and gone, while one of them has continued rising and shining: Fast Company. Each phenomenal issue of the magazine is an education in itself, while its newsletters offer a steady stream of invaluable insights from world-leading journalists and business leaders. I am especially grateful for the 30 Second MBA series, where lessons like the video above featuring Kevin Prentiss, CEO of Red Rover, are short and always impactful. If you’re ever on-the-spot and trying to decide how to handle some pressing business matter, I highly encourage you visit www.fastcompany/mba to tap into platinum advice from proven leaders on key topics, like those listed below.

. Patricia Calkins, Vice President Environment, Health and Safety at Xerox Corporation on motivation
. John Collins, Chief Operating Officer at the NHL on business development
. Ann Hand, CEO at Project Frog on finding ideas
. Doug Mack, CEO of One Kings Lane on attracting talent
. Nancy Mahon, Senior Vice President at M•A•C on the creative spark
. Dr. Elizabeth Mellon, Executive Director of Duke Corporate Education on handling mistakes
. John Militello, Head of Creative Innovation at Google offers advice From Google
. Alisa Miller, President and CEO at Public Radio International on trust
. Rana Sobhany, co-founder of Medialets on generating innovation

So far, 2012 has proven to be a very exciting year for Scion, the automotive brand from Toyota Motor Sales USA developed specifically for the new generation of youthful buyers. Focused on providing distinctive products, opportunities to personalize, and an innovative, consumer-driven process at the retail level, Scion supports originality through its programs in the artistic community. For the past ten years, global creative agency ATTIK has served as the pioneering brand’s creative agency of record, and this is most certainly a watershed year for their partnership. In March, with ATTIK’s support, Scion launched the first of its two new models set to be unveiled this year, and it also debuted a completely new website at www.scion.com. For the inside scoop on these and Scion’s other ambitious initiatives, check out the cover story from Brian Quinton for the April/May issue of the illustrious Chief Marketer Magazine: Scion Revs Up: Buzz-worthy Web Content Helps Carmaker Reach New Generation.

Also worth noting, a main subject of this story is Scion National Marketing and Communications Manager Owen Peacock, shown above on the cover of Chief Marketer’s current issue. Owen’s photos were masterfully captured by my lifelong friend, LA-based imagemaker Tommy Ewasko. More of Tommy’s photos from the shoot appear here on his Travelin’ Joe blog.

universal positive readers already know that I’m a big fan of business consultant David C. Baker. Amazingly insightful new articles from David on the subject of creative agency management and business development continue to appear on the HowDesign.com website and inside the illustrious magazine’s newsletters, and David is also teaming up with HOW to co-host the Mind Your Own Business Conference this Oct. 17-19 in Nashville. I also encourage you to tune into David’s free DesignCast series.

Many other noteworthy experts also offer sage business development advice that you can easily find online… often for free. Here are five more that are definitely worth subscribing to right away.

. The blog of Michael Gass entitled FUEL LINES offers the best business development tips, tactics, practices and trends to help ad agencies, PR firms and digital shops create a more clearly defined focus and differentiating business strategy.

. Welcome to The Lab from AgencyAccess.com: Our mission is to give artists like you what you really need to grow your freelance careers – information and advice from the best experts in the industry.

. Mirren specializes in new business training and recruiting for agencies in advertising, PR, interactive and the multi-cultural space.

. New business consigliere Steve Congdon owns Thunderclap Consulting Group, a boutique that helps agencies grow through smart, relevant new business prospecting and closing activities.

. Win Without Pitching is the business development consulting firm for ad agencies and design firms that believe there is a better way to build a marketing communication agency.

Uniform is a strategic, brand communications agency based in Liverpool. “We help our clients create brand stories that deliver measurable results. We believe every brand has a story to tell. We find the random and the relevant, and bring it all together as effective, compelling communication.” For further information, visit www.uniform.net and www.vimeo.com/uniformltd.

Watch My Life as a Turkey on PBS. See more from Nature.

Almost eleven years ago, my wife and I moved from Los Angeles to North Carolina’s Blue Ridge Mountains and the small college town of Boone, North Carolina, which is home to Appalachian State University. Among many new family-focused joys of life we’ve experienced here, this move has truly immersed us in mother nature’s richness. Many species of wild flora and fauna flourish in the sprawling patch of woods right outside our windows. We can view wilderness each day, and when we’re especially lucky, we see wild turkeys.

Until recently, most of what I’d learned about these creatures had come from my personal observations of them; through different seasons over the years, our homestead has been a regular daily stop for flocks (sometimes with dozens of members), as well as the occasional lone wanderer. My basic curiousities were extremely well rewarded when I watched “My Life as a Turkey” late last year on PBS. Produced for the network’s award-winning Nature series, I highly encourage you to watch the complete episode now available online (in the U.S. and its territories), which I have embedded above. I promise you, it is a fascinating window into a secret world.

Here’s the description from TCM Shop, where you can order the DVD:

Based on a true story, this beautiful, charming, funny, sad, and thought-provoking film explores one of those rare moments when man and animal unwittingly become more closely linked than nature normally allows. Deep in the wilds of Florida, Joe Hutto, wildlife artist and naturalist, was presented with a rare opportunity. It had long been his hope to learn about the secret world of wild turkeys by having young turkey poults imprint on him, but obtaining wild turkey eggs, or young poults, had proven to be next to impossible; so when he arrived home one day to find a bowl filled with wild turkey eggs on his doorstep, he went out immediately to obtain an incubator, determined to become their mother. It was an experience that would change his life in ways he could never have imagined.

A production of Passion Pictures, THIRTEEN and the BBC in association with WNET New York Public Media, the film is based on the book “Illumination in the Flatwoods” by the film’s presenter and narrator, naturalist Joe Hutto. Andrew Ruhemann and David Allen were the producers for Passion Pictures, while the credits for Nature include producers Fred Kaufman, Bill Murphy, Janice Young, Laura Metzger and Jayne Jun, production manager Julie Shapiro Thorman and series editor Janet Hess, among many others.

Also courtesy of PBS: Joe Hutto Answers Your Questions

When Antidote (www.antidote.co.uk) was approached by Diesel founder Renzo Rosso to create a call-to-arms to inspire and mobilize the world’s youth to join the fight to help end extreme poverty in Africa and around the world, Antidote’s creatives wrote a manifesto for The Only The Brave Foundation and approached Brand New School to create a short, powerful animated film. In his treatment, BNS founder and executive creative director Jonathan Notaro proposed the unique storytelling approach that helps the foundation deliver its message in style in the finished production. The presentation is also taken to new heights by the score from Human Worldwide.

Antidote partner Henry Chilcott said, “It was two years in the making and we’re delighted with the result. The Only The Brave Foundation is a game changing idea and the tribe behind it is growing fast. Thanks to Selina Dey, Brand New School and Human who pulled out all the stops to help us create such a stunning piece of animation.” At this moment, this project is on the shortlist for this year’s prestigious Design Week Awards and for the 2012 AICP Show. Also, it will appear this week at the annual Visueltdagene (The Visual Days, www.visuelt.org) seminar in Oslo at Dansens Hus.

The Only The Brave Foundation (www.otbfoundation.org), is a not-for-profit organization that supports and develops a variety of innovative projects designed to help tackle extreme poverty in support of the UN Millennium Development goals. Whether in the form of funding, cooperation, advice, or staff mobilization, the Only The Brave Foundation works in liaison with numerous internal and external collaborators. A local non-profit association, NGO, Social Entrepreneur… the foundation relies on the expertise of the organizations it works with to implement concrete actions and development programs to the benefit of disadvantaged people.

For further information and full project credits, please visit www.brandnewschool.com.

Many thanks to Nerida Little and Portable for sharing the film Black Herds Of The Rain featured above as part of their Feb. 16 story entitled “Going Home to Irish Graffiti.” Directed by Andrew Telling, the film documents the filmmaker’s journey to Ireland along with Irish-born international artist Conor Harrington, as well as the artist’s work in creating several new murals in his homeland reflecting the country’s history, and his own.

Little writes: Black Herds Of The Rain is a subtle film about returning home and about giving back to the place that raised you. As Harrington explains to an elderly man who asks about his murals: “[It's] a bit of color on the wall, you know.”

Last month, Adult Swim aired “Let’s Do This!” — a new live-action comedy pilot created and produced by Bob Odenkirk, Brian Jarvis and Jim Freeman. Among many well-known comedic talents, the show stars Odenkirk as Cal McKenzie-Goldberg, who runs independent movie studio Cal-Gold Pictures from a strip mall in North Hollywood, USA. In the show’s pilot, Cal is contracted by a drug lord in Uganda to make a wizard movie, with hilarious results. By visiting this link, you can watch – and even embed – the entire show: http://bit.ly/AdultSwimLDT

Show co-writer Jim Freeman is a close friend of Thornberg & Forester (T&F) principal Scott Matz, who as a big fan of Odenkirk, jumped at the chance to create the show’s main title sequence.

“Bob is a comedic genius who we’ve come to know and love through his writing for shows like Saturday Night Live, Dennis Miller, Ben Stiller, his acting on Larry Sanders, his groundbreaking work with David Cross on Mr. Show with Bob and David, and so much more, including his current work on Breaking Bad,” Matz said. “The title sequence for ‘Let’s Do This’ was designed to be perfectly campy and low-budget in style, and we’re very proud to see it lead-off an amazing, hilarious program that is bound to become a fan favorite.”

Asked about the contributions from T&F to his new show, Odenkirk waxed sentimental. “Really, more people should hire them to create main titles and stuff like that,” he said, adding, “They’re brilliant.”

The Children’s Playhouse was launched ten years ago by a group of local citizens in Boone, North Carolina, who wanted an enriching play environment for children from birth to age eight that at the same time offered parents and caregivers friendly support in the important job of raising children. Ann Kiefert, Kathy Parham, Cathy Riggs, Heidi Campbell and my wife Beth Darnell were all members of the founding board. Under Kathy’s leadership, The Playhouse has not only become a widely renowned creative play space for families, it has also become a very powerful force for community goodness.

This past weekend, The Playhouse held its fourth annual Great Friend to Families Awards reception. Launched by Kathy and her forward-looking board members in 2009, this event has honored dozens of Hometown Heroes for their sustained contributions to the well-being of young children and families in our area. Proceeds from this annual event help support The Playhouse and ensure the facility remains accessible to families who might not otherwise be able to use its services.

For 2012, Great Friend to Families Awards were presented in two categories: Helping Hands and Helping Hearts. Helping Hands Awards celebrate professionals who over the course of their careers have shown extraordinary dedication to improving the lives of children and families… and Helping Hearts Awards recognizes individuals who have touched the lives of children and families through generous philanthropy and/or outstanding volunteerism. The Helping Hands award winners are Jim Atkinson, Nancy Blair, Barbara Case, Heather Jordan, Crystal Kelly, Trish Lanier, Margaret Mullins, Gay Lynn Williams, Mary Willis, and Joan Zimmerman. The Helping Hearts are Susan Bolash, Christopher Clark, Kathleen Collins, Rebekah Cummings, Beth Darnell, Carolyn Garland, Betty Green, Jack and Karen James, Jo Anne Jenkins, Diandra (Lynn) Patterson, Bob and Wimsey Powell, Kim Roberts, and Catherine Wilkinson. At the reception, Trish Lanier of the Watauga County Health Department was announced as the 2012 Great Friend to Families.

I invite you to visit the official site www.GoPlayhouse.org and explore the Facebook group, and to come and check-out The Playhouse in person.

Related: Much love to and from The Children’s Playhouse

“Our planet, our home is being neglected. Climate change continues unabated. It seems there’s a new ecological disaster happening almost daily. This Earth Day it’s time to mobilize the planet from the ground up to send a message that the Earth won’t wait! Learn more at
www.earthday.org/2012”

Also check out: Earth Day 2010 and beyond