community news

Final Days to Get Your Tickets to the 3rd Annual UX Awards!

The Hired Guns on May 15, 2013

The biggest UX event of the year is just days away. The 3rd Annual International UX Awards are on Tuesday, May 21 right here in NYC! 10 exceptional submissions will be awarded prizes, so come see their awesome work and meet the winners from all over the globe!

This year’s UX Awards also features a keynote from Mashable CTO Robyn Peterson. Peterson will discuss Mashable’s recent redesign and key UX industry trends. The 2013 jury panel includes Salon.com’s CEO/CTO Cindy Jeffers, Google’s Tomer Sharon, Netflix’s Chris Jaffe from CA, Moment’s John Payne, Agile UX maestro Anders Ramsey, IXDA NY Local leader Lis Hubert, and Cory Lebson from UXPA DC!

The Hired Guns is a proud sponsor and supporter of this important event, and we’ll definitely be there. It’s going to be a very inspiring and enlightening night, so make sure to get your tickets ASAP!

Sign up here. And be sure to use the discount code “TheHiredGuns” for 20% off the ticket price.

UX Visionaries Jeff Gothelf and Josh Seiden talk about their new book Lean UX

Ryan Galloway on May 1, 2013

Jeff Gothelf and Josh Seiden are veteran User Experience designers and Managing Directors at Neo, a global product innovation company. They’re also the authors of Lean UX: Applying Lean Principles to Improve User Experience. Jeff and Josh graciously answered a few questions about their new book and the future of UX.

What, in your own words, is Lean UX?
Josh: It’s a response to the new reality of software production. Software is no longer duplicated and distributed on physical media. It’s updated and distributed continuously. Designers need a new way to work in this new reality. Lean UX is a response to this new reality. Read More →

Just One Day (and 36 Tickets) Left to Sign up for paidContent Live

The Hired Guns on April 15, 2013

Time is ticking away, friends. There’s just one day left to snag a front row seat to the future of digital media. paidContent Live features influential leaders from publishing, advertising, media, finance, and entertainment, all coming together for a timely discussion about the business of content. There’s no better way to get the skinny about what’s new and what’s next than listening to this very impressive list of speakers.

Get your ticket before they’re all gone. Did we mention that there are only 36 of them left?

Time 100: One Day Left to Vote for Freelancers Union Founder Sara Horowitz

The Hired Guns on April 11, 2013

Time’s 100 Most Influential People, that venerable annual accounting of who’s who the world over, is in its final stage of voting. We’d like to encourage you to vote for Sara Horowitz, founder of the Freelancers Union and all-around champion for freelancers’ economic rights. As our economy continues to shift to a freelance, distributed model, Sara is a vital voice for the economic and social well-being for countless professionals. Swing by Time and tell them why Sara deserves a place on the Top 100. All it takes is a click.

Are You Down for a Hired Guns Book Club?

Ryan Galloway on March 15, 2013

Back in January, Todd Cherches penned a piece called Thirteen Books That Can Change Your Life in 2013 (If You Actually Read Them). The response was (and still is) overwhelming. We heard from scores of readers who were interested in Todd’s selections. Some thanked us for bringing new books to their attention. Others were reminded of some venerable old classics. Somewhere in the middle of it all, we had an idea: what if we did a book club based on five of Todd’s books? We kicked the idea around for a while, and finally decided to put the idea to a vote.

Here’s the deal: you (our dear readers) get to select five of Todd’s 13 books. Once we’ve got that nailed down, Todd will kick off each book with a blog post designed to guide and inform your reading. We’ll give you six weeks to read each book, because we know you’re busy. At the end of each reading period, we’ll host a meet-up at our offices where you can come and chat with Todd and your fellow Guns about the book and how it’s impacted your professional and personal life.

So what do you say? Deal? Read More →

Beverly May: Founder of The UX Awards, Advocate for Exceptional Experiences

Ryan Galloway on March 5, 2013

May 21 brings the third annual User Experience Awards, honoring outstanding UX projects and practitioners. To find out more, I sat down with Beverly May, founder and president of Oxford Technology Ventures, a UX consultancy. Beverly founded the UX Awards and remains the moderator and chief advocate. If you have a project, idea, app, site, or software that you’d like to have considered, there’s still time! The submission window is from March 15 to April 15. For more information or to submit, visit userexperienceawards.com.

Tell me a bit about you. What gets you out of bed in the morning?
I like creating and using well-designed products. I find the challenge of designing something with a serious “wow” factor to be deeply motivating. Designing a new digital experience is a lot like being an architect (the original UXers were called “Information Architects,” after all); we design something that someone else will eventually experience. Using a great app is a lot like walking into a wonderful building. When the architect has done it right, you can appreciate the skill that went into conceiving something new and refining every detail. Read More →

Roll ‘em Up: National Day of Service on Saturday, January 19

Ryan Galloway on January 18, 2013

Every year since 1994, Martin Luther King, Jr.’s birthday has been celebrated with a National Day of Serviceto rally citizens together to help those in need.

The White House has an event finder for tomorrow, and here are search results for all registered service events in and near New York City. You can pack food for the hungry at St. Clement’s Church, help the Gift of Life Bone Marrow Foundation register donors, clean out muck in Rockaway, Staten Island, and Brooklyn homes affected by the hurricane, or even share your thoughts on gun control at a theater co-op. There is an opportunity for every passion. Roll up your sleeves and get out there!

In the News: Catch Heirloom Meals On PBS This Thanksgiving!

The Hired Guns on November 20, 2012

We’ve been documenting Carole Murko’s journey from the world of financial services to the development of Heirloom Meals, a storytelling platform that uses multiple channels to explore the connections between food and family. Carole was a part of The Hired Guns network for quite some time during her former career and we’re excited to help get the word out about her Thanksgiving Special.

Those who live here in New York can catch her Heirloom Meals Thanksgiving Special on WNET-13 at 5:00am EST on Thanksgiving Day. Or, check your local listings for more information.

And if your interest isn’t already piqued, Carole will be making cranberry-stuffed acorn squash, brazilian cheese rolls and chipotle-spiced pumpkin pie. And now we’re hungry. Thanks, Carole.

We’re Back, But Some of NYC Isn’t. Here’s How to Help.

Ryan Galloway on November 5, 2012

NYC transit is slowly creeping back to life (unless you live off the G or L) and so are we. There’s no better way to shake off a week of Sandy-induced cabin fever than helping your fellow New Yorkers get back on their feet after the worst storm since more or less ever. If you’re the helpful sort — and we definitely think you are — here are a number of ways to help. You can donate your time, your money, or your know-how. You can even help by Tweeting. Read More →

What’s New On The Hired Guns?

The Hired Guns on October 16, 2012

We were going to start this post with a clever analogy that linked the arrival of autumn with all the new stuff on our blog. But as it turns out, we were a few weeks late to the leaf-changing party and, frankly, the whole thing just wasn’t that clever. So let’s skip to the good part. Read More →

Community Profile | Jeremy Goren: Marketing Gun, Director of You Will Make A Difference

Ryan Galloway on October 11, 2012

To kick off our Community Profile series, we caught up with Jeremy Goren, a longtime Gun who’s made a daring foray into theater direction. In his professional life, Jeremy was a market research specialist for a number of big-name Wall Street firms. But before we get into the interview, here’s the skinny on his directorial debut:

Drawing on material as diverse as Arthur Miller’s The Crucible, medieval pageant plays, ’90s suburbia, My So-Called Life, and the performers’ own stories, You Will Make a Difference explores our current moment – career, love, babies and success. An ensemble leads its audience through various spaces on several floors of the beautiful West Park Presbyterian Church. Formed over an atypical, six-month process, this collaboratively devised performance invites the audience on a journey to discover where they really are. The communal ending of You Will Make a Difference includes a small, shared meal, along with music and a hoedown or some other happening, to create an experience unlike any other. Artist/chef Anne Apparu will also create full meals as part of extended performances on October 20th and November 11th. Tickets and further information are available here. Read More →

There’s Still Time! Submit Your #Presentastrophe and Win a Free Seat at This Week’s Academy Course

The Hired Guns on October 1, 2012

Last Friday, we sounded the call for your worst presentation horror stories. While we certainly don’t take any pleasure in your pain (okay, maybe one of us does), we do want you to keep submitting them! The winner of our #presentastrophe contest gets to be the Guest of Honor (and Guests of Honor attend for free) at Joel Schwartzberg’s Nail That Presentation! class this Wednesday, October 3. Submit your #presentastrophe by midnight tonight for a chance to win! You can leave it in the comments below or tweet @TheHiredGuns if you can fit your tale into a tweet-sized nugget of presentation horror.

Tomorrow, we’ll ask Joel to pick the winner and we’ll post it, along with the best of the rest, here on the blog.

Share Your #presentastrophe, Win A Seat At Our Public Speaking Class

The Hired Guns on September 28, 2012

You know that dream where you have to give a presentation and you’re woefully unprepared? The one where everyone laughs at you? The one that makes you wake up in a cold sweat?

Of course you know that dream. We all do.

That’s where Joel Schwartzberg comes in. Joel, our resident Hall of Fame public speaker, is hosting a class on that very subject this Wednesday, October 3 at The Hired Guns Hive. He’ll rework your sentences, polish your posture, and give you some invaluable tips to warm up, calm down, and get focused before a speaking engagement. Better still, you can go for free. Tell us about your worst #presentastrophe. The Gun who shares the most dire presentation moment will be given a free seat at Joel’s upcoming seminar.

Tweet your story to @TheHiredGuns using #presentastrophe or leave your tale of public speaking woe in the comments below. We’ll round them up, have Joel pick his favorite, and announce our winner on the blog next week. We’ll also share the best of the rest with the Guns’ very sympathetic audience.

The Results of Our #6wordCV Contest Are In…

The Hired Guns on September 18, 2012

In case you missed it, The Guns launched a search for the best #6wordCV yesterday. We got a lot of really great submissions — some serious, some not so serious — from our Twitter network. It was a tough call, but Larry Smith, inventor of the Six-Word Memoir Project and the brilliant mind behind tomorrow’s What’s Your Story? class, has spoken.

Congratulations, @vdlr. Your #6wordCV took first prize:

“Digital storyteller igniting innovation, strategy, analytics.”

In Larry’s own words, “the specificity of it, as well as the art of what person can do for their clients” was the clincher. In addition to having something to lord over all her friends for eternity, she also wins free admission to Larry’s class tomorrow night. Read More →

Larry Smith: On Tomorrow’s Class, Knowing Yourself, and Keeping it Simple

The Hired Guns on September 18, 2012

We sat down with Larry Smith, our coach for tomorrow’s What’s Your Story? course, to talk about work, life, and presenting it all in just six words.

What is a Six-Word Memoir®?
Ernest Hemingway was once challenged to write a story in only six words. As the legend goes, he wrote: “For sale: baby shoes, never worn.” In November 2006, at the online storytelling community I founded called SMITH Magazine, we gave the six-word story a personal twist, calling it a “Six-Word Memoir.” (And partnering with a little-know company called Twitter for what was supposed to be just a one-month contest to win an iPod). The idea is as simple as it sounds: tell the story of your life in exactly six words. Those six words can be an attempt to sum up your whole life — think of it as the title of your autobiography or epitaph on your tombstone, as Mario Batali did when he wrote, “Brought it to a boil often” — or one aspect of your personal life (“According to Facebook we broke up”) or professional life (“I tell amazing stories in PowerPoint”).

How does it help professionals refine their personal brand?
The parameters of just six words help you get to the essence of who you are and what you do best. Ever notice that the higher up you get on the ladder, the shorter your emails and meetings can be? Being brief, precise and very much in tight control of your own personal story is a boon for anyone in any part of their life — from your online dating profile to your resume. Read More →

THG in the News: AOL Jobs Quotes Our Outlook for a Sunny September

The Hired Guns on September 7, 2012

When The Guns tweet, the web listens. Just this morning, AOL Jobs quoted The Hired Guns’ optimistic outlook for September hiring:

Unemployed workers looking for more evidence of a pickup in hiring this month might take some inspiration from The Hired Guns, a New York City-based employment agency focused on the high tech and creative fields.

Via Twitter on Friday, the firm said that it expects hiring in September “will be strong based on the brisk biz we’ve been seeing.” Read More →

THG@SXSW: Last Day to Vote!

The Hired Guns on August 31, 2012

Last week, we told you about our very own Allison Hemming’s SXSW panel “Corporate Alums: Why Big Companies Invest in Ex-Employees.” The panel is an in-depth look at the future of corporate alumni networks and features some of the best minds in the field. This week, we find ourselves in the home stretch as voting at SXSW.com ends at midnight tonight! (Friday, August 31) We’d love your support! If our panel interests you, vote! (With only hours left, there’s no time for subtlety.) Read More →

The Good Guns: Help the Mammalfish Agency Fund Its Innovative “App Lab”

The Hired Guns on May 22, 2012

Mammalfish is a Williamsburg, Brooklyn–based digital agency focusing on family and education. They’re hoping to land a $250K grant from Chase Bank and LivingSocial, which they plan to use for a new project: App Lab. It will feature a traveling lab that will provide intensive, three-day app-development workshops for students in lower-income areas. The kids will get a solid intro to the design, development, and business of making apps.

Here’s how to vote for Mammalfish and App Lab:

1) Go to Mission: Small Business and click on “Log in & Support.” By logging in via Facebook, you add $5 to the general grant pool — Chase puts in the $5, not you!

2) School down and search for “Mammalfish” under the “Vote Local” heading. Click “Vote,” and you’re done.

Thanks for helping them out!

Meet the Mentors: Jan Brown, Our Working-Mom Coach

Jan Brown on April 25, 2012

The first in our series of mentorship panels will be on Tuesday, May 8. Titled How Does She Do It?, it’s for working moms at all stages of their careers. As the date approaches, we wanted to find out a little more about the diverse ways in which the panelists approach working outside the home while also being caregivers. First up: Jan Brown, a life coach who focuses on helping moms grow, develop, and maintain their careers.

Are any careers better than others for working moms, in your experience? I would say that it’s not about the career, field, or company per se. It’s about the amount of control you have over your schedule. A higher degree of control over one’s schedule makes it easier for a working mom. That can be sought and found in lots of careers and fields. Read More →

The Hired Guns Academy Announces Its New Series of Panels on Mentorship

Allison Hemming on April 12, 2012

When you’re a Hired Gun, it’s you who needs to manage your own career. But that doesn’t mean that you need to do it all alone. A network of like-minded peers can be invaluable when it comes to navigating today’s confusing world of work. That’s why we’re so happy that we have that very kind of network right here at The Hired Guns, one made up of outstanding executives who have survived and thrived throughout their careers.

The idea sharing in our community is unbridled. In the last year, we’ve been unlocking it with our blog, and now we want to unlock it further with our new series of mentorship panels. Here we’ll tackle head-on all the most important aspects of career management by looking to the best and brightest people we know. Read More →

Headed to Austin for SXSW?

Allison Hemming on February 28, 2012

Howdy Guns,

Are you heading down to Austin for SXSWi? If so, let us know! We’ll be getting together for some informal networking over that weekend, March 10-11, and we’d love to connect.

Just email us and tell us what day you’re getting there and what day you’re leaving, and your name and Twitter handle. We have a Twitter list set up for all the Guns — we’ll add you to it so that we can find each other on the fly. Last year I was able to find great panels based on the tweets of other Guns.

See you in the Lone Star State!

Give Them a Speech They Won’t Forget, Tomorrow at The Hired Guns Academy

The Hired Guns on February 28, 2012

Tomorrow, Wed., February 29, the presentation expert Joel Schwartzberg will teach his Hired Guns Academy class on how to Nail That Keynote: Adding Strength to Your Professional Talks, Appearances, and Job Interviews.

As a frequent coach for competitive public-speaking teams as well as individuals and groups of all sorts, Joel knows what it takes to get a message heard — loud and clear. In this three-hour class, he’ll give you what you need to know to craft presentations that stick, including the best way to use visual aids, some easy tricks to get rid of the jitters, and a clear explanation of why the words on the page are only one part of what makes speeches memorable.

To find our more about Joel and his approach, check out a few of his recent posts:

There are still a few spaces left for his class this Wednesday, but don’t wait too long — space is limited. Looking forward to seeing you there!

Poll Results: Where’s the Job Market Headed?

The Hired Guns on February 27, 2012

As you can see below, those of you answering our poll about the job market are mostly an optimistic lot — but only in the most cautious of ways. More than 88% of you think the job market’s headed for better days, but that includes the 62% of you who see the improvement being part of a “long, slow slog.”

Here’s hoping that the economic news for the rest of 2012 continues going onward and upward….

The Hired Guns Poll: Where’s the Job Market Headed?

The Hired Guns on February 9, 2012

This past couple of weeks have brought some hopeful signs for the economy. Last month, the U.S. gained 243,000 jobs. The unemployment rate is now “only” 8.3% — the lowest it’s been in three years, and that doesn’t seem like a fluke — it’s the fifth straight month of decline. In fact, the Federal Reserve Bank of Philadelphia’s first-quarter Survey of Professional Forecasters predicts that the economy will add an average of 144,100 jobs a month in 2012.

We’ve been here before — in fact, in the first quarter of last year it seemed as if the economic wind was at our backs, but it didn’t pan out. We’re wondering whether or not you think this one’s different. It’s worth noting that the rate of “long-term unemployed” (those unemployed for over 27 weeks) did not change, and that the worse and worse economic news from Europe isn’t likely to encourage much hiring.

With all this uncertainly, we wanted to turn to you, to see what you think the job market will do in the next 6-9 months. Pull out your crystal ball…

Poll not showing up? You can take it here.

[Image: Pablo Alvarado/Flickr]

In the News: Todd Cherches Tells Crain’s Where He Finds His Best Ideas

The Hired Guns on January 19, 2012

Hired Guns blogger Todd Cherches was quoted in yesterday’s Crain’s NY Business, in an article (“Fountain of inspiration”) about possible reasons that the best ideas often seem to come in the shower:

Mr. Cherches’ activity of choice involves heading for the bath—–a direction made considerably easier by the fact that he runs his business from his Manhattan apartment and has no employees. “Showering blocks out everything and everyone, so you’re away from it all,” said Mr. Cherches…. “You’re creating a cocoon of solitude.”

For Mr. Cherches, it’s all about the “creative pause,” a term probably coined in the 1960s by Edward de Bono, a famed scholar of creative thinking. The concept refers to a time when someone stops thinking about a problem on purpose, engages in another activity, and often unexpectedly comes up with a solution without even trying.

The Good Guns: Help Find a Cure for PKD, a Deadly Genetic Disease

The Hired Guns on October 20, 2011

Hired Guns blogger and Get Your Blog On instructor Bill Brazell inherited polycystic kidney disease, aka PKD, from his dad. The disorder often causes elevated blood pressure in those that have it, and it can also cause kidney failure and early death. PKD took the life of Bill’s first cousin when he was just 35, leaving two young children behind. And Bill’s sister and brother both have it as well.

Although few people have heard of PKD, it’s relatively common, affecting roughly 1 in every 500 people. This means that more people have it than have muscular dystrophy, sickle-cell anemia, Huntington’s disease, Down syndrome, hemophilia, and cystic fibrosis combined.

There’s important research being down right now, and experimental drugs are helping to slow the progression of the disease in some patients. Bill and others want to make sure this important research continues — especially during tough economic times like this one.

To help raise awareness, as well as the money needed to find a cure for PKD, Bill dresses each year as a giant kidney and Walks for PKD. (He also made a music video to the tune of a Weezer song — see below.)

To help him and everyone else affected by this disease, please make a donation on Bill’s behalf — the Tristate Walk for PKD is this Sunday, October 23.

Let’s share the love, and show the PKD community what The Hired Guns can do!

Check Out What The Hired Guns Academy Has in Store for Fall

The Hired Guns on September 22, 2011

Summer’s over — it’s time to hit the books.

We have a full roster of classes planned for the fall semester at The Hired Guns Academy. Take a glance at the list below and choose the ones you need to get inspired; learn new, highly marketable skills; or shake up your career and take it in a new direction:

Monday, October 3
Get “Unstuck”: How to Get (And Keep) Your Creativity Flowing
Noah Scalin, the author of Unstuck and 365: A Daily Creativity Journal, will show you how you can keep your creativity going fast and furious.

Thursday, October 27
What’s Your Story? Master the Art of the Elevator Pitch and Harness the Power of Short-Storytelling
Larry Smith, of Smith Magazine and Six-Word Memoirs fame, reveals how telling your story in a concentrated, well thought-out burst can help you stand out from your (much more tongue-tied) peers. You’ll never ever need to break out in a sweat when someone asks you, “So, what do you do?” again.

Wednesday, November 9
Digital Reinvention for Journalists: Transfer the Skills You Already Have to a Career in Digital
Charlie Rogers, who has launched many a publication and website, gives guidance on the traditional skills that translate most easily into digital—as well as the new skills you’ll need to turn yourself into Journalist 2.0 (or 3.0).

Wednesday, November 30
Nail That Presentation! Adding Strength to Your Professional Talks, Appearances, and Job Interviews
This high-energy class by the speech and presentation master Joel Schwartzberg is what you need to make your speeches, presentations, and interviews of all sorts be the powerful, persuasive tools they should be.

Wednesday, December 7
Get Your Blog On: Increase Your Visibility Through Online Publishing
Blogging veteran Bill Brazell gives the lowdown on what it takes to make a new blog succeed rather than flounder.

In the News: Diane Vadino’s Intricate Paper Works Take Over Bendel’s

The Hired Guns on September 8, 2011

Today, the artist, novelist, and Hired Gun Diane Vadino will be showing and selling her art as part of the Hester Street Fair’s takeover of Bendel’s, at 5th Avenue and 56th Street. All told, this Fashion’s Night Out event will cover an entire floor of the classic haute-NYC department store.

To sweeten the pot, Diane will be making free “mini-neighborhood maps” — letter-sized cut-paper versions of your nabe, with your home address at the center. Here’s a sample of her work: a detail from her intricate, hand-cut map of Brooklyn neighborhoods:

In the News: The Hired Guns and the End of “Obnoxious Eating”

The Hired Guns on August 24, 2011

Sue Shellenbarger has an amusing article in today’s Wall Street Journal about the problems that eating at your desk can cause: stinky sandwiches and noisy chips bring complaints from co-workers, and computer keyboards don’t react well to crumbs and spilled drinks finding their way inside.

In this “Field Guide to Obnoxious Eating” there’s also a quote from The Energy Project’s Tony Schwartz about how a skimpy lunch break “actually drains energy and reduces output,” which is something he has helped remedy through his Take Back Your Lunch movement.

The article then goes on to mention The Hired Guns’ president, Allison Hemming, who ate lunch at her desk for years until she saw the light. “Now, if she sees her employees working through lunch, ‘I get them out of their desks,’ encouraging them to get outside, she says. ‘We’ve seen a major boost in productivity” and sales as a result.”

Take Back Your Lunch with The Hired Guns: Wednesday, August 17

The Hired Guns on August 10, 2011

It’s been one long, hot summer. Join the Hired Guns next Wednesday at noon to get out of the office and Take Back Your Lunch with us. We’re going to get together and walk the newly expanded High Line. Then we’re going to do lunch at the food trucks at the “end of the Line,” near 10th Avenue and 30th Street. Hope to see you there.

Here are the details! Please sign up so we can reach you with specifics.

[Photo: USVIZION/flickr]

How to Get Your Presentation Picked for SXSW

Allison Hemming on July 13, 2011

Getting selected to speak at SXSW Interactive is a great way to establish yourself as an expert in a subject that you’re passionate about. Although the festival doesn’t happen until next March, the deadline for submitting a big idea talk on its famous PanelPicker is almost here—it’s this Friday, July 15, at 11:59pm, CDT (although see the end of this post for more info about the additional deadline for finalizing your proposal).

Naturally everyone wants to be able to set themselves apart from the crowd—last year, SXSWi got over 2500 submissions—and accepted less than 1 in 4, or 600. So with time ticking away, we went straight to the top to find out just what makes a panel popular, both with online voters and with the audiences in Austin. Since 1993, Hugh Forrest has been the event director for SXSW Interactive, managing the event and deciding the process by which panelists will be determined. We caught up with him to get some insider tips on making your panel sound the best it can be, on the importance (or unimportance!) of voting, and why it doesn’t hurt to play to the experts in the crowd.

Why torture your prospective speakers by making them get their submissions in by July 15?
It’s simple: putting together a panel or solo presentation takes a heck of a lot of organization. If a speaker can meet a deadline in July, it shows us that they’re serious and they want to put the effort in. Moreover, if someone can persuade a crowd to vote for them in the middle of August, we see that as a positive indication that they could likely pull off a strong panel.

So what’s the single best way that potential speakers can stand out on the PanelPicker?
The best advice I can give is less is more—try to be as specific as possible. Don’t try to cover all things Facebook in the space of an hour, it’s just too much. Writing up a submission is one thing, delivering it is another. Live, broad topics often come across as rushed and confused. Try to whittle your concept down to a small, tight idea and then submit that.

How else can someone get noticed?
Be the expert. Don’t be afraid of developing an advanced-level topic. We always get a lot more intermediate-level submissions–everyone chooses the middle of the road.

What types of panels are you most eager to see?
More solo panels. They deliver a lot more depth and our audience prefers them. Group panels can get sidetracked and go off course, depending on the strength of the moderator.

Can SXSW be a good conference for a first-time speaker?
Definitely. While polished talks by pros are definitely important, freshness is too. We really do try to achieve a balance between experienced presenters and new voices.

What trumps: instructional panels, educational panels, or panels that are for pure entertainment value?
Tough question. I’d have to weigh instructional panels slightly higher than the others, especially because not everyone agrees on what makes good entertainment. Read More →

Meet Our Blogger: Matt Smith

Matt Smith on June 14, 2011

The Hired Guns’ newest blogger, Matt Smith, is an expert at developing new products, innovative thinking, and startups. He’ll be putting his knowledge to good use for us as he writes about product management and methods to help companies innovate effectively, especially in an Agile environment. Matt sees his mission as “helping people grow, fostering ideas, and solving complicated problems in an innovative way.” We wanted to find out more . . . .

The Stats:

Hometown:
Newton, Mass.

Current ‘hood:
Upper West Side, NYC

College/Grad School:
Union College

Current Job:
Director, New Products & Innovation at Shutterstock

Where do you plan to take your column this year?
I really want to focus on success by innovation. Specifically how being Agile, in both product development and in business operations, can lead to innovation and, ultimately, success.

What do you hope to accomplish with your Hired Gun posts?
I’d like to help people understand innovation; how to find the open spaces within a business or industry, and fill them. Ultimately what we as product people are here to do is figure out how to help people, how to solve problems, and make people’s lives easier. At our core, we’re innovators. Or course, that’s much easier said than done.

Not everyone understands how to innovate, how to fill those gaps, and how to do it successfully. I’m writing these posts to help people learn and how to succeed.

Who should be checking you out?
Everyone from a new product person to a CEO who is looking to understand how to bring Agile to his or her business so that it can operate and innovate quickly and successfully.

There is a right way and a wrong way to be Agile, and it’s a slippery slope. When done the right way, Agile can help a company be incredibly successful, but when done wrong, it can really hurt a company. People who want to understand the right way to be innovative through Agile should be checking me out. Read More →

Thu June 16: NYC SALT Parties for a Good Cause

The Hired Guns on June 14, 2011

A reminder that the nonprofit photography organization NYC SALT will be having its first graduation party and gallery show this Thursday, June 16th. The group helps disadvantaged New York teens learn about photography and also helps prepare them for higher education. The party will include live music, a silent auction of prints by established photographers, and wine and appetizers. Works by SALT students will also be for sale.

To find out more about the organization, check out the video below . . . .

The Good Guns: Edit a Short Film to Help Teen Photographers

The Hired Guns on June 1, 2011

“The Good Guns” is a series of volunteer opportunities put together by The Hired Gun community.

Summary:
NYC SALT is a nonprofit visual arts program teaching photography to socioeconomically disadvantaged inner-city teenagers. The group is looking for 11 Final Cut Pro gurus to help 11 teens tell a two-minute story of their work for the 1st Annual NYC SALT fund-raiser and retrospective gallery show on June 16th. Email Alicia ASAP if you’re interested in helping. We’d also love to find one producer/editor volunteer to create a video master for the other volunteers so that all 11 shorts have a similar look and feel.

Good Gun Profile
You’ll need to be quick on your feet. We have one hour of video footage on each teen. This footage needs to be edited and combined with images shot by the students for the retrospective into a two-minute short. These video shorts will be distributed virally to promote the NYC SALT fund-raiser and will also be edited into a larger video montage for the June 16th event. Read More →

In the News: The Elegant Thrifter’s at the Head of His Class

The Hired Guns on May 2, 2011

Stan Williams, the author of The Find: The Housing Works Book of Decorating with Thrift Shop Treasures, Flea Market Objects, and Vintage Detail, has been running The Elegant Thrifter blog since early 2009. Last week, the columnist Khristi Zimmeth, of the Detroit Times, named Thrifter as a top blog about antiques and collecting–she also called it “educational and entertaining.” [Update: Earlier, Papermag IDed the Thrifter as a member of one of the prominent Twitter gangs of New York.] Congrats, Stan!

Poll Results: Which Interview Question Did You Think Was the Worst?

The Hired Guns on April 29, 2011

Well, it seems you’re not too shy–in this week’s poll about irritating interview questions, “So, tell me about yourself” only got 11% of the vote. Most of you evidently have no problem with its deliberately open-ended tactics.

Much less popular, and a virtual tie, were questions in which human resources either tries to get you to spill your deep, dark secrets (“What is your biggest weakness?) or speculate wildly about the future (“Where do you see yourself in five years?”). Either way, we’re sure its no weakness to see ourselves having a great weekend, and we hope the same for you.

Guns in the News: Ramona Pringle Looks at Gamers in Love (IRL)

The Hired Guns on April 25, 2011

One of our Hired Guns, Ramona Pringle, was featured in Friday’s New York Times. She was their go-to expert to explain the ways that video games and gaming culture help people in real life–and that includes their love life. This was the subject of her talk at SXSW Interactive last month.

Event of the Week: “20 Under 30” New Visual Artists launch party (NYC)

The Hired Guns on April 19, 2011

This Thursday in New York, at the Phaidon Store, Print Magazine celebrates its most recent “New Visual Artists” issue. The reception and exhibition, co-sponsored by Brooklyn Brewery, will include artwork selected from the issue.

To find out more about this and other upcoming Hired-Guns-approved happenings, head to our events page.

Should Interns Get Paid? Here’s What You Told Us…

The Hired Guns on April 15, 2011

On Monday, we asked you what you thought an intern was worth to a company. Although the “all interns should be paid” option was by far the most popular choice at first, it soon lost ground to the more nuanced claim that only interns doing a “real job” should get a real paycheck. Your votes put that one out on top, although just barely.

A little surprisingly, the “interns as time-suck” option didn’t get a single vote, which implies that even those who think interns don’t merit a paycheck still see them as providing some value for a company. Roughly one in 10 of you said that the experience that companies are giving interns is at least equal to the work they’re getting out of their young charges.

Either way, we suspect that internships–and probably unpaid ones at that– are here to stay, at least for the most in-demand sorts of jobs for young workers. . . .

Bullet Points: Spring Brings Some Hopeful Job News (and Spring Cleaning)

The Hired Guns on April 14, 2011

Some good signs for those looking to make a move: there were more job postings in February than there were at any time in the past two years. And the unemployment rate, though still at an elevated 8.8%, is at a two-year low.
If you’re thinking that you might leave your job in the next few months, now (not later) is the perfect time to get your affairs in order. This includes building your list of contacts (for home use after you leave the job) and pulling together any portfolio samples you may need down the line. The accounting blog Going Concern has some tips on cleaning up your workplace computer, “just in case a team of nerds will be scoping out your computer and any embarrassing data contained therein” after you leave for greener pastures. “This includes your music collection, no reason to give them free MP3s.”
Whether or not you’re planning to leave your job, it’s always a good time to tidy up the cubicle or corner office. As this chipper article reminds us, cleanliness is next to godliness at work as well as at home. The Dumpster awaits.

The Good Guns: Hockey Bloggers Flog Their Services for Charity

Allison Hemming on April 13, 2011

With their teams eliminated from the playoffs, two bored hockey bloggers decided to go all “mercenary” (or, dare we say, Hired Gun) and make money for charity instead of throwing in the towel on the season. Ryan Lambert, a contributor for Flamesnation.ca, and Jason “Chemmy” Orach, from TheLeafsnation.com, are using Ebay to auction off their blogging services. They’ll continue to blog though the Stanley Cup finals for anyone willing to pay up, whether it be a hockey fan blog or for a big media player. Right now the auction stands at $335.00, with 25 bids. All proceeds from the auction will be donated to Right to Play, a charity that gets kids involved with sports regardless of age, gender, or disability.

Fine print: If you win the auction, Lambert and Orach say, they’re do what they do best: “create hilarious controversy by trolling your playoff opponents. You’ll get guest posts on your team from big-name writers. We’ll wave pom poms for your team on Twitter. You’re buying the services of two hockey blogging pros and helping out some disadvantaged kids.”

Really fine print: If your team gets bounced too, Lambert and Orach will re-list their services in order to donate more money to charity. They’ll provide you with as much material as possible, but make no guarantees about quantity.

Event of the Week: Cut&Paste Global Champs Design Competition

The Hired Guns on April 12, 2011

This Saturday night, designers from around the world will come together in New York’s Webster Hall for the 2nd annual Cut&Paste Global Champs Design Competition, an onstage battle that will decide who deserves the Design Emperor crown (or something like that). The contestants, who have already won in regional events, will compete in either 2D, 3D, or stop motion categories–knockouts are possible but not guaranteed.

To find out more about this and other upcoming Hired-Guns-approved happenings, head to our events page.

In the News: Cyd Zeigler and Outsports

The Hired Guns on April 8, 2011

Nothing makes us prouder than when we open up the New York Times and find a Hired Gun featured in its pages. In this case, it’s longtime Hired Gun Cyd Zeigler, who’s emblazoned on the front page of the sports section talking about the website he co-founded with Jim Buzinski. Outsports.com focuses on gay sports fans as well as athletes. The story is one of entrepreneurship, finding a niche, and then filling that void. It should inspire not only gay athletes in our network but also countless entrepreneurs–it demonstrates that when you find the white space, are original, and have a distinctive voice and purpose you can still stand out on the very crowded Interwebs. Congrats, Cyd!

Press Op: Did you reinvent yourself?

The Hired Guns on March 23, 2011

Reinventors wanted! The editors of a general-interest business magazine with 1M + circulation are working on a story about hope and why it’s never too late to evolve in your career. Naturally, they figured that some of the folks from The Hired Guns network would give good back story.

The editors are looking to speak with people who reinvented themselves after being “digitally disrupted”– meaning that they bounced back after technology changed the nature of their jobs to the point where they were laid off or jumped ship because they could see their skills becoming a commodity.

In short, they want to meet middle managers and up (100K+ folks) who made it through the storm–were baptized by it–and are ready to evangelize about their experiences. If you went to work in another company in a brand new field or completely redesigned what you’re doing within the same vertical and are making at least 80% of your former salary (and are extremely happy with your new work life), they want to talk to you.

Email us if you fit the bill.

The Good Guns: Volunteer as a Digital/Mobile Project Manager to Help NZ

The Hired Guns on March 22, 2011

“The Good Guns” is a series of volunteer opportunities put together by The Hired Gun community; its members serve as active sponsors. Today’s entry is from Josh Webb, a global mobile media expert, digital product manager, and entrepreneur who is currently based in New York. He is heading the mobile and global outreach efforts for the Telethon for Christchurch, New Zealand; he’s working closely with the offshore team to bring the message to the world through digital and social means.

Summary:
The organizers of a global telethon are looking for a digital/mobile project manager who can quickly help organize a global charity campaign for the victims of the Christchurch earthquake. The February 22 earthquake caused an estimated US$15 billion in damage to the New Zealand city, and there’s a huge need to reach the Kiwi expat community and others throughout the world.

Good Gun Profile:
You’ve got a strong background managing projects across international borders–and knowledge of what it takes to successfully execute across multiple platforms. Ideally, you have some mobile experience working on messaging, web, and apps, but a general digital background may suffice. You’ll be collaborating with a team based primarily offshore. Although you will have some guidance from other experts, you will need to be self-directed and take the initiative to pull the campaign together quickly, with minimal supervision. You need to have immediate availability and be able to dedicate the next 2-3 weeks to the project. Read More →

In the News: The “Most Inspirational” Event at SXSWi

The Hired Guns on March 18, 2011

San Francisco’s KQED news blog says that our very own Larry Smith gave the most inspirational presentation at SXSWi: “I think many of us left that room with renewed commitment to our ideas.”

Want to get inspired by your own ideas? Come take Larry’s class at The Academy on March 31st !

Bullet Points: Summify Cuts Through the Twitter Fog

The Hired Guns on March 16, 2011

We’re obviously big fans of Twitter here, but that doesn’t mean we don’t get overwhelmed by its randomness and chatter. The service Summify is a big help for those times — after you sign up, it examines the tweets of the people you follow and sends you a daily email detailing the most retweeted (or otherwise discussed) links. It’ll also do the same for Facebook and Google Reader accounts. As one journalist friend said, “You never have to use Twitter again.” We’re not ready to go quite that far, but it’s definitely a great way to stay on top of what everyone’s talking about.

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