So I’m excited to be blogging again, sadly I almost forgot how to log back in. Needless to say its been a while and the blog is a bit rusty. But for a good reason!

I’ve started a new job at Revision3. For those of you haven’t heard of it, they are an Internet TV Company, producing about 20 shows a week, and growing quickly! They’ve got a super talented group of individuals putting out really great work, which definitely makes for an exciting and fun work environment. I am joining their established Ad Sales team, and am looking forward to diving in and contributing to the sales effort. With my background in ad sales, combined with my interest in web video and time as a producer, I think it is a great fit, and it is definitely exciting to be closer to the production side of things.

Rev3 is celebrating its 5 Year Anniversary this Friday, June 25th with a party and live taping of Diggnation. Even though I haven’t been here long, it will great to celebrate such an accomplishment in such a competitive field. If you are in the Bay Area and are interested in coming out, click on the poster for deets!

In an effort to work on expanding my skill set into creative design I enrolled in an intro course to graphic design. I’m looking forward to some more formal learning, as opposed to my scattered tactic of dabbling in ideas and new programs here and there whenever I could squeeze in some time. This will force me to dedicate time to learning something that I’ve wanted to do for the past year or so, and will hopefully motivate me to continue being productive in pursuing my career interests in new media.

After I got over the initial sticker shock of my text book (how quickly I forgot about college bookstores being out of school for only two years!), I was quickly intrigued and captivated by not only its textual contents, but, would you believe it, the design! I guess it would be a bad sign if your graphic design book wasn’t easy on the eyes, but it has definitley reinforced how interesting this topic is to me.

Given I can make the time, and my projects aren’t overly tacky and embarrassing, I will share them here. Hopefully when I look back at the three months of the course, I will have grown as a designer, a creative thinker, and visual communicator. If not, at least I will have increased my knowledge in Photoshop, Illustrator, and InDesign. And I’ll have done something more productive then re-watching season 1 of Gossip Girl on DVD, not that there’s any shame in that ;)

This image is the professional example I selected for my first project illustrating asymmetrical composition. I’ll save my observations for the class message boards, but I do think its worth noting the copy, “Time is change happening.” Chew on that for a while.

Image taken from my calendar by artist Rodney White

I’ll leave you with a quote: “Creativity is the power to connect the seemingly unconnected.” – William Plomer

A few days ago, through the twitter grapevine, or tweetvine if you will, I came across the exciting news that Live! From the Future won the Clicker award for Best Live Show of 2009! I am so excited to to see the show getting recognition, after putting so much time into it. I know how hard Stuart, John, Jessie, and Lauren work every week to make a fun and interesting show come together. To have the staying power, and the drive to go on for 4 seasons is a testament to their passion for making people laugh in an interactive medium.

Clicker’s own words on the Best Live Shows of the year:

Refresh those pages no more! Talk about technological progress. What was once pre-recorded is now streaming live, and it’s happening more often than you think. We collected a list of the web-exclusive live programs that we found most worthy of a Clicker Award. So check out our winner and the runners-up and quit living in the past!

The Stream also recently celebrated its 1000th Episode with a Red Carpet event. Unfortunately it was right after I moved and I wasn’t able to celebrate with everyone, but I lived vicariously through their video recap of the Party! Congrats to Brian and everyone involved in the production process every week.

I also just found out this morning that after many emails and attempts to get the show on to IMDB, it actually happened! That means I will get producer credits for all episodes I had a hand in producing. I know, I know, don’t let your fame go to your head Lauren. Maybe when people google me now, I’ll come up as a legit producer.

In all seriousness though, I am so happy for the show and for everyone who works so hard on it. It really is a great feeling to know that you are being rewarded and that people enjoy what you make. Keep it up! Tune in Tuesdays @ 8pm PST on Thestream.tv!

As we erased the November calendar off of the kitchen chalkboard and penciled in the days of December, it was quickly apparent that the week leading up to Christmas was going to be packed with exciting events. We had something planned for every day this past week, and thus, I present to you, The Five Days of Christmas: San Francisco Edition.

On the First Day of Christmas Lady Gaga charmed us with her crazy ways. According to the Lady herself, we all became her little monsters that night. She definitely put on a spectacular show and, behind all the flashing lights and glittery costumes, she is a very talented singer and musician.

– The Lady slices in our Gaga Glory –

– My View at Lady Gaga, would have been better if I were 6 ft tall –

– Showing our Teeth & Gaga Monster Claws –

On the Second Day of Christmas we enjoyed the Martini Media Network (My Company) Holiday Party. My co-workers and I had a great time celebrating the successes of this year with our friends, family & clients. Concoction choices included the “Nice,” the “Naughty,” or the “Martini” Martini in celebration of the success of the Martini Life Newsletter. If you aren’t subscribed yet, get on it! Just click HERE!

– Candid of Caitlin & Matt –

Prior to the cherry stem tying race (see below for evidence of the photo finish)

– Record breaking performance I’d say –

On the Third Day of Christmas we celebrated Hanukkah. Ironic? Kara, being half-Jewish, had enough with the Christmas decorations covering our apartment and decided we needed some Judaism in this joint! She invited a bunch of friends over, including the few fellow Jews we know, and we had a festive time making (and the devouring) three trays of Potato Latkes! Thanks to Susan Jancourtz (Kara’s Mom) for sharing this recipe and making my first Hanukkah experience a success! While, we were lacking a dreidel, we did have a Menorah and lit the candles before we ate.

Oh, and don’t forget to get your holiday doorbell: Ding Dong, Hanukkah House! Thanks SNL.

– We were Latke making machines! Enough for a small army, or 15 of our closest friends! –

– Lighting the Candles –

On the Fourth Day of Christmas we had roommate holiday dinner. Rather than exchanging gifts, we decided to treat ourselves to a fancy meal. Being a Thursday, we thought we would stay close to home and chose a local place. Only a 5 minute walk, we opted to try out Beretta, a cozy Italian place, and were not disappointed! Along with a tasty bottle of Sangiovese we enjoyed Fava Bean and Pecorino Bruschetta, Tomato & Basil Gnocchi with mozzarella, Baked Polenta with Gorgonzola, Roasted Butternut Squash with walnuts, & Broccolini, Pancetta, and Tomato Pizza. Oh and I can’t forget to mention dessert: panna gelato with extra virgin olive oil & sea salt, sounds like a strange combination, and I admit I was skeptical at first, but trust me when I say it was delicious.

– Half of the Casa –

– And the other half –

– Panna Gelato with Olive Oil & Sea Salt, a.k.a. heaven –

On the Fifth Day of Christmas, we ended the week with a bang at our holiday formal party! Our friend Zak recently got a suit, and like anyone who gets a new suit, wanted to have an occasion to wear it. The cards just sort of fell into place and we threw a lovely little shindig over at their apartment (Robert, Zak, Vaibhav, & the honorary roommate, Pascal). It was a great way to celebrate the holidays with friends, and who doesn’t like to put on a party dress?! ;)

– Family Photo –

– Candid of Robert, Pascal, & Zak –

– Audrey, Matt & Me –

Such a fun, eventful week! I am so grateful to have wonderful friends and be blessed with the opportunity to do so many enjoyable things. I am looking forward to heading home in a few days to celebrate Christmas with my family and friends in Southern California, then back up to the Bay to ring in the New Year! Wow, 2009 is almost over, 2010 will be here before we know it!

This past week I am excited to say I had my first guest, and guess who it was, one of my best friends, Natalie! She flew up from Orange County for a few days and hung out with me in the new digs. It worked out well that she could bring her photography work with her and do it while I was working. We had fun exploring the Mission a bit, eating lots of Mexican food, going on an adventure with her Holga (excited to see how the pictures turn out), and last but not least, heading to the California Academy of Sciences for Nightlife at the Museum.

When the museum recently opened I read a lot about it in the California Alumni magazine and was fascinated by the “Living Roof” and how eco-friendly/green the entire building is. Every Thursday night they open up from 6:00-10:00 for a 21+ crowd. You can visit the exhibits (including the aquarium, rainforest, roof, and planetarium), grab a cocktail if you so please, groove to the DJ’s tunes, and just enjoy one of the unique things Golden Gate Park has to offer!

Thanks for visiting, Nat, wish you could have stayed longer! So who will my next guest be?

Caitlin, Nat, and I on the Living Roof — That’s light from the rainforest shining out!

That’s a tall giraffe

Starfish and Sea Anemones, the view from above

Checking out the very large Bass

A Sea Apple, cousin of the Sea Cucumber — Looks like something out of Alice in Wonderland