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Countdown to Cannes

NOTE: Geez I started this blog post a week ago and I’ve been so busy I’ve not managed to even complete it.

 

New So You've Been Dumped Logo

Our Updated Logo

So much has been happening,…where do I start?

I find it funny how the universe works though, it’s always been a life long dream of mine to go to Cannes – not just to lay on the beach, but with a real purpose. (It’s even an entry on my bucket list!)…

As chance would have it, a few weeks ago there was a post on LinkedIn about a fully-funded grant to attend an event in a few month’s time – in a “first come first served” basis.

Et, voila, c’est moi. I was the first one in there!

So I chatted to the gal who’d posted the opportunity, then called someone else she recommended I speak to, in London. Had more chat, then took a night or two and decided that the time wasn’t really right. I was reluctant to pass it up, but gave a little “silent prayer”, if you will, that if I was meant to go, I’d go…

I then proceeded on with my business of promoting our new tutorial on How to Dump Your Relationship (Respectfully), attended various networking events last week, (one was called “Is your smartphone smarter than you” – ha ha, and yes it is) and was generally buzzing.

So on a high after my two, back-to-back networking events, I dropped in to see my friend at Glasgow’s Muvizu. The folks in there are dead nice in there, and always good to gab to. Ending up having a wonderful chat with the lovely Kerry. (We’re looking at ways we can work together in a mutually beneficial sense). So many ideas, it was awesome. Came out of that one even more buzzed than I went in.  Love that exhilaration!

Got home at lunchtime though and took a turn for the worst. Started to feel sick, my voice started to go, and by nightfall it’d just disappeared.

Friday I attempted to work but had no voice at all so was pretty useless. Left work at 4pm and spent the weekend in bed. Didn’t feel sorry for myself though. Instead I read a lot, wrote a lot, research a lot and message folks.

Also wrote some goals 1 year, 3 year and 5 year (that last one is so hard for me to do).

So yeah, even though I was bed-ridden I was uber-productive. Awesome.

Anyway back to my story…on Sunday I write on my whiteboard three missions in my life – sorta like how I can best “serve” whilst here…and on Monday another opportunity to go to Cannes appears.

Needless to say, I nearly bit the proverbial arm off the gal, this time and said “I’m in!”

This was last week…

Had to set up a Limited Company to be eligible – so I’ve done that. (It’s my first one. Though I’ve run several businesses, they’ve all been Sole Trader).

This feels very grown up now! Had to buy domain names, set up a logo, fill out the grant application (sent off the signed copy 2 minutes before last mail pick up on my corner).

Since then it’s been sorting the grant application, registering domains, creating logos, writing company bios, booking flights, booking a studio, and so forth. The busy is not likely to end until 2012.

To say I am excited would be a vast understatement! Will try to write more sooner this time. Busy getting ready to launch our brand new Landing Page @ soyouvebeendumped.com – with help from a former member of mine from many years ago!

Our newest tutorial went live just 2 weeks ago and has had nearly 300 views so far. Have you seen it yet? See the homepage to view it soyouvebeendumped.com

So You’ve Been Dumped Stories – Chapter 1 “Brad”

Well I don’t generally like to cross blog but sometimes it needs to be done I guess.

So You've Been Dumped Stories - Ch 1 Brad
Chapter 1 – Brad

On Valentine’s Day, I rather deliberately launched our first Chapter in a year long series of stories of the dumped. I’d come close to editing in a normal documentary style when its star “Brad” (not his real name) decided he no longer wished to be associated with the film. To say this caused stress and a sleepless night was an understatement. At first I was VERY angry about the whole ordeal but then instead of focusing on the anger I kept asking “what is the solution?” I know all too well that hidden in every bit of misfortune good fortune rests. I figure stuff always works out eventually and this too would be the case.

So I emailed Ziggy who’s done some of my previous SYBD Break Up Line animations and pretty much begged him to animate the story. This way Brad could remain anonymous and I would still be able to get the story out there.

Ziggy, the professional that he is, came through in less than forty-eight hours, bless him.

Here we are two days after launching the video and we’ve had around a hundred and twenty views. (I wish rather wish it were a thousand and twenty views, but a hundred and twenty isn’t too bad.

The feedback is good so far as well. My concern is that the valid, universal and often  inspirational message may be lost in the lightness of delivery (via animation).

There are already a few other animations being created to launch over the coming months.  The ones I am currently looking at were ones that didn’t make the film due to my incompetence at filming!  (Or in one case because the person said they only wanted to do audio not video)

The stories are good and hopefully people find them compelling. There’s the fifty year old guy who’d logged on at the end of his 16-month rebound relationship. There’s the Texan gal who was dumped 1000 miles from home in the City By the Bay and there’s the young lad who was dumped by his first boyfriend.

Hope people enjoy them as we roll this out into a series.

VIEW THE SYBD YOUTUBE CHANNEL NOW.

Tis the Season……to be Dumped!

Seriously you’d be amazed how many stories used to come up on Valentine’s Day. It’s always a time we get press mentions as you might have guessed.

Clyde 1, Glasgow Exterior Shot
Clyde 1, Glasgow

Today I woke up to a DM on Twitter from the lovely David Locket to say he’d heard me on Radio Clyde this morning. Wah-hey!

Last weekend I visited my former Q96 colleague Gillian Wheelan there to talk about being Dumped near Valentine’s Day. I can’t say it’s ever happened to me, thankfully, but I once was the dumper near then. Tut Tut. I know I should have waited until after (silly me) but he’s forgiven me so all’s well.

soyouvebeendumped.mobi screengrab
soyouvebeendumped.mobi

At the moment you can hear the blurb on Clyde 1′s site. Seems they’re airing snippets of me on the top of the hour news today.

Just heard myself on the 11am news….where I croaked out words that you can’t compare pain. It was funny actually!

How lovely is being featured hourly? If only my first of the So You’ve Been Dumped Stories were launched this week, instead of next, at least I’d benefit from the fantastic coverage…

Oh well. PR is nice at all times.

I think there is another piece likely due in the press here any day now as well – about our new soyouvebeendumped.mobi site – “pocket support” as I like to call it. :)

And another exciting VDAY project with the lovely folks at Muvizu -which  I think we may have LIVE for you soon too!

So yes, as you may have guessed it’s the “busy season” for me with respect to So You’ve Been Dumped anyway.

Rather looking forward to this weekend and Valentine’s Day too.  Makes a nice change!

It’s a beautiful, spring-like day today though – which makes everything seem better. More optimistic. More promising.

Have a great day – I am off to complete the first of the So You’ve Been Dumped Stories.

Be wonderful if we launch it on Monday.

Sort of poetic really! Fingers crossed. Check back next week!

Radio Six International: My Return

Hello from awfully-dark-rain-soaked-Glasgow.

Good news for those who like to listen to Radio Six International….My new series of shows kicks off this Sunday (wayhey!).

But don’t worry, there are plenty of chances to catch it if that doesn’t work for ya  – especially for those across the globe!

It felt a bit rusty to be back in the studio with the mic, but hopefully the music will disguise it for me…

Show times (GMT) as follows:

  • The first one airs at 4pm on Sunday; (that’s 8am for PST)
  • Tues it’s on at 7pm Tuesday and again 6am Friday.

The first show is Scottish, as in Sounds Across Ecosse, but the next one is more general, chilled out, acoustic tracks from all over…

Once show one airs its first airing – will add the playlist here!

I’ll leave you with a guy who gets a wee play on Show # 1 – my dear friend Eoghan Colgan.  This is Make Calm Your Tempest – from Eoghan Colgan. It’s a lil video I made a few weeks ago after a lovely walk in a beautiful park. Hope you enjoy it x