Book Recommendation: The Score

Comic Book Recommendation: The Score
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The ScoreDid you love “Ocean’s Eleven” (either the 1960 Frank Sinatra original or Soderbergh’s 2011 remake with George Clooney and Brad Pitt), too? Love the idea of a big crew pulling a big heist? Sure, taking down a casino is ambitious, but how about taking down an ENTIRE TOWN? I highly recommend:

The Score” (1964) was the fifth novel by Richard Stark (a nom de plume of Donald E. Westlake) that follows hardboiled heist master “Parker,” a character whose stories have been adapted into film (notably Mel Gibson in “Payback”), but never by name until award-winning animator/artist Darwyn Cooke pitched the idea for these 1960s-set Graphic Novel thrillers (“The Score” being the third of four). Westlake was so impressed with Darwyn Cooke’s Saul Bass-style treatment, he gave his blessing to use the name Parker for the central character — something he had never previously allowed with any film adaptation of the Parker novels.

By the bye, there is an upcoming adaptation of Stark’s 19th (!) Parker novel, “Flashfire”. “Parker” is currently filming and scheduled for release in 2013. Jason Statham stars as the title character, along with Jennifer Lopez (who was fantastic in another great Clooney heist flick, “Out Of Sight”) and Michael Chiklis. Nice!

GIVE IT A TRY!

©2012 Benjamin Holcomb. All rights reserved.

Book Recommendation: Ready Player One

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I absolutely adore Ernest Cline‘s dystopian actioner READY PLAYER ONE. This well written, tightly plotted Sci-Fi Quest (Love story? Yes. Mystery? That, too!) is filled with 1970s and 1980s goodness: Star Wars and Giant Robots. Cap’N Crunch and Saturday Morning Cartoons. Classic Home Game Consoles and Video Arcades. Dungeons & Dragons and Duran Duran… all of the disposable entertainment that helped define a generation of latchkey kids.

Ready Player One Once word of this Love Letter to Gen-X nostalgia really spreads – and hopefully before Hollywood tries to adapt it – READY PLAYER ONE will be required reading for all who fancy themselves retro Pop Culture geeks.

Wait. That’s you, right?

So you might as well be the first among your friends to read it. You won’t regret it and besides, when you finish you get to put your initials atop the High Score board.

©2012 Benjamin Holcomb. All rights reserved.

PDXfoodcarts Creating Food Truck Winter Survival Guide

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FoodCartsPortland (AKA PDXfoodcarts) is reaching out for some crowdsourcing assistance from the Portland Foodie community, tweeting this morning:

Carts – any tips on surviving winter? We’re putting together a post. kthxbye.

If you have any tips, thoughts or ideas, please Tweet them directly: @pdxfoodcarts

Or visit them online: www.foodcartsportland.com

About
Food Carts Portland documents and tells the story of the food carts and trucks in Portland OR. Check us out if you are looking for an alternative to the standard lunch fare. We’re at foodcartsportland.com Twitter: @pdxfoodcarts

D-Street Noshery | Portland | Food Trucks [Video]

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A whimsical introduction to a popular Food Noshery here in Portland, this is a single, continuous shot, which I edited with music, sound FX, graphic overlays, fast-forwards and freeze-frames.

This is the third of three takes we filmed the afternoon of June 2nd, 2011. The original, unedited footage is 4:30:04. I shot the video with my Droid™ phone (Droid™ Does. Just sayin’), and edited with iMovie 11.

In the video, we meet many of the charming D-Street gang:

Brian from Captured by Porches Brewing; Ashley from The Pie Spot; Gus from Awesome Cone; Dave from Oregon Ice Works; Adam from Fuego de Lotus; Fernanda from Samba Shack; Brian and Shannon (well, her hands, at least!) from Slice Brick Oven Pizza; Herb from Herb’s Mac & Cheese and; Lindsey from Koi Fusion.

Author-Signed Mego Books Available

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UPDATE: THE BOOK IS OUT OF PRINT and SOLD OUT!

My book, Mego 8″ Super-Heroes: World’s Greatest Toys! (TwoMorrows Publishing, 2007) has achieved out-of-print/Sold Out status. To celebrate, I am making some of my personal copies available for a limited time.

Mego Super-Heroes vintage toys book by Benjamin Holcomb

  • Unsigned copies: $45.00 + $6.95 s/h
  • Signed or Signed & Personalized* copies: $50.00 + $6.95 s/h (includes a Bonus Gift)

To purchase, please use the PayPal “Buy Now” link shown at right.

*If you would like me to Personalize your Signed Edition, please advise (along with your shipping information) to whom you would like the book signed.

Thanks, and please let me know if you have any questions.

Authenticity Rule #1: Don’t Lie

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In Marketing and Social Media (“So-Me”) circles, there is a lot of talk about ‘authenticity’ in messaging. With the relatively new ability to engage our guests and customers one-on-one, authenticity is increasingly vital. Message ‘Broadcasting’ – i.e. casting the widest possible net – is no longer ideal. And in some cases, it can be downright detrimental to your business.

Today, I received an Email from a new Business-to-Business Web site, whom I won’t reward with name promotion:

This is not an authentic marketing effort.
This is not an authentic marketing effort.

When I first opened the message, I went on a quick, emotional roller coaster: “Hey, this Heather person discovered me based on my experience as a professional graphic designer and Creative Director,” I thought. About half-way through reading it, the realization, “Hey, she has no idea who I am,” followed by a deflating feeling, “Waitaminnit. this is SPAM.”

Despite her claim of being “excited to find” me and, she does not know me. “I think you’re a perfect fit!” she assured me. But this is just fake personalization; Merge-fields and Email templates, with a casual salutation (“Hey”) thrown in to suggest an existing friendship. And I felt manipulated.

How fast do you think I clicked the UNSUBSCRIBE link? This Web site lost me as a customer before they even had me.

In his brilliant second book, The Thank You Economy (pictured at right, available on Amazon.com), author Gary Vaynerchuk reminds us there is always a “C” in “B-to-B.” Even if you’re reaching out to a business, one must remember there is always a customer on the other end.

So how does one ensure authenticity in one’s Marketing messages?

Rule #1: Don’t Lie.