The Dangerous Donavan's

Short-listed Best Job In The World criteria

2009-03-01T22:29:00.004-07:00

The competition for The Best Job In The World could prove to be the first global web 2.0 era SURVIVOR. Think about it this way, my elderly parents have not historically been TV addicts, yet these competition-reality shows have them hooked. My mom can't get enough international dancing, and though she certainly loves the art, the entertainment of the emotions and heartbreak are why she can't stop Tivo'ing. It could be argued that this voyeuristic style of entertainment is a logical progression of traditional TV entertainment in many ways. We want to see people in a state of perceived reality experiencing real emotions for this is the essence of being human. But, what happens when these emotional driving ideas are launched into an international venue where texting and twittering rule the day?

The possibilities are just now being explored by Tourism Queensland in their campaign for The Best Job In The World. In a bid to crank up the tourism market, the government authority advertised the job of a lifetime; $150,000 for a six-month stint as the Hamilton Island Caretaker on the Great Barrier Reef. There were almost 35,000 applicants, each of which submitted a 60-second video.

Having recently attended the UGCX conference in Silicon Valley I have ben wondering if the way to truly generate a powerful return on investment in a viral marketing (see advertising) campaign would be to tie the strategy to the mindset of reality TV in a model that reflects the way in which people communicate globally, via quick interchanges on laptops and hand-held devices.

The nature of the video applications makes them perfectly suitable for small screens and fast, highly-efficient downloads. We don't know the hit count, but many of the initial candidates achieved tens of thousands of hits a piece, and the campaign is just now getting rolling.

In a world where authenticity vital, even the server crashes at the application deadline allowed the genuine nature of the Australians to shine through. When Tourism Queensland chief executive Anthony hayes says "it has been frankly heartbreaking because people have gone to so much trouble" we are reminded of the friendliness and sincerity of the region. The secondary message is of course that everyone wants in because it's so special.

Few will say that the campaign isn't already a total success in terms of achieving awareness which can be ported to a reasonable ROI, even in this economic climate. But, when mom mentions the competition and asks me if she will be able to see it on her computer, I realize that the Australians have grasped a whole new reality.

Frogs - Crandall

2009-02-28T13:37:00.003-07:00

This is a test of what can happen when you take a video camera that fits in your shirt pocket (Canon G9) to a National Park for a day...trying not to laugh while filming is an art, especially with limited image stabilization. A little cam and a little computer: Go here

Top 50 best Job In The World Candidates

2009-02-27T16:14:00.003-07:00

There is a lot of misinformation on the web right now. The winners (short-listed 50) will not be announced until tomorrow (depending on where you live).

I created The best Best Job In The World Video by approaching it as a Creative Director might. I used targeted communication to refelect the fact that Tourism Queensland is investing heavily in this campaign and ROI is vital, even after the hype of the contest. See the example here.

The winner should not be a throw-away. This person must have the ability to take the momentum and tell an authentic story of their experiences on The Great Barrier Reef in a way that respects the strategic goals of their employer.

For those that missed the deadline, I am sorry. Procrastination is a killer that we are all guilty of now and again. To this point, I wish I'd gotten mine in at the very begining to achieve astronomical hits. We decided when we first embarked upon making this video application that we did not want to be a part of a server crash at the 11th hour.

Shortlisting Tourism Queensland

2009-02-27T16:10:00.005-07:00

I have some fun documentary ideas to help propel The Best Job In The World campaign if we get selected. Here are some of my Outakes from our video application. These are just small snippets, but I have more film ready to roll. First check out my video, it makes the outakes more interesting.

If I get selected, shoot me an e-mail and let me know how much of this stuff I should put up on my blogs. It really shows who we are, which I guess cuts both ways ;—)

Sis, thanks for your help!

Best Job On Earth Winners

2009-02-27T16:01:00.003-07:00

The winners of the best job on earth have not been announced, though clearly short-listing is underway. I hope my message was on target:

HERE IS MY WINNING(?) VIDEO

The question remains how many tests were sent out? If you know anything, please let me know. Otherwise, just please let me know what you think of my video. Being short-listed is exciting, but I just hope that whoever is picked does a great job. My experience with Tourism Queensland has been excellent and they deserve a solid finalist.

Best Job In The World VIDEO OUTAKES

2009-02-23T20:30:00.012-07:00

These are primarily videos of Laura simply because I was the one filming the practice sessions. I put these on this blog because many of you have supported us on this project, so I wanted you to look behind the scenes —behind the scenes are always more interesting.

I'd love it if we documented the ENTIRE experience of entering, then winning, then going to Queensland. We have enough footage to put a documentary together (there is a lot more footage than you see here).

1. So, this first video is just silliness. I put my G9 on a tripod while Laura was filming her BEST JOB video application.

2. This is even sillier. We are sitting in our bedroom practicing before we went down to the studio.

3. This is all Laura. We tried to get the desperation out of the final edited piece, but I had to show this because it makes me laugh. She got into this same mode while she was brushing her teeth recently and we both started laughing. ie. We are the best candidates! NOBODY will have more fun or have a more sincere desire to share the experience etc..oh well, here is Laura groveling while Sam and I are laughing behind the cams.

D A N G E R O U S 2009!

2009-01-01T00:42:00.012-07:00

Check out our facebook page for some current photos and updates. Facebook is more current. Photography work is concentrated here. We also have some portfolio work at dangerouscollective.

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Hey Now

2008-08-26T01:26:00.007-06:00

Hola & Aloha! Thanks for visiting our blog. We don't update it as often as we probably should, but that's life. It simply serves the purpose of communicating some big picture projects. Below you'll find a basic summary of our projects and philosophies. Our web site is currently getting remodeled, please enjoy this blog for now.
—L & B
If you have any questions; shoot us an email:
bill@dogsonicdesign.com or laura@dogsonicdesign.com

Who We Are?

2008-08-26T01:25:00.003-06:00

Laura Donavan (formerly Laura Reinhold..18 years ago) is a model citizen and the mother of our two strong, good-looking and breathtaking boys. Born in the kitschy space coast town of Cocoa, Florida, Laura attended FSU in Tampa. But, this clean-living orange juice dream was short-lived, and for this I am eternally thankful. She moved west to attend art school where we met the first day of the first class; drafting. I however grew up in Madison, Wisconsin, a lovely lil' college town in an island of rolling, green, cow-studded hamlets. Growing up behind the cheddar curtain was a confusing experience: At once I felt centered and grounded in a relaxed workaholic state with radio-English and Keeleresque tendencies, but the Wild Western village of L.A. also called. Though, it was a degree at The Colorado Institute of Art and Laura's as yet unforeseen homespun surf-nature that inspired a high-speed drift to Colorado. After school, we sparred at competing advertising agencies in Jackson, Wyoming for a few years and eventually got hitched. This was in 1990. A decade in Northwest Montana and two chitlens later we moved south to our current sunny and super-hi-def location; Salida, Colorado. Surrounded by some of the largest peaks in the lower 48, our boys; Riley and Shea thrive in the paradise that is the Arkansas River Valley. That's our story ..for now. I'm super-fortunate and I'm turning all this positive juju loose.

-bd

The Salida Citizen!

2008-08-26T01:09:00.009-06:00

In 2008 we bought an old building in downtown Salida (Colorado's largest historic district). This turn o' the century box makes us feel Victorian. (I have started dressing Victorian. Laura's new name is Victoria). This place will be the home for our community journalism project; The Salida Citizen. We fixed it up and will be basing global operations for saving the world in this hideout. The citizen is just the beginning. Are you ready to join? The conference room is all glass, and tech as can be. The stereo system bumps and thanks to Tim K's consult and PV panels, the meter will be running backwards while the in-floor heat warms our toes. My friend Sam will be running his TV station and multi-media ops from here, so we brought in fiber optic cable to communicate something special. These shots show our current status, but there is much to be done yet. Wanna live in Salida? Do you have something to add to the dialog?

Travel

2007-05-25T00:05:00.001-06:00

Wow, We just got back from sea kayaking in the Northwest where we stumbled into a pod of Orcas (killer whales) hearding salmon onto the shelf of this remote bay. We became very apprehensive when they were a few miles away, but when they were all around us, and a 20 ton elder with six foot dorcel fin past within feet of us, we were completely committed to the project of astonishment.

Additionally we witnessed a newborn which was big news in Seattle and Vancouver.

Man, we're way overdue to create travel updates...In short, we traveled for 7 weeks last spring, from the Bahamas to Oaxaca, Mexico. Design and writing have been going great on our Oaxaca book. Check out the working cover. We are going to pitch this over the winter, and likely head back for a little recon without the kids to get a few more pics. The trip back will be about doing some relief work. We are researching different organizations, but seem to lack dental skills, surgical skills etc so we find ourselves in some very intersting areas of third world help..stay tuned. back to the book. The design is for an 8" x 8" square, hardcover design. The market is primarily parents, and although the book may seem like a travel book, it has more to do with how people raise kids in America, pushing boundaries and experiencing a shrinking world.

Riley got certified to dive so we had some serious scuba adventure in both amazing locations. We are scheming right now for our next trip, but first must make these trips pay; We are developing travel books unlike any others, while using the Powerbook and Skype to take care of our clients along the way. Stay tuned for more adventure stories..Oaxaca was totally unbelievably amazing.

Dog Sonic Design & Communications

2006-09-08T16:04:00.000-06:00

This is where it all started. Now in its 15th year, Dog Sonic Design has morphed from a traditional illustration and graphic design studio into a lifestyle & brand strategy consultation shop. We do everything from business development to electronic media consultation. From non-profit advertising to commissioned artworks. In 2007 we are doing less client-based work than ever before. This is simply because we are attacking are own projects and following through on many of our long-term plans. However, we are always receptive to new work and meeting new clients. We have worked regionally and nationally, both directly as well as through larger agencies. We have done complete campaign rollouts and project management, and we have done spot illustration as part of a team. If you have any questions, give us a shout: bill@dogsonicdesign.com or laura@dogsonicdesign.com or get crazy and use a telephone: 719.539.0177

Crazy Casa

2006-09-06T02:00:00.001-06:00

This house is simply a big art project for us. This is a meeting place for clients and a hub for our lives. So, like every dumb idea that starts with a drive in the country, we decided impulsively on a simple family road trip to move to Colorado and roll our Montana farm house into a little Colorado Victorian. The Victorian never happened because along the way we discovered this property on the side of a steep hill that everyone said was impossible to put a driveway on. I swear to this day I did not hear anyone say we were fools for buying this property, though apparently they did. I recall thinking; who needs a driveway? We could just build a little train or something? It would go up through the Pinon trees on a cable. Yes, a French cable car from the refion of Pinon! We eventually met a young guy with an old Caterpillar D9 who only wanted to put in a driveway because everyone said it was impossible. In short, we spent every cent we had on this house —then borrowed more. Then, this guy we hired to help out ran off with THAT money. It was truly ridiculous, on top of the fact that the house was made of straw. We'd never built a house, but over the course of a few years we got it done. We ended up doing it ourselves. I recall being fronted some cash for a catalog job and immediately running out to get our power turned on so we had someplace to plug in our Macs. We lived in the basement for a long time and cooked on this little hot plate. As experiences like this tend to be; it was great. Our boys were so tiny and they didn't care that it was dumping snow and our roof was incomplete. Now, when wealthy folk cruise our hood for second homes I know they could never have enough money to buy our place. Wait! sure they do: Tamarindo crib! .

I was looking to load up some house pics and realized I need to include the fireplace. My friend, Rodango and I can build you one. (He sounds Latino-exotic but he actually grew up as a Jewish kid in a Brazillian underwear factory). He is just one of the many colorful friends we met while building our house in Southwestern, Colorado

Here's a little vid of the boys behind our house playing on a swing we built.

Large Print Books

2006-09-06T01:08:00.000-06:00

Harvard Ranch Publishing may be the best feel-good project yet. We developed HRP to create hard-cover, museum quality books with extremely large print to reach low-vision and those suffering from Alzheimer's Disease. The books have reached people all over the world in their homes and in assisted care facilities. We sell them primarily through our web site as well as Amazon, though we are extremely interested in expanding retail distribution. Just when this project was getting off the ground we had kids and moved to Colorado, though we are currently pushing this project forward again —and very excited with our new books which will be out in the next year. Aesthetically, and functionally the books were a challenge: Publishers did not understand the category, nor our desire for institutionally-strong, yet beautiful production. In short they did not understand why we wanted to spend so much in bindery. But, everything came together in a very clean and simple way with a last minute cash infusion from a very wonderful person. The way these books have impacted people has been very moving, and personally, I had the opportunity to photograph stained glass in churches all over Western Montana. In many cases this allowed me to meet people from a myriad of faiths in environments so peaceful and prone to philosophical discussion that the film I walked out with will forever be imprinted with that period in my life. www.harvardranch.com

Harvard Ranch Publishing - Large Print Books, Gifts for the Elderly, Gifts for Seniors and Gifts for Alzheimer's Patients

Our Own Hot Springs Resort..now for sale!?

2006-09-05T21:16:00.001-06:00

In 2003 we bought a couple old cabins 25 minutes north of us in a remote canyon. There was hot water on the property pouring into the river, so we dug some holes, did a ton of plumbing and electrical work, replaced the roofs and basically restored them from the ground up. As you can see on our web site we rent them as nightly and weekly rentals. There are plenty of details on the site, but the most amazing aspects of the springs is that people come almost every night. The are jammed all the time primarily by people who need a special place to go, "to get away to." The letters they leave us are truly unbelievable. We'd anticipated creating a really cool place as a long term investment. But, what we have now is a place where eldely people celebrate their anniversaries and honeymoons are realized. Families come back annually and wedding proposals are made. It has become a place soley independent of us, where people feel a sense of ownership. It is a place people can go to get back to who they are. It's a great project to be a part of and we are so thankful to have stumbled across these old cabins in this amazing canyon. The latest news is that we have listed them with Pinon Realty Group www.pinonrealestate.com. That's right, our hot springs are for sale! www.hotspringsdreamer.com.com

Kid's Books From Mars

2006-09-05T19:08:00.000-06:00

I've been working on a few kid's books recently. Sadly, they are currently unpublished. These are primarily inspired by what my kids like —and don't like. They also represent what I would like to see on the shelf. Though it's cliche' to say that kids don't like being talked down to, I would add that the success of the occasional bizarro-gem is indicative of a need for more books that strive to speak to the child from a place that is so far out that the mere fact that some publisher had the gazams to print it should be enough inspiration to purchase said book. When I meet a children's book author I am generally more impressed with their organization than I am with their creations. More to the point, I am confused by a publishing system which pairs authors and illustrators together in a way that feels pre-packaged. With that said we live in a time when kids have some amazing books to choose from, and they are taylored to accommodate children's needs with pinpoint precision. My books come from my heart, and my ideas come from my childhood. The weirdness and random poetry comes from Weirdland Quadrant Zulu17 sector 9 late at night.

Life Through The Lens

2006-08-24T22:37:00.000-06:00

I can't recall a day when I haven't taken a picture. Sometimes I see the image burned in my mind so clearly when I snap the shutter that perhaps I feel it will help me hold onto this moment. —Cheesy, but true. As if the medium were not limitlessly fascinating in and of itself, we are currently living in a photographic renaissance. The digital world is upon us and most professionals have now made the leap. As a highschool graduation gift my dad bought me a (1986, film-based) SLR. Since then I have had a variety of cameras and lenses, each one an entirely new ergonomic treat of gadgetry that becomes so familiar in my hands that it feels like a tool in seeing the world. Additionally, the connection with other photographers is a surprise: I'll be pulled over on the highway shooting some mindbending western squawl and moments later a gray-bearded fellow will pull up wink, and go about his business. I have been lucky to carve out a niche where I am able to sell my images on a fairly regular basis —oftentimes as an added service to my clients whose story I am telling. As an Art Director, I tend to hire photography, but in short it's a great tool for me to fill in the gaps. I am at a loss without my cameras. But, when I am without my cameras I am highly sensitive to the beauty of the world and aware that I should never miss the natural and fleeting composition of life.