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Buzz Feeding Time (Matthew Ankerstein, entrepreneur, influencer, podcaster interview)

Posted on by Tim Kuefler

Once upon a time bees where everywhere, but over the past few generations, we’ve been losing our honeybees to pollution, urban sprawl and host of other manmade factors that effect their environments. It’s a sad thing, considering that bees pollinate a vast majority of the plant life in this world. Where would we be without bees, after all dear readers?

Now this absolutely is not meant to be a depressing post, but I do want to wake you up!

You see creative cuties, there’s wisdoms in studying bees. By zeroing in on an analogy of the bee, my hope is that you’ll acknowledge that hard work and fostering community are invaluable, especially in an era of communication. And to someone like Matthew Ankerstein, bees can bring a lot more to this world as a metaphor. Matthew thinks it’s important to connect with lots of different business leaders, and he’s always been fascinated by business (Bill Gates was one of his idols growing up); on top of that, Matthew was also surrounded by the hardworking farm lifestyle from a young age.

He took this passion for business success, mixed in some neve-rending hard work ethic, and decided to marry the two concepts together during his time at post-secondary. That’s when he came up with the idea for Bee Influenced. His goal with Bee Influenced is to provide business leaders, students, and startups with resources to become better online marketers. By focusing on SEO, influencer marketing, podcasting, and email marketing Matt brings a solid set of topics to the table with his weekly show. And to make it even more memorable, he invites business leaders all over the world to share their stories in an easy to digest format – the podcast.

I even got to join in on the fun for an interview with him this summer!

But when I asked Matthew to get behind the hot seat himself and talk about dealing with the challenges that creative professionals face, he was over the moon. This is his interview, and his topic is working through adversity.

I still cannot believe how much insight Matthew has, and I’ve listened to our interview over and over in the editing booth! He has a great love for technology, an eye for strategy, and a willingness to serve others with humility.

We really do hope you enjoyed watching the back and forth between Matt and I, and highly recommend you share this post, leave a comment, and make a like? And if Bee Influenced seems like something you’d be interesting in visiting some more, check out his Facebook page, Instagram, Twitter and website yourself! Lots of ideas to pollinate there.

And special thanks to Matthew for being merry, motivating and merciless. His strategies, ideologies, and abilities are a breath of fresh air. Something to buzz about, for sure.

Tim!

When The Student Is Ready (Matthew Ankerstein influencer interview preview)

Posted on by Tim Kuefler

Matthew Ankerstein is not your typical Edmontonian. He didn’t grow up believing that that things would be handed to him. Even though his family had a farm, and he was involved in minor league hockey, he wanted to make a difference in the business world and connect with more people.

If you visit his website (http://beeinfluenced.com/), you’ll quickly learn that he loves to read and learn new things. I’m paraphrasing a bit here, but in his own words, he states that a major influence in this way of thinking came from seeing his father balancing the business books – he thought to himself, I can figure out a way to do this myself, and so he went after a post-secondary education, but he also started to hit the books in his spare time too. Reading books from successful leaders like Warren Buffet, M. J. DeMarco, and Dale Carnegie, he quickly learned that he loved business and seeing businesses grow.

In his time at post-secondary he worked hard to make friends in the technology sector and in computer programming. The combination of this experience lead him to develop the Bee Influenced brand.

What started as a website for a school project, quickly evolved into a startup business about startup businesses… It’s a weekly blog that teaches individuals how best to build and market their online businesses. One element of particular interest on his website is the podcast that features entrepreneurs who have built successful companies.

Matthew takes their ideas and experiences and explains the strategies these people use in their own businesses. Which made me theorize that he probably knows a thing or two about recognizing authentic leaders from the phonies. In this preview question, I ask Matt how you can find these kinds of business teachers in life, and what to do when you run across a charlatan.

theories Summarized

If you’re like me, and you love learning new things, but can’t make sense of world of online marketing, life coaches, influencers, and all of the social media… then I think I’ve found the creative interview for you! Come back in a week for the full interview and all of the great discussions Matt and I had about growing your business, especially in times of adversity. He’s really got some good theories, and I can’t wait to share them. 

Tim!

Truth, Records, and Goodwill (Brendon Greene, musician and record label owner interview)

Posted on by Tim Kuefler

We already know that vinyl records have seen a resurgence in recent years. Likely because collecting music is still an incredible enjoyable hobby, and even though music is even more readily accessible then it ever has been in the history of humankind, people are going to focus on specific sources of musical talent and just absorb what is within their radar. After all, it takes a lot of work to go diving for new music.

Believe me I would know. I Source the internet every week to find a new album to review, one that’s interesting, accessible and just plain entertaining to listen to. But the reality is that music taste is even more subjective then film or fine art.

So imagine being someone who manage a record label. You have to be fairly relaxed, forward thinking, and dedicated to the art in order to keep up with all of the demands. Plus if you’re a grass roots organization like Conscious Collective Entertainment you’ll also want to promote local up and comers, and hopefully maintain a community based imaged.

A musician himself, Brendon Greene has a lot say about why he has decided to have a record label – He started playing guitar 17 years ago, and began teaching guitar 14 years ago. In 2015 he also ran in the provincial and federal election for the Green Party. Immediately deciding upon the end of the campaign that he wanted to learn more about the management of artists, and production. So he incorporated Conscious Collective Entertainment. And he works for Goodwill Industries. AND has slowly been adding artists to his label. Don Bartlett (Modern Fingerstyle, Harp Guitar), Christiana Munch (Classical Fingerstyle), and a punk band called For The County.

If it’s not apparent yet, Brendon loves to teach music and he’ll do you one better. He also wants to help you get a record mixed and distributed for a realistic price too. He believes in stewardship and the value of a good mentor. I personally think he is a pillar for the community but I’ll leave that up to your discretion.

Plus, the interview has even more detail on how to get out there as a musician.

It was a a lot of fun talking with this guy about his business, he has so much passion, and a lot of great insights. I learnt a lot from him too!

I’d love it if you left a comment, and if you liked this artist interview leave one and then share it with a friend or two. Better yet, go visit Conscious Collective and Brendon on Facebook and Instagram, respectively – he’ll appreciate the visit.

 

And special thanks to Brendon for being bold, brave and brilliant. When it comes to passionate mentorship for burgeoning musicians, this Greene knows how to party with the best of them. It’s a new theory for 2018.

Tim!

The Secret Genius (Attitude Is Everything)

Posted on by Tim Kuefler

You want to be like Steve Jobs right?

Well, get in line dear readers.

Seriously though, a lot of people want to emulate the persona of Steve Jobs because he will always be remembered as a genius. That’s the way it is with great people; those visionaries and leaders who appeared at the right time and the right place and made it happen for themselves and conveniently for the world as well.

But what if I told you there is a theory floating around that geniuses don’t just appear?

That geniuses are a culmination of several factors? For instance, they are made up of things like genes, personality, ambition, environment, and effort.

Well you’d probably laugh at me.

Haha, you’re too funny timotheories, you think you know so much about theories and now you’ve finally proven that you don’t know jack!

jack2

Well hold up there aggressive little buddy, I’m still in the process of making a point, and you are just being rude. So please keep your comments until the end of the lecture.

Let’s address the problem of effort first. There have been studies done which indicate that major breakthroughs, whether in the arts or sciences, only appear that way to the casual observer, when in reality it takes time, effort, and energy to produce mastery of skill(s). In other words, when you can understand the rules intimately, then you are capable of bending or breaking them.

Also consider that specialization totally kills creativity because you are operating within a limited palette while looking at nothing other than the subject in front of you.

Ambition and a healthy desire to discover need to be present.

Which leads us into my next point.

Whatever your conviction, you need to ask a ton of questions: which is another way of saying, keep your mind sharp. Go to the library and take out books on a variety of topics, then grab some audio books on language, and sign up for a course or a program. It doesn’t matter if you are getting a diploma, certification, accreditation or doctorate. Exercise your mind.

That also includes physical exploration by spending time in nature or on a retreat.

But what about your genetics/personality? If those are fixed then genius is limited to those born with certain traits. Yes, those details definitely make up a part – but if you are open to experiences, driven, aggressive and can learn to look inwardly, you have just found some qualities that will help get you there, and can be learned. Interestingly enough, environment can play a role too in that progression.

Educational institutions that teach us to learn something from whatever we focus on can aid in this process, which can often be uncovered in post-secondary. This article very briefly touches upon it, but essentially the idea proposed is that cultures which encourage new forms of teaching and education foster risk-taking and that is where genius can appear, when individuals or groups can focus their vision into expression.

But truthfully, no matter what your stage or status, we all have the basic blueprint needed to accomplish these steps. Environment is just one piece. Look at what Malcolm Cowley said about the subject,

Genius is vision, often involving the gift of finding patterns where others see nothing but a chance collection of objects.

Children naturally do pattern seeking that from the time they are born until it is slowly weeded out of them in adulthood. But if we can cultivate that curiosity as already mentioned and focus our efforts on the importance of openness to experiences, i.e. look objectivity, then we’ll be in a way stronger position to see things as they are, rather than how we have been conditioned to do so.

That is what genius is, focusing on your passion, applying knowledge and experience, and continuous and never-ending improvement of self as you live your life’s purpose. You’ll make a contribution to your area of purpose which no one else can, because of your unique perspective.

It just takes some re-training.

Which is why ultimately, attitude is everything. People think there is a secret to genius, it really comes down to attitude. If you are willing to put forth the right effort and combine it with the attitude that life is a process, not a goal, you’ll experience genius.

But what do you think? Please leave some comments and subscribe to support these posts! I’m out of theories for now.

Tim!

Flunkies, Lackies, Toadies (Minions review)

Posted on by Tim Kuefler

It’s a common theme in our westernised lives to look out for ourselves and think about what we want out of life. Heck, I think that’s a global phenomenon, though parents and most leaders understand that thinking of someone other than yourself is for the greater good.

In other words, if someone were to tell you that they can’t think for themselves and they need to be led, even if it’s by a classical evil person, you’d probably tell me that person was nuts, right dear readers?

Well this week’s film review examines the perspective of the followers, the hangers-on, the servants, also known as the…

 

 

 

Minions (2015)
Cast: Pierre Coffin, Sandra Bullock, Jon Hamm, Michael Keaton, Allison Janney, Geoffrey Rush, Steve Carell
Director: Kyle Balda, Pierre Coffin
released on blu-ray December 8, 2015
****** 6/10

Minions-Movie-Poster-2

IMDB: 6.5
Rotten Tomatoes: 55%, Audience Score 51%
The Guardian: ****/*****

Camille Delamarre is a French animator, director, and voice actor. He is best known for co-directing the Despicable Me franchise with Chris Renaud, and as the voice of the Minions.

I am a huge fan of the original Despicable Me and I enjoyed the second film almost as much, while anticipating the next sequel, which is expected to come out in 2017. Did Coffin reach to far with this offshoot movie that focuses directly on the Minions or is it a solid entry in the legacy?

We are about to find out and as per usual, I will give you a bit of background on the story first. Well, actually I am going to tell you most of the plot, because it’s not that complex of a story.

 

The movie is narrated by Geoffrey Rush and starts by telling a story of how the minions (all voiced by Pierre Coffin) came into existence. They have been around since the dawn of sentient life, and have always sought out a master to serve, preferably an evil one.

We are treated to a sequence that shows the minions serving a number of masters over history (usually resulting in the accidental death of the master), until the minions meet up with Napoleon. This relationship ends pretty terribly and as a consequence the minions are exiled from France and end up in Antarctica where they build a community. It goes well for a time until the minions become agitated, lethargic, and eventually give up hope.

In the 1960s, one minion, Kevin, decides enough is enough, and recruits Stuart and Bob on an adventure to find a new master. They arrive at New York and after some time wandering around they found a secret villain TV channel advertising for Villain Con in Orlando. The trio hitch-hike a ride from a family of villains called the Nelsons (Michael Keaton and Allison Janney).

At Villain Con the minions meet Scarlet Overkill (Sandra Bullock), an infamous villain, who is also looking for henchmen. Bob wins the contest unintentionally and wins the job offer. Scarlet will let all of the minions become her henchmen on the condition that Kevin, Stuart, and Bob steal the royal crown from Queen Elizabeth II (Jennifer Saunders. Scarlet’s husband Herb (Jon Hamm) supplies them with tools for the heist, but when they break into the Tower of London they almost get caught, which ends up in a chase that has Bob crash in the Sword in the Stone, pull it free, and become King of England.

Scarlet is visibly upset by this, but Bob doesn’t want to be king and happily hands over the crown to her. Scarlet then goes back on her word and tortures the three minions. Which doesn’t work. So the minions leave the torture chamber and go back to apologize, just in time for Scarlet’s coronation, where they crash a chandelier on her head by accident.

 

 

And I’m gonna pause it right there.

Pros: The comedy is physical and silly and there is enough cultural content there to keep adults interested too. It’s a nice break from the typical fare of Despicable Me, and gives us a fix until the next one is due.

Cons: It feels a little long for what it is, which isn’t very much. I think this is because there isn’t enough punch to the story.

Runtime: 91 minutes

Points of Interest: Pierre Coffin voices ever single one of the minions in the movie. The leading three minions are supposed to be allusions to Gru’s three daughters. Bob’s bear Tim is similar to the one in the Mr. Bean stories.

If you are a fan of animated films in general, I think you will enjoy this one and it will be great for children, but there are definitely more interesting choices out there.

 

 

 

“Following” is a documented behaviour, and one which many people are prone to, because it can be scary to stand alone. But that doesn’t mean that solo work or working in a group are automatically good or bad behaviours. The Minions movie proves that three individuals can work well together and independently for the the greater good, and have fun doing it. Have a good night dear readers, and I’ll see you tomorrow with some wisdom.

Tim!