Healthcare Reform, Please?

It started out as a gorgeous sunny Southern California day as I made my way up the 5 freeway towards LA. Sun glistening like a million little diamonds across the ocean as I pass Camp Pendleton and charge north. 5 minutes later a monsoon came down and rained harder then Seattle, WA in the winter time. Trust me, I used to live there. Traffic came to a crawl and the drive just reached unbearable.

My destination was Mammoth Lakes, CA. Where the beautiful Mammoth Mountain resides. The word big is not a good choice for describing the sheer size of the mountain along with the massive amounts of snow it receives every year. After hurdling through the cesspool of horrible drivers known as LA traffic, the open road and beautiful mountains ensued. As well as a handful of small Indian Casinos. My favorite was the Paiute Palace in Bishop, CA, frankly because myself and my two companions doubled our money in 10 minutes by playing blackjack. Money won and Mammoth bound!

The snow was towering, taller then myself and I am 6'7". The level was almost to the second story balcony at our condo. It was fantastic, the snow conditions were great. Although they didn't open the top half of the mountain due to high winds, the bottom half still sufficed for my snowboard fix. Two hours into our first day on the mountain, I was off in the trees getting some un-tracked lines. After dropping off a small cliff, I ran into a semi-protruding rock under the snow. Bang, right on my left shin. It was like being kicked by a girl back in elementary school. You know how flirting was back in those days. A solid bang, but nothing I haven't felt before.

After taking a breather, I continued snowboarding for 5 more hours without checking my shin. When it was time to leave, I was rolling up my pants to take off my boots and my long-underwear was completely blood drenched. A thick red all the way down my shin to my sock then dripping on my shoe. I knew it was bad at that point and pulled up my long-underwear only to reveal a large gash right on my shin down to the bone. I won't go into details but it looked like something out of a horror flick.

I knew I had to get stitches and I was upset about it. Not having any health insurance due to being laid-off almost a year ago and not having sufficient funds to afford it, I knew the bill would be the worst part of this experience. Luckily the family medical center in Mammoth Lakes was open on that Saturday so I didn't have to go to the Emergency Room. That would've cost me probably 5 times more.

They squeezed me in roughly 7 hours after the incident occurred. 5 stitches and $435 later, I was sewn up and broke. It was outrageous how much it cost for only being in there for 45 minutes and only having 5 stitches done. I understand that it would've been much cheaper if I had health insurance but still, come on, $435 are you kidding me? Not only that it was the first day of a supposed-to-be two day snowboard trip so I had to lay on the couch all day Sunday watching the snow fall.

The doctor recommended that I have another doctor take a look at it down here in San Diego as well as remove the stitches in two weeks. Sadly that isn't going to happen because I cannot afford to go to the doctor again this month. As for the stitch removal, my Mom who is a nurse, gave me some medical tools awhile back so I will get a chance to put them to use.

I know, I need to get health insurance. But even if I get a plan that is affordable to me, the deductible is going to still be fairly high. Help me out here President Obama, so I can go snowboarding again and worry about how deep the powder is, not about getting injured.

Working for Free

Graduating from school a year and a half ago and still not having a solid career is becoming very frustrating. Everyday I search through the job boards, connect with people and hope that soon I will have that job I've been looking for. With the economy we are facing and me being a recent college grad with little experience, it is very difficult and frustrating.

I came over an opportunity the other day that at first I was a little hesitant to accept. But after contemplating the pros and cons I have decided to pursue it. As an action sports enthusiast (surfing, snowboarding, skateboarding), I have always wanted to work within that industry. Whether it be advertising or marketing, I have a pretty solid grasp on the sports and the direction they are heading.

My sister who has worked in the industry for almost 6 years now, told me about a friend of hers who started-up a website dedicated solely to action sports news/products/athletes/etc... I reached out to him in hopes that I could pick his brain and get an idea of what he is trying to create. After getting the background on the company and his experience in the industry, he offered me an opportunity to do some freelance work and help out with marketing and advertising efforts.

There were a couple key factors that made me decide to take his offer. One being that it is the industry I have always wanted to work in. Also, being able to utilize my education, what I have learned here at Bailey Gardiner, and my work experience/background in the action sports culture. It is a great opportunity for me to get some real hands-on experience, take ownership, and the potential to be apart of something big. The only kicker is that I will be working for free, no salary or hourly pay. I will however be getting some free gear and receiving shares of the company.

I figure I have been poor since I went to college (2004), graduated poor (2008), still currently am poor and foresee myself being poor for quite sometime. Right now it's not about the money so much, although it would be nice, but being apart of something with a lot of potential and getting some great hands-on experience is worth it to me.

The website launched a couple months ago, Action Sports Today. I am very excited to take part and to be able to continue learning and getting some great experience. If it works out or not, I know this will prove to be very beneficial for me down the road.

Experience is a productof everything you do

A young designer will face fierce competition while attempting to break into the industry. This is doubly so in San Diego, where only a limited number of advertising agencies and design studios exist. A sluggish economy further limits the opportunities available to a fledgling designer. Having freelanced for design studios and ad agencies since my 2008 graduation, I've experienced first-hand how exhausting it can be to find your niche in a highly competitive industry.

When I was offered an internship position at Bailey Gardiner in November of last year, I couldn't wait to start. Though I've worked in fairly broad range of studio environments, the experience I've gained over the past two and a half months at BG has been invaluable. In addition to collaborating with a diverse group of creative professionals, I have also been given the opportunity to produce work for a variety of clients. My mentors at BG provide effective art direction which allows me to use my design ability both efficiently and effectively. I'm also given enough room to spread my wings and maximize my creativity — a rare luxury for an intern.

The quality of art direction, the level of client interaction and the efficiency of the organization as a whole has been inspiring and the number of portfolio-level pieces I've produced is exciting. My experience at Bailey Gardiner has been fantastic and has steeled my resolve to excel in my chosen field, regardless of the obstacles I may face along the way.

My Most Exciting Moment While Interning at BG

Everyday is an exciting day here at Bailey Gardiner, however today has become the most exciting day of my Intern career. It started out as a fairly normal day, I came to work and continued my regular routine. Coffee, emails, receiving of my daily schedule, voice mails (rarely have any), continuation of my daily projects, coffee, whatever they throw at me, etc... Today, oh Google AdWords, how very exciting! It seemed to be a normal day until my immediate boss, Becca, included me in a special top secret project: Operation Bike Retrieval.

I have had some experience in the past dealing with hostile environments, none of which however would've prepared me for today's mission. Becca had a beautiful pink Electra cruiser bike that she loved so dearly until it was stolen from her two days ago. She was devastated, couldn't eat anything, couldn't sleep, couldn't continue on living. Until she found her bike for sale on Craigslist and hope was then restored. Becca continued to set up a time with the seller to check out the bike and confirm it was in fact hers. Around 13:00 PST Thursday, January 14th, 2010, we met the enemy face to face. Nerves were running high as we entered the thieves hideout. Becca took the bike for a test ride and confirmed the bike was in fact hers. Questions ensued about how the man obtained the bicycle. He fabricated some unbelievable story, then Becca unveiled the truth, that the bike was hers and the man was busted.

He was defensive, about ready to fight and attack Becca until I stepped in and intervened. Becca took off with the bike, I wrestled the man down with a sleeper-hold maneuver I learned in Boy Scouts. I submitted him into the ground, he was out cold. We escaped the situation with the bike and our lives. I'll never forget that moment, most exciting moment while interning here at Bailey Gardiner, Intern turned Super Hero...

Then I snapped out of my day dream and we rolled up to the house. Becca knocked on the door and the man showed her the bike for sale. She said it was originally hers and that it was stolen. He said go ahead and take your bike, and that was that. Case closed, Operation Bike Retrieval was a success. No ninja moves were needed, just a simple, "Hey, that's my bike and it was stolen" and a "Okay, go ahead and take it back". I look forward to the next top secret Bailey Gardiner Intern mission.

A Very Swell Christmas

A very yuleTIDE Christmas and happy holidays to everyone! For me, Christmas was fairly uneventful this year. I didn't make it home due to outlandish airline ticket prices as well as frigid temperatures. Instead I opted to stay here and start a new Christmas morning tradition. Surfing. Santa Claus was generous this year with a very large Christmas swell hitting the coast throughout the weekend.

I have never surfed during the winter months, nor experienced a large winter swell of this magnitude so for me it was quite the occurrence. While being up in Los Angeles over the weekend, my sister, future brother-in-law and I took a short drive up to Ventura, CA to surf the famous "C Street" point break. When we got there, the surf was massive. There were a lot of people out in the lineup, but just as many if not more on the beach watching the show go down. Paddling out is particularly tricky at this spot because there is such a strong current flowing down the beach. If you are not careful or not a strong paddler you could end up a mile or so down the beach into the pier.

The waves were huge, I took a serious beating just paddling out to the lineup. They were growing every minute and they would break farther out then the previous. It was getting serious, waves were taking guys out left and right. About after an hour a sneaker set rolled through and I was caught on the inside of the wave. Just facing a 15' + mammoth about to break on top of me, which is exactly what it did. A sheer nightmare for what seemed to be forever. I was tossed around like a rag doll, got the wind knocked out of me and held down in the dark abyss. I remember opening my eyes and only seeing pitch black. When I finally reached the surface, another wave came in right behind me and did the same. I was absolutely certain that I was going to die right there. Somehow I managed to reach the surface again, climbed back on to my board and made my way to the shore. As I threw up the remaining salt water in my lungs and stomach, I couldn't believe I made it out of there alive.

It was a Christmas to remember at the least.

Trying to correlate advertising during a recession and surfing big waves is tough but if you have a little imagination you can see the similarities. Surfing big waves is like advertising during a recession- companies are afraid to spend ad dollars due to the tightening of budgets and the risk of going bankrupt. Surfers are afraid to surf big waves due to the risk of injury or even death. But if you take the chance, whether it be spending more ad dollars and setting yourself apart from the cowering competition or take off on that big wave for the ride of your life, the end result is definitely well worth the risk.

Ad Intern 1: Full, but not stuffed

Well, the day has finally come. I’m nearing the close of my last day at Bailey Gardiner. It’s definitely a bittersweet feeling at the moment. I’m excited to have some extra time, which will sadly be taken up mostly by studying for finals. However, I’m definitely sad to be leaving this office. As I was saying in my last blog post, I have learned more here than I ever could have learned in a classroom. Before starting my internship, I was skeptical because of stories I’ve heard or things I’ve seen on TV shows, movies, etc. Would I be making coffee and licking envelopes all day? No, definitely not. I never made coffee for anyone but myself thanks to the wonderful Keurig. And my wonderful supervisor, Becca, let me in on the secret to sealing envelopes – wet paper towel. As you can see, two possible issues were easily averted. They’ve got your back at BG.

I’d like to focus on some of the things I was able to be a part of during my semester long internship. I was able to attend multiple meetings with clients, one being a focus group, where I was able to see first-hand how people would interact with a new product and service (2 out of 3 meetings included a meal, which is definitely a score in an unpaid position). I was able to research companies that I’d never heard of and find out that I might even be the type of person they’re targeting. I was able to talk with several publications and negotiate rates for insertions. I was able to start the coordination of a project for college students that helped a client with their market research needs. I was able to flex my editing muscles on test messages and Eblasts. I was able to learn about paid advertisements on Google and start a new campaign with keywords. I was able to express my thoughts on an intern-run blog. I was able to make some new friends, both interns and full-time employees. But one of the most important things I was able to do, and I believe this is true for all interns, was that I was able to add experience to my resume.

When you look at it on paper, it may be only a few words, sentences, or lines of information. But in reality, it’s a whole lot more than that. The next words I’ll be able to add to my resume will sum up an incredible opportunity I was given. Obviously, a few lines won’t do it justice, but hopefully future employers will understand how much it meant when I answer any questions they might have. In a time when so many are finding it difficult to land an interview with an employer, let alone a job, a resume plays a critical role. It is important to have your resume stand out and stand out for the right reasons. Having your resume stand out because of grammar or spelling errors, doesn’t count. I haven’t entered this scary new job market yet and I have a feeling it will be a long process until I find a good fit for me, but starting out with a well prepared resume is definitely what I plan on focusing on. So wish me luck as I enter my last semester of college and eventually join the job search.

Ad Intern 1 is definitely full from a wonderful meal at Bailey Gardiner, but I’m leaving room for dessert.

This Economy Sucks, I am going Snowboarding

Around this time of the year I have a tradition to get myself prepared for the upcoming snowboard season. It starts with digging my snowboard out of a pile of assorted sports equipment in the garage. Always a daunting task because it is constantly at the very bottom. Then dusting it off, prepping it to be waxed, and making sure I have plenty of ice-cold Pabst at hand. I'll throw my goggles on for good measure, turn the iron on, grab a nice fresh stick of deliciously scented wax, pop in one my favorite snowboard videos, and wax away.

Lucky for me I grew up by a well renown ski resort and only had to drive 5 minutes to get to there. Living in San Diego is a completely different story with the closest decent mountain being 6 hours away. I never had to plan out a ski vacation ahead of time, it was more or less looking outside my bedroom window in the morning to see how much it had snowed the night before. For the average consumer, deciding the morning before or even a week before is not an option. Or is it? With the economy in shambles and an unclear future, consumers are finding it unrealistic to book a ski vacation 4 to 6 months in advance. Making reservations for 1 to 2 weeks in advance is seemingly becoming the norm. At least for Vail Resorts.

After watching a interesting clip featuring the CEO of Vail Resorts, Rob Katz, he explained how they have completely changed their marketing efforts for this upcoming season. By focusing on Social Media and advertising with real-time messages as opposed to committing to print ads 4 to 6 months in advance or long-lead traditional advertising. Attracting consumers with weekly real-time messages and being able to "accelerate the consumer decision cycle" is proving to be the new route. Attracting consumers with videos on social sites of skiers/boarders jumping off cliffs, powder shooting everywhere, or as some put it "ski porn" versus traditional means is allowing Vail to adapt to the economic conditions at hand.

I am really not looking forward to the 6 hour drive, but after watching online videos of snowboarders hucking themselves off of cliffs into 4' deep powder, I feel myself getting more and more eager to go shred.