Mike Curtis
Here's one thing I've been reminded of lately: things are constantly changing. Sometimes slowly, sometimes rapidly, but understanding that nothing is static, ever, can be source of optimism and opportunity, if you can see things that way.
The idea of constant evolution, even revolution, was on my mind when I met up with writer, video producer and content creator Michael Curtis at Revolutions Coffee in Greenlake recently. Mike is the Digital Marketing Specialist at MarqMetrix, where he leads the brand’s marketing and content creation. Before that, Mike was a Road Test Editor at The Fast Lane Car; writing, producing, and starring in automotive test drive videos. Mike’s video content marketing has been seen by hundreds of thousands of people.
What I appreciate about Mike is his initiative. He’s steered his early career by doing whatever it takes to get the job done, mastering multiple aspects of video content creation, learning social media marketing, and reaching out to professional contacts to keep his network up. Mike reached out to me to have coffee, he took notes during our conversation. He’s a person with imagination and initiative who's sees constant change as opportunity.
I took a few notes during our conversation, as well. Here’s what Mike taught me:
1) Science is cool: I had no idea about Raman spectroscopy, but Mike’s work at MarqMetrix clued me in. This raman is not referring to the yummy noodle dish. Raman spectroscopy is optical measuring technology that provides the structural fingerprints of different materials. It’s used to identify molecules and study chemical bonding and intramolecular bonds. MarqMetrix has commercialized IP developed at the University of Washington to innovate in the space.
2) Creative artists are most inspired to flesh out their own ideas: That’s why in a brainstorm it’s great to get input from a wide variety of folks outside creative, such as project managers, the account team, even senior leadership. The best ideas at this stage stay high level and directional, not executional. If a high-level idea is better (not just different but better), creatives will see that and want to add to it, flesh it out, and make it their own. However, if it’s just a different idea coming from outside creative, the execution can be lackluster and the cultural impact bumpy.
3) Music is a wonderful muse: Mike is an amateur guitarist who recently found his muse with the Grateful Dead. We had lots of fun chatting about the Dead’s heady mix of funk, folk, and blues. Mike also turned me on to the videos of guitar teacher Michael Palmisano and the YouTube channel Professional Musicians React. If music is one of your creative inspirations, check ‘em out.
Life keeps moving, evolving, changing. Every day. I appreciate how Mike uses that reality to keep growing, learning, and connecting with more people. It was great catching up, thank you Mike!
#digitalmarketing #contentmarketing #videomarketing #music #coffee#thankyou