Jason Anello on Creating Food Web Content That Inspires Audiences

In Chapter 1 of 20 in his 2014 Capture Your Flag interview, creative director and marketing agency co-founder Jason Anello answers "How Are Learning to Apply Your Food Passions in New Ways?" Anello shares how after years applying his passion for food by cooking for others, he is now expanding into creating digital content around food and eating with others. After starting a supper club to bring people together for dinner time and then writing a blog, Anello tries new ways to use digital media and social media to create food content for the web that engages, entertains and inspires his audience.

Jason Anello is a founding partner and creative director at Manifold Partners, an award-winning marketing agency. Previously, Anello worked in creative leadership roles at Yahoo!, Ogilvy & Mather, and Digitas. Passionate about food, friendship and travel, Anello also runs the Forking Tasty food blog. He earned a BFA from University at Albany. 

Jason Anello on Making a Positive Contribution Each and Every Day

In Chapter 3 of 20 in his 2014 Capture Your Flag interview, creative director and marketing agency co-founder Jason Anello answers "On a Daily Basis, What Does It Mean to Contribute in the Work That You Do?" Anello shares how he looks contribute each day by making a positive impact in the lives of those around him. If he is cooking, it may mean to make a memorable meal that will make the person he is eating with happy. If he is working, it may mean to add a creative insight or suggestion to a brainstorming conversation that makes an idea hole.

Jason Anello is a founding partner and creative director at Manifold Partners, an award-winning marketing agency. Previously, Anello worked in creative leadership roles at Yahoo!, Ogilvy & Mather, and Digitas. Passionate about food, friendship and travel, Anello also runs the Forking Tasty food blog. He earned a BFA from University at Albany. 

Cathy Erway on Building a Personal Brand of Not Eating Out

In Chapter 9 of 20 in her 2014 Capture Your Flag interview, author and food writer Cathy Erway answers "How Has Building Your Personal Brand Opened New Opportunities in Your Career?" Erway shares how since starting her blog, she has embraced and expanded on her brand of being the "not eating out" girl. She immerses herself in new food causes such as community supported agriculture (CSAs), farmers markets, urban gardens, chicken raising, and conscious awareness and consumption of food.

Cathy Erway is an author, food writer, freelance copywriter, radio show host and teacher focused on healthy food advocacy. Her second book, "The Food of Taiwan: Recipes From the Beautiful Island" is a cookbook featuring Taiwanese recipes ranging from homestyle dishes to street food favorites. Her first book, "The Art of Eating In" developed from her blog "Not Eating Out in New York".  Erway earned a BA in creative writing from Emerson College. 

Phil McKenzie on Asking for and Receiving Critical Feedback

In Chapter 17 of 20 in his 2014 Capture Your Flag interview, entrepreneur Phil McKenzie answers "What Type of Feedback Do You Respond to Best?" McKenzie shares why he prefers constructive or critical feedback over positive feedback and reinforcement and how he seeks it out and uses it. He finds getting pushback criticism is especially helpful when you are very passionate about something and may not be able to see faults in an approach.

Philip L. McKenzie is the Founder of Influencer Conference, a global content platform that brings together tastemakers in the arts, entrepreneurship, philanthropy and technology to discuss influencer culture. Previously, he led an influencer marketing agency and was an equities trader at Goldman, Sachs & Co. He earned an MBA from Duke University and a BBA from Howard University.

Mike Germano on Taking a Company From Basement to Boardroom

In Chapter 10 of 23 in his 2014 Capture Your Flag interview, VICE Media Chief Digital Officer Mike Germano answers "Reflecting Back, What Do You See As the Defining Stages of Your Entrepreneurial Journey?" Germano shares what he learned from starting a digital media company in a basement through growing Carrot Creative into a social media agency leader and selling the business to VICE Media. He discusses failures, including having a Middle East office expansion not work out, and successes, building a team and now, as an entrepreneur who sold a business, to mentor the next generation of entrepreneurs.

Mike Germano is Chief Digital Officer at VICE Media, a global youth media company based in Brooklyn, New York. Germano joined VICE Media via its 2013 acquisition of Carrot Creative, a social media agency he co-founded and led as CEO. 

Jullien Gordon: 3 Ways to Define and Measure Personal Achievement

In Chapter 5 of 19 in his 2014 Capture Your Flag interview, business coach and public speaker Jullien Gordon answers "How Do You Define and Measure Success in What You Do?" Gordon defines and measures success, personally and professionally, through his alignment of purpose, passion, and profit. He shares how tools such as a gratitude journal keep him aligned with purpose and self-aware of how he embraces his passion in his work. He measures profit by assessing not only financial statements but also how he stays in touch with friends.

Jullien Gordon is a business coach and consultant to organizations, individuals and teams who want to increase performance, motivation, engagement and retention. Gordon is also a public speaker on career planning for colleges, conferences, and corporations. He earned a BA from UCLA and MBA and M. Ed degrees from Stanford University. 

Hammans Stallings on Staying Passionate About a Fast-Changing Job

In Chapter 1 of 19 in his 2014 Capture Your Flag interview, strategist and management consultant Hammans Stallings answers "How Are You Learning to Use Your Passions in New Ways?" Stallings shares how working at frog design gives him new opportunities to learn all the time. Stallings finds the wide variety of projects and wicked problems that come with his work huge motivators to stay curious and embrace a passion for learning new things.

Hammans Stallings is a Principal Strategist at frog design. Previously Stallings worked in strategy at Dell and investment banking at Stephens. He earned an MBA from the Northwestern University Kellogg School of Management, a MS in Technology Commercialization from the University of Texas and a BA in Economics and Psychology from the University of Virginia.

Hammans Stallings on Finding Ways to Improve as a Teacher

In Chapter 3 of 19 in his 2014 Capture Your Flag interview, strategist and management consultant Hammans Stallings answers "How Are You Becoming a Better Teacher?" Stallings finds ways to improve his teaching skills by studying cognitive science and finding ways to communicate an idea that is complex and potentially new to an audience or a learner. He builds on this by finding ways to continuously practice and improve upon his storytelling and listening.

Hammans Stallings is a Principal Strategist at frog design. Previously Stallings worked in strategy at Dell and investment banking at Stephens. He earned an MBA from the Northwestern University Kellogg School of Management, a MS in Technology Commercialization from the University of Texas and a BA in Economics and Psychology from the University of Virginia.

Hammans Stallings on How to Use Philosophy in a Consulting Career

In Chapter 12 of 19 in his 2014 Capture Your Flag interview, strategist and management consultant Hammans Stallings answers "How Has Learning Consulting Been Useful in Your Management Consulting Work?" Stallings shares how reading philosophy and studying philosophers deepens his unerstadning of core arguments and ideas that have been debated for 1000s of years. He learns from the masters to bring these old ideas into present work solving problems working on consulting projects.

Hammans Stallings is a Principal Strategist at frog design. Previously Stallings worked in strategy at Dell and investment banking at Stephens. He earned an MBA from the Northwestern University Kellogg School of Management, a MS in Technology Commercialization from the University of Texas and a BA in Economics and Psychology from the University of Virginia.

Matt Curtis on The Joy of Working in the Travel and Tourism Industry

In Chapter 6 of 20 in his 2014 Capture Your Flag interview, Matt Curtis answers "What Do You Find Most Enjoyable About Working in the Travel Industry?" After losing over 200 pounds and starting to travel, Curtis embraces the adventure part of his job. He embraces opportunities to travel to new cities and meeting with people. In trips to Bruges, Belgium and Nashville, USA, Curtis also makes time to explore the city via city bike rental or bike share options.

Matt Curtis is the director of government relations at HomeAway Inc. Previously he was deputy to Austin mayors Lee Leffingwell and Will Wynn. He has represented the City of Austin at the U.S. Conference of Mayors and the National League of Cities. In 2011, Curtis joined the Harvard Kennedy School Urban Policy Advisory Board to work on national best practices facing American cities. He earned his bachelor's degree in radio, television and film from the University of North Texas. 

Matt Curtis on How to Help a City Plan Travel and Tourism Strategy

In Chapter 7 of 20 in his 2014 Capture Your Flag interview, Matt Curtis answers "How Are You Finding New Ways to Stay Connected to Government in the Work That You Do?" Through volunteering, Curtis is able to get involved in city and local government economic development initiatives. He is able to add value as a travel and tourism professional to work with cities around the world as they plan economic development travel and tourism strategies. For Curtis, this means helping cities work through alternative transportation, from light rail to Car2Go car sharing to bike share programs.

Matt Curtis is the director of government relations at HomeAway Inc. Previously he was deputy to Austin mayors Lee Leffingwell and Will Wynn. He has represented the City of Austin at the U.S. Conference of Mayors and the National League of Cities. In 2011, Curtis joined the Harvard Kennedy School Urban Policy Advisory Board to work on national best practices facing American cities. He earned his bachelor's degree in radio, television and film from the University of North Texas. 

Matt Curtis on How to Identify City Government Best Practices

In Chapter 8 of 20 in his 2014 Capture Your Flag interview, Matt Curtis answers "How Are You Deepening Your Understanding of How City Government Works?" By working in city government and working with city government in his job at HomeAway, Curtis travels the world and finds ways for local governments to identify and implement best practices from other cities. He finds there is nearly always a case study of a city developing a program or implementing a solution that eliminates for any local government to "reinvent the wheel" on a project, on areas such as economic development and city infrastructure.

Matt Curtis is the director of government relations at HomeAway Inc. Previously he was deputy to Austin mayors Lee Leffingwell and Will Wynn. He has represented the City of Austin at the U.S. Conference of Mayors and the National League of Cities. In 2011, Curtis joined the Harvard Kennedy School Urban Policy Advisory Board to work on national best practices facing American cities. He earned his bachelor's degree in radio, television and film from the University of North Texas. 

Matt Curtis on Building Strategic Partnerships With Local Government

In Chapter 18 of 20 in his 2014 Capture Your Flag interview, Matt Curtis answers "How Are You Improving How Your Company Builds Strategic Partnerships?" Curtis shares how working with local government stakeholders on local government issues is about not forcing issues on another party. Instead, Curtis creates construtive dialogues to help him understand both sides and build consensus on the right path to take. He finds it helpful to engage in local government groups such as Congress for New Urbanism, The National League of Cities, the United States Conference of Mayors and the Urban Land Institute to work through best practices.

Matt Curtis is the director of government relations at HomeAway Inc. Previously he was deputy to Austin mayors Lee Leffingwell and Will Wynn. He has represented the City of Austin at the U.S. Conference of Mayors and the National League of Cities. In 2011, Curtis joined the Harvard Kennedy School Urban Policy Advisory Board to work on national best practices facing American cities. He earned his bachelor's degree in radio, television and film from the University of North Texas. 

Bijoy Goswami on Rethinking What It Means to Be an Entrepreneur

In Chapter 10 of 17 in his 2014 Capture Your Flag interview, community leader Bijoy Goswami answers "What is a Journey Entrepreneur and How is One Different Than a Traditional Entrepreneur?" Goswami shares two definitions of what it means to be an entrepreneur. The first is the opportunistic entrepreneur who sees a strategic opportunity to make money and pursues that by starting a company. The second is what Goswami terms a "Journey Entrepreneur" who seeks to express himself or herself in the most clear way possible while fully embracing a motivating passion. He shares how Christian Louboutin, Steve Jobs and Richard Branson all represent journey entrepreneurs who stay true to values and seek to express themselves by following their passion.

Bijoy Goswami is a writer, teacher, and community leader based in Austin, Texas. He develops learning models to help individuals, organizations and communities live more meaningfully. Previously, he co-founded Aviri Software after working at Trilogy Software. Goswami graduated from Stanford University. 

How to Use Storytelling to Increase Brand Awareness and Product Sales

In Chapter 9 of 16 in his 2014 Capture Your Flag interview, Randall Metting answers "What Role Does Storytelling Play in Your Brand Development Work?" Metting shares how he uses story to build brand awareness and differentiate his product from competitors.

Randall Metting is a brand development and marketing manager at Dulce Vida Spirits in Austin, Texas. Over 17 years, he has built brands in spirits, luxury real estate and lifestyle, music, and sports industries. He has been a radio personality at KGSR Radio and a marketer at a hyperlocal startup acquired by NBC Universal. Metting earned a BA in Advertising from the University of Florida and started his career at The Coca-Cola Company. 

How to Take a New Brand From Market Entry to Market Penetration

In Chapter 10 of 16 in his 2014 Capture Your Flag interview, Randall Metting answers "What is the Process of Taking a New Brand From Market Entry to Market Penetration?" Metting shares how he and his team are planning and executing market strategy to build upon new market entry to deepen market penetration and product sales. The team starts by refining target market options. It then invests in event marketing across Steinberg Springs music festivals to the New Orleans Tales of the Cocktail conference. Through the process, Metting and his team hone product marketing and positioning while building the brand.

Randall Metting is a brand development and marketing manager at Dulce Vida Spirits in Austin, Texas. Over 17 years, he has built brands in spirits, luxury real estate and lifestyle, music, and sports industries. He has been a radio personality at KGSR Radio and a marketer at a hyperlocal startup acquired by NBC Universal. Metting earned a BA in Advertising from the University of Florida and started his career at The Coca-Cola Company. 

When to Stop Bootstrap Funding Your Business and Get Investors

In Chapter 6 of 15 in her 2014 Capture Your Flag interview, entrepreneur Hattie Elliot answers "What Informed Your Decision to Stop Bootstrapping Your Business and Pursue Outside Capital?" After years using her own money to fund the business, Elliot opens to taking outside investment capital. While still capable of bootstrap funding the business, the emotional and physical stresses prove another reason to change direction and raise money. 

Hattie Grace Elliot is the founder and CEO of The Grace List, a social networking company that creates destination events and experiences to forge lasting personal and professional connections across its young professional members. Elliot graduated from the University of Cape Town in South Africa, where she studied economics, philosophy, and politics.

Hattie Elliot on Making New Year Plans to Grow a Small Business

In Chapter 15 of 15 in her 2014 Capture Your Flag interview, entrepreneur Hattie Elliot answers "What Has You Most Excited About the Year Ahead?" "Elliot shares how the New Year has given her opportunity to put new investor financing to work growing her business. From expanding corporate business partnerships to scaling the size and scope of destination events such as a Telluride Ski House and Hamptons House, Elliot looks to build her relationship business and improve her member experiences.

Hattie Grace Elliot is the founder and CEO of The Grace List, a social networking company that creates destination events and experiences to forge lasting personal and professional connections across its young professional members. Elliot graduated from the University of Cape Town in South Africa, where she studied economics, philosophy, and politics.