How Permanence Plays into Marketing Career - Jason Anello

In Chapter 11 of 20 in his 2012 interview, creative director Jason Anello answers "What Role Does Permanence Play in Your Work?"  Anello makes the case that his creative marketing work is the antithesis of permanence.  He notes how so few of life experiences are actually permanent and that understanding this has helped him better embrace the ups and downs of life and career.  Jason Anello is a founding partner and creative director at marketing services agency Manifold Partners.  He is also the co-founder of the Forking Tasty Brooklyn supper club.  Previously, Anello held creative leadership roles at Yahoo! and Ogilvy & Mather.  He graduated from the University at Albany. 

What Makes a Product Launch Successful - Jason Anello

In Chapter 12 of 20 in his 2012 interview, creative director Jason Anello answers "What Does It Mean to Successfully Launch a Product?"  Anello references author Seth Godin and his insistence on shipping a product so consumers may touch and experience the product.  Anello defines launch success by getting it out the door so consumers may react and so a feedback loop may get created.  Jason Anello is a founding partner and creative director at marketing services agency Manifold Partners.  He is also the co-founder of the Forking Tasty Brooklyn supper club.  Previously, Anello held creative leadership roles at Yahoo! and Ogilvy & Mather.  He graduated from the University at Albany. 

How to Make Consumer Experiences More Memorable - Jason Anello

In Chapter 13 of 20 in his 2012 interview, creative director Jason Anello answers "How Do You Create More Memorable Consumer Experiences?"  Anello notes this is wholly based on understanding your audience and learning what drives them.  He puts this in context of a Sungevity ice cream truck he build and how it tied into a residential solar power marketing campaign.  Jason Anello is a founding partner and creative director at marketing services agency Manifold Partners.  He is also the co-founder of the Forking Tasty Brooklyn supper club.  Previously, Anello held creative leadership roles at Yahoo! and Ogilvy & Mather.  He graduated from the University at Albany. 

How to Be Confident When Presenting New Ideas - Jason Anello

In Chapter 14 of 20 in his 2012 interview, creative director Jason Anello answers "How Do You Create Hope and Dispel Fear When Introducing New Concepts and Ideas?"  Anello takes the approach that no matter what gets presented there will be sides taken.  He finds it is less about taking a particular side and more about having the patience and understanding to find consensus and buy-in.  Jason Anello is a founding partner and creative director at marketing services agency Manifold Partners.  He is also the co-founder of the Forking Tasty Brooklyn supper club.  Previously, Anello held creative leadership roles at Yahoo! and Ogilvy & Mather.  He graduated from the University at Albany. 

The Humbling Experience of Building a Company - Jason Anello

In Chapter 15 of 20 in his 2012 interview, creative director Jason Anello answers "What Has Been the Most Humbling Experience to Date Building Your Company?"  He is amazed the amound of work required building the business foundation at Manifold Partners.  From business development to operations, Anello finds great challenge in all the elements required to run not just creative projects but also all aspects of a business.  Jason Anello is a founding partner and creative director at marketing services agency Manifold Partners.  He is also the co-founder of the Forking Tasty Brooklyn supper club.  Previously, Anello held creative leadership roles at Yahoo! and Ogilvy & Mather.  He graduated from the University at Albany. 

How to Handle Rejection - Jason Anello

In Chapter 16 of 20 in his 2012 interview, creative director Jason Anello answers "How Do You Deal With Rejection?" Anello shares how he has learned to be creative when facing adversity and rejection.  He uses an example from his college experience and shares how what he learned in that experience has been useful managing rejection in his career.  Jason Anello is a founding partner and creative director at marketing services agency Manifold Partners.  He is also the co-founder of the Forking Tasty Brooklyn supper club.  Previously, Anello held creative leadership roles at Yahoo! and Ogilvy & Mather.  He graduated from the University at Albany.

Finding Obstacles When Seeking Advice and Coaching - Jason Anello

In Chapter 17 of 20 in his 2012 interview, creative director Jason Anello answers "At this moment in your life, where are you seeking advice and coaching?"  Anello shares the challenge he is finding as he seeks advice and mentoring to get help learning business operations.  In seeking experience and knowledge he shares the difficulties he faces finding the right mentor and the right advice.  Jason Anello is a founding partner and creative director at marketing services agency Manifold Partners.  He is also the co-founder of the Forking Tasty Brooklyn supper club.  Previously, Anello held creative leadership roles at Yahoo! and Ogilvy & Mather.  He graduated from the University at Albany. 

How Jason Anello Uses His Network to Make Career Decisions

In Chapter 18 of 20 in his 2012 interview, creative director Jason Anello answers "How Do You Use Your Network to Seek Help Making Career and Life Decisions?"  Anello shares how he takes an indirect approach to gathering advice and insight from his relationships.  He shares his approach to keeping in touch and how he draws knowledge and feedback from his network.  Jason Anello is a founding partner and creative director at marketing services agency Manifold Partners.  He is also the co-founder of the Forking Tasty Brooklyn supper club.  Previously, Anello held creative leadership roles at Yahoo! and Ogilvy & Mather.  He graduated from the University at Albany. 

How Changing Surroundings Promotes Creativity - Jason Anello

In Chapter 19 of 20 in his 2012 interview, creative director Jason Anello "How Has Changing Your Surroundings Made You More Creative?"  Anello finds releasing himself from routine work places opens his eyes to new ways of thinking about ideas and problems.  Moreover, he finds going to the places he thinks would be least stimulating often prove to be the best places for creative thinking.  Jason Anello is a founding partner and creative director at marketing services agency Manifold Partners.  He is also the co-founder of the Forking Tasty Brooklyn supper club.  Previously, Anello held creative leadership roles at Yahoo! and Ogilvy & Mather.  He graduated from the University at Albany. 

How to Break Out of a Comfort Zone - Jason Anello

In Chapter 20 of 20 in his 2012 interview, creative director Jason Anello answers "Where is Your Comfort Zone and What Do You Do to Break Free of Living in It?"  He finds security in doing things he has never done before.  He breaks out of his comfort zone by revisiting things he once thought he mastered and pushing himself to improve his skills or views.  Jason Anello is a founding partner and creative director at marketing services agency Manifold Partners.  He is also the co-founder of the Forking Tasty Brooklyn supper club.  Previously, Anello held creative leadership roles at Yahoo! and Ogilvy & Mather.  He graduated from the University at Albany. 

Cathy Erway on What Gets Easier and What Gets Harder

In Chapter 1 of 16 in her 2012 interview, author and food writer Cathy Erway answers "What is Getting Easier and What is Getting Harder in Your Life?"  Erway shares that with age she finds it easier to say no and to be more selective with what projects she pursues. 

Cathy Erway is an author and food writer living in Brooklyn.  Her first book, "The Art of Eating In" developed from her blog "Not Eating Out in New York".  She earned a BA in creative writing from Emerson College.

Transcript: 

Erik Michielsen: What is getting easier and what is getting harder in your life?

Cathy Erway:  It's easy, it's really easy to dive into so many projects when you're young, and just do it endlessly, tirelessly. But it's hard to say no to a lot of things too. So right now I'm finding it easier to say no, and trying to whittle it down into what's-- what I wanna focus on, what's most important. And, you know, I love doing side projects too. But, you know, you have to be a little more selective about it, so, I think I'm getting better at that.

How to Get Started Managing Creative Teams

In Chapter 2 of 16 in her 2012 interview, author and food writer Cathy Erway answers "How are You Learning to Better Manage Creative Projects?"  Erway shares how her projects now involve larger teams and what she has learned about the role effective communication plays in successful project team efforts. 

Cathy Erway is an author and food writer living in Brooklyn.  Her first book, "The Art of Eating In" developed from her blog "Not Eating Out in New York".  She earned a BA in creative writing from Emerson College.

Transcript: 

Erik Michielsen:  How are you learning to better manage creative projects?

Cathy Erway:  You know what? That's something that I like to compartmentalize because I have a lot of different creative projects. And when somebody else is depending on me, then I realize that there really needs to be better management here, not just my own, like things that I have on the back burner, right?

So, when there's other people involved, I feel like an order must be established. So first you have to define the roles--or maybe you define the goal, figure out who's doing what, then keep communicating with each other, because I feel like a lot of times you forget to mention some aspect of what you're doing and then there's overlap... So I feel like communication is really, really, really key and I've been in situations where there wasn't enough and, it's like, "Why?" I mean, if you can just, if you have the time to do something and just -- I don't know, just keep whoever's involved in the loop, why not? It never hurts to over-tell something.

How to Deepen a Friendship by Doing a Project Together

In Chapter 3 of 16 in her 2012 interview, author and food writer Cathy Erway answers "What Do You Finding Most Rewarding About Collaborating With Others on Projects?"  She notes how she is able to deepen her friendships by collaborating with friends on projects.  She notes how it adds a different dimension to the relationship. 

Cathy Erway is an author and food writer living in Brooklyn.  Her first book, "The Art of Eating In" developed from her blog "Not Eating Out in New York".  She earned a BA in creative writing from Emerson College.

Transcript: 

Erik Michielsen:  What do you find most rewarding about collaborating with others on projects?

Cathy Erway:  I like to see people from a different point of view than I have encountered before. A lot of times I go into a project with a friend because it seems like a good idea and all of a sudden you get to know how they operate in a group situation or in maybe a stress situation and, or in a fun -- when you're like, "Yes! We did it. We're done," situation.

All these things that you don't really get to have when you're hanging out and, you know, there's no project, there's no like fight, I guess.  So, I just, I love entering projects with people that I know and I have a good feeling that we’ll, you know, we could work together well.

Erik Michielsen:  You find ways to give that relationship more depth?

Cathy Erway:  Yeah, basically.

Erik Michielsen:  And you find some surprises along the way I'm sure.

Cathy Erway:  Yeah, sure. Definitely but I think it only gives one another more respect for each other in the end, because you feel closer to them, you get to know so much more about them.

Erik Michielsen:  You get to know more about them over time too.

Why to Try Cooking at a Pop-Up Restaurant

In Chapter 4 of 16 in her 2012 interview, author and food writer Cathy Erway answers "What Made You Create a Pop-Up Restaurant and What Did You Learn from the Experience?"  Erway creates a pop-up restaurant at Milk Bar restaurant in Brooklyn to try cooking for larger audiences at night.  The pop-up setting allows her to personalize a dining experience using a restaurant rather than supper club model. 

Cathy Erway is an author and food writer living in Brooklyn.  Her first book, "The Art of Eating In" developed from her blog "Not Eating Out in New York".  She earned a BA in creative writing from Emerson College.

Transcript: 

Erik Michielsen:  What made you create a pop-up restaurant and what did you learn from the experience?

Cathy Erway:  Oh that was a fun project. So I ran a pop-up restaurant in a restaurant that a new acquaintance, new friend, was the chef at for a while. And it was really fun, it was a collaboration with somebody I'd never worked with before. I'm always up for that kind of challenge and it's funny because I think he'd heard of my pop-up dinners with the Hapa Kitchen or something else, some functions that I was doing, and he just approached me and asked, "Hey, I really want to do some -- I'm really inspired. I wanna do pop-ups at this restaurant," because they were actually a cafe and they were open during the day, they close at 6. So it's like free real estate for a dinner, so it's a perfect--I think it's a perfect situation. You take over this tiny cafe, and turn it into an occasional restaurant. So I highly encourage anyone to try that.

Erik Michielsen:  How'd you handle the experience, kinda cooking for a larger crowd and a faster changing crowd?

Cathy Erway:  Yeah that was a new experience because we didn't have everyone sit down at once and then serve them at once. So the chef I was working with, Josh, he just wanted to do it like a regular restaurant. So people walk in, you can take reservations too, you try to turn over as many covers as you can within the course of the night, you make as many ingredients. It was like a regular restaurant. So I've never--I was like, "Oh, this is totally novel to me. " And I was describing how I did it, and he was like, "Oh, that's totally novel to me." Like the whole supper club way, everyone sits and eats at once. So I tried it--we tried it his way and that was a new learning experience for me. And then I realized, oh, it’s about volume and making people leave sooner. I mean, not that we did, of course, but you know, in theory, that's how a restaurant works, is you gotta turn it over.

Erik Michielsen:  And how did that compare and contrast with say the Hapa Kitchen supper club?

Cathy Erway:  Hapa kitchen supper club is more of like a wandering salon of totally different, unique experiences, and one of the things we did was always--it was always in a different atmosphere. Like, atmosphere was pretty important so our first dinner was out in a farm in Queens County Farm Museum. We had two big huge events. That were at the Gowanus Yard, or the Brooklyn Yard it used to be called. And that was pretty cool. Then we did other intimate dinners that were in people's houses, and we kind of really decked it all out in a certain way, like, for this one Shanghai and French dinner, Paris of the East. And we got all dressed up in chipaos. Yeah, so I mean, it was--that was the theme for that club, but having it always in the same place with different menus, that was the pop-up concept for Milk Bar, which is a restaurant we used. 

Learning Cooking Skills Staging in Restaurant Kitchens

In Chapter 5 of 16 in her 2012 interview, author and food writer Cathy Erway answers "How Did You Decide to Stage in California Restaurant Kitchens and What Did the Experience Teach You?"  Erway finds it highly educational immersing herself in kitchens, be they restaurants or supper clubs.  She takes a trip to California, where she stages, or interns, at several restaurant kitchens, including Tartine Bakery and Chez Panisse. 

“I like the idea of being silent and being told what to do and just doing something manually for a long time. I think that’s a good intern at a restaurant—just listen, just zone out and like listen to everything that’s going on. ”

— Cathy Erway

Cathy Erway is an author and food writer living in Brooklyn.  Her first book, "The Art of Eating In" developed from her blog "Not Eating Out in New York".  She earned a BA in creative writing from Emerson College.

Transcript: 

Erik Michielsen:  How do you decide to stage in California restaurant kitchens, and what did the experiences teach you?

Cathy Erway:  Oh, man, I love staging, so I just love butting into kitchens, no matter if it's a real restaurant or a supper club production of some sort, or my friend's dinner party. So I was in San Francisco for a month and I really wanted to stage at Tartine Bakery. And they were doing some renovations. They were like, "Yeah, come back tomorrow." "Okay, yeah, I'll come back to tomorrow." I was like, "Shoot."

So I went around town asking to stage other places, and in one case, it was actually like a no-brainer. I was sitting at a bar, having a beer, and then somebody walked in wearing a chef's coat and sat down and like drank a beer in like 5 seconds and then got up and was about to leave to go back to cook. And I was like, "Oh, what restaurant?" He's like, "Oh, this place in SoMa district and," you know, he described it, and I was like, "Can I come cook sometime?" He's like, "Yeah, sure." And it was great. And then I made some friends or I had some friends in the area, who very graciously -- I think that it's a small world or in the food scenes, I don't know, but he knew everybody. So he hooked me up with a stage opportunity at Chez Panisse, which was pretty amazing. Loved it.

Erik Michielsen:  What did you learn?

Cathy Erway:  Well, I feel like I have a good sense of the differences of California cuisine and New York cuisine. They use so many herbs, it's insane. Like going into their walk-in, there's like a whole walk-in just for herbs. And there's like drawers of like every single kind of herb. Chervil? Who uses chervil in New York City? I don't know of too many. But they all have this. And sometimes salads are just like simply a pile of beautifully fluffy fresh herbs. And I mean, they're lucky they can grow it anywhere. It's temperate. They have it all year round, you know, kind of spoiled, right? But, yeah, I mean, that's -- and that's naturally what they cook with, you know, all these--you know, sometimes wild fennel because it grows everywhere, we used that -- and oh, Chez Panisse, there was a great dish where they pounded the wild fennel in this mortar and pestle.

Chez Panisse is really into using archaic instruments too. At one point, we were pounding roasted red peppers with the mortar and pestle and I was like, "Why aren't we using a food processor?" But that's -- you know... It's all about doing things by hand.

Erik Michielsen:  And what questions did you ask?

Cathy Erway:  Aside from "Why don't we use a food processor?"  I don't -- I didn't really want to ask too many questions. I like the idea of being silent and being told what to do and just doing something manually for a long time. I think that's a good intern at a restaurant--just listen, just zone out and like listen to everything that's going on. 

Cathy Erway on Testing New Ideas and Committing to Projects

In Chapter 6 of 16 in her 2012 interview, author and food writer Cathy Erway answers "How Do You Balance Experimentation and Commitment in the Projects You Pursue?"  Erway notes how she will try anything once, using a pop-up supper club as an example.  Over time, she learns to whittle down her pursuits around her core competencies or strengths. 

Cathy Erway is an author and food writer living in Brooklyn.  Her first book, "The Art of Eating In" developed from her blog "Not Eating Out in New York".  She earned a BA in creative writing from Emerson College.

Transcript: 

Erik Michielsen:  How do you balance experimentation and commitment in the projects you pursue?

Cathy Erway:  I should probably be better at that. But experimentation, I--that's something I can't live without. So I definitely experiment and I try at least once--anything, anything you throw at me, I will try it. So like this new supper club or pop-up at Milk Bar, sure I will give it a try. Or this recipe idea in my head that doesn't yet exist, I'll give that a try. You know, commitment means you found that it's a great recipe and you wanna keep making it, maybe you wanna hone it, and, you know, so it comes to whittling down all these things that you try, so I think it can't hurt to keep trying as many things as possible.

Erik Michielsen: And when is it time to narrow that focus because you can only afford so many things on the table at the same time?

Cathy Erway:  Probably now. It's wise to whittle things down to what you're the best at, so--what you're core competencies are. So, "Should I give up this blog? Or should I give up this documentary film series that I co-host? " Well, you know, this is more in line with my career, so, the writing, that is, the blog. So maybe that's something I should keep.

Erik Michielsen:  Those choices can be hard, huh?

Cathy Erway:  Yeah, they can be hard, and you always think, like, "Maybe I can do everything." Well, you can try that, too and see how it goes, but probably not as often as you’d like.

Why Not to Kill Your Creative Project

In Chapter 7 of 16 in her 2012 interview, author and food writer Cathy Erway answers "How Do You Evaluate When to Continue a Project and When to Kill It?"  Erway notes she is less about killing projects and more about putting them on the back burner or shelf so she can return to them down the road. 

Cathy Erway is an author and food writer living in Brooklyn.  Her first book, "The Art of Eating In" developed from her blog "Not Eating Out in New York".  She earned a BA in creative writing from Emerson College.

Transcript: 

Erik Michielsen:  How do you evaluate when to continue a project and when to kill it?

Cathy Erway:  Ooh. When to kill a project? It doesn't sit right with me to kill projects. I always like to think that, you know, they're on the back burner and that you can return to them but always change them up and shape them, and they'll evolve too. So in that sense, I don't think, you know--I had this idea of writing an essay collection a while ago. I didn't so much kill it but put it off and, you know, I think it'll probably be better in the long run that I did that. If I ever get to finishing it, that is. So if you start something, you're never--you're not gonna kill it, I just don't think, it's still with you somehow unfinished in its own, you know, kind of caught in the, just caught in that moment...

Erik Michielsen: File it away. Shelve it but always know that that shelf is accessible.

Cathy Erway: Right, right. Yeah.

The Rewards of Teaching a Cooking Class

In Chapter 8 of 16 in her 2012 interview, author and food writer Cathy Erway answers "What Have You Found Most Rewarding About Teaching?  Erway shares how she has embraced a hands-on approach in teaching cooking.  She finds how she learns instructs how she teaches. 

Cathy Erway is an author and food writer living in Brooklyn.  Her first book, "The Art of Eating In" developed from her blog "Not Eating Out in New York".  She earned a BA in creative writing from Emerson College.

Transcript: 

Erik Michielsen:  What have you found most rewarding about teaching?

Cathy Erway:  Ooh. I really like teaching because it's kind of like a party where you just hang out, and that's my style of teaching. So, of course, I'm not like a very strict teacher with a... whatever they're holding there, pointer. So, yeah, I recently taught a class, where I had my uncle help out and just like hang out and it was about basic Chinese for foodies, hilarious. I mean, we just had the best time ever.

And that -- I mean, you know, my cooking classes are all hands-on, I would never have it not that way. So everyone has to get dirty, has to lose--you know, their, kind of like come out of their shell a little bit. And everyone gets to know each other, you can bring beer if you want. I got some stuff in the fridge, you can improvise with whatever sauces I have, feel free. So, that's my way of teaching, and that's the way I like to learn, so I figure if that's how I learned to cook, then this is how I teach.