Digital Native. Down Under
G'day, my name is Murray. I'm a proud Australian creative with a gift for getting people excited about the potential for using digital in their business.
Positive Change Agent & Creative Problem Solver.
Posts
Ever wished you could climb into your favourite book or truly go behind the scenes of an epic film?
Do you scour online shopping sites for a bargain, only to be somewhat underwhelmed by the overall user experience or lack of product interaction?
The future heard you, and it whispered to the team @ Berg, London.
If you're having a tough Monday and can't quite see beyond the luxury watch demo, let me help you see another 10% of this rainbow coloured iceberg.
People don't go shopping to stand in bleak, clockless malls or eat bleak, tasteless meals in the food court.
They go shopping to touch stuff.
Now they can.
Not everyone learns the same way.
Some people need a lot of time to consider an idea, or an object before they can truly lock it away.
With technology like this, time (at least in the linear sense) is no longer an issue.
Contraptions like the utterly brilliant Galileo allow people to interact with one another better by creating an 'add-on' to existing tech.
What Berg are toying with here is something far more fundamental to how we understand and appreciate media.
Why listen to radio when you can program it yourself on Spotify?
Why read a magazine when you can zoom in and hover around your favourite celebrities birthmark?
Why wait for a video to play out, when you can become the director?
Exciting stuff.
MySpace acquires Hipstamatic for $100.
— tony king (@tonykingnyc) April 9, 2012
Facebook just announced they've bought Instagram for around $1B.
(I thought they weren't allowed to make these kinds of big moves before an imminent IPO?)
@PatrickMoorhead received a text message from his daughter which I'm sure reflects the opinions of so many other 12 year olds around the world... Myself included.
I wonder if this is the first 'move' not fully guided by The Zuck? It feels too business-ey, too strategic.
The business minded amongst us understand Facebook bought Instagram so they could rule the photo-sharing roost. However Instagram users love this app more than their favourite 'wacky graphic designer-type' uncle.
Everyone got a bit upset about updating to Facebook timeline. But don't you go messing with my Instagram, man.
Most people are now familar with the story of Justin Bieber's epic rise to superstardom via his early YouTube clips.
(Currently sitting at over 700 Million views... Here's a recent comment)
If you've spent any time around young girls (or... ahem, work for Australia's number 1 hit music station) you may even be aware of the mind boggling statistics surrounding Simon Cowell's boy band creation One Direction.
(I've already posted a Bieber clip, I refuse to post a One Direction video orrite?)
Whatever your opinion on the music, these are two of the biggest acts on the planet. These lads probably get more female attention in a single hour than most men get in a lifetime. Bieber alone holds 3 of the top 10 YouTube clips OF ALL TIME.
How could this not be an appealing prospect to young people around the world?
These stats, and the world of social media fame has certainly caught the fancy of YouTube rapper Yung Jake.
In this haunting snapshot of 2012 digi-culture, Jake throws a shout out to the social universe, reeling off the technologies he aims to conquer... While embedded in the technologies he aims to conquer.
It's OH-SO-META!
After trawling through the rest of Yung Jake's tracks, I was pleasantly surprised to learn he's not a one hit wonder. While the track ain't quite as bangin', and the subject matter may not neccessarily appeal to everyone, the musician cleverly and somewhat ironically rips through a Tumblr mashup of young girls wearing cut off jeans.
Is this the future of music?
Is YouTube the future of TV?
Can Yung Jake leverage any of this into a sustainable career in music... And more importantly, does that even exist anymore?
If I've learned anything by gazing into this murky pool of 'Yung' dreams, it's that while the next generation of up-and-comers will surely be more aware of all the technological tools at their disposal, it's still only those who are prepared to consistently work their butts off who will get their real shot at internet infamy.
Just because there are 10,000 new ways to get noticed, doesn't mean you can skip the 10,000 hours practise to become a genuine Outlier.
[ EDIT ]
Since posting this earlier today, I was contacted by Yung Jake who was felt I wasn't telling the whole story by not at least linking to the uber clever website he built to push the Embedded track.
i dont think @muzroyale saw e.m-bed.de/d. #smh #misinformed
— Yung Jake (@YuungJaaKe) April 5, 2012
I tried unsuccessfully to embed Embedd.ed, so here's the link.
After reading back over my last remarks, I realised Jake had good reason to be annoyed... It sounded like I was saying he wasn't working his butt off. This is exactly the opposite of my intention, I meant to point out to all the other kids trying to get rich hella quick - DO WHAT JAKE IS DOING.
Work hard, produce a ton, screw it up and learn on the fly. Then follow up with all the douchebag bloggers writing you up incorrectly.
It's the only real 'secret' to success!
I said this to a client today, which made me want to post it... But I am certainly not the first person to put these words together so if you have a source, feel free to let me know in the comments so I can give credit where appropriate!
*Note to self*
Get out of your chair.
Go to a social meetup.
Catch up with an old mate or a random connection IRL (in real life).
Do whatever it takes to meet someone new, as soon as humanly possible.
Thank me later.
I liked this quote too much to just post as text...
Here's a graphic version.
I think I'll start designing lots more of my blog posts as graphics, actually.
It feels much more like me.
When was the last time you reached out to someone who inspired you?
That's the question I found myself asking over and over as I furiously typed out an email to the CEO of an emerging media agency in New York this afternoon.
I'd just seen him do an interview with Fast Company and couldn't help but think, wow that guy sounds like my kinda people... I should say hi.
So I did.
It took me all of five minutes to google him, click on his contact page, write a quick 'thank you for being awesome' note and connect via LinkedIn.
Easy peasy, lemon squeezy.
Tomorrow...
Barack Obama.
Why is it, when we do something really bad or stupid, we know right away and regret it but doing something good never seems to elicit a similar response?
I love to eat and drink, a lot.
When I eat too much, I know pretty much straight away, I recognise it was a stupid thing to do and make a lame promise to myself not to do it again (anytime soon).
But when I realise I'm about to make the same mistake and take the super brave step to push away the second plate of perfectly manicured nachos, I never get an equal and opposite rush of adrenaline.
My body isn't happy... It's annoyed at me for not testing it's limits!
Maybe I'm missing the chromosome that signals enough is enough. Or maybe I'm ignoring it out of habit. I actually have another theory that has been burying itself in my mind lately...
I wonder if it's the same entrepreneurial trait in me that always wants to push the outer limits of a new technology, or test how long I can get away without paying a bill before I get a fine or even how many businesses I can create and walk away from.
Lots of those traits are celebrated these days, they make for great stories. But I'm not sure I'm necessarily proud of any of them... They are who I am, and what makes me a damn good entrepreneur.
I just wonder, will they make me happy?
A close friend texted me earlier tonight to say he was watching 8 Mile on TV.
Watching it reminded me of the first time we saw the Eminem classic at the movies, followed by our usual Saturday night cheering and jeering competitors at the local Aussie hip hop battles.
At the time, we were barely 18, straight from one of Melbourne's dodgiest community colleges and white as hell. If there was a meeting where Marshall Mathers record company, film producers, agents & management all decided exactly who would be pumped to see this film, it was us.
And come on, with a final scene like this (SPOILER ALERT!) how could we not be pumped!?
The film's smash hit 'Lose Yourself' talks about having just one shot, stepping up and taking that once in a lifetime opportunity.
And yet, on reflection, since then I've had dozens of single moments to step up and prove myself. Some I've managed to smash out of the park and many that have made me crumble and choke.
Don't get me wrong, it's an awesome film.
Watching it now takes me back to a time when passion was all we had, because planning for the future and believing we'd be around to see more than one opportunity at success sounded like something you'd tell the kids at private schools up the road.
The important thing I've learned is not to get too caught up in the idea of 'just one shot'.
Work hard enough and you'll get your chance.
Keep punching through the wall and more opportunities will arrive.
The harder you work, the luckier you get.
[ EDIT ]
I've just been reminded that while my friend and I were busy getting hooked on live hip hop and playing snake on my Nokia 5110, a kid in my music class was working his arse off to prepare for his big opportunity. It came eventually, and by all reports, his hard work keeps paying off.
We definitely had our differences at school (there's only enough room for so much ego in the quadrangle!) but here's Dan Merriweather squeezing the juice out of life... All the best, bro.
My attitude to food is terrible.
The only thing worse is my attitude to exercise.
To be perfectly honest, I feel like I spend so much time working hard on creative projects (in my head) that I've lost sight of how to look after the other 90% of my body.
New challenge to myself: Do 20 minutes of exercise every day, without fail, for 3 months.
If I do more than 20 mins, that's great but the important thing about this challenge is developing a new, positive habit. That's never going to happen if I keep imagining a session at the gym or just a lazy walk as a 1-2 hour ordeal.
If I can blog once a day for a month, I know I can smash this too.
What major change have you been putting off? Would breaking it down to a tiny, daily task make a difference?
I have this idea for a podcast called Grand Plans.
Similar to the architectural & development show Grand Designs, I'd like to interview people about to set out on a great personal endeavour.
It started with me wrestling over how to document my struggle to lose weight, then morphed into a way for me to showcase big projects other people are undertaking and the lessons we can all take from it.
Mainly, I'd just like to tell the world how proud I am of my two good friends Jamie & Bryony, who are both heading to NYC to take on the tech world (although in totally unrelated ways).
If anyone out there thinks they can do a good job with the idea, it's all yours... Send me a link when you're done, I'd quite like to listen to it someday.
Step 1.
Ask lots of questions to ensure you are facing the 'correct' creative wall.
Step 2.
Bash your head against it.
Step 3.
Repeat steps 1 & 2 until you break through.
My friends and colleagues in the digital realm often ask me why the hell I help develop ideas for 'outdated' broadcast technology like radio.
[ Full disclosure: I work here ]
Newsflash: I agree with them. I believe the future media landscape will be based around highly personalised and customisable delivery, which is the exact polar opposite of how broadcast operates.
But I think it's also important to note not everybody cares about personalisation.
Not everybody spends as much time poring through vintage record stores or tweaking their iTunes Genius results as I do. And without question, vast swathes people prefer to have their musical and entertainment tastes dictated to them by entities they deem to be worthy decision makers.
Which brings me to my answer.
I work for Australia's largest commercial broadcaster for 2 reasons:
1. The culture here is excellent.
The people are great (even when they are pounding me with paintgun pellets, thanks very much Jules).
2. Broadcast technology gives me the opportunity to present my ideas to (literally) millions of people every single day.
I'm just going to revisit that second point in case you skipped over it.
Millions of people.
Over 90% of Australia.
Listening to, watching or interacting with our ideas.
You can say whatever you like about 'traditional media'.
You might even write an extended response, citing disappointment or annoyance at specific campaigns, talent or the industry in general.
But hopefully, you'll see that's beside the point. Because what we do here may not be your cup of tea... But it is the chosen brew of many others. And as a young creative trying to impart some positive & sustainable thinking into every brief that lands on my desk, that's the most exciting prospect imaginable.
I'd love to hear what makes you jump out of bed every morning!
Ask not what your new piece of technology can do.
Ask yourself what can be achieved when using it.
And just another quick post to make up for yesterday...
The posterous app sucks.
I'm kinda glad those guys got bought by Twitter. It's a great service in lots of ways, but it's forced me to think about what I want from my blogging platform, and a solid app with more than the most basic features is on the list.
My other blog, ThatsAce.com really needs a makeover too, so this is a much needed kick up the arse.
Thanks again, Twitter!
This #B03 project has been amazing, if only to illustrate how much I still have to learn about maximising my productivity.
So far, I've done three things that have made a massive difference to my daily output.
1. Set an alarm to be in bed earlier.
Hot tip: It's not always about sleep. Going to bed signals to me and my family that the day is done and it's time to read or at least chill out completely.
Pro tip: putting my son on the screen makes everything easier. Who could say no to this guy?
2. Add every task to your to-do list, then tick it off.
I started using the Teux Deux app by @swissmiss and haven't looked back. I'm updating it every single day for the first time ever and loving it.
3. Eat That Frog!
Most importantly, something I've already mentioned but feel is really important... A book and process my friend & colleague Andrew Sidwell recommended called Eat That Frog.
Every day, I figure out which of my tasks is the absolute worst, ugliest wart ridden piece of junk, I label it my frog and I aim to get it done first up. As soon as I've done it, other stuff just seems easier.
If I've got multiple frogs, I recognise I can't do everything, so prioritising my top three and trying to delegate anything below that makes a huge difference.
I don't know much about business, but I'm pretty sure you'll agree that a business model is the cornerstone of any business.
If you don't have one, you're up to your neck in an expensive hobby.
Image by James Warwood via Flickr
Not everyone needs to understand your business model, but if you don't have one or are just building 'Foursquare, with a bit of Yelp and Pinterest' or even worse, you've been writing off ten of millions of dollars at Twitter for the past 4 years, you've got a juggernaut of an expensive idea, with no idea how to turn a profit.
In order to sustain itself, your business requires a simple and scalable business model.
What do I mean by scalable?
The ability to enhance the user base / system / distribution / load by adding new functionality at minimal effort.
Never before have so many people been able to express their unadulterated opinion about everything. Often, they will spend their time taking pot shots at anyone trying to figure out the ROI of social media, or how to monetise Twitter. Don't let this stop you thinking about how you can make money in the emerging (e)conomy.
If you've got something worth paying for, people will be glad to pay!
Based on the hype surrounding recent social media 'explosions', I wanted to whip something up super quick then distribute to a minimal pre-existing network.
Why?
Because most people aren't trying to solve third world problems like this.
And most small business owners don't believe they can be funny like this guy .
But they can do what I just did, all day, every day with just an idea and an internet connection.
So how's it going so far?
Interesting, albeit minimal results so far.
I wasn't getting any traction via 'traditional social media channels' (ha!), which I figured would happen anyway. It's a badly designed image, and only has relevance to a specific audience ie. people who have fallen in love with Pinterest.
It's meant to be fun, and easy to share, something which Pinterest does UNBELIEVABLY well, as shown here by the first three hours of activity.
I have barely any followers on Pinterest so I didn't imagine it would go crazy, but I don't need to be a data whizkid to know 16 repins in 3 hours from only 28 followers is a solid return on the 10-15 mins I invested in this idea last night.Importantly, I don't know a single person on the list above.
All this 'traffic' was 100% new, including a few new followers on Twitter, a direct result of 'pinning' this image onto a board I've called @muzroyale designs.
I've just repinned the image myself to see if I can create another spike, but for a first attempt, I'm pretty happy.
Do you have any other suggestions for next time?
Updates
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Watch out, Hollywood... It's Tetris: The Movie http://t.co/0XkjgEf850 minutes ago from web | Reply, Retweet, Favorite
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@MikeFromEngage Not at this stage mate, but would be kinda interested (sans weather!)... Will keep you posted if anything changes
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I love you, @lolojones4 hours ago from web | Reply, Retweet, Favorite
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Hire local help with https://t.co/xTTYoE474 hours ago from web | Reply, Retweet, Favorite
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Southern Cross is a dark place in Winter http://t.co/MH2PWNNH
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@lukemccormack You are.
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There just aren't enough characters in a LinkedIn reference to do him justice #FarewellBag24 hours ago from web | Reply, Retweet, Favorite
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"One of the great things about having a digital heart for intellectual properties is it's easier to evolve them" - @Acton via @FastCompany
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Bravo Sir Jony Ive on being knighted for a truly momentous contribution to design http://t.co/Zl0Ifpjq Can't wait for what's next!27 hours ago from web | Reply, Retweet, Favorite
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It's impossible to quantify the effect @BagFullOfIdeas has had on the Aussie radio industry... But we're doing our best with #FarewellBag2 days ago from web | Reply, Retweet, Favorite
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In the past two days I've lost my wedding photography prop umbrella and my favourite work satchel #FarewellBag3 days ago from web | Reply, Retweet, Favorite
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Watch live, right now http://t.co/Na3wN3rJ3 days ago from web | Reply, Retweet, Favorite
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Woke up to a double rainbow this morning... Must be Bag's last week #farewellbag
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@gnaight Yep it's pretty cool... Nicely layered and textured but still a bit hip for my taste
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I'm kinda shocked at how much I enjoyed learning about the inner workings of the Apple iPhone charger http://t.co/CP8m26Qa3 days ago from web | Reply, Retweet, Favorite
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@haul But you guys weren't open! Heartbreaking
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@zootymoose Thanks mate, was spewing they weren't open today though!
Photos
Posts
If you don't have 10 minutes to watch this right now, bookmark it for when the world's getting you down... Thank us later.
You can donate to Caine's Scholarship Fund here
via Claire
If you think of yourself as a sport despising intellectual type, please consider this your fair warning and skip to our next post (probably something to do with under priveledged baby elephants remixing a red bull snowboarding video).
Otherwise, have a brief lol at the expense of the Australian Football League.
Hundreds more footy in-jokes at the super popular AFL Memes Facebook Page
via @JamesAviaz
If you can get past the terrible film quality, we think you'll be pleasantly surprised by a super clever spoof on the now universally loved (and over-quoted) TED conference from Monterey, California.
Can't believe it's taken this long for someone to poke fun at something so serious!
This is basically the coolest thing we've ever seen.
Iceland is on the internet, and it wants to be your friend.
Here's a recent post on the country's official blog:
A whole country (including the President!) winning at social media.That's Ace!
What happens when your brand is so big you're encouraged to set aside some marketing budget for artists to 'interpret' your most famous products?
The Nike Air Max Hamburger, that's what happens.Created by Olle Hemmendorff, to be viewed along with 7 other Nike collabs at Sneakersnstuff, Stockholm
First, there was Powerthirst.
(Until they drank too much of their own product and made one video too many)
Now, there's Vytautas... The Lithuanian Mineral Water.
via Pants
As the top comment on YouTube rightly says:
Close the internet. The peak has been reached.
via Loasby
When you grow up snowboarding like I did, it feels a little strange watching as freestyle skiing explodes like Gremlins in the cake mixer.
But to deny what's happening on two sticks these days would be ignorant... Especially after seeing what these lads get up to in Legs of Steel: Nothing Else Matters.
As the Vimeo description reads: Crank up your speakers and hit full screen.
or, if you'd prefer a shorter ski video that's still sick as hell...
Say hello to Bobby Brown.
Profile
Summary
After 10 years of freelance design, consulting and taking new ideas to market, I now pride myself on being able to manage a project from end to end with as much enthusiasm as when it began.
I've run my own streetwear label for the past 7 years. This experience has given me skills and insights into the maintenance of a brand's integrity, while vigilantly ensuring the highest level of customer service at every touchpoint.
Nothing makes me happier than bringing a new concept to life, utilising all of my skills in digital and then sending it out into the universe via the magic of social media.
Experience
- Mar 2011 - PresentSocial Media Creative / Southern Cross AustereoBased in Melbourne and working nationally, my role has been created to assist the organisation with everything creative and digital.
- Sept 2005 - Present(Freelance) Digital Design & Strategy Consultant / Because DesignPassionate about using social media to tell great stories. Helping create remarkable experiences (both on & offline) for five years now.
- Apr 2007 - PresentFounder / The HYPE FoundationA project designed to help progress and market the action sports industry in Australia & New Zealand. Essentially a niche online community built to co-ordinate those involved in the creative industry and looking for skaters, snowboarders and anyone else doing something worth photographing or filming.
- 2001 - PresentFounder & CEO / Because ClothingBecause Design began as a way for me to express my creativity through design. It has now grown to a full-scale clothing line, while continuing to grow in reputation as a quality source of freelance design and marketing.
- Apr 2010 - PresentArt Director / Turnstile 4 / Gemba GroupTurnstile 4 is a boutique communication company, specialising in the development of branded content & experiences. It is also a creative partner agency for The Gemba Group, which provides insights, strategy and marketing assistance to the sports and entertainment industries to better understand and connect with their consumers.
- Feb 2008 - PresentAdvertising Specialist / SensisOnline advertising and design for several Sensis brands.
- Mar 2006 - PresentNational Switchboard / Seven Network, AustraliaFast paced, network building, exciting and character defining.
Education
Additional Information
Latest checkin
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