“Coffee Wars” boils over!

[youtube=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oMqutKBS5iE&hl=en_US&feature=player_embedded&version=3]

I’ve spent a sizable chunk of my spare time this past year writing and teaching for Killing My Lobster, the Second City of San Francisco. And while I feel like I spent the first few months making my bones, earning the respect of my talented co-writers and our equally gifted actors and directors, I like to think I’ve gone on to acquit myself over this year’s shows.

The latest, and possibly most satisfying, example of this is the film I wrote and produced for Killing My Lobster Holds the Mayo, their final show of the year. The film is called The Coffee Wars and it’s a Ken Burns parody, showcasing the rivalry between two of the best-known (and my favorite) artisan coffee brands in town.

It’s blown up beyond all (well, my) expectations thus far, garnering over 8,00014,000 hits in less than three days, and crazy amounts of Twitter chatter. It’s even attracted a hater or two, which is always a sure sign of online heat.

Kudos to director Rand Courtney, actors Fred Wickham and Sarah Mitchell, and the rest of the superb cast, crew, and musicians who made this film such a joy to make and, I hope, to watch. With apologies to Joan Baez.


5 results of the Facebook namepocalypse [Examiner]

Whew! The Facebook namepocalypse is finally over. My latest Examiner piece covers the fallout:

The upshot: most everybody’s happy. Specifically:

1. People got the names they wanted, even if they didn’t get their first or second choices. I’ve seen minimal disgruntlement so far, even though most of the feedback  is on blog comments and discussion boards. And even for the ones who didn’t…

More at the link.


Faces stolen from Facebook [Examiner.com]

My second piece as SF Social Media correspondent for Examiner.com.

While you’re waiting for tonight’s Facebook namepocalypse, here’s a CNN with delightful anectode of stolen identity (delightful in that it was relatively harmless):

Facebook blogger Danielle Smith tells the story of discovering she had a photo of her stolen from Facebook…and used in a Czech supermarket ad.

More at the link.


My first Examiner piece:

As of, well, now, I’m the San Francisco Social Media correspondent for Examiner.com.

I had big plans for my first piece, but then this whole Facebook namepocalypse thing came up. So I led off with that:

Facebook gives you your (or at least a) name

I’d be remiss if I didn’t use my initial social media article to cover the biggest news in social media: Facebook’s decision to open up their URL format to personal names. And they’ve offered them up to their users in what’s being called a “land rush:” a first-come-first-served grab-your-name free-for-all starting at 12:01 AM Eastern time on Saturday, June 13.

More at the link. Let me know what you think!