I'm Keeping Busy, and so is Hallmark.

I haven't been around for a while. But i finally got a break in my busy schedule, so, I thought I would give you an update on what I've been up to. Not that it would normally be interesting enough to mention, but i have had my hand in pretty much everything that has come out in the last few months.

1: DVD Cards - Wouldn't it be cool if you could have a customized movie with pictures of you, your family and/or your friends that can be played on your home's DVD player? Say no more. Hallmark's done it. Takes 10 minutes. Packaged conveniently into a card so you can send it out to your loved ones. Imagine Grandma's surprise when she sees that gem. It will blow her mind. Available at your local Hallmark Gold Crown.

2. Augmented Reality - The world has come one step closer to Holodecks with this innovation. Basically, when you buy specially marked Hallmark Cards (available at Walmart and Gold Crown this Valentine's Day) you get an "Online Surprise". It's a 3D, virtual reality movie, that moves around in your own world when you hold the card up to at webcam. Don't understand a lick of what i am saying? Go try out a free demo here or let Hoops and Yo-yo try and explain it! GO. QUICK!

3. Kids Encouragement - This may not seem terribly innovative, but in reality it is. Hallmark has found that kids need to be spoken to in a certain way. And that parents are starving for a way to talk to there kids. So Hallmark Gold Crown is currently (or will be very soon, depending on the store) sporting a brand new wall display featuring dozens of new products that help encourage kids in their everyday life. And not just cards, but TOYS, BOOKS, and GAMES!

The others are so top secret i can't talk about them. But i will. Oh, i will.

I know this is all pretty boring without many pictures, but maybe you will just have to go out to Hallmark and take a look. ;)
Seriously though, there has been a lot of hard work put into these cards and we'd love to know what you think when you see them!

Love, Josh

KC Massacre

Hey Folks,
I know I have been gone for a while, but I'm not gone for good (not yet). Things have been absolutely insane with all the cool new products that Hallmark has been working on, but that's another blog for another time. For now, I just wanted to show you some of the cool stuff that was going on at T2, a video production company in the Crossroads of KC. Enjoy their horror movie inspired First Friday massacre...



I hope everyone had a fun and safe Halloween (and sent lots of Halloween cards).

love,
Josh

Happy Friday!

Lately, Paul Rudd has been popping up all over the place. Some people know him as Phebi's boyfriend from Friends, some know him from Clueless, or maybe you have just started to notice him lately as "that one dude from Forty Year Old Virgin". What many of you might not know is that Rudd is from Kansas City, KS. He went to Shawnee Mission West, and eventually KU to study theater.

Well, this week you can catch Paul Rudd and Jason Segel in the hilarious new comedy, I Love You, Man. I had the privilege of seeing this movie about a month ago, and it was truly very funny. The Lawrence based, movie critic site, Scene Stealers, held an advanced screening for the movie, and this is what they had to say (click the link for a video review). My review? Well, i was an interesting twist on a pretty generic plot. Rudd and Segel carry the movie with dry, awkward humor. But it isn't without a love story, with that girl from The Office, Jim's ex. I recommend it to anyone who likes a good laugh (especially if it rains this weekend).


If you are a fan of an animated feature more, Paul Rudd is also playing a voice in the new Dreamworks animation Monsters VS Aliens. Another movie I liked lots, but this one doesn't come out until next week. The animation is just breath-taking, and really, any movie is just SOO cool to watch in 3D. When you are done seeing the movie, you can go out and buy some of our licensed cards too and understand the characters.

OK, that's it. Enjoy your weekend.
-Josh

PS. Congrats to KU for moving on today.

200 Mile Radius - Home Grown

All week, most Hallmarks were looking forward to this particular presentation because we were promised free food. And they didn't disappoint...

Hilary Brown from Local Burger was our first presenter today. She told us about how she grew up feeling sick from all the food that she ate, which installed in her the dream of making healthy fast food in a casual environment. That's why in 2005, she opened up her fully organic, totally LOCAL restaurant. She went on to prove how healthy it actually was, by showing us her video "Localize Me" (get it? Like Supersize me? eh!?). It's about a man who eats all fast food, switches to only eating Local Burger, and sees a dramatic change for the better.
*note -Sergio was here! See what he thought here.

Next was BadSeed Farm. The vision of Farmer Brooke, a twenty something rebel, wanted to make food with LOVE. Her story was an inspirational one, where she grew up angry and "punk rock". Which led to her traveling the world, farming in foreign countries instead of becoming an artist. Which then led to her finding out that her place was back on her home soil. Now she teaches classes on how to start your own gardens, and you can find her food at the Organic Farmers' Market every friday night or at the City Market

Good Natured Family Farms' Diana Endicott told us about there plethora of organic and local foods that are sold locally through the Buy Fresh Buy Local program via Hen House Grocery stores. Products including: All Natural Beef, Free-Range Chicken, Farm Fresh Milk, All-Natural Pastured Pork, Local Honey, Farmhouse Cheese, Free-Range Eggs, Midwest Prairie Bison, Native, Wild Fruit Jellies, Local Farm Fresh Fruits and Vegetables, Free-Range Heritage Turkeys all from Kansas and Missouri.

To nosh on, Local Burger brought samples of all there burgers, and some deserts. BadSeed had homemade beer-bread and homemade organic apple-butter. Good Natured had pita chips and hummus, bison jerky, and cheese plates. Trust me, I had one of everything, and I didn't have ONE gripe. It might have been the best part of my day. Jeanee seemed to be enjoying every bite as well. But you can blame me for not having a picture of us doing so.

All of this goodness also inspired me to go out this weekend and get the supplies to start my own garden.

Happy Friday in Sunny KC. ;)
-Josh

PS. Check back Monday for photos. I had to leave work early today and i am posting from home without them. Sorry.

200 Mile Radius - Sustainability in Action

As I mentioned before, a big trend in culture is being green. One of the top experts in this field is Simran Sethi...

Right in our own backyard... Simran Seth, award-winning journalist, teaches courses on sustainability and environmental communications at the University of Kansas. Simran is named one of the top ten eco-heroes of the planet by the UK's Independent and lauded as the "environmental messenger" by Vanity Fair. Simran has contributed segments to the Nightly News with Brian Williams, The Oprah Winfrey Show (above photo recycling with Oprah), The Today Show, Ellen DeGeneres Show and Martha Stewart Show to name a few. She is committed to a redefinition of environmentalism that includes voices from the prairie, the inner city and the global community. Simran serves on the Sustainability Advisory Board in Lawrence, Kansas and is the Chair of the City's working group on climate change policy, education and outreach.

Her unique approach to fighting "the good fight" left me without words (even now i am having trouble writing this). She explains the concept that changing the way we live in general will have it's impact on the environment. She touched on subjects such as: communities & relationships, clothing, energy, transportation, media consolidation, fostering art, commerce, nature, waste, and even how global issues like terrorism can relate to climate change. Very interesting.
Since Simran is from our area, her talk was focused on what our region is doing, and could be doing to better itself. Specifically, she mentioned Kansas and wind-power, and preserving the Haskell-Baker Wetlands—577 acres, inhabited by 312 different species. Below is a piece she did for the Sundance Channel on the success of Greensburg, Kansas (which she showed part of at the presentation).


The Good Fight

I'm personally glad she is part of my 200 Mile Radius.

200 Mile Radius

Every year Hallmark sets up a week long event that allows us to stay relevant with emerging and evolving trends. This year is especially germane to our blogging experience, because the theme of 2009 is 200 Mile Radius, showing us the importance of the amazing resources in our own backyard. "Trends Week" kicks off with an introduction by our very own Marita Wesely. Her fast-paced slideshow hit on the topics that will be unraveling in the rest of the presentations throughout the week. To summarize, Marita shows us that most of the trends this year will be based on our falling economy and how we can make the most of it. Or how we can focus our energy on something else, like getting out and doing something for your fellow man, or the environment (she mentioned Kansas is the fifth most volunteering state in the US). The future is about taking charge of your own life and being somebody. Intense.

Jeanee and I will keep will keep you in the loop about these presenters throughout the week:
•Cheri Sterman, Director of Child Development & Consumer Relationships — Crayola
•Simran Sethi, journalist
•Chris Kious, founder and partner — A Piece of Cleveland

and then Friday is:
•Hilary Brown, Local Burger, Lawrence, KS
•Brooke Salvaggio (Farmer Brooke), Bad Seed, Kansas City, MO
•Diana Endicott, Coordinator of Good-Natured Family Farms, a group of "natural" meat and vegetable producers
(this presentation includes food, so i'm pretty excited!)

Stay tuned!

KC is UnbeWEAVEable

Happy Friday! Have a good weekend everyone!
-Josh

Ladies and gentlemen... cre•a•tiv•i•ty and Hallmark's very own... JOSH D.!!

Not long ago, the Kansas City Area Development Council (KCADC) called Hallmark and asked if we had any employees who moved to KC when they graduated from college... Well, yes, we certainly do! They asked if we could put them in touch with someone who would be good in a video (a.k.a. a good speaker, friendly, charming, and of course, good looking...)

The video that KCADC was creating would be used to speak to candidates outside of the area (state... region...) about moving to KC. Naturally, Josh D., cre•a•tiv•i•ty blogger and Graphic Designer here at Hallmark was our #1 choice!

Josh moved to KC from Mohnton, PA straight out of the Communication Design program at Kutztown University. Check out what he had to say about living in KC by clicking

>> here <<.

Thanks Josh, for agreeing to do this project, and for doing a bang up job! You definitely spoke to the questions on the minds of skeptics -- OH, and mentioned Hallmark, too. Well done, my friend. Well done! :o)

EXCLUSIVE: Brand New from Hallmark

As Hallmarkers savvy to this new-fangled interwebz dealy, I find it kind of our duty to promote the coolest new innovations we offer to the e-viewer. Well today, I come to you with an exclusive. You can't find news about this anywhere else on the net.

On November 7th the movie Madagascar: Escape 2 Africa cames out in theaters, but right now in Walmart and Hallmark Gold Crown you can purchase a card with a very special attachment on it: a USB Card/Drive (Jump Drive, Flash Drive) shaped like your favorite Madagascar characters. Here is the corresponding website.

On the Madagascar: Escape 2 Africa USB drive:
- exclusive Flash games featuring your favorite Madagascar characters.
- MP3s of the hit songs from Madagascar: Escape 2 Africa.
- customizable coloring pages to print
- desktop wallpapers and more!
- a desktop buddy of Moto-Moto (EVERYONE is going nuts over this guy)

As if that weren't enough, you can take everything off of the card, and use the store 1 Gig your files in a fun character verses a boring ol' grey stick... sweet!

Do I sound like an ad? Call me marketing! ;)

It's important that if you think this is something ultra-cool and new that Hallmark should continue to do, that go out and buy it. I can't stress this enough. Spend your hard earned cash on this fun new product and you will see more. Buy it for your sons, daughters, nieces, nephews, grandsons and daughters, maybe that nice kid down the street?

Spread the word!

-Josh

PS. Has anyone seen the movie? What did you think?

The Get Up Kids Reunion

After 3 years apart, the band that some claim "to have started it all" had reformed to play one night only at Record Bar in Kansas City, Mo. The Get Up Kids reunion show was barely publicized and was only allowed to house 250 people. Being that they were all back home for the holiday season, and they felt it was a good idea to celebrate the 10 year anniversary of their second release, Something to Write Home About (which is the record that sent them skyward). The set included every song off of that album, and an encore of some favorites. Matt Pryor, the lead vocalist, said "it was going way better than he expected" and it seemed like the band was happy to be playing shows together again. As a side note, they said they would try and do this at least once a year, and joked around about only playing at the Record Bar. Only in KC.

I took some photos and a video but because my camera is wonky, here is someone else's. Enjoy.


-Josh

Pixel Awards.

Unless you have been living under a rock, you know that last night Barack Obama became president elect. The voter turn out in Mo was amazing. And, speaking of voting... the Shoebox Blog just won the "2008 Peoples Champ Award" over at Media Temple's Pixel Awards. Out of thousands of nominees, Shoebox came in first. Great job guys, you earned it. Thank you readers and everyone who voted for them.

Holla!, Josh

The Freshest

Here's a quicky from us. But a longy (is that an expression?) from Design Sponge.

Here!

It's an interview with KC's own Fresher than Fresh Sno-Cone's. It's new to me today because i hadn't been back to Design Sponge in a while, but it was posted last Thursday. So if you frequent, you may have already seen it. It's a good interview and it's great she is getting some widespread recognition.

Happy Monday.
Yum.

-Josh

KC HomeGrown

Tonight, AIGA held an event at Rush Wade Photography showcasing some of Kansas City's own. Known nationally for their impact on the design community came Brady Vest from Hammerpress, and Ingred Sidie and Michelle Sonderegger of Design Ranch. The greatest impact to me was the sheer honesty and willingness to share how they really felt. There was an unexpected contrast between Brady, who still believes in a very "indie" outlook on his business (even with the significant growth of this company in the last few years), and Ingred and Michelle's corporate dealings with fun high-profile companies like Buckle and HR Block. What both companies definitely had in common was they clearly have a love for this city, and would only like to see the best things come from it. Each of them from the Midwest, they all seem eager to "expand the bubble" of the "truly" great things happening here.
Over all, it was an inspiring talk from three totally rad people, especially for the younger designers in the audience; sharing some of their triumphs and pitfalls of being in the "big-times". Not to mention "Fresher than Fresh" brought snow cones! This could be the first of many in this series so keep an ear out, it could well be worth your time.

I'm sure Erin would like to add a little more about this event (and maybe some pictures, if you are lucky), so stay tuned.

-Josh

Creativity In Living

"The person who follows the crowd will usually get no further than the crowd. The person who walks alone is likely to find oneself in places no one else has been. Creativity in living is not without its attendant difficulties, for peculiarity breeds contempt and the unfortunate thing about being ahead of your time is that when people finally realize you were right, they'll say that it was obvious all along. You have two choices in life. You can dissolve it into the mainstream or you can be distinct. To be distinct you must be different. To be different is to strive to be what no one else but you can be." -Unknown

Some Monday inspiration.

Z.L. Newton and KC Songwriters

Ah yes, I'm back. Have no fear. I haven't been around for a while because I've been working hard of lots of cool stuff I can't talk about. I'm sure you didn't even notice i was gone, but I'm sorry anyhow. As time goes by I am slowly becoming the token music guy. But that's a perfect role for me, because I just love it. Here's what's tonight:

Tonight, starting at 7, at Blayney's Irish Pub in Westport (415 Westport Rd.), they are holding part of the KC Songwriters Acoustic Showcase. If you are into folk music, you are in for a folkin' good time (sorry, some Shoebox-eque humor there). Pubs are the perfect atmosphere for it.

Maybe most importantly, one of Hallmarks own designers, Z.L. Newton (flyer pictured above) will be subbing in at the show at 7:30. He has a talent for story telling, and a shaky folk voice that's perfect to tell it with. He'll also have CD's for sale at the show, one of which is a brand new EP.

So, go, have a cold one and enjoy some music if you live in the area. And if you don't, try clicking on some of those links and giving the bands a listen.

The lineup is as follows:
7:00 Kaye Johnston
7:30 Z.L. Newton - myspace.com/palermoproject
8:00 Elaine McMilian
8:30 Dan Divine

Sorry, I'm not sure if there is a cover.

Until next time,
Josh

MO Music (Part 2 - Hallmarker Edition)

There are so many note-worthy bands in Kansas City (and surrounding areas), that i could have dozens of these posts. But there won't be many this good. Haha. What can i say, Hallmarkers like to rock. Check it:

Softee - A lo-fi pop-rock four piece. All of the members cute girls, all of them designers. And you would be able to tell from the glorious posters, cd covers, and endless creative merchandise they have. My first month at Hallmark, i heard about these ladies more times than i did greeting cards. They don't disappoint either. The shows are always full of energy and way fun. Tomorrow, they have another butt-kicking performance, 10PM at the Brick, to kickoff there newest EP "Birds & Aliens" (see above poster). Expect good times, some surprises and a chance to buy a limited edition first run of the EP (w/ screen printed CD sleeve).
Playing with Softee, will be two other solid bands:
Big Surrender
The ACB's
I hope to see you there.

NoMathmatics - DJ-ing, retro video playing, dancing robot machines! Again, this brings another big crowd in KC. They encourage their crowds to come dawning sweatbands, 80's attire, or robot suits. And one of the guys is an art director on Shoebox. Why wouldn't you go really?

Travoltron - Nate and Samantha L. listed in our bloggers on the right, also are part of a band... this one. Sort of a disco indierock powerpop sound that makes you want to dance. I've only seen them once, but oh did i ever dance.

(you can totally tell they are creatives just by their flashy myspaces, huh?)



There are definitely some more Hallmark bands, but they escape me at the moment.

Some other notable bands this time around: The Architects, It's Over!, Aaron Hale and the Boy Detectives (EP out this Tues), Queen's Club

Stay tuned for part 3, which will likely be rap and hip-hop. If you have recommendations, please let me know!

-Josh

Welcome to This Crazy World!

Many people probably have no idea, but Hallmark has a totally killer image archive that holds images spanning at least as far back as Hallmarks existence (almost 100 years). This archive is so cool in fact, that i hear Urban Outfitters has asked if they could partake in its splendor. Every so often, we have an artist here use The Archive in a fun, new way. This month Chris has floored me. The sheer awesomeness and [what some people might call] "unHallmarkness" of Welcome to This Crazy World, i think, makes people double-take on the images. It definitely has inspired me to reconsider my hesitance at using the archives and thinking, "i don't think i can do anything manly with lots of watercolor flowers." Nice work Chris. Click the image to the right to get a taste. I don't know what else to say, so i think i will let the pictures do the talking.

-Josh

Here are some pics from the reception:

Twitter

PS. Just curious of any of our readers use twitter?

MO Music (Part 1)

(and KS music too)

Pretty much anytime you see me here at work, I have my ears covered in headphones. Most likely dancing at my desk... like now. Music just keeps my creative juices flowing. I'd like to think that a lot of people are the same way. Believe it or not, Kansas City has a lot of offer when it comes to a music scene. Probably the biggest act from Kansas City, is American Idol winner David Cook, and of course there is always the jazz. If neither of these are your thing, maybe some of these will interest you:

The Get Up Kids - The Get Up Kids are probably the most recognizable indie band from the area. They're from Lawrence, KS, which is about 45 minutes from KC. Now defunct, the band originally laid ground for most of the bands in the scene today. Yeah, right there in the midwest. The New Amsterdams, The Terrible Twos, and Reggie and the Full Effect are the current spawns from TGUK. All of which are pretty notable.

The Terrible Twos - Out of that group, locally, Matt Pryor's children's music group, definitely get a lot of recognition — at least with the mothers. At the end of the month (July 29th) they have their latest effort coming out, and what songs i have heard from it i really like... what, it makes me feel young again. Like, 5 years old young.


Vedera - (vay-dare-ah) Freshly signed to Epic Records, they put their new EP on iTunes and now in a couple stores in Kansas. It's just 3 songs from their upcoming full length due out soon. This weekend they have a show at the Beaumont Club here in KC, and then they are back out on the road to do some west coast shows. I really recommend checking this one out on MySpace.

Republic Tigers - Appearing on Letterman, and as background music on the ever-popular Grey's Anatomy, Buildings and Mountains has become the juggernaut that launched the Republic Tigers into stardom. But they still hang out here. In fact, I saw a couple members on July 4th just having a good time with friends like the rest of us. They used to just play the local bars here in KC, and love the Record Bar, their old stomping ground. But for now, at least until August, they are on the road, so you should look them up.


I saved a bunch of artist for another time because the post was getting a little lengthy. I hope that tickles your creativity for now.

-Josh

Formalities

Two year ago, this October, I was hired by Erin Mills (yes, the same Erin that started this blog) to work on Hallmark's "core" Humor team. I worked there making cards covered in monkeys and fart jokes and loved it. Just recently, I moved to the magical land of sound, light, and motion; a much more demanding environment. Which is why i am enjoying a delicious Tuscan Chicken Panini, and typing this over my lunch break. Before all of this though, I went to a small school called Kutztown University (the other KU) in Pennsylvania and majored in Graphic Design. Hallmark flew me out here, i loved it, and i moved half way across the country to be here. I'm slightly obsessed with the internet and I've been blogging since the birth of Xanga. Other than the internet, I also really enjoy the music scene, playing kickball and video games (what, i'm a guy). Now that I put everyone to sleep with my rambling, I will say how cool it is to be part of this Cre•a•tiv•i•team (see what i did there!?), with this group of wildly talented, fun filled girls. I think my main purpose for me being here though, is to bring some masculinity to this blog, so i'll do my best to deliver. Until then, peace out.

-Josh