Bringing Brands to Life! Turns 2 Today

A heartfelt "thank you" goes out to everyone who shared their voice in making this site the success it is. Never in my dreams would I have imagined being where I am today. For that, I am quite thankful.

Second year round-up for "Bringing Brands to Life!"

• I recently started writing for Fast Company as one of their Expert Bloggers. I've wanted to write for Fast Company for as long as I can remember. The wait is over! Catch my column, "Let's See That Again!" to learn more ways you can breathe life into your company's video.

• Seth Godin features my Squidoo lens, "Corporate Video & Remarkable Storytelling" in his "Joy of Squidoo" ebook. (You had to peel me off the ceiling when I found out! Thanks, again, Seth.)

• I made it onto the AdAge Power150 list. (The crowd goes wild!)

• The Smithsonian Channel airs "The Men Who Brought the Dawn," after digging it out of the Smithsonian Institution's vault. I co-produced this documentary in 1995. It originally aired worldwide to commemorate the 50th Anniversary of the atomic missions to Japan. The story is told through the voices of the airmen who flew the missions.

• "My 22 Best On-Camera Interviewing Tips Ever" is featured on Lifehacker. This post is still my most successful post ever, creating my biggest traffic day ever! Tons of fabulous comments were shared so be sure to check this one out.

• Guy Kawasaki's "Alltop" site features this site twice. First, in Alltop's "Small Business" area and again in the "Branding" page. Yup. We kick, for sure.

• "It's That Simple: How smart people in smart companies use real video stories to create real emotional connections" is my second contribution to "The Age of Conversation" book series.

• "Is Corporate Video Art?" Who really knows but it was a fun question I threw out just to see what folks thought. You got to check out the incredible range of responses to my question on Linkedin "Answers" forum.

Fun and interesting interviews I gave on the power of corporate videos, story, branding and lots more.

• My dear friend Phil Gerbyshak of "Make it Great" and I talked about who inspires me, blogs I read, how I got started as a corporate filmmaker and more.

• Dan Schawbel at Personal Branding blog asked me about professional production quality vs. blogger video quality, how I've branded myself, brands that need help coming to life, etc.

• The National Networker captured a unique angle on my blogging history as a corporate filmmaker.

• Scott Andrews and I had fun on his TalkShoe podcast. We covered the myths of corporate videos, successful interviewing techniques, the importance and role language plays in corporate videos and tons more!

• Geoff Livingston at BuzzBin asked me how long it took me to feel confident as a director, what do I think of the flood of amateur videos and a few more interesting questions.

• About the same time as Geoff's interview happened, Wayne Hurlbert interviewed me on his popular BlogTalkTadio program. Wayne covered a wide range of issues including employees as storytellers; why hiring a professional director for your company's video is a good idea; are messages from companies becoming more inspirational? And a whole lot more!

This blog has naturally become an extension of my work. Thanks for exploring the journey with me.

Have ideas for future posts? Drop me a note or leave a comment here.

Let's rock even more next year, OK?

---Tom

"Bringing Brands to Life!" Turns 2 Today

Comments

[Tracy Lee]

Wow, CONGRATULATIONS!!

Although I have missed the past two years, I hope to get to read more in the years ahead!

Happy Two Day! :)

[Steve Woodruff]

And, above all these other achievements, you've made many friends and become a friend to many (including me). That far exceeds the honors and awards, and is (IMHO) the best fruit of your prolific and insightful blogging!

[Wayne Hurlbert]

Congratulations on two rockin' years of Bringing Brands to Life through video. The first two years have been an adventure and the next two, and the next two, and all of the twos after that promise even greater things ahead.

It is a privilege knowing you.

Rock on my friend.

[Thomas Clifford]

Wayne, Steve, Tracy,

Many "thank you's" for sharing your kind wishes.

Hoping for another rockin' year ahead!

Be good, be great.

Tom

[Vicky H]

Wow! How great to have found your calling and be so successful to boot!

Thanks to you for writing and contributing your thoughts. With the speed of the internet getting faster and sites like YouTube providing video to the masses, more small businesses and entrepreneur's are going to tell their stories through video. This is a great resource for us to learn how to "Do It Right". We have access to your expertise and thoughts. How cool is that!

Rock On Director Tom! Thanks for sharing your expertise with all of us!

[Thomas Clifford]

Thank you for sharing that, Vicky! Glad you've enjoyed the ideas here; more to come!

:-)

[Phil Gerbyshak]

Two years already? wow Tom, that's FANTASTIC! I had no idea it had been so long, and yet so short. So glad we've become friends and spent not 1 but 2 SOBCons together! I plan to hit Blogger Social next year for sure, and maybe SOBCon too!

Take care and keep writing my friend. You are an inspiration to so many, including me! Thanks for being you.

[Thomas Clifford]

Thank you, Phil!

Yes, two years, indeed. I'm glad I've served as a source of inspiration to you and others. I never could have done it with your incredible encouragement, especially when I started out. You were for me and I can't thank you enough!

Tom

[Vincent Wright]

CONGRATULATIONS, Tom! And a heartfelt THANK YOU for helping even the most deeply entrenched novice like me see - and *feel* - the great business value in "Bringing Brands to Life!".

Guy Kawasaki, Seth Godin, and Deepak Chopra - brands in and of themselves - are correct in their endorsements and acknowledgment(s) of your outstanding work - and you make a great lunch date, too! :-)

And, CONGRATULATIONS, Tom!

Vincent

[Thomas Clifford]

Hi VIncent!

Thanks for swinging by and sharing your thoughts!

Yes, we need to have lunch again soon...I'm here. :-)

Tom

[Dan Schawbel]

Congrats Tom!

[Thomas Clifford]

Dan,

Thanks for a fun interview and featuring me as a guest for your readers; it was a blast!

Maybe part two is around the corner?

:-)

[Jason Alba]

Tom, great to follow your successes... you are a great person, an a master at relationship building.... here's to many more years of excellence!

- jason

[Thomas Clifford]

Hi Jason,

Thank you for sharing your thoughts.

Relationship building is my bones; must be the Irish. Or the rock 'n' roll. :-)

Story on...

Tom