I’ve been reading the horror stories about surviving the mammoth Consumer Electronics Show with some trepidation. There’s Survival Gear for Battling 100,000 Nerds in a Desert. Then I spied our own intrepid Todd Bishop of GeekWire in his lovely fly fishing vest.
Me? Well, I’m in an unusual situation. I’m there to promote my graduate program through Storyteller Uprising (which has a new chapter) as well as cover the event (for KUOW, GeekWire, KING 5, Flip The Media). But I’m also looking forward to being “covered” as a subject matter expert. I have interviews already scheduled with Wired, Reuters, PRWeek and the Seattle Times with my take on the show, seen through the optic of Storyteller Uprising and the MCDM. So I’ve got to look Chic while being practically prepared for any eventuality as would any good Geek.
“Chic”: dark blazer, polished boots, dress shirts, make-up, brushes, spot removal wipes. I’ve even got a business card that actually doesn’t have a telephone number. But it does have four URL’s, a QR code for journalists to download my e-book, my e-mail address, and of course, my Twitter handle. Which means of course, that we’ve already moved into the “Geek” section of this post (considerably longer than the “Chic” one!):
I don’t have to worry too much about the gear, which is a relief. I’m traveling with my colleague (and former student) Filiz Efe who’ll be capturing the show (and me) through a Canon 5D with a fancy Zacuto add-on viewfinder, and a multiplicity of microphones. The MCDM’s new Program Manager, Ashley-Rose O’Mara will be our enforcer as she manages my interviews and schedule, while she makes friends for our degree program by handing out brochures and copies of my book. We’re also supported through our terrific partnership with public relations firm Weber Shandwick Seattle.
But I’m forever the backpack journalist and I’ll be the only one in the team who’ll have access to certain events. So I’ll be filming with my Galaxy Note “phablet” in 1080p video mode (read Todd Bishop’s feature on my mammoth conversation starter of a phone), which will probably be announced for the American market this week. I’ll also have an Olympus XZ-1 point-and-shoot (with external mike setup), a Macbook Air, a backup mobile broadband hotspot (T-Mobile, how congested could that network be at CES?), and a plethora of cables. Another first for me? We won’t be editing in Final Cut, but rather with Adobe Premiere. It’s all a sign of the times.
Follow me on Twitter (@hrhmedia) for my latest #CES reports. I’ll also be filing here regularly.
HRH Media 