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So here I am literally sitting at JFK to BKK. I’m friggin excited and anxious to be on this epic journey as a team member of TheBlindProject, a non-profit organization (umbrella 501c3) aimed to restore and reveal the true value of those who are vulnerable and exploited to trafficking; by creating a social business model that economically empowers rescued children with innovative marketing and branding opportunities. Yeah man!

Here’s the most endearing story from the New York Times…

12-Year-Old’s A Food Critic, and the Chef Lovies It

In the last few months, I’ve become closely involved with The Blind Project. Recently, my friends and I created this video for the Google Project 10^100. Our idea is to fight modern day slavery by creating economic job opportunities.

Simply amazing. Simply important. Simply easy.

My friends and I wanted to do something more of our lives and leverage our professional experiences for a larger purpose – So we’re aiming to launch a philanthropic nightlife brand called *Drink Responsibly Presents. *DRP is a simple charity model. But it cannot be possible without the patronage of brands who value our mission to elevate going out into doing good. 

We believe this is a unique cause marketing, sampling opportunity for brands to reach a more conscientious 20-something. Please take a look at our proposal for your consideration and support. Click on the images below for a larger view, or email me for the proposal.

 All the best. Kevin.

In order to fix a problem, we must be able to see it.

My visionary friends at The Blind Project are on an amazing mission to change the reality of sex trafficking in Southeast Asia. So many of us are unaware of this modern-day slave trade. Yet the young victims of it see everything and are blinded from hope of a better future.

The Blind Project is devoted to raising awareness through advertising campaigns and providing counseling, education and jobs for victims. Their long-term goal is to create a socially responsible fashion brand for the survivors.

Join me in this important social movement.

In spite of all the hype, I have yet to visit the New Museum. What’s more exciting about the impact of the New Museum is the emerging gallery scene throughout the Lower East Side. Bypass the crowds and discover who’s entreprising culture through indie art…

Miguel Abreau :: Lisa Cooley :: TemporaryGallery :: 38 Ludlow :: James Fuentes LLC :: Fruit and Flower Deli :: Thierry Goldberg :: Museum at Eldridge Street

Isn’t it funny how even the smallest gesture of service we give to others can make us feel little bit like Jesus. Last Thursday, I was privileged to be part of Reveal, a special Valentine’s Day event to pamper 30 deserving women who’ve faced domestic violence in their past. Our hope was to show these women that they have value and are loved on a night when women across New York are being treated like princesses. Top volunteer professionals from the fashion industry provided makeovers consisting of wardrobe, hair, skin and makeup.

A personal shout-out to Robert Montagnese of McCann Erickson/L’Oreal Paris, Jennifer Moon, Tara Eisenberg and Emily Schuler of Coty Inc. and Jackson Corp. Dolce Vida Handbags for their kind generosity in donating beautiful gifts.

myspace.com/revealdignity 

Annika Sundvik is a true Lower Lower East Side vanguard, opening Good World Bar and Grill back in 1999. Annika’s background as a photographer is telling as she’s created a place where public and private come together. From wood worn floors to rusted tin ceilings, the spatial environment seems to draw patrons into frame as people get closer to their tables and the conversations at hand. A menu of beers, swedish meatballs, burgers to die for and pickled and salted treats await you.

Good World Bar and Grill :: 212.925.9975 :: 3 Orchard Street, below Canal NOW CLOSED

From my little cousin crying because he didn’t know his home phone to a number scribbled on a cocktail napkin, ten digits is a powerful sequence to have. For me, 813.920.1266 is a number ingrained in my mind. It’s my Grandma’s. She’s gone now. But I still dial it every so often. Today it reaches the Eagles Golf Club instead.

In our cell phone world, I wonder if numbers will become a lost memory as we default to our digital address books. And when we lose our phones in a cab, do we lose more than just a list of digits?!

Nature is not a place we visit on weekends. It’s not a destination that’s separate from our everyday selves. Increasingly people see nature as an essential part of who we are. We are natural when we… eat fresh from greenmarkets on Grand Street, play polo on bikes in Roosevelt Park on Chrystie Street and graffiti fauna and flora on the streets. In today’s modern world, we continually discover ways to bring nature back.

Bacaro:: 212.941.5060 :: 136 Division Street, between Ludlow and Orchard at the very south end of these streets

In a society self-absorbed in getting from point A to point B, it takes a lot to pull our attention away. 22-year-old photographer Kevin Michael Connolly travels the world documenting the stares he receives from bystanders, as a man born without legs. Connolly says, “Whether it is a glance or a neck twisting ogle, we look at that which does not seem to fit in our day to day lives. It is that one instant of unabashed curiosity – more reflex than conscious action – that makes us who we are and has been on of my goals to capture over the past year.”

therollingexhibition.com :: kevinmichaelconnolly.com

Local favorite, Barrio Chino, sits in the heart of the Lower Lower East Side. Its name (which means Chinese hood) is inspired by the neighborhood known for its immigrant heritage - where today Chinese, Latino and hipster cultures meet.

The communal interior is accented by chinoiserie decor of paper lanterns and dynastic portraiture. The menu is authentic Mexican with over 50 varieties of agave tequila meant for sipping, antojitos appetizers of tacos and one of the best guacamoles in town.

Barrio Chino :: 212.228.6710 :: 253 Broome Street, between Ludlow and Orchard

Back in October, a Lower East Sider defaced American Apparel’s infamous billboard(s) at the intersection of Allen and Houston with “Gee, I Wonder Why Women Get Raped?”

American Apparel has been a brand celebrated for its sweatshop free products. But fair wages for factory workers no longer absolves the company’s pornographic exploitation of women in media. And let’s not ignore CEO Dov Charney’s 4 sexual harassment lawsuits. 

It’s time to put on a new t-shirt… try Alternative Apparel.

Absolut Vodka returns to its legendary design innovation. In a vodka world that tries way too hard to be cool, aka Belvedere’s bourgeois hipster advertising campaign by Terry Richardson/Berlin Cameron and even TBWA’s surreal campaign ”Absolut World,” it’s refreshing that something as fundamental as hot packaging makes a serious comeback for Absolut.

The 1-liter Absolut Disco limited edition gift pack is built of exactly 1,000 reflecting prisms formed in the classic bottle shape. The Absolut Disco is a clamshell skin that opens to reveal a bottle of vodka inside. Empty the package and use as a mirror ball by hanging it from its loop.

The concept of Absolut Disco was led by the Stockholm agency Family Business.

I Love Theme Magazine. Founders John Lee and Jiae Kim are rockstars who’ve created a title poised to define the 21st century. Theme Magazine is the modern lens into Asian avant-garde… Choosing not to believe that the influence and culture of Asians is created exclusively by and for the people of Asian descent. Theme is an editorial that inculcates a global conversation for all people to contribute and celebrate.

Each issue centers around universal “themes” of our lives, and reveals how those themes are interpreted in the arts, sports, fashion, literature and all aspects of popular culture. In the last 11 issues, Theme explored Vanguards, I Live Here, Skin, Siblings, The History Of, The Word, Performance, Transplants, Nerds, Journals and Do Good.

Not to overlook, John and Jiae have sick art direction on killer paper stock. In their first year of print, Theme won Design Awards from the Society of Publication Designers and Print Magazine.

Run out to your neighborhood newsstand or subscribe to my good friends, Theme Magazine.

Justice comes in all forms… even frozen yogurt. Pinkberry may have reached The Hills on MTV, but the campaign against its fake yogurt, NOgurt, is on. The “Live & Active Cultures” seal from the National Yogurt Association guarantees a frozen yogurt to contain at least 10 million cultures per gram at the time of manufacture. Pinkberry does not have such a seal.

If authenticity is so important then where did the tart frozen yogurt craze all begin… South Korea’s Red Mango first introduced its seal-approved yogurt in 2002. 130 Korean stores later, Red Mango just launched in Los Angeles, Salt Lake City, Las Vegas and New York. 20 US locations are slated by 2008.

redmangousa.com

A continent covered by ice 14,000 feet thick… temperatures negative 76c… winds 120 mph. Trekking 745 miles from the coast of Antarctic to the South Pole has been a journey conquered by only 24 people in the world. November 28 was Day 1 for Todd Carmichael, 44, and Jason De Carteret, 41, to become the 25th and 26th adventurers to break the world record for the fastest unsupported team trek. By Day 9, Todd was solo as Jason suffered lower body injuries and was air-lifted out. 

Not only is Todd alone but his gear is limited to skiing, camping, communications and first aid kit. This human drama is being recorded by satellite tracker and blog. One thing that’s eerily personal is the primitive use of audio messages by Todd. In this day and age of sensory overload with 24/7 CNN and Second Life, it’s amazing how listening to a person’s voice alone brings you up close and personal to the experience.

subzeroexped.com

P.S. The previous world record of 45 days was set in 2004 by a 5-man South Korean team. Todd has only 40 days of food.

Tomorrow. Next time. Later. Soon. Excuses come so easily, and what happens… absolutely nothing. So what motivates a group of 20-somethings to think they can Be.The.Change for Uganda… “Never doubt that a small group of thoughtful and committed citizens can change the world. Indeed it’s the only thing that ever has,” said Margaret Mead.

Beautiful is the people who just do their thing. No thinking twice. No second guessing. I’m honored to have in my life the dreamers of Be.The.Change: Griffin. Leslie. Jordan. Bill. Cameron. Last night I attended their 2nd Annual Yuleganda Ball, a charitable celebration to further the education, mentorship and sustenance of children in Uganda. Tuition. Housing. Medical. Food. Transportation. Love. Hope. Strength. Faith. Community. Currently 11 in Ndejje Village outside of Kampala are empowered. Be.The.Change intends that the loss of one or both parents to AIDS does not stop their future as the next generation of leaders to raise Uganda up.

bethechangeuganda.com

In a society that’s more diverse, more cultured and more dynamic than ever before, it’s fundamentally important to be inclusive of all perspectives. But I wonder who in the advertising industry helps or hurts the cause.

Ask any 1st or 2nd generation immigrant in the States how they connect with their ethnic culture – Mexicans, Koreans, Romanians will say that they watch telenovelas from the “home” country. Ancestral countries still strongly define and influence perceptions. And I bet the most popular shows on Telemundo or AZN are not original programming… they’re imported from Mexico or Brazil, Korea or China.

My question then, Are American-based multicultural agencies the best qualified to produce “in-language” advertising for each respective ethnic group – if ethnicity is the most important criterion?

I think not.

1. Global agency networks with best-in-class multicultural offices/talent abroad are better suited and more authentic.

2. Import international campaigns for non-English speaking American consumers a la “Betty la fea.”

3. General agencies have a greater responsibility and role to create inclusive, respectful messages to reach acculturated minorities who speak English and consume English-language media. Simply, ethnic stereotypes perpetuated is not creative for a creative business.

P.S. Maybe GM should harness the full power of its general market agencies with global networks and drop its multicultural [in-language] agencies as was mistakenly reported before. multicultclassics.blogspot.com

To the start of a healthy conversation.

UPDATE: A complementary p.o.v. on how Theme Magazine is pushing culture forward, ludlowandgrand.com/2007/12/14/beyond-race-theme-magazine

Sometimes words alone cannot explain or express the depths of what is “cool.” But in this case the “words” are what make it cool.

Of any generation, today’s young adults understand how intimately connected the world truly is. Katrina. Asian Tsunami. Youtube’s Chocolate Rain. Ugh Facebook. Yet in the daily walk of our lives, do we truly engage our fellow pedestrians?

Thus in 2005 I discovered Danish thinker and photographer Simon Hoegsberg. Simon conducted a social experiment over the course of 3 months. He stopped 150 strangers on the streets of Copenhagen and New York, and asked them what they were thinking about the second before he stopped them. He recorded exactly what they told him and then took their picture.

The Thought Project: Life-Snaps by Simon Hoegsberg brings to life the vocal anthologies of people’s inner most thoughts, ruminations, secrets, hopes and fears. The honesty of their words is simply cool…

simonhoegsberg.com

Throughout time, counterculture has been feared, celebrated and often imitated. As technology is the new social currency of our day, geeks have risen as aspirational icons. They are geek gods, loved for their relentless pursuit to find breakthrough solutions to age-old problems. E.g. Herman Miller for Aeron Chair, Frank Gehry for Guggenheim Museum Bilbao and Nicholas Negropont for One Laptop Per Child.

In a city full of hot spots, must haves and dynamic personalities, I found all 3 at 198b Elizabeth Street. I first met the illest shoemaker, Derrick Miller of Barker Black, 2 years ago as he launched his flagship Nolita store. Since then GQ, Details, Vogue, NY Times and Esquire have all given accolades, and brother Kirk Miller has joined on from Thom Browne.

At first glance, you’ll notice the fine craftsmanship of bespoke English shoemaking. But a closer look reveals a provocative surprise. Derrick calls it “subversive sophistication.” Perforations take the shape of a skull, silverwork form tiny crossbones, neckties and pocket squares conceal a mortal theme. The gentleman returns, albeit with a Machiavellian draw.

Barker Black Ltd. :: 212.966.2166 :: 198b Elizabeth Street, between Prince and Spring

Cancer is Live Strong. AIDS is RED. Spinal Cord Injury is Superman. As opposed to earlier generations who view disease only as an end point or something to fear, people today have grown up in a culture being empowered and inspired by disease. Let’s rethink the problem-solution paradigm of pharma marketing.