These past weeks have been very exciting. A few months ago I started looking for new opportunities when we decided to close ChefValet.me.
Since then, I’ve been very busy looking for my next gig. The cliché turned out to be true: It’s a job looking for a job. Lots of networking, careful tracking of the companies I was pursuing and an extensive overall of all my career related materials and communications.
I’m very grateful for all the doors that have opened during this process. The fact that more doors have opened than those which have closed is very motivating.
With a lot of excitement I’m happy to announce that I’m joining the Turner family, more specifically, the CNN.com Strategy / Business Operations group. This is an excellent opportunity to continue my career in digital media in one of the top news websites in the world. More importantly, with a very impressive team of people from whom I hope to learn many things and share many successes. I’m glad that this position will allow me to work with all the different teams on CNN.com and collaborate with them to improve specific areas of the site.
I’m also very grateful to all who have helped me achieve this. Everyone who provided me with ideas, feedback and connections. Duke University provided a career coach, Kalpana Murthy, to advice me through the process. As someone who isn’t experienced in looking for a job, this was very helpful and Kalpana provided me with very professional and practical feedback that made my search much more efficient and productive.
I also want to thank those with whom I’ve shared a wonderful career and collected amazing memories. Specially to everyone at El Universal and INNOVATION, where the bulk of my career to date has taken place.
Last but not least, I’m incredibly grateful to my friends and family for their support, in particular for Elizabeth’s patience and relentless support. She had to bear the most difficult parts, from the long trips abroad while consulting to the tight economic times while bootstrapping Chef Valet. This is as much her achievement as it is mine.
I wish you all the best and hope to stay in touch during this part of the journey.
Onwards…
I went to Caracas for a few days of intense work with El Universal. Mostly I was at the Upfront sale for 2009 advertising space, where they exhibited a video starring me. Also got to work on other aspects of my project and see part of the family.
At El Universal’s Upfront sale event
More work with El Universal
I was invited to the Advisory Board of Full Sail University in Orlando. I’m incredibly impressed with this university. There is nothing like it in the US and maybe even the world. There may be equivalent or better facilities in other universities or training centers but none that encompasses so many disciplines and with such cutting edge level.
Just to give you an idea of the progressiveness of this school, EVERY student gets a pre-loaded Mac Book Pro when they enter.
Here is a video tour:
[flv:/video/FullSail-S.flv 480 360]
Here are some pictures from my trip. Makes you want to go back to school!!
Full Sail are incredible hosts, they put me at the Grand Bohemian Hotel, which is recognized not only by the celebrities that stay there but by the incredible art collection. It even has a gallery inside the hotel.
Amanda Watlington and Nell Thompson at the welcome dinner
More industry experts and Full Sail staff at the dinner. Al (to the left) has more than 30 years as a music industry lawyer.
Very good Surf & Turf
With my friend Luis Emiro Garcia
Tim thought it was unfair that I never appear in the pictures
Luis Emiro at the dinner
Venezuelan artist Marianne Lerbs was coincidentally exhibited at the floor I stayed in at the Grand Bohemian
My place at the board room
They gave us a tour of the facilities, this is a shot at a class on Computer Animation theory
Electric cars to go around campus
One of the computer animation labs. This one is in session and is all Mac based. They are learning Shake now.
The studio backlot
The students build their own sets and record their own programs
Broadcast quality High Definition production studio.
Music recording class in session with a Grammy award winning professor
Theater for surround sound mixing and video editing on a large scale.
Green screen studio
Motion Capture studio. The red spots (lights) are actually infrared cameras to capture the actor’s movements
The Backlot has its own Jumbotron to exhibit studen’ts work, play movies, concerts and internal messages.
Everyone’s office at Full Sail is a collection of memorabilia, toys and interesting stuff. This is Nell Thompson’s collection.
