Turning a Passion into Action, by Kara Armano

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Everyone who knows me, knows that I love to fish and often back with words “lost my shoes“. What a lot of people don’t know is that more than anything I love to teach and share the joys of fly fishing with others, for this I always use the best fly reels under 100 which are great for fly fishing. Of course, to share my passion there needs to be wild places where the rivers run free and the fish are abundant. Those places should be celebrated and protected. I was recently moved to take action to defend and protect both my passion for fishing and wilderness when I learned that they were in danger of being compromised.

The Thompson Divide, 220,000 acres of federally owned land just outside Carbondale and Glenwood Springs, has exposed me to some of the greatest outdoor experiences of my life. The Divide includes free flowing streams that are home to native cutthroat, and vast expanses of pristine forests and meadows that are teeming with herds of elk and deer.

The future of the Thompson Divide is threatened by oil and gas development. Because the area means so much to me, I spoke up.

I’ve worked with the Sportsmen for the Thompson Divide via Trout Unlimited to express what the area means to me. I’ve supported the Thompson Divide Coalition in its effort to teach the community more about the issues.

Working at Backbone Media, it’s easy to share my passions with my colleagues. Nate, one of the partners, feels just as strongly as I do about the Divide and the hunting opportunities it provides him. But as a growing agency we have several new employees who don’t know about the local land conservation issues. So, I decided to host a get together at my house to educate people about what’s at stake, the status of the pending oil and gas leases, and how everyone can get involved.

So last night Scott Hanley from the Thompson Divide Coalition and Aaron Kindle from Trout Unlimited came to my house to lead an open discussion about the issues facing our water and land, domestically, agriculturally and recreationally. A lot of people from work showed up. All the attendees seemed moved by the discussion and asked good questions. My hope is that my passion to save this area from drilling was instilled in them and that with their support, and possible action, we can protect the Thompson Divide for future generations to experience and enjoy.

Posted in: Colorado, Environment, Fishing, Hunting, Interesting Read, Videos

Active Interest Media’s Jon Dorn talks about multi media content and remote journalism

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Here is another snippet from AIM’s Jon Dorn taken from Backbone’s Big Idea Day.

Jon speaks to the relevance of channel-specific content curation and growth of satellite technology in terms of remote (really truly remote) location journalism.

If you get mesmerized by Jon’s sunglasses tan it is because he rode his bike from Steamboat Springs to the SLC Summer OR Market with the SmartWool crew.

The SmartWool ride is a great annual event. This year’s riders including Mark Satkiewicz, Lance Armstrong, H Mavis Fitzgerald, Steve Rendle from VF, OIA’s I Ling Thompson, writer Aaron Bible, SmartWool’s Steve Metcalf, Andy Clurman and Eric Zinczenko from Active Interest Media, , Elizabeth Averbeck from SNEWS and  journalist Ben Cramer.

Cool event, terrific crew and a reminder that relationships and working with exceptional people is at the heart of active lifestyle biz.

 

 

 

Posted in: Videos

The Millennial Generation

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This summer, we tasked our intern James with exploring the “Millennial Generation.” Born approximately from 1978-1994, the millennials are the first generation to come of age in the new millennium. In 10-15 years, millennials will make up the majority spending group in the U.S. and will begin to find themselves in positions of political influence. Why should we care? What do millennials mean for your and your brand?

A millennial himself, James was well-suited to delve into the psyche of his generation. Here’s what he came up with:

 

On a completely related but way funnier note, Stephen Colbert weighed in on the Millennials last night. Check it out:

The Colbert Report Mon – Thurs 11:30pm / 10:30c
Millennial Generation Soup Campaign
www.colbertnation.com
Colbert Report Full Episodes Political Humor & Satire Blog Video Archive
Posted in: Case Study, Interesting Read, Videos

Extra Innings: Video, Print, Social

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PR is like baseball. Hours of semi mundane fundamentals that truly make up the strength of a team and then some rare and overly exciting moments that determine success or failure. At Backbone we are diligent about the fundamental and executional aspects of our job. We do our research, watch and listen, focusing on the fundamentals, all the while waiting for a chance to come up big in extra innings. It is that extra effort that makes the difference.

Here’s a quick summary of three extra innings/projects that we have been affiliated with recently that span video, print and digital.

Teresa Kellett from Sprint and Dom Sagolla from Chaotic Moon were recently featured on Fast Company’s 30 Second MBA. We all met at the GOAT, a Gathering of Artists, Athletes and Technologists in Jackson over the last few years. Fun to see their opinions on the culture of creativity.

Peter Metcalf from Black Diamond Inc. sent us an early holiday present: Utah’s Wasatch Range: Four Season Refuge. For anyone who has climbed, hiked or skied in the Wasatch this book conveys the vital nature this patchwork of public and private land has on the Greater Salt Lake area. Published by Utah based photographer Howie Garber with articles from Mayor Ralph Becker, Brooke Willams, Representative Jim Matheson and Andrew McLean, the book combines thoughtful essays on the delicate balance of the central Wasatch and the perils of loving a place to death. Don’t be fooled by the stellar wildlife photography and germane coffee table feel; a close read of the content prompted Snowbird to refuse to sell the book at their resort even though it is in the heart of Little Cottonwood canyon.

Howie Garber’s book Utah’s Wasatch Range: Four Season Refuge

With the USA Pro Cycling Challenge rolling through Aspen, Something Independent partnered with Whole Foods to interview Backbone on a Local’s Take on race day. Check it out! And congrats to Tejay who took home the stage at Crested Butte on Tuesday!

Posted in: Backbone Adventures, Biking, Interesting Read, Videos

In the House: Ashley from Orbitz

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We have lots of fun folks stopping in and out of the Backbone offices these days- our clients, their athletes, our media partners, friends, family, dogs, and a few randoms who are lost and looking for the yoga studio down the street. Our door is always open!

This week, Ashley O’Neill from Orbitz stopped by to see us and meet with our media team about Orbitz’s new design/layout and capabilities. Since we manage more than a handful of premier destinations these days, this is key info. Thanks for coming to see us in person, Ashley!

Posted in: Client News, Videos

Backbone MEDIA

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In 1997, when we started Backbone we debated to call it Backbone Media or Backbone PR. As there were only two of us and it was deadlocked we turned to mediation. For mediation we used two systems, one was the 8 Ball which we used more as a new business prognosticator. For yes/no questions we relied on the tried and true system of justice: rock, scissors, paper.

I threw scissors and won and we became Backbone Media.

Scroll forward to today and it proves that sometimes it is better to be lucky than good. The late ’90’s saw the rise of PR and now we all live in a paid/earned/owned impression format that melds social, media planning and buying and new school PR.

As barriers have broken down, connectivity has grown. This is best evidenced by the blurring of traditional media (pure editorial) and the dark side (PR) and the fact that many big brands are media companies on their own right.  Witness, JLD recently writing a piece in Backcountry magazine, Jonathan Georger sitting on a social panel for Aspen Chamber Resort Association and Nate Simmons being on Outside TV, not once but twice recently.

As Backbone’s services continue to expand there is no longer clear delineation between marketing channels. Integration and (for lack of a better word) leverage of all things marketing is the new norm. The mix now requires more quantifiable market research, app development, digital buys/optimization and of course PR.

Which is why if someone thinks you will throw rock you throw scissors.

Posted in: Making fun of the boss, Musings, NY Times, Social Media, Videos

Shake your Bootie

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This video about Teva saving a Santa Barbara Zoo penguin’s booty with a bootie, is a great feel good story (read more here).

But, you know you’ve hit YouTube gold when your video gets remixed. It’s no Double Rainbow but be forewarned, “Penguin With a Funky Shoe” is pretty damn catchy.

Posted in: Client News, Videos

First Ascent Vinson Massif shot by Kent Harvey

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We are pretty fortunate in this industry to work with a lot of very passionate and talented folks that continue to push the envelope in their respective fields.  There’s been more than one occasion that I’ll be going over athlete reports or expedition updates and have to sit back and just enjoy the amazing shots and video that are captured and appreciate the hard work and risk that went into accomplishing these feats.  This understanding takes on a different aspect when it’s your spouse that is putting himself or herself in harm’s way.  This happens to be the case with our own Amy Harvey.  Check out the latest expedition her husband Kent Harvey just completed with the First Ascent guide team in Antarctica…


Kent Harvey, director/cinematographer http://khfilms.com

Posted in: Climbing, Trip Reports, Videos \ Tagged: , ,

Contour is Cranking

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Our friends over at Contour have so much cool stuff going on these days it’s hard to keep up. First of all, they introduced the first camera to integrate HD video with GPS tracking. Now you can watch your video while tracking location, speed and altitude – cool! Just a few scant weeks later, Contour announced there was a hidden Bluetooth chip in their GPS camera that connects wirelessly to your iphone or other mobile device to create a live viewfinder for the camera. No more missed shots! This announcement garnered Contour tons of accolades at the annual Consumer Electronics Show including a CES Innovations award, a Best of CES award from CNET and a 2011 CES Hot Stuff Award from Stuff Magazine.

Along the way, Contour has also caught the attention of some big time players in the entertainment industry….like the NFL. Check out the below video of Michael Vick wearing a Contour camera during recent practice for the Pro Bowl.

But at the end of the day, what’s best about Contour cameras is their ability to capture those epic moments in your life. Even (or especially) if it’s an epic FAIL. Thanks to Holly’s bf Ryan for this little gem.

I’m glad to report that Ryan’s Contour camera survived this crash without a scratch, and Ryan’s back is feeling ok – with the help of lots of aspirin.

Posted in: Backbone Adventures, Client News, Videos \ Tagged: ,