If the world could be different in one way because you lived, how would it be different?

I’ve asked a lot of people this question lately, for two reasons. First, I think it gets at the heart of who we are as individuals – our unique visions for our lives and the world. Second, I didn’t know how I would answer my own question. I was fishing for inspiration.

I always tell people that their answer can be big or small, that it doesn’t have to be the end-all be-all of answers (after all, I’m usually ambushing them over coffee). And every answer I’ve heard has been illuminating and inspiring.

For myself, though, I’ve been trying to dig deep. I want to get down to my end-all answer, my beliefs about who I am and my place in the world.

So far, here’s what I’ve got: I would want people to dream good dreams, and to pursue them more wholeheartedly.

Our dreams are the stuff tomorrow is made from. Tell me the dreams of 1,000 passionate people and I’ll predict the future.

But most of us, most of the time, don’t value our ability to dream. We set our sights wherever our gaze happens to fall: whatever town, industry, relationship, or pursuit seems like it will make for a comfortable evening.

Life’s momentum charts our course, with comfort and security it’s usual aim. Not that this is bad. It’s just wasteful. Wasteful of the most unique gift in the universe.

Of the millions of galaxies each with millions of stars and countless planets, only here on our beautiful little rock do we know life to exist. And among the millions of species on our planet, only we have the capacity to dream the way we do: to envision something that never was and to make it real.

And if all of us, or most of us, or even just a committed few of us envisioned a world based on our common values of fairness, compassion, and respect for the earth, we could make it so.

So for 2011 I am challenging myself and you to dream better dreams, to pursue those dreams with more fire, and to support the dreams of the people around us. Because of course it’s impossible for a person to tell the future. But a few people together can dream a future that never was, and make it real.

- James Pearson 

Co-Founder Moniker

(Courtesy - www.jamesapearson.com)

It’s an almost unbearable irony that life – our most beloved property of the physical universe – came about largely through copying errors. The evolution of new species owes much of its success to our DNA’s mistakes in copying itself.

These copying errors are usually called mutations, and are typically harmful to the individual that carries them, making him less likely to survive and pass down his genes. But occasionally one of these errors will chance to improve the odds of survival for those that carry it, and will be replicated through generations, leading to new characteristics, and eventually, with enough such beneficial mutations, new types of organisms.

So when people get upset about the prospect that human beings came about by chance, it’s worth reminding them that the truth is actually somewhat worse than that. We came about by error.

Imperfection in copying, or mutation, is a fundamental necessity in evolutionary systems. And evolutionary systems are the most powerful method for organizational improvement in any system that lacks forward-looking design, and indeed in many systems that have it.

So when the countless years of nature selected an operating system for the higher functions of our brains, they selected one that was prone to error. And this has allowed our understanding of reality to evolve, much as life itself has.

Information is the coded description of reality. When we are creating perceptions, understandings, and memories, our brains are actually trying to encode aspects of reality in our neural networks, for us to use in current and future decisions. As you well know, we often don’t copy things quite right. We remembered the chair being in the opposite corner or thought that if we put this nail in first it would hold the whole structure together. But we were wrong.

And likewise our brains draw many connections between different bits of neural code (which I’ll call nemes) that turn out to be quite useless or detrimental. Many fallacies and superstitions are caused by the erroneous linkages of nemes.

Why so error-prone? Because like genes before them, nemes provide the foundation for evolutionary organization of thought. Most new ideas and insights are in fact novel combinations of things we already know. And some copying errors provide us with the spark of creativity that leads to deeper or more desirable insights than would accurate perception or memory, like when you misheard a friend’s story and it suddenly became terribly funny rather than terribly boring.

With genes, the physical environment and competing species are selective pressures, making some genes more likely than others to survive. With nemes, the the first selective pressures are the environment and competing information. The last critical selective pressure I will touch on in a moment.

Copying errors and selective pressures allow each person’s ideas to evolve over a lifetime. And through the generational passing down of education and culture, our knowledge and ideas see further evolution and longevity, and with any luck, the refinement of age.

But this demands the question: With a brain so error-prone, how do we keep from living lives even more riddled with missteps? This question will lead us all the way to the front porch of consciousness.

Forgive the simplistic strokes of my neuroscience when I submit that the human brain has several levels of functionality. First, it controls automatic body functions such as the beating of the heart and circadian rhythms of sleep. Second, it controls instinctual drives and responses – sex, aggression, fear, anger, hunger – things meant mainly to keep us and our genes alive. Both of these levels happen subconsciously.

Third, and this is where our brains begin to diverge from any other animal, our brains observe our environment and adapt our thinking and behavior to maximize our chances of survival and success. Many animals do the same, but the part of the brain responsible for this project is bigger relative the rest of our brains than in any other animal. Much bigger. This allows us to recognize patterns, engage in planning, and carry out many other unique mental operations that have allowed us to outcompete other species.

And I believe that it’s a similar mental project that makes consciousness necessary. The brain observes not only the changing circumstances of our environment, but also the error-prone processes of its own operations. In essence it conducts an ongoing audit of itself, blocking erroneous or detrimental thoughts and behaviors, and reinforcing beneficial ones.

And as with any complex system, in order to make decisions in the face of internal contradiction there must be some sort of hierarchy, some sort of central decision-making authority. Take the example of a company engaged in a self-audit. The audit team says the accounting team isn’t recording expenses properly but the accounting team disagrees. An authority figure, call her the CEO, has to step in and decide who is right and how the company in going to move forward.

A brain who’s major strength is copying errors and speculative connections, and who continually self-audits to preserve the competitiveness of the individual, likewise needs a central decision-making authority. Our brains need a CEO.

And we are it. Our consciousness, the thing we each call ‘me’ or ‘I’, is the CEO of our brain and the fourth level of functionality, the part that looks at the information available and decides which thoughts and behaviors are correct or beneficial, and which are wrong or harmful. This is the final selective pressure on nemes, our evaluation of our own ideas.

This self-audit system gives us open access to those parts of the brain prone to copying errors: the parts that perceive and remember our experiences, that divine patterns, that decide behaviors. But it does not give us access to those parts whose software is hard-wired, as it were, and so don’t accumulate copying errors in the same way: the parts that govern our heartbeat and the fight/flight reflex, for instance.

And at the intersection of those two domains, where instinct meets conscious decision, we feel tension. You’ve certainly heard the phrase, and may have used it, “I could give 100 reasons why I shouldn’t have done it, but I did it any way.” Usually this refers to an instinctual behavior overcoming the auditor, as in eating a piece of chocolate cake or having a one-night stand. Or you’ve used its converse, “I wanted it so badly, but I stood strong and walked away.” In these cases the auditor was able to outmaneuver the instinct.

So perhaps our CEO isn’t CEO after all, but more like the VP of Conscious Action, struggling to guide our lives well. And perhaps that struggle is analogous to the struggle of our age, the struggle between long-embedded and outdated systems, and a new opportunity to rethink what is possible, what is truly beneficial, and how we conscious animals ought to live.

- James Pearson 

Co-Founder Moniker

(Courtesy - www.jamesapearson.com)

Most organizations that work with displaced and impoverished women in Africa are non-profits. We chose a different tack: we decided to build a successful business in partnership with these women. Many people have asked us, ‘Why business? Why not non-profit?’ The answer is best presented in three parts: Benefits to our Ugandan Partners, Benefits to Us and other Americans, and Benefits to the World.

(This is not an argument against non-profits. They have a critical place in our world and often do work that for-profit companies simply can’t do.)

Benefits to our Ugandan Partners

We believe that structuring our work as a business is the most beneficial form for the women we work with. Here’s how.

1. Longevity: One of the greatest benefits to our Ugandan partners is that they can work with us for as long as they want. Since non-profit donors are typically most impressed by how many people you’ve helped, non-profits tend to cycle people through programs and ‘graduate’ them, usually with taining to become entrepreneurs. But relatively few people are wired to be successful entrepreneurs. How many do you know? Most people want a gainful, dependable job with opportunities to grow and advance. That’s just what our partnership offers.

2. Self-Reliance. The women we partner with provide for themselves and their families as owners of their own business. We helped them found NUPECA, an independent and self-managed cooperative, which we have since partnered with. Our partners’ sense of self-reliance is reinforced because they know that we’re not a non-profit. That rather than charity cases, they are partners in a successful business venture. To grasp the full impact of this, I often ask the following question: Would you rather your children be beneficiaries of a non-profit or successful business owners?

3. Competition. There is certainly competition in the non-profit world, but it usually falls on the managers and employees of the non-profit, almost never the beneficiaries. In our business, though, our partners stand with us in facing the competition of the marketplace in quality, design, service, etc. If either of us fails to meet competitive standards, our businesses jointly suffer. This competition offers our partners incentive to grow and learn new skills that they will apply in their homes and in all subsequent ventures that they might undertake.

Benefits to Us and other Americans

The benefits of business are not one-sided. Just as it’s beneficial for our Ugandan partners and their communities, it’s beneficial for us and our community, America.

1. Profit. The simplest form of benefit in a business is profit, and we certainly hope to make a fair amount. Ours is a family business, and the prospect of profit allows us to invest single-mindedly in our business, despite worrying economic times. We can be reasonably sure that if we work hard we will make some money, and we’ll be able to pay bills, put money away for future college tuitions, and plan retirements. Just like our Ugandan partners.

2. Ownership. From a business standpoint, ownership means that we’re responsible for the losses and gains, the debts and assets, and the legal obligations of the company. But from a more emotional viewpoint, ownership is commitment, pride, a sense of independence and accomplishment. Just as our Ugandan partners own their own business, so do we. And just as their ownership benefits their families and community, so ours benefits our family and community.

3. Retail. During the last couple years, as the recession battered small businesses everywhere, we had a few store owners tell us that if it weren’t for our products they likely would have gone out of business. They benefitted from our commitment to run a strong, competitive business.

Benefits to the World

The heading may sound bombastic, but I believe that businesses like ours hold immense potential for making the world a better place. Business, after all, is the most powerful force shaping our world. If we use it well, our impact will be enormous.

1. Connection. When you walk down the aisles of your local Walmart do you think about the people who actually assembled all those products, the people your purchase de facto connects you too? I sure don’t. And that’s a problem. Our economic ties to people across the world are some of the most powerful ties we have, but the marketplace has been designed to ignore those connections when we’re shopping. By building a business that makes those connections clear and beneficial in the marketplace, we help to shape consumer expectations and demands about how they want their purchases to influence the people they’re connected to.

3. Money and Talent. Perhaps the greatest challenge in the non-profit world is drawing investment dollars and talented individuals away from the business sector, where there is far, far more money to be made. It’s become common knowledge in recent years that an unholy percentage of Harvard graduates head straight to Wall Street out of college. Why? Despite the desire to do good, our primary drive is to provide for ourselves and our loved ones. By turning profitable business to the work of our common values we can offer top candidates and investors the best of both worlds: the opportunity for profit and the ability to make a positive difference in society.

2. Proof of Concept. Global business over the last 60 years has been a giant Race To The Bottom: lower wages, lower costs, lower standards. It’s been taken as gospel that this is the only way to succeed. Our business acts as a proof-of-concept that with new generations and new markets this is not the case, that a business built on our common values of fairness, compassion, and respect for the earth can and will succeed. Both wizened executives and young entrepreneurs can look to businesses like ours as case studies for building ethical businesses, and hopefully they’ll do it even better than us.

- James Pearson 

Co-Founder Moniker

(Courtesy Ember Arts Blog - www.emberarts.com)

You have $1,000 to give away.

In front of you are two women, both widows with families, both living in extreme poverty. If you split the money evenly between them, both will be able to feed their families until their children are grown, both will be able to afford a little bit of healthcare, but neither will be able to properly educate their families. If you give all the money to one woman, it will transform her family forever through nutrition, healthcare, and great education, but the other woman and her family will be left in extreme poverty.

What do you do?

A somewhat more complex version of this problem is faced constantly by non-profits and socially-oriented businesses. Need is great, our resources are limited. Do we spread our resources thinly across as many households as possible? Do we invest deeply in a few lucky families? Do we find some sort of middle-ground?

It’s a gut-wrenching choice. The stakes are literally life and death.

At Ember, we invest deeply in a limited number of families to catalyze transformational, generational change. This means that we work with fewer women than we could, each of those women makes more money than she otherwise would, and instead of basic improvements in nutrition and living conditions, we drive towards deep, long-lasting change, especially university education for their children.

Why? Because we believe that a Ugandan will do more for Uganda than we ever could. And if we provide a platform upon which Ugandan kids can stay healthy, get educated, access opportunity, and become successful leaders, they will transform their communities in more ways and over longer periods than we could hope to do ourselves.

Still, the choice is not easy. It means saying no to people who need and deserve our partnership, people who will go on living in extreme poverty until they find some way out of it.

But instead of watering down our impact to bring them in immediately, our goal is to grow, to work deeply with more and more families and communities, and to see, eventually, the long-term change that new local leaders will create. To help create a new community in which we are no longer needed, only loved.

- James Pearson 

Co-Founder Moniker

(Courtesy Ember Arts Blog - www.emberarts.com)

There was a recently posted article in the New York Times and the gist is this,

A thin line separates the temperament of a promising entrepreneur from a person who could use, as they say in psychiatry, a little help. Academics and hiring consultants say that many successful entrepreneurs have qualities and quirks that, if poured into their psyches in greater ratios, would qualify as full-on mental illness. 

While I agree that entrepreneurs sometimes have some marbles loose, I also know some incredibly level-headed business minds that have built good strong companies. 

I’m finding the real truth in doing work that matters is not insanity (although it may help) but rather a formation of goals that you are set on achieving. 

There’s no doubt, if you’re building a start-up (or doing anything that’s worth-doing) it may well make you go crazy, but before you take that plunge - ask yourself what you want to be, what you want to have, and what you want to do. 

Before needing to be manic, a college graduate, or know the best business tactics; you need to decide what your purpose and success is - when you’re a person with a purpose, you’ll be unstoppable. 

No one is born to be remarkable, or born an entrepreneur. It’s your choice to be outstanding and do work that matters. 

You don’t need permission from evolution, teachers, parents, bosses - the rule is simple, you do it now.

http://www.cameronwoodward.com/post/1312349368/no-rules-not-even-biology

Cameron Woodward - Co Founder

We live in a world of innumerable paths.

All of us have an amount of freedom and potential to decide upon a goal and achieve it. Disney put it best, “If you can dream it, you can do it.”

However, it seems that most of us take action based on cultural and logical considerations that we should take-on particular interests and then consequently take interest in them. 

The more I study about extraordinary people of history; the more I see that they typically acted outside of what was expected and instead focused on what burned inside of them. Call it passion, a vital force, heart - whatever it is, they choose a path and cared only for that one. 

It feels safe and comfortable to go with the flow of culture; to float along and wait for opportunity - nothing could be more wasteful. It is, and has always been the people who find their own opportunity and act out of conviction who bring about the greatest amount of change.  

http://www.cameronwoodward.com/post/1112778441/dont-float

Cameron Woodward - Co Founder

Moniker Group sent out a bunch of invitations to friends that run social brands asking if they would join us for a weekend of collaboration, inspiration, and fun at an amazing beach hotel in Los Angeles.

They came.

Temple Bags, Keza, TOMS Shoes, Ember Arts, Della, Sseko Designs, Krochet Kids, and Falling Whistles all joined together under one roof and discussed what it means to leverage social business to break further into the retail marketplace.

It was a fantastic weekend, one that we are unlikely to forget – it was a massive learning experience, and we left the weekend inspired by the experience and passion of the entrepreneurs that made the weekend what it was.

Nothing is more refreshing than to meet individuals who are challenging cultural norms. People who wake up daily and ask, ‘how can I change the world today?’ 

Tech nerds. Business Suits. Marketing Wiz Kids. Visionaries. 

It’s amazing how it inspires and pushes to be surrounded by movers.

www.mnkrwknd.com

Photos - Moniker Weekend

We had some great support for Moniker Weekend including the fine folks over at Project 7. They provided us with enough water, gum, and mints to make sure everyone was hydrated and had some great breath. Not only do they produce a great product but ever ounce of water you drink and piece of gum you chew helps to provide for people in need. If you haven’t yet make sure you check out their mission at www.project7.com and if you see their product in your local market pick up an item or two, it will change the world…no really. 

Moniker Weekend is an intimate gathering of leaders, a space for unorthadox and productive collaboration.

This coming weekend we are inviting together a small community of pioneers bringing story and purpose to the retail market

We are really excited to have guests from great companies such as TOMS Shoes, Krochet Kids, Ember Arts, Keza, Temple Bags, Falling Whistles and more.

Stay tuned for thoughts, insight, photos, videos, and other cool stuff from Moniker Weekend. 

As part of the Moniker group the elements team designs and builds interactive features for event and conference space. Take a look at some of their recent projects.

Hilarious, but the story of our lives right? We get ready, put everything we have into something, and totally fall short. The key though, and what seperates you from the crowd isn’t whether or not you made the jump it’s whether you got back up after you hit the floor and went for it again.

Ryan Sisson - Co Founder Moniker

5 reasons I want the Saddle Back Leather lap top bag

1. I “need” a new leather computer bag and this is one of the best I have found

http://www.saddlebackleather.com/categories/87-Laptop-Sleeve/products/1685-Leather-Laptop-Sleeve-Dark-Tobacco-Brown

2. No one I know has one

3. The owner of the company is clearly a really cool person. I don’t actually know him but to put FAQ’s on your website like these you have to be legit

Where can I see one of the bags in person?

I don’t have any of the items in stores and we’re not big fans of folks coming to our home in San Antonio because of the weirdo factor. My sister, Patricia and her husband (my Chess and Scrabble nemesis), send out the leather from their place near Ft. Worth, Texas, but again, because of the weirdo factor they’re not set up to show either. If it helps, everyone tells me that they look better in person.

Are some scars more valuable, or sought after than others ?

YES, Absolutely ! For example, some of our products have pigskin interiors which generally have a smooth, higher finished quality however, sometimes one of these pieces will have a scrape or scar-type marking on it these are, in fact, scars associated with the sex life of the pig. More than most other animals, the pig is known for its violent mating behaviors it is aggressive, selfish, and, generally demeaning to its female partner the male pig bites, scratches, gouges, and anything else he can think of to have his way (in some rare cases pigs have been known to use other strategies, like cleaning the pigpen, bringing flowers, showing kindness to her relatives, etc,) thus, many female pigs, at least the desireable ones, are pretty scarred-up. In the pig culture, this is a sign of status, and in pig libraries you can find alot about this under ‘pigskin erotica’. Now, back to the point of your question : the best hides for our purposes (i.e. creating the best leather bag possible) are the female pig hides (girls just have better skin) and, so, our pigskin products will sometimes have various scarring patterns. We refer to these as ‘love scars’.

Does the same type of scarring occur with the cowhide products ?

No, except in cases of what we call “Bad Cow Disease”…most of the time cows are docile, polite, and caring in their mating behaviors.

Are the animals tortured before they are slaughtered?

Absolutely not ! With some pigs we do use waterboarding and sensory deprivation techniques previous to slaughtering them, but the cows do not require any special handling.

4. Upon further review of their site I came to find that the owner and his wife support multiple NGO’s and ministries including Gospel For Asia and Mercy Ships.

http://www.saddlebackleather.com/12-dave-s-links

Now this is a company I would be proud to support.

As for the 5th reason, well it’s really simple, customer service. The other day I wrote in a general inquiry using the submission form on their website. For as awesome as I thought they were already I really didn’t expect a reply back. For one, no one ever replies back so I am kind of jaded by submission forms on websites. Secondly I wasn’t even buying anything! I was simply saying that I thought they were cool and I hoped to buy a product of their someday. But to my surprise not only did I get an email back (2 hours later mind you) but they took the time to ask me questions and tell me that if I needed to they sell “seconds” on Ebay. There was no sales pitch, no long list of reasons why they were so much better than anyone else. Nope they simply said thanks, told me that they hoped I would be a customer, engaged in a conversation by asking me questions, and then offer more information if I wanted as well as a place where I could by their bags not at full price.

So anyway as if I wasn’t sold before I am definitely sold now. I could only hope that a few more business would take to this kind of customer service. I’ll keep you posted on when I get one or of course if I find any more reasons why I have to have one.

www.saddlebackleather.com

Ryan Sisson - Co Founder Moniker

I’ve found that when I settle upon an idea that I find to be interesting it consumes me- and, after hours of construction I convince myself that the thought is the most correct.

I’ve been working on my first start-up, Swapdoodles, for about 6 months – the concept is that if you send in a…

Cameron Woodward - Co Founder Moniker

If an entrepreneur is convinced that she is the greatest world-changing practitioner and feeds her ego beyond reality - sinker.

The folks who lack the confidence to dream are held back from executing the campaigns that win them massive gains - sunk.

Both attitudes are the result of fear, and…

Cameron Woodward - Co Founder Moniker

How people hurt themselves in their own self-interest

The classical free market economics story runs like this:

Premise A: People only act in their self-interest.
Premise B: People often eat fast food.
Therefore: Fast food is often in people’s self-interest.

And there are situations when fast food is in a person’s self-interest. But eating it daily for lunch is not one of them. Nor is continuing to eat it after it has contributed to a person’s obesity. But still people eat it. And eat it. And eat it. Why?

The answer, I believe, can be summarized in a single-word revision to Premise A above: “People only act in their own felt self-interest.” The implication is clear - people are sometimes wrong about what is good for them.

A reasonable assessment of the decision to eat or not eat fast food at any given time might look something like this.

Pros: It’s cheap, it’s fast, it tastes good, it fills you up.
Cons: It lacks many key nutrients, it causes a dangerous glycemic response, it leads to obesity and it’s associated illnesses, it increases the risk of diabetes, it leads to inflated costs in the healthcare system, it contributes to the homogenization of the food industry.

Looking at this list, you might again question why people eat fast food at all. I’ll offer two reasons.

First, this list only includes conscious, rational decision points, while subconscious, extra-rational decision factors are also at play. In this case, two subconscious factors weight heavily on the positive side.

1. Instinctual Desires: our bodies evolved to crave fat and sugar, since they are calorie-dense and rare in nature, but they are abundant at McDonald’s - two patties worth of one and a super-sized cup of the other.
2. Marketing Impressions: advertising seeks to associate images or feelings with certain brands or products, and fast food has benefited as much from advertising as any industry. When we step up to that counter, we’re not just buying a burger; we’re buying a feeling that was seeded there by months of careful marketing.

Socially Proactive Business, noun: A business whose success is directly and inextricably tied to the alleviation of a social ill, and/or the continued improvement of that societal cirumstance.

Sample Usage: As more and more customers buy jewelry from the Socially Proactive Business “Acholi Beads”, the company has to buy more beads from war affected women in Uganda at fair trade prices, so more families escape poverty.

James Pearson - Co Founder Moniker
www.jamestravels.com

Back at Catalyst in 2011 we planned and hosted what we call an Art Of War. We brought in 4 teams from Southern California to battle it out over the common theme of Take Courage. Each team had to incorporate the theme and cardboard into their build but after that the sky was the limit. The Moniker team also built a rotating Catalyst logo on top of a branded 8’ pillar. Another successful Catalyst build

(Photo: Bobby Earle - http://bobbyearle.com)

One of the best parts about our work is just being able to have a role in creating these awesome events. Recently we were able to work again with a non-profit group called Not For Sale. We previously worked with them on their annual awareness event called the Global Forum On Human Trafficking (http://www.monikerelements.com/post/1359568956/global-forum-on-human-trafficking). The Montara Circle was a lot different though. Rather than being open to anyone who wanted to learn how they can play in the Not For Sale movement, MC was about bringing together the top influencers in the Not For Sale circle for a one day event to create a sustainable way to fight trafficking in Peru. It was an amazing event to be a part of and to be able to watch ideas turn into tangible ways to fight trafficking. The Moniker team provided custom centerpieces, stage sign, large scale photo prints, outdoor sign, video interview backdrop as well as a live interactive art piece but Moniker designer Jon Allen.

Photos: Bobby Earle - www.bobbyearle.com

Photos: Bobby Earle - www.bobbyearle.com

(Photo: D. Park Photography www.dparkphotography.com)

Lumen was really the first time that the Moniker Elements team ever worked an event. Of course at that time we were not even officially Moniker yet however we were able to add some really great experience design to the first Lumen event. This year we were asked again to bring some interactive design elements to the space and help create an atmosphere that engaged guests with the Lumen brand and helped to inspire their creativity. Can’t believe it’s been a year already!

(Photos: D. Park Photography www.dparkphotography.com)

freedomandfashion:

There’s a lot of work that goes on during the day of a fashion show, A LOT of construction. After all, we can’t have a fashion show without some form of runway. Our friends, Moniker Elements, designed our runway and stage. We told them we wanted the color red in the fashion show because it…

(Photo: Hannah Ghim)

This last weekend Moniker had the opportunity to work with the team from Freedom And Fashion. They are an amazing organization that works to showcase retail brands that are not only designing and creating great clothes but are also using their brand to affect positive change in the world. Their annual fashion show not only gives these brands a platform to showcase their designs but it is also a major fundraising event for the Freedom and Fashion organization. This year was once again a huge success having sold out the show with more than a thousand guests. Moniker was able to help in the overall design of the event as well as build out a custom 2 piece runway and stage sign that displayed the Freedom and Fashion brand. 

You can learn more about Freedom and Fashion @ www.freedomandfashion.com

Photos from Freedom and Fashion

Photographer - Hannah Ghim

Not For Sale is an organization that “equips and mobilizes Smart Activists to deploy innovative solutions to re-abolish slavery in their own backyards and across the globe.”  Moniker worked with the NFS team to move the event from a conference to an experience. The elements team created interactive points for the conference guests such as a entry way photo experience, live art mural take away, 6 foot by 8 foot photo walls as well as stage pieces that surounded the speakers with the Global Forum On Human Trafficking & Not For Sale brand. It was a great event to be a part of, check out some of photos of the event.

Photos from Global Forum On Human Trafficking

Live art mural at Global Forum

Global Forum On Human Trafficking - “Build Out & Set Up”

Photos By Teal Landstedt (www.tealephotography.net)

When Acholi Beads was ready to launch their re-branding to Ember Arts they reached out to the elements team to help create a space that would showcase not only the new branding but also the new Ember Arts product lines. The project included a custom built back lit Ember Arts sign as well as jewelry display cases and a temporary wall to showcase a photographic story of the woman that Ember Arts provides jobs for. The event was a huge success and great opportunity for Moniker|elements to step outside the conference space. 

Photos - Ember Arts launch party

It was the annual “Stylish Spaces” Interior/Exterior Design show, and Dunn Edwards Paint was the oficial paint sponsor.  We were asked to give their space elements an added appeal, which consisted of two separate design elements:  A creative color pallet display to backdrop their main booth, and a live art “Paint By Letters” interactive two - panel piece for attendees to get involved with.

The Color Pallet backdrop consisted on 12 in by 12 in canvases painted with a wide variety of colors selected from the company’s full color inventory, and was sorted in a natural blend, reminiscent of a blended rainbow. The canvases themselves were arranged on a 4 panel by 15 panel grid, as well as placed at three different levels, emulating a terrain of different depths.  The full grid was hung for all to see, made to fit as an eye-catching focal point to the area, drawing eyes to the Dunn-Edwards booth.  

The Interactive Paint display was meant to be a means for attendees to physically try out the paints that Dunn Edwards has to offer, paired with the fun interactive experience of being part of a collective mural piece that would be donated to charity.  There were two 4 ft by 9 ft panels, build to be free standing, stretched over by canvas.  The first panel was a traced out mural piece of a tropical beach scene, with palm trees and beach sand over-looking a sunset, making for an easy way to include as many colors as possible into one scene.  

This is what the attendees painted, following the letters indicated matching the colors provided.  The Second panel was a blank canvas in which a professional artist was hired to paint a custom mural that matched the color pallet of the first piece.  This was very good draw for attendees to try out Dunn Edwards paint, and be able to ask any questions they may have on the spot, as they paint.

The event was a great experience, having the top premier design companies showcasing their latest catalogs and displays, ranging from private design companies to outdoor barbeque taste-testings.  The event was two days long, and the interactions had a very great response.

The theme for Ideation was “Love Human Do Good.” The event served as a way for leaders of business, churches, and non-profits to learn, talk, and share with each other.

The Moniker|elements team was brought on board to not only create an interactive space but also to help design a floor plan in the main session that would create an environment conducive to conversation and collaboration. We started by removing half the chairs of what would be needed and filling the space with lounge furniture and tables. Next we worked with Fuller Street Productions to come up with a stage design that was anything but a typical. The solution was to create an exclamation mark stage that matched the logo of Ideation and also brought the speaker in to the audience. 

Each of these elements within the space broke down the typical conference feel and opened up the guests to a new look and feel from what they are used to. The outcome was a lot more casual and comfortable space that not only served for great teaching but for terrific connecting as well.

Outside the main space Moniker worked to design a space that allowed guests to interact with speakers through custom bio boards, connect with each other through a public message board, have some fun in the LED room, and experience the Ideation brand through the back lit entryway sign.

www.ideationconference.com

Photos - Design/Build for Ideation conference 2010

Photos - The making of Ideation 

One of Moniker’s great friends and hero’s is the legendary Mr. Bob Goff. Among the many things he does for others is an organization he started called Restore International (www.restoreinternational.org). Here on a recent trip to Uganda Bob brought surfing (being from San Diego and all) to a land locked country. Although the kids had an amazing time I’m not sure anyone had more fun than Bob.

Produced By: Moniker Productions

Shot and Edited By: James Pearson

Meaning “dialogue” in Bengali, Shonglap is a one-year program that educates and empowers adolescent girls in rural Bangladesh to become respected and productive members of society. Because Bangladesh is such an impoverished country, girls may be considered to be an economic burden to their parents, who are often unable to provide for their family. Few girls in rural Bangladesh complete primary school, and most are unable to find any form of employment. As a result, many girls are forced into situations of trafficking and early marriage. In fact, it is not uncommon for girls as young as 12 or 13 to be married to much older men. When girls become pregnant at such a young age, there are serious, and often life-threatening health consequences for both mother and child.

Shonglap was created to challenge the perception that girls are an economic burden and to teach them ways to combat the negative consequences of poverty and oppressive cultural practices. By providing girls with a basic education, life skills, job skills and a small business loan, Shonglap is empowering girls to overcome these challenges and take control of their lives.  Shonglap creates what we like to call “the ripple effect,” where girls share what they have learned through the program with their family and friends. Through education, empowerment and entrepreneurship, girls are raising their status in society and are becoming valued and respected members of their families and communities. Over 40,000 adolescent girls have completed the program since it was started in 2006. For just $120, or $10/month, you can provide the opportunity for a girl in rural Bangladesh to receive education and empowerment that will enable her to stand up for her rights and pursue her dreams.

Produced By: Moniker Productions

Shot By: Michelle Larson & Jon Smith

Animations By: Jon Smith

Editied By: Austin Flack

The Shonglap program promotes entrepreneurship through providing small loans upon completion of the program. Here is the story of Reshma a Shonglap student turned busines owner and teacher

Produced By: Moniker Productions

Shot By: Michelle Larson & Jon Smith

Edited By: Austin Flack

Launch party for Active Ride Shop’s new social retail space, “The Workshop”. Put on by SEWcreative, featuring Toms Shoes, OBEY, Falling Whistles, and Krochet Kids. 

Shot and Edited by Austin Flack

Produced by Moniker Productions

Music: “Something Good Can Work” by the Two Door Cinema Club

activerideshopwnp.com
wearesewcreative.com
fallingwhistles.com
krochetkids.org
obeyclothing.com/#/awareness/
toms.com
monikergroup.com
twodoorcinemaclub.com

Trailer for the documentary film “Listen: A New African Narrative”, which profiles 5 African leaders who are tackling development issues in their own communities through hard work and persistent prayer.

Produced by Pray With Africa praywithafrica.com

Directed by Austin Flack austinflack.com

This video for Hastens on Beverly features several Hastens world class beds including the 2000T, Excelsior, Luxuria, Citation and Marquis, showcasing the beautiful Hastens showroom located at 8827 Beverly Blvd., West Hollywood, CA 90048. (310) 858-1204

The video production features Jeff Braine and David Magidoff, directed by Austin Flack, with music production by Jan Stolpe.

This video was produced my Moniker for the Pepsi Refresh Campaign as a submission for one of Moniker Groups incubator businesses, SwapDoodles.

Shot and edited by Andrea Nakhla

Produced Moniker Productions

These days kids don’t have art classes and notes are taken on computers instead of note-books. The doodles in the margins are dying. Remember those monsters on your math notes? They’re going the way of the dodo. 

We’re avenging analog with the renewal of the doodle. Send us a doodle you drew and we’ll send you a doodle you didn’t, a doodle someone else drew, from somewhere else entirely. And we’ll send your doodle to someone, too. It might end up on a fridge in Wisconsin, folded in a notebook in Nevada, taped to a dorm room wall in North Carolina. Most likely it won’t end up any of those places, but it will end up somewhere and someone will love it or hate it, and in a simple, physical, doodley way, they’ll know something important about you, like whether you can draw proportionate stick figures. 

So draw a connection. 

For more on SwapDoodles visit www.swapdoodles.com