Sunday June 21, 2009
Take “The Arab Bank” Challenge
As some of you know, I recently serialized a short story called “The Arab Bank” during the Cannes Film Festival, where the story is set. I mashed the whole thing up with Google Maps and Street View and some people seemed to like it. (Somebody I’d never met even interviewed me about it.) But while I was building it, I found that Google Street View does not offer a clear view of the Arab Bank or its ATM, which are crucial to the storyline. (The ATM I’m using on the ebook cover, above, is stock.)
This is where I’m hoping my ad people will help me out. I got to know Cannes in the first place because I covered the International Advertising Festival, which is taking place this week, for three years for Advertising Age—so I know that the town is about to be overrun by Web 2.0 ad types armed with iPhones. Here’s the challenge: Take a picture of the Arab Bank and/or its ATM and post it somewhere, Twitpic seems good, and tag it @jimhanas on Twitter (so I can find it.) At night would be best, given the storyline—after you leave the Carlton, say, but before you go to the Gutter Bar. (After the Gutter Bar, you will not remember to do this.)
What’s in it for you? The best picture will become the new cover of “The Arab Bank” ebook, and its author will receive a probably authentic signed copy of Luke Sullivan’s Hey Whipple, Squeeze This. (No kidding. My wife found it at a used bookstore and I believe the signature is legit.) Two runners-up—should there be more than one entrant—will receive (much less valuable) signed copies of my One Story short story “The Cryerer.” And all entrants will get to participate in this crazy new era of “two-way conversation” that you spend all day trying to sell to your clients. Am I saying you’d have to be a hypocrite to refuse “The Arab Bank” challenge? No, but that’s an interesting point.
So bring ‘em on and, please, try to get some sleep this week. The Arab Bank’s address is 44/47 Boulevard de la Croisette, which I think puts it in the same cluster of stories as Fendi, shown here:
Posted by jim at 08:55 AM || Comments
Sunday June 14, 2009
Video: “You Are Not Going to be Famous”
On November 11, 2008, the topic of Adult Education—the Brooklyn-based “useless lecture series” I help curate—was “Lies and Liars.” I tried to debunk America’s Big Lie by arguing—in part with statistics—that fame will ultimately elude us all. I’m as disappointed as you are. You can also view my previous Adult Ed talk—“On Metatourism”—from the January 2008 program.
You Are Not Going to be Famous from Jim Hanas on Vimeo.
