It’s official! Lindsay Siegel is now Lindsay Siegel Beckman, aka Lindsay Beckman! We had an amazing wedding about 11 days ago in beautiful Carefree, Arizona. Marrying the man of my dreams with all my friends and family there to witness it. We had about 80 guest fly in from all around the country for a Wild West Wedding Weekend!

Stoke Interactive handled all the wedding details including invitations, welcome bags/flyers, website, chuppah (hand built), katubah, signs, menus, table setting cards and numbers and much, much more. The theme was “rustic elegant” and I must say, it worked! We kept the colors simple, playing off the natural beauty of the Carefree Resorts’ environment.

My gown was a Vera Wang and had matching shoes and lace fingerless gloves. It was a hit!

I am so beyond excited to have married the man of my dreams. I am so honored to have everyone there by my side. It was simply, a dream come true.

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It’s my last night in San Francisco. I’m sitting here in my empty apartment, white walls and boxed up things and thinking about how I came to this city 10 years ago, a lost and reckless 20 year old with nothing to my name but some hope. I had no friends and barely the support of my family but I knew this city would change me into a women that I wanted to be. I always knew I wanted to live in San Francisco. We came out here which I was just a kid and as we walked down the streets I would point up at The Academy of Art and say, “I’m gonna go there.” I always idolized any and everything that came from the Bay Area. I grew up on the art of The Fillmore posters and spent every waking minute listening underground punk bands from The Bay, I knew if these great things came from that place, then I need to be there. And so I did.

A decade ago, I was at a crossroads in my life and had to choose what was to become of me. I knew if I kept up my lifestyle, I wouldn’t live much longer. So I packed my bags and moved to SF. I enrolled in the Academy of Art and went to see bands play at Gilman. It was everything I thought it would be. I had no idea, that it would go beyond the stuff that brought me here. During my first few years I got really sick, to the point where the nurses at the ER knew me by name. I had an illness that the doctors had never seen, and to the day I am undiagnosed. What I can say is that it was scary. The doctors made it clear that they had never seen this before, and therefore could not tell me what would happen the next week. It was a “one-day-at-a-time” 3 year stretch. I had new symptoms ranging from swollen muscles and joints to ulcered, black fingers where the skin was falling off the bone. I spent more time in the hospital than I did at home. But I kept on working, and never missed a class. I was sick, but had my distraction in the form of art. After 3 years of 30 pills a day treatments, tubes coming out of my stomach and being prescribed the most ironic medications (narcotics, injection only medications, methadone…), I began to get better. For awhile, I was in danger of losing my fingers, which made me appreciate them even more. I knew I couldn’t make art without my fingers, and that was enough to make me keep on pushing forward. I had hope.

After working harder at college than I had ever worked before, I got my first internship at my dream job, Bill Ghrahm Presents, where I got to make my own posters for The Fillmore. The child inside of me wouldn’t have believed it, but there I was living out my dreams, one at a time. Upon graduating I was offered an opportunity at the biggest advertising agency in the city: Goodby, Silverstein & Partners. I sent them my book while holding my breath and a few weeks later I had my own desk. I felt lost in a sea of amazingly talented people, which also made me feel honored. The best part of my years at Goodby, was working one on one with Jeff Goodby. Jeff was a idol to the kids at the Academy, the teachers always referenced him and I was well aware of how monumental of a person he is. I’ve never met such a humble, caring, genuine person than Jeff Goodby. It was a highlight in my life, for sure.

My heart lays in changing the world. I see things, and see how they could be better. I do this with my work, my relationships and wardrobe. I see how a website could be better, and I make it just like I see how I could be a better daughter, and I strive for it.  After I left GSP, I went onto Pereira & O’Dell, which helped me understand even more how to work with people to bring their visions to life. I’ve taken this idea and applied it to bettering the world. And that’s where Stoke Interactive comes in. If I can take this idea that people actually want to know about facts and statistics because they can make their own judged decisions. I want to be able to be that bridge from the idea to the people, by using today’s technology in addition to beautifully designed web content.

I’m leaving this city with an amazing new adventure at hand. I’m excited to get away from the hustle and bustle of the city life, and slow it down a notch to fully focus on my company, Stoke. I couldn’t be more excited. I can truly say, that I am proud of myself. I have come a long way, and grown a great deal here in San Francisco. I was lucky enough to meet the man of my dreams, Craig who’s helping me along the way and opened my eyes to life from his point of view while building my own. He has been my rock, and now we will travel together for the rest of our lives, looking for new journeys.
I know about real friendship, and who I am as a person. I am who I am, and I’ve made it through a shit storm to be here. I can only imagine what the next 10 years will hold. If I don’t answer your email right away, it’s because I’m on horseback, galloping through the mountains and trying to hide from the blistering sun of Arizona.

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Recently, I had the chance to develop the landing page experience for Skype at Pereira O’Dell. (The interm landing page is gone now, but it is now a full site, which is amazing! made by a vendor of Pereira & O’Dell). I also did the digital bus ads being displayed in London as I type. It’s a great campaign the team came up with, bringing the humanity back to being social. In a world of typing, it’s nice to think about human interaction again. Welcome back to the world!

From Mashable:

Technology is changing the way people think and operate, but is it also degrading humanity?

That’s the premise behind Skype’s new $12 million marketing campaign, which slams both Facebook and Twitter as it promotes its own more-intimate form of keeping in touch.

The campaign, “It’s time for Skype,” makes virtual enemies out of Facebook and Twitter with targeted ads that suggest the social networking sites are “degrading humanity.” If Twitter is known for its 140-character limit and Facebook for its wall posts, Skype’s authority is that its video conferencing — and the real emotions that it can express — bring people back to a (more) real world.

The ads, released in the U.K. on April 2 and expected to hit the U.S. in the coming months, include the following catchphrases:

“When did LOL replace the sound of laughter?”
“When did it become okay to text mum happy birthday?”
“Humans were made to look, listen and feel.”
“140 characters doesn’t equal staying in touch.”
“Your one-way ticket back to humanity.”
“Upgrade from a wall post to a first class conversation.”
“No delays on human conversation.”

The ads have a bold look as well, with “It’s time for Skype,” featured below the slogan:

Photo courtesy of Adweek

To be sure, the frustration — and divide — between the digital world and the real world is becoming increasingly important, with many people experimenting quitting Facebook and others challenging themselves to abstain from social media altogether. Even fake Twitter accounts have popped up poking fun at what it means to be connected versus disconnected in today’s world.

In that respect, Skype’s new campaign could be an abrasive wake-up call to connected users everywhere to get offline and go out into the real world more — that is, if the campaign, and Skype’s usability itself, weren’t fleshed with irony. At the same time Skype targets Facebook and Twitter with these ads, it’s using both social networking sites to promote its own use.

Skype has an integration feature that allows Facebook users to utilize the world’s largest social networking site to make video calls. Meanwhile, as part of the “It’s Time for Skype” social media campaign — which most companies have realized is a important facet of marketing these days — the hashtag #timeforskype will be used on Twitter to promote Skype and its products.

We also can’t forget the obvious: While video conferencing does allow for face-to-face interaction, it doesn’t take place in the physical world. Skype, like both Facebook and Twitter, is a virtual platform.

What do you think of Skype’s new marketing campaign? Is it really bringing people back to humanity, or is it just bullying Facebook and Twitter? Sound off in the comments.

Photo courtesy Skype

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Check out the lastest launch of Stoke Interactive. We have some amazing projects we’re working really hard on right now and can’t wait to share! We’re waiting until the sites launch to launch the work section of our site, so stay tuned!

Are you a freelancer looking for some cool work? We’re looking for the following roles to fill for an BIG upcoming project

• Designer

• Back end developer

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I had a lot of fun designing and developing this site for podConnect, a sub division of Pereira O’Dell focusing on consulting for social media. I post new information daily, as well as maintain the Facebook fan page and the Twitter account.

The best thing about maintaining this blog is staying in the know. By having followers who are looking for the latest news in technology, social media and advertising I have to stay on my toes. You can also find the Startup Spotlight section where my co-worker, Lorin Suslow, and I have the opportunity to interview the CEO’s and founders of tech startups that are relevant to advertising.

Keeping with the theme of the already designed podConnect logo, we based the site on the style and brought the ideas to life.

Check it out here, and follow/like us to say up-to-date at all times of the day!

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Friends,

At this time of year I, like most others, begin to reflect on what I did and didn’t do over the past 12 months. I start to separate the “good” from the “bad” in my head as I give myself my yearly review. I stopped making (and breaking) News Years Resolutions a long time ago, even though in the back of my mind I make “quiet lists” or goals, if you will. I evaluate how I performed over the past year. How did I do? Did I help anyone? Did I reach my goals from a year ago? And this, my friends, is how I find my strength and direction.

I’ve had so many people over the years ask me, “How are you so strong?” or “How did you make it here?” Answer: I make goals. I have yearly weekly, monthly, yearly, and life long goal lists. The life goal list is the fun one which includes my favorite bullet point: a ranch in the wild, among other wishes and dreams (3 horses, kids, visit Africa). I know one day they will come true. I don’t always reach every goal I set, or else I would really be Wonder Woman, but I like having things to strive towards. It’s the most rewarding feeling when I do reach them though, and I hold onto that until I reach the next one.

photo by Craig Beckman

2011 was a big year for transformation, change, and reflection. The people I have met this year have changed me for life. 2011 really picked up around mid year when I was invited to attend The Summit Series at Sea, with 1000 other entrepreneurs. The 4 day adventure was beyond eye-opening. I had never been surrounded by people who live to reach goals, just like me. They have dreams that other people might think are impossible, but they are willing to try it out, and in most cases prove them wrong. If we fail, we learn and try again. My life was forever changed after that.

After Summit, many doors began to open. I had freelance projects coming in left and right, in addition to happy hours to attend, emails to respond to, meetings to run to, new friends to get to know, old friends to keep up with and so on. It was busy. Busy good though. There’s so many people doing so many amazing things. Just as hard as I worked this year with Nut-rients, I can see all these amazing people doing some astonishing things. As I look forward, I’m excited to figure out a new mission. I dream of helping young women one day. I want to help them understand their strength, their options, and find their happiness Too many women are in pain in America and I’d love to help them see things in a different light. I’ve been there, and I’ll never forget. I hope to use my own story to help others. This is one of my goals for 2012.

I began to open up first this year, with the help of fellow Summit Series companion and dear friend, MeiMei Fox. I opened up for the first time to MeiMei after she asked to feature me in an article for the Huffington Post. It was quite the honor. It was also quite difficult as MeiMei helped me for the first time, tell the world about the skeletons in my closet. I have had quite the journey to get where I am today, but like I mentioned before I owe it all to my strength to want to achieve goals. I will forever be grateful for MeiMei’s muscle to encourage me to publish the story, for her wanting to write it and for her warmth and sincereness while I told her my story.

Around that time I decided to leave my job at Goodby, Silverstein & Partners. I am forever grateful of the amazing time I spent there. For over three and a half years I poured my heart into that agency. I love the people that work there, the smart creative work they produce, and of course having had the chance to work and get to know Jeff Goodby himself. It was an honor. Leaving GSP was one of the hardest decisions I’ve had a to make in a long time. I knew though, I wanted something different. I want to grow. So I took the job as a Creative Technologist at a smaller agency called Pereira O’Dell. I couldn’t be happier with my new position. I have that list of goals in my back pocket, but this time the goals aren’t just about me; they’re about the agency too.

I’m feel so lucky to have the people in my life that I do. My fiancé, best friends, and my family and acquaintances. My co-workers, new and old – you have stuck by me, and as they know they mean the world to me. There’s no point to doing this “life” thing if there’s no one there to enjoy it with us. I know I need to take time from my busy days and remember this. We all should.

Like wishes, you shouldn’t talk about your goals, until they come true. Just know that 2012 is exciting to me. I turn 30 in 2012, and with 30 comes a whole new set of dreams and goals.

I can’t wait.

Thank you for being you. You have in one way or another made me smile this year and I love you for that.

Here’s to another great year – cheers.

xoxo

Lindsay

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It’s been awhile on my end. Sorry for the lack of updates in the land of Lindsay. I recently started a new job at SF advertising agency, Periera O’dell as their first Creative Technologist. It’s been an amazing first couple weeks, as I settle in. What better position for me, than helping to be the bridge between clients, creative and production. And if anything, it’s helping me to stay on top on the latest and most exciting technology uses and updates out there. We sure are living in an amazing time!

Because I’ve started a new job, doesn’t mean I’m going to quit doing my other projects. Nut-rients has had an exciting few months as I build out version 2 of our website which will include a store where you can buy peanut butter that saves kids lives! Production is set to start any day now.

Stoke Interactive is up and running, and our concentration has been focused lately on one project, where we’re talking version 1 from 2008, to version 2 set to go live in February 2012. I’m working with an amazing team of guys, from all over the world. So our middle of the night calls are becoming more common as we push forward.

Thanks to everyone for all your support over the past few months.. I think we’re onto something here

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I had a chance to speak with Christina Vuleta of 40:20 Vision, as you can read here. It was exciting to try and help 20 something women understand how life can change quickly, and how to live for the future and in the moment, rather than dwelling on the past. My biggest peice of advice to anyone in their 20′s? TRAVEL, MOVE, EXPLORE! You learn so much about life and yourself by emerging yourself in other forms of life. Just open your eyes to what’s out there. Nothing is final when you can make the next move.

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I am speechless, humbled and honored to have such an amazing team to work with. The founder of Nut-rients, Will Laughlin, has written an amazing blog all about me. It’s been such a life change to tell my story, but to have people like Will respond makes me want to continue to tell my thoughts, feelings and passions in reguard to the path that brought me to where I am today. I hope you enjoy!

read it here

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Even though my name is spelled wrong… here it is!

Academy of Art University Web Design New Media Promotional Video from AAU Web Design & New Media on Vimeo.

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