Last week we hired Katie Churchey. Officially, Katie joins as the fourth full-time teammate.
Katie has been a bright addition to the team and we’re glad she’s a part of it. She’s already earning her stripes working on one of our favorite accounts, the College Republican National Committee’s WhereistheRed.com.
To read more on Katie, check out her bio on the DAG about page. Some of my favorite things from her bio include the fact that she’s a fellow native of Ohio, a killer surfer, and a die-hard Republican. I’ve got two of the three and hope to learn the surfing part someday. Then again, I’m not getting any younger…
This is a powerful profile picture of Charlie Smith, National Chairman of the College Republican National Committee, taken when he wasn’t expecting it.
Charlie is a calm and humble leader. His dedication to his organization shines through in this photograph.
I’ve been named a finalist (25 of us) in an international competition seeking to identify the “Top 10 Who Are Changing the World of Internet and Politics.” What an honor to make it this far.
However, if I’m going to win this award, I need your vote.
You can vote for me by clicking here,finding my name in the right-hand side, and submitting your vote. After you vote, please email the link out to a friend or two and ask them to vote.
More on the award:
PoliticsOnline and the World eDemocracy Forum are proud to announce the list for nominations of the Top 10 Who Are Changing the World of Internet and Politics. For the ninth year in a row, PoliticsOnline subscribers and visitors from around the world are invited to help select the top 10 individuals, organizations and companies having the greatest impact on the way the Internet is changing politics.
This prestigious award seeks to recognize the innovators and pioneers, the dreamers and doers who bring democracy online. This year marked the toughest year ever in choosing the 25 finalists. The integration of politics and the Internet are reflected in this year’s diverse, international nominees.
The winners, those top 10 nominees who receive the most votes, will be invited as honored guests to the world eDemocracy Forum October 16-17, in Issy-les-Moulineaux, (Paris, France), where they’ll take part in an awards ceremony and other special programs throughout the two-day forum.
A colleague from the other side of the aisle, Garrett M. Graff, has an op-ed running in today’s New York Times on why text messaging matters (and should matter!) to a modern campaign. You can read it here. I recommend you do.
When Graff turns to look at the non-existant text messaging strategy of my guy, John McCain, he highlights a sentiment I had expressed in an article a few weeks ago:
These days, Mr. Obama texts when he has a new speech to promote, an important TV appearance or a major rally. If he’s going to be campaigning nearby, he’ll let you know. John McCain, by contrast, doesn’t seem interested or engaged in technology. David All, a 29-year-old Republican strategist, lamented last month that Mr. McCain’s campaign had never sent him a text message.
But, is it too late for McCain to grab on to the text messaging medium? I hope not.
Our current sub-lease ends at the end of October and our team continues to expand (we hired Katie today and she can surf better than you or me). As the guy with the name on the website, for the past two months — finding the new home for DAG has been weighing heavy on my thoughts.
And I’ve been working on it. We started at Craigslist hoping for an easy score. I marched around DC with my Nikon snapping pics of signs: “Now Leasing! Call 555-555-5555.” I called those numbers and met some shadey, unprofessional characters that wasted my time that could have been spent on my biz.
So we decided to get serious about the effort and have been working with a team of two commercial real estate brokers.
They’ve been using my time efficiently. We’ve spent the past two Tuesday afternoons — a total of 7 hours — looking at new office space for DAG. We’ve looked high and low — from Chinatown, to the “CBD” (Central Business District), to Adams Morgan, to Dupont, to Georgetown.
Today, after 15-20 different options located all over DC (remember, all of this in 7 hours total over two afternoons), I think we found the right spot.
It’s not a done deal — not even close — but it feels right. It’s unique. It’s modern. It’s not too “officey.” It has a cool history. It has spaces that encourage collobaration, teamwork, and Friday happy hours on the DAG patio. Importantly, there’s room for a Pacman and Donkey Kong arcade game.
And I can already see the future DAGmascot, Pollock the pup (coming soon), running and sliding around on the hardwood floors trying to fetch a ball.
Sure, it may be a little difficult to get to if you don’t have a car (ahem, me), but I think the trade-off will be worth it. I like to walk and I’m thinking hard on moving to a new place in the near future anyway.
Some of the earlier spaces had some decent attributes but were never the complete package. But they were missing… well, something.
So I’m glad we looked until we found it (if we get it).
My team and I spend a heckuva lotta time in the office punching keyboard keys and crafting creative solutions for our clients. That team needs a new home that’s fitting of their dedication and commitment to our clients and the future of DAG.
Lesson learned: As a small business owner, your time is extremely valuable. Professionals who are willing to find out what matters to you can apply that to the real estate market and produce results efficiently.
If you’re looking for space, let me know if you need a rec. I know a great team.
My good friend Brendan Shields (pictured here) gave Team DAG (and friends) a tour of the West Wing this past Sunday. I’ve been on this tour a few times but it never, ever gets old.
One of Ethan’s friends, Ben, has a very unique challenge which I was happy to help support today.
I don’t know Ben but I do know Ethan. Ethan told me about the “Bengato Challenge” over lunch and said they were close to launching a great website. Indeed, he was right.
You likely don’t know Ethan or Ben - but you do know me.
Kick in a buck or 10. Every penny over his goal ($175) goes to help support DC’s homeless.
Growing up, I was always curious how kids thought they’d make any money selling “lemonade” for $0.10 or $0.25 a glass (typically a Dixie cup). It sounds about as refreshing and quenching as it was.
So instead, one summer I went to the store and bought real lemons and made “lemon shake-ups.” We bought more lemons then we needed to use as props to lure customers in. After squeezing the lemons, adding water and sugar, we would shake it all up and serve in a functional to-go cup. Bam: $5 a drink.
The Washington Times quotes me in a story today about John McCain’s recent kick-arse ads (view The One) that take a nice bite of the “hip” and “cool” of Barack Obama’s celebrity.
My contribution:
“He made a smart move because he jumped out of the political blogosphere and chattering class, and got into the celebrity chattering class, and that’s where most of the energy is,” said David All, a Republican strategist who runs Slatecard.com, an online contributions site.
Mr. All attributed the change in attitude to the elevation of Steve Schmidt at the McCain campaign. The former Bush White House aide and campaign aide to California Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger took over day-to-day operations at the McCain campaign a month ago and brought an aggressiveness that put the campaign beyond the usual political talk.
“The [Stephen] Colberts, Jon Stewarts, Saturday Night Lives, all of those things do a really great job of helping humanize a really great candidate, a really authentic candidate,” Mr. All said.
Keep up the great work Mac. You’re cool in my book.
Last night I finally succeeded in stealing some time away from the DAGcave to see Christoper Nolan’s Dark Knight. Rolled into the 9 PM showing at the Regal Gallery Place in Chinatown.
I have been trying to watch this movie since I read Ethan’s post giving it two enthusiastic thumbs up. I concur with Ethan — it’s an incredible movie which indeed met all of my expectations. I’d urge you to check it out.
Christian Bale continues to play the greatest Batman and Heath Ledger (R.I.P.) was the ultimate villain.
To be sure, at 152 minutes, the movie is long. But every single minute of the movie has you sitting on the edge of your seat, wowed by the action scenes, and if you’re a gadgethead like me, loving all of the wonderful and creative toys.
I really hope Abby wins this YouTube contest to get a free trip to attend the GOP Convention. We’re going to miss her when she leaves DAG to finish her last year at Duke (but hopefully she’ll hurry back to continue rocking the modern world after she graduates).
The first of many enjoyable Friday picnics with the DAG team. Good lunch, wi-fi, people-watching, and great conversation. A nice way to end a great week.
(BTW - taking self pics with an iPhone are really, really difficult.)
Every year, The Hill newspaper selects its top 50 “most beautiful” people. Today is that day.
This list is certainly enjoyable to peruse to see who “made the list” and you’ll be on countless email threads with friends noting who should or should not be on the List. It’s just a part of DC culture.
However, don’t be fooled. The list is by no way comprehensive. DC is an extremely talented city with all sorts of beautiful people (on the inside and out).
You just have to be willing to look beyond the Hill.
