I’m at the keyboard trying to put a dent in my sixth or seventh book. This could be either one since I have the “memoir’ book and the photography book in motion simultaneously. When I say “in motion” I really mean moving at a snail’s pace. Heck turtles move faster on a hot summer’s day. Yet I digress…

The memoir book, aptly called “Behind the Mike: Mostly True Stories from the Media Guy”, has been a 10-year journey to tell my weird stories from the agency days where Mad Men were taken down a notch in the days before the short-lived #MeToo movement. I was inspired by the great Mary Lawrence and her book “A Big Life In Advertising”. I started writing it on the 24-hour hours of flights on my way to Malaysia in 2012 and now it has ballooned into 1,000 page of literary anarchy. Time to trim the fat off these pages for sure.

Typewriter inspiration for the Great American Novel can spring from many diverse birthplaces. It can spark from a pithy sentence spoken by a close friend, suddenly spurring on an analogy, and then question followed by a thought and then all of the sudden a book idea is birthed. It can come in the form of an overheard conversation in the peaceful spot of your local coffee cafe—remember when we could write our novels and screenplays at Starbucks?—a unique situation that supplies the creative for your protagonist. It can come from a walk in the supermarket, an afternoon at the movies, a night on the town, or even a particularly curious seatmate on plane. (Remember what it was like to sit next to someone interesting on a plane an actually understand what they are saying with a mask muffling all of the nuanced conversation into the vapor?)  

Whitby Abbey / “Dracula”

Typewriter inspiration can also come from a precise location around the world, serving as the seed where a novel can grow. Many of the classics we hold near and dear have roots in specific locales and even bridges and buildings.  Here’s a few…

Whitby Abbey, located in Yorkshire, England (no, not the infamous Transylvania and trust me, not worth the long drive from Bucharest to see Dracula’s Castle) is the locale that provided the muse for the classic novel “Dracula”. Bram Stoker was visiting Yorkshire in 1890 when he stumbled upon the decaying ruins of the 7th Century Christian Monastery and he found the Gothic architecture so haunting that it became the genesis for this classic tale. The structure still stands today and as the fog sets into the town looming below and the waves of the North Sea crash against the shore… well, one can see why he chose it.

This decaying farmhouse in West Yorkshire, England is said to have provided some inspiration for the novel Wuthering Heights. Although physically the farmhouse doesn’t bear much resemblance to the family home in Emily Bronte’s novel, there is a plaque affixed to the ruins indicating that the farmhouse bears an association with the book. This countryside is said to have worked its magic on many  writers including Bram Stoker.

McDougal’s Cave / “Tom Sawyer”

McDougal’s Cave
“The Adventures of Tom Sawyer”

In 1876, “The Adventures Of Tom Sawyer” was published and put author Mark Twain in the literary map of the world. It was a novel that was so ahead of its time in that it was filled with meaning and symbolism, aside from being engaging and fun to read. It was a story about the titular mischievous young boy, who wittingly tricked his way to get everything he wanted.

In Twain’s hometown of Hannibal, Missouri sits a small cave that soon became McDougal’s Cave. Today the former McDowell Cave was renames to honor the great work of the renowned author.

“I want to write something new, something extraordinary and beautiful and simple and intricately patterned.” 

– F. Scott Fitzgerald in a letter in 1922, as he began to write the novel which became “The Great Gatsby”

Sands Point, NY, a small village along the north shore of Long Island, provided the inspiration for Easter Egg in “The Great Gatsby” in the form of a French Normandy-style mansion, which was once owned by Fitzgerald’s friend Mary Harriman Rumsey.

 “Fitzgerald’s Latest A Dud” was The New York Times’ headline for the review of Gatsby in 1925. At the end of Fitzgerald’s life, at the age of just 44, his publisher still had many copies of the first edition gathering dust in a warehouse. “My God, I am a forgotten man,” Fitzgerald wrote to Zelda when The Great Gatsby ceased to be published by The Modern Library. It seemed everyone had neglected his work. 

“The Great Gadsby” Mansion

It was only when a massive initiative began during World War II to distribute over 110 million books to soldiers abroad that public opinion changed regarding the novel. The Great Gatsby was one of the novels chosen, printed in editions designed to fit in a soldier’s back pocket. Finally, in the hands of American soldiers, the work began to achieve the popularity it has enjoyed ever since. From humble beginnings to gigantic success, this Great American Novel tells a typically American story, one of success and tragedy, a story that echoes too well Fitzgerald’s own life.

Bath, England

Jane Austen resided in Bath, England from 1801 to 1806 and this town became the setting for her novel “Persuasion”. Not only was the town the center of fashion and nobility in the early 19th century, but it also became the location where her characters socialized, attended balls, and attempted to arrange marriages. Many of Bath’s addresses are included in the novel and Bath itself still pays homage Austen with events like the Jane Austen Ball and the Jane Austen Festival.

Stephen King’s stimulus for his haunting novel “The Shining” came in the form of a precarious hotel in Colorado’s Estes Park. King’s stimulus for his haunting novel “The Shining” came in the form of a precarious hotel in set below steep mountains. King and his wife Tabitha checked into The Stanley Hotel in Estes Park, Colorado, on October 30th, 1974. Having recently written Carrie and Salem’s Lot, two novels set in the writer’s home state of Maine, King needed a change of scenery to get his inspiration going. In another somewhat obscure fun fact, the hotel’s on-site pet cemetery served as inspiration for another successful King novel, “Pet Semetary”.

The ghostly hotel fueled King’s idea process and the pressure to perform had him on edge to create a masterpiece. He was under a self-imposed deadline due to the fact that he had to pay for his room each additional night in which he did not find the right idea. The fact is, that this combination of stress and inspirational atmosphere was the perfect concoction in order for him to create one of the most notable novels in history.”

(c) The Stanley Hotel

The post Where to Find Your Inspiration appeared first on Media Guy Struggles.

**Exclusive from ALO magazine.**

The pandemic and social justice are dominating the headlines—as they should—this summer. For me, the impact on my normal travel is starting to weigh on my being and I’ve been searching for solutions as I watch the growing list of countries that don’t want U.S. travelers potentially bringing Coronavirus into their lands.

I was excited to see a small list of countries open to U.S. citizens without restrictions: Albania, Dominican Republic, Kosovo, Maldives, Mexico, North Macedonia, Serbia, Tunisia and Turkey. The one that stood out the most is Turkey. With non-stop flights from multiple U.S. cities, including my home base of Los Angeles, I imagined Turkish Airlines incredible business class whisking me to Istanbul from gate to gate in around 13-and-a-half hours. What the worst that can happen up in the air for half a day, right?

In the middle of my fantasy, CNN and Dr. Anthony Fauci screamed across my television, talking about second and third waves and the meteoric surge in COVID-19 cases throughout the States. It made me think twice about jumping on a plane this summer.

But while my summer travel is still pending, I imagined a way to work out my travel bug at home. How? Turkish cuisine, that’s how.

A little backstory for you…

Turkey is located at the meeting point of the Middle East, Asia and Europe with its geographic serving as one of the most critical routes along the Silk Road. Spices were incredibly valuable in the global trade. It is said the salt was just as valuable as gold. Imagine that. With that kind of history, it’s no wonder that Turkey has remained as the center of the global spice trade for centuries.

In the inimitable and delightful dishes of the Turkish cuisine, spices are never used in excess, but rather judiciously curated, ensuring that spices are just as important as the key base ingredients in every meal. Considering how rich the Turkish cuisine is in terms of spices, it’s certainly not a shocker that İstanbul has one of the most revered spice markets in the world.

Hosting visitors since 1664, the Spice Bazaar is one of the oldest covered bazaars in İstanbul. Situated on the European side of the city, the Spice Bazaar is a historic landmark spread across a large area where various genuine items that belong to the Turkish culture as well as all kinds of spices are sold.

Let’s dive into some of the most popular spices of the Turkish culinary culture:

Bay Leaf—Grown in many regions across Turkey, the bay leaf is a spice that has long been used in the Turkish cuisine with its pleasant smell and distinct aroma. Consumed in main dishes and salads, bay leaf is dried before being used in various areas such as dishes, sweetened fruit juices, tomato pastes, pickles and soups. Bay leaf adds zest to meat and fish dishes with its aroma. Particularly added to sauces used for meat dishes, bay leaf is also used to marinate fish, in pilaf, fish soup as well as in the bottom of the pot while boiling turkey and chicken. When bay leaves are placed inside large fish during grilling, the fish meat will absorb the smell and taste of the leaf, gaining a very delicious aroma.

Cinnamon—The king of the sweets. Obtained from the bark of the cinnamon tree and known for its strong and sweet flavor, this spice is widely used in the Turkish cuisine in both desserts and salty dishes. It is used in all types stuffing including stuffed mussels, seasoned rice, dried fruits, and chicken dishes that create a special flavor unique to this cuisine. As a sweet spice, it’s also useful to cut down the sugar intake, becoming an indispensable part of Turkish desserts. It plays the lead role in cakes and traditional Turkish puddings such as sütlaç (rice pudding), kazandibi (white pudding with caramel base), and muhallebi (milk pudding). Add a stick of cinnamon while brewing tea to add extra flavor in place of a processed sugar cube.

Clove—When combined with cinnamon, clove offers decadent flavor and because of that it is widely used in cakes and desserts, tarts and fruit. In many Turkish restaurants, and in meat and kebab restaurants in particular, it is served after meals with onions and garlic to eliminate bad breath. If you have a toothache, you can bite down on a clove and it will lessen the pain (it works, trust me!).

Cumin—A member of the parsley family, it’s used to spice stuffing, meatballs, and soups, and it is an indispensable ingredient agent in meat sauces and foul beans (breakfast dish). Used as a medicinal herb since the ancient times, the black cumin seeds contain approximately 100 different essential elements including carbohydrates, minerals, proteins and fatty acids.

Mint—The dried version is widely used in soups, mantı (Turkish dumplings), and on cacık (a yogurt side dish), while fresh mint is added to salads and served as a calming tea steeped in water.

Red Pepper Flakes—Grown in the Southeastern Anatolia region, this spice is added when you want to add heat to recipes. Most restaurants serve it in tableside next to the salt and pepper. It can be added while cooking meat sauces, soups, legumes (beans and chickpeas), and stews.

Rosemary—A versatile spice used fresh or dried in red meat dishes, poultry and stews thanks to its pleasant taste and aroma. It’s sometimes added to omelets and soups or to the raw dough of breads and pastries. Most home chefs add a teaspoon of dried rosemary to their potato puree for a distinctive Turkish taste.

Saffron—Cultivated in Safranbolu saffron usage originated in Ottoman cuisine. Saffron is typically diluted in rose water or vinegar for pilafs and meat dishes. It is also the critical element of milk pudding recipes due to its pungent aroma and hay-like taste.

Sumac—One of the most widely consumed spices in the Turkish cuisine, sumac gives the dishes a sour and piquant taste together with a pleasant aroma. The spice comes from the crimson part of the sumac plant before grinding it together with table salt. It is popular when mixed with red onions or regular onions and parsley to be eaten as salad or mixed into yogurt as a dip.

Thyme—As a species that naturally grows in the Aegean and Mediterranean regions, classic thyme is produced by drying and crumbling the leaves. It can be used poultry or lamb marinades. A simple pinch of pinch of thyme in a bowl of olive oil as a dip for fresh bread is also very popular. Fresh thyme is preferred especially in salads for both its taste and aroma. Many choose to place a small twig of fresh thyme in olive oil dispensers to add zest with the aroma of thyme.

Cinnamon

Cumin

Mint

Rosemary

Saffron

Sumac

Thyme

The post Try Turkish Spices to Cure Your Pandemic Woes appeared first on Media Guy Struggles.

In case you missed this memo while watching CNN bash President Trump in every story or opting for Fox News’ overt love for the President in every story, let me remind you that SPORTS MATTER.

They mater because they generate revenue.
They generate jobs.
They generate passion.

Now with the return of the National Football League, National Basketball Association, National Hockey League, and Major League Baseball—all at once it seems—sports will generate billions in advertising revenue. This is exactly what the country needs. And right now.

At the four-month mark where every major professional sports league went on hiatus due to COVID-19, the return of live sports is just what we all need. Live sports signals an important return to normal for the country and spark a television advertising sales marketplace that was left in a disparate place. During the last full season, each sport played, the NFL, NBA, MLB and NHL produced nearly $7 billion in ad revenue for networks across the United States. That’s not to mention the billions produced overseas and the remaining parts of North America.

Don’t think that sports matter? Here is exactly how much national ad revenue the big four sports leagues added to the networks’ gross sales during their last full seasons (*according to Kantar Media):

• NFL—Regular Season: $3.3 billion, Playoffs: $1.3 billion
• NBA—Regular Season: $528.2 million, Playoffs: $877.5 million
• MLB—Regular Season: $144.7 million, Playoffs: $338.5 million
• NHL—Regular Season: $35.9 million, Playoffs: $102.2 million

Seth Winter, EVP of sports sales for Fox Sports says that “the reopening of live sports is “a very symbolic and real indicator of the move forward to whatever the TV ad industry’s new normal will be post-pandemic.”

Jo Ann Ross, president and chief advertising revenue officer, ViacomCBS domestic advertising sales says that, “There is a thirst and a hunger for live sports.”

All you have to do is look at the few live sports that aired recently to demonstrate how thirsty advertisers and audiences are for any sort of live sports:

• UFC 251—1.3 million people purchased the event on pay-per-view That’s among the highest in the sport’s history. UFC has generated this many buys only four times previously with the the most recent coming in 2018, when Khabib Nurmagomedov defeated Conor McGregor at UFC 229. That event generated a record 2.4 million buys.
• The Match: Champions for Charity golf tournament, which aired on May 24 and featured Tiger Woods and Peyton Manning vs. Phil Mickelson and Tom Brady drew 5.8 million viewers across TNT, TBS, truTV and HLN. WarnerMedia reported that this telecast was the most-watched golf match in cable TV history. The WarnerMedia’s ad sales team sold every spot a month in advance with the expectation of this type of outcome. 
• When NASCAR races resumed on Fox one May 17th, over six million viewers made it the most-watched NASCAR Cup race on any network (outside of the Daytona 500) in 2018.

All of this comes of devastating news that U.S. advertising revenue plummeted 31% in May due to only those few events take place due to the pandemic. What makes this worse is that the Standard Media Index reports that majority of major ad categories reduced their media spends drastically—by 10%-20% or more. Only pharmaceutical manufacturers spent more in May than they did in the same 2019 period.

Two media companies saw ad revenues deteriorate as a direct result of the absence of NBA games when the playoffs take place in May, broadcast by Walt Disney’s ABC and ESPN and WarnerMedia’s TNT. WarnerMedia saw ad revenue decline by 45.5%, while Disney saw it tumble by 39.6% for the month of May.

First up is MLB on July 25th followed by the NHL on August 1st. I can wait to see what advertisers have in store for us…

Michael Jordan: The gold standard of sports advertising.

The post Sports Are Back to Save the Ad World appeared first on Media Guy Struggles.

I’ve spent parts of Ramadan all over the Middle East including Lebanon, the Sultanate of Oman, and Syria. Without creating serious debate, one of the best places for anyone to be during the holy month of Ramadan is in Turkey. Here, the solidarity of the holiday reaches its peak while honoring many of centuries-old traditions across all parts of the society.

For many outside of Islam, it would be easy to put Ramadan into a bucket of religious holidays, but truthfully it is much more than praying multiple times a day and fasting from before dawn until night. It’s also as much about bringing people together as much as any other kind of biased opinion you may have heard other the years.

In Turkey, Iftar is a daily celebration of the breaking of the fast. Tables are elaborately set where families, friends and neighbors gather around the same table to feast on dishes that are prepared throughout the day. When I recall Ramadan traditions, the first to come to mind are crowded Iftar dinners, delicious treats, and home chefs revealing their culinary skills.

These rich dinner tables, extraordinarily adorned with a large variety of dishes, are an indicator of the hospitality and family values—with very few countries more adept at it that the Turkey people. Iftar is also where you discover that the centuries-old tradition of helping the poor and those in need shine bright. It’s a place where you can invite the needy over for Iftar, or prepare a special dinner for them for a greater sense of community. Even better is the incredible amount of hot food distributed to thousands of people by institutions, organizations, and of course, the locals.

Foods most frequently served on the tables include regional and traditional varieties of lamb and beef dishes, vegetable and legume dishes, soups, pilafs, dates, olives and cheese varieties, soujouk (fermented halal sausages), fattoush salads, various pastries and pies made of thin sheets of dough.

One these long summer days, there isn’t time for more than formal meal, but in the true underlying meaning of unity, Sahur is prepared and consumed in the wee hours of the morning. Only members of the household attend this meal, proceeding the upcoming 12-15 hours fast of the coming day.

Sahur comes from one of the oldest traditions of the month of Ramadan, the mesaharati (or the Ramadan drummer) wandered from one street and neighborhood to another, informing those who fast about the approaching Sahur time. This tradition, which started to make sure that nobody would miss Sahur in an era when not every household had a clock, may have lost its functionality today but symbolically, it continues across the entire country. The drummers are rewarded for their month-long effort to wake up the people by collecting tips on the last night of Ramadan. Sahur tables are highlighted by lighter dishes like yogurt parfait, dates, fruits, toast with lebne dips and cheeses, and the all-important freshly-brewed chai.

An essential part of Ramadan centers on the “Ramadan pita.” In Turkey, it is a traditional delicacy of the cuisine. In pre-COVID days, pita queues in front of bakeries start hours before iftar. These days, takeaway isn’t as readily available, so breakout your chefs hats and baking sheets and let’s make some delicious Turkish pita.

Ingredients
• A pack of yeast (25g)
• 2 water glasses of warm milk
• ½ dessertspoon of sugar
• ½ water glass of warm water
• ½ tea glass of oil
• 1 tablespoon of salt
• 5 ½ water glasses of flour (more if necessary)

To be used while shaping the dough:
• 1 tablespoon of flour
• 5-6 tablespoons of water
• (Mix the flour and water well; it must be a fluid mix so add more water if necessary)

To apply on the pita:
• 1 egg yolk
• 1 tablespoon of oil
• 1 tablespoon of milk
• 1 dessertspoon of yoghurt
• Plenty of sesame
• Black sesame

Preparation

Put the yeast, milk and sugar in a deep bowl and keep for 10 minutes (until the yeast melts). Add the remaining ingredients in order, knead the flour, and after it thickens, wait for 40 minutes after it thickens (ensure it is a soft dough that does not stick to your hand). Divide the dough into 2 or 3 pieces.

Sprinkle some flour on the surface and take some flour on your hands before spreading the dough. Give it a circular or oval shape. Place the spread out dough on a tray that is either previously oiled or lined with a baking paper. Also sprinkle some corn flour on the tray so it won’t stick. Immerse your hands in the water-flour mixture and give it a square or lozenge shape by first pressing on the edges and then on the middle. The trick is to keep on immersing your hands in the water-flour mixture so that the shapes won’t disappear during baking. The dough is left for half an hour to leaven and the same procedure is repeated on the shaped parts to make sure that they will last. Finish off by applying the sauce on and sprinkling a lot of sesame and black sesame.

Bake in an oven pre-heated to 200°C until golden brown.

Note: This article originally appeared in ALO magazine.

The post Making Turkish Pita: The Ramadan Way appeared first on Media Guy Struggles.

Photo credit: Instagram/heinz

Okay, so where am I?

Well, I’m working. More than ever it seems. The COVID-19 lockdown has pinned most to our homes and according to Ladders we are working three more hours a day on average. Nonetheless, I am thankful for the continued employment and remaining safe during this unprecedented pandemic. I carry a heavy heart for those lost and the 20+ million who had to file for first time unemployment benefits. Amidst all of this I must say that I am quite fortunate that my decades of work has paid off for the stakeholders I serve. All of my advertising and marketing numbers show double digit growth as we have shifted every campaign to virtual. The results have empowered other programs that will remain evergreen as we move into a new normal of conducting business.

All of this work hasn’t staved off the need to cure boredom, however. Nights that were spent going to hockey games, writing subsequent columns, and seeing family and friends need to be filled somehow right? You can only clean the house, or rearrange your man cave, or work on your great American novel so much. You need an outlet. My daughter suggested jigsaw puzzles and what a novel idea I thought. The last one I did was at a museum in Helsinki and it soaked up a lot of time and not as mind numbing as I remember.

So imagine my glee when scrolling through Instagram I saw this among all of the cooking displays, Stay-At-Home memes, and throwback sports posts:

View this post on Instagram

This might be the slowest puzzle on earth. 570 pieces. All Heinz red. Tell us who you wish you could finish this with. #heinzketchuppuzzle

A post shared by Heinz Ketchup (@heinz) on May 5, 2020 at 1:15pm PDT

Heinz has really nailed the branding and capitalized on it as of late. Everything from the Oscars Snub Campaign to the real placement of the Don Draper ads that were imagined in Mad Men to this 570-piece all red puzzle. Brilliance quite simply.

Yeah, yeah, I am sure you are thinking, “A puzzle? Brilliant?” Consider this…

Helsinki puzzle completion.

This all-red Heinz puzzle is truly limited edition. You can’t go down to your local Target and buy one along with your shaving cream and shampoo. Heinz has only made this one available through an online giveaway only. What’s more, there are only 57 puzzles to be had. Fifty-seven in honor of the 57 varieties of Heinz that’s labeled on every bottle.

To have a chance to own one of these beauties, you need to comment on the Heinz Instagram puzzle post, telling them who you want finish the puzzle with. From what I can see, some have already won, but there are some of the 57 are still available.

Brian Neumann, senior brand manager at Kraft Heinz Canada, told Clio Muse that, “Heinz is known for its iconic slow-pouring ketchup. In a period when everyone has a little more time on their hands and puzzle popularity has skyrocketed, we wanted to help pass the time by connecting the two. We’re always looking to deliver fun, contextually relevant ways to give our consumers a smile, and this ridiculously slow, all-red Heinz ketchup puzzle seemed like the perfect fit.”

Brilliant.

Even better (for Heinz), those who do get the puzzle will engage with Heinz for hours outside of a meal, because, well, this isn’t your typical COVID-19 afternoon activity. With all 570 pieces the identical red pantone of the famous Heinz ketchup, assembling this one will take quite a while without lines to guide you or an image for reference.

Anticipation…it’s making me wait!

The post An Uncommon Cure for the COVID-19 (Boredom) appeared first on Media Guy Struggles.

Two badasses: Danielle and Panton, the cat.

Quite simply she’s the reigning badass of the pet portrait scene.

She’s Danielle Spires.

For half a decade, I’ve worked closely with Danielle at my day job. Need an award-winning photo shoot staged and completed in a snap? She’s the one to go to. Have two thousand photos that need to be curated and produced into a four minute movie in a day? Yep, she’s the one. Need a photo of a star sagely photoshopped so that three-inch nose hairs disappears? Ditto: Danielle.

Yes, I know a lot of the stories, but now it’s time for more to know her. It’s time for all of you to plan your pet portraits … once we are allowed out of our houses of course. If not to honor your best buddy, do it for the cool experience you’ll have during the photo shoot.

MEDIA GUY: Pet portraits? I didn’t know that was a thing. How did you know it was a thing?

DANIELLE SPIRES: It’s surprising how many people think I’m kidding when I say I’m a pet portrait photographer. I’ve always known since I was young that I’m a childfree DINK kind of girl, therefore cats have always been my roommates. So as I progressed through the years as a portrait photographer, I naturally turned to my cats as muses. I was greatly influenced by Pre-Raphaelite paintings of people with their animals, and just instilled that in my personal projects. Eventually I decided to turn it into a business after I offered pet portraits as a fundraiser to help with my cats’ veterinary bills, and the response was overwhelming.

MG: First of all, what’s a DINK girl? Second of all, cats as muses? Don’t they just lay in the corner and act aloof and uncaring?

DS: DINK means Dual Income No Kids. My lifelong vision is me, a life partner, kitties, and a dedication to art. The best part about cats is how much work it takes to make them pose in photos. I admire the emotional intelligence and independence. Not that I don’t love dogs in the studio, they’re so much fun. But cats are a near constant challenge. Cats know no masters, they come into our lives unknowingly enriching them. We should be thankful for the finite time they decide to spend with us, giving us an opportunity for companionship and otherworldly friendship. And should we repay them with ridiculous photoshoots.

MG: Which Pre-Raphaelite paintings spoke to you loudest?

The SAVIOURS Series: Pre-Raphaelite Essences.

DS: I’m always torn between tortured Baroque paintings and the sensual ’slice of life’ Pre-Raphaelites. But there are probably two paintings I find myself thinking about often, and I know you didn’t ask about Baroque but “The Bridesmaid” by J E Millais and Artemisia Gentileschi’s “Judith Slaying Holofernes” sit at the top of my list. The Bridesmaid possibly conveys a listlessness to the marriage conventions of that time, while being such a striking and romantic portrait of a woman. And Gentileschi definitely has a way of painting women and telling stories.

MG: Tell me about your favorite shoot?

DS: I have so many favorite shoots, but the series that comes to mind first is my SAVIOURS series I shot for an art show. I shot the whole series a few weeks after my beloved cat Noguchi passed away, in his honor. Each photo is made to look like a Pre-Raphaelite painting of a woman with her pet, and I sourced the weirdest and strangest pets for this. The coolest was watching each owner interact with their beloved pet, and tell me stories about the friendship they have with their snake, hedgehog, cat, lizard, etc. The weirdest was shooting a tarantula named Lily. She was a fuzzy little cute tarantula, and we’d just drop her on her owner’s neck and let her crawl while I quickly took photos.

MG: So what is it that drives your clients to you? Are you unique in this world of pet portraits? Is it your distinctive style that has driven you to the top of this niche? Or do you just have “it”?

DS: Oh wow, that’s a tough question. I’d like to think I have a distinct style that people seek out. Sometimes clients scroll through my Instagram and when they come in the studio, they tell me they want the stoic, stiff posed look on kitschy wallpaper that is prevalent in most of my work. I always tell them to smile for a couple shots, for their mom’s sake. I also love to think I make this experience fun, unique and little weird. How often do you drive to a photo studio in the outskirts of Downtown Los Angeles to take a photo of your dog in a cowboy hat, double exposed to look like the soft focus Olan Mills portraits of your childhood? I guess I can make “unique” obtainable to anyone and everyone.

Let ’em eat…catnip! Royal catnip.

MG: Your dream shoot would be…?

DS: Well, I suppose it’s to be hired to shoot the most opulent pet portraits of people and their horses (or any pet). I’m talking Rococo style sets, over the top gowns and dramatic costumes for the animals. Imagine a horse in a custom jabot and headpiece encrusted in jewels.

MG: Without giving away everything, what was your biggest nightmare shoot?

DS: Ha, can I say my biggest nightmare shoot didn’t even involve a pet?  I’m actually going to have to say my own cat Panton is my hardest client. He absolutely shuts down, turns into a bowl of pudding and starts shaking like he’s being taken to the vet. I get about four photos with him before I set him down, which he then promptly forgets why he’s angry after I give him treats. I get literally four shots. I can’t believe my own cat is my nightmare client.

MG: Are famous people’s pets more pampered than your average citizen’s pets?

DS: Absolutely not! Although I knew a private pilot that was hired to fly celebrities’ pets around the country. I have regular clients come in with their pet in a stroller, fresh from the groomer, eating the most expensive artisanal snacks and wearing jeweled outfits. I love it because our pets are our best friends, our comrades, our families…they deserve only the finest.

MG: Do you offer craft services for the four- and eight-legged models? How about Evian water?

Badass self portrait.

DS: (Laughs) I actually do! In addition to fancy water, I always have fresh dog and cat treats—(the good stuff!)—and custom-made cat toys that I hand-sew myself.

MG: How do you bring out the personality of the pet and their human partner?

DS: There’s such a fine line between bringing out their personality and a highly stylized shoot. I try to balance both. Most of the time, my client has a specific idea or vision when they come into the studio. They meticulously pick out clothing specific to the backdrop and ask to be posed a certain way. Then I step in and tweak everything to heighten the style. That way we meet in the middle, their true personality comes out, and it also looks like a Danielle Spires shot.

MG: What do you do for animal lovers who are allergic but want a hip, once-in-a-lifetime portrait? You know, people like me?

DS: Hypoallergenic dogs! Someday I’ll get you in the studio with a hypoallergenic dog. I expect velvet loafers and a matching pocket square.

MG: What’s a metal/goth/satanic version of a queen?

DS: Me…

The post Reigning Badass of the Pet Portrait Scene appeared first on Media Guy Struggles.

Okay, so where am I?

Up until 2007—when they joined the European Union—Bulgaria has never really been on its own. Twenty seven hundred years ago, the Thracians ruled, who were then followed by the Romans, the Byzantine Empire, the Ottoman Turks and then, finally, the Communists. After the fall of the Iron Curtain, it took quite a while for Bulgaria to get rolling. Now the country has emerged and casting its own shadows. Where the old Lenin monument stood, a statue of Sofia’s Patron Saint now casts its own shadow of protection. Under her gaze, the dark princess is said to embody the city’s East-meets-West, old-meets-new allure of reimagined Eastern Europe.

After Bulgaria gained its independence in the late 19th century, Sofia was chosen as the country’s new capital. It’s now been capital for 140 years sitting the heart of the Balkan Peninsula.

The city’s appearance today has been widely shaped by the twists and political turbulence of the 20th century. Bulgaria was a parliamentary monarchy prior to World War II. Its architecture was influenced by the examples of German, Austrian, and French. The second half of the 20th century saw Bulgaria firmly entrenched behind the Iron Curtain, dependent on the USSR’s influence and aid. It was in that time that Bulgaria’s architecture and urban planning was re-conceptualized to fit the structure of the communist ideals. Once the Soviet blockade was released in 1989, the country started its transition into democracy and is now a member of NATO and the European Union.

There’s a Bulgarian expression: B мЂтнА вода леcho ca лoви. Which means, “It is good fishing in troubled waters.” Or to the layman, by taking advantage of chaotic conditions one can easily serve one’s own purposes. In short, this think and survivalist mentality united to construct the unique blend of culture and style that personifies the nation today.

Sofia’s Patron Saint overlooks the capital.

Lots of Third Reich and World War II memorabilia at the flea markets.

There’s a huge farmer’s market underneath these ruins.

The National Theatre

Communism sculpture has been replaced with ones of love and hope.

A photographer’s delight.

Momento Park

Fresh fruits at the farmer’s market.

Communism buildings and lifestyles still permeate.

Buy a train ticket can be challenging.

Inside the gypsy ghetto on the outskirts of Sofia.

Abandoned market en route to Plovdiv.

The snow closer to the Balkan Mountains can be formidable.

Welcome to the Bulgarian Communist Party Headquarters in Buzludzha, located in the Central Balkan Mountains: Elevation, 5,000 feet. I visited here twice on the same trip: before and after the snowfall. You get two dynamically different views of this amazing journal of Communist Grandeur. Construction began in 1974 and was opened in 1981. It was built by the Bulgarian communist regime commemorating the secretly organized movement by Dimitar Blagoev in 1891 that led to formation of Social Democratic Party, the precursor to the Bulgarian Communist Party.

This building is an example of Brutalist architecture. Raw concrete and massive, fortress like structures were popular with Communist governments and institutions. it was not considered a style but an expression of “moral seriousness.” “Let generation after generation of socialist and communist Bulgaria come here, to bow down before the feats and the deeds of those who came before; those who lived on this land and gave everything they had to their nation. Let them feel that spirit that ennobles us and as we empathize with the ideas and dreams of our forefathers, so let us experience that same excitement today! Glory to Blagoev and his followers; those first disciples of Bulgarian socialism, who sowed the immortal seeds of today’s Bulgarian Communist Party in the public soul!” -Bulgarian Communist leader Todor Zhivkov, at the opening ceremony of the monument.
The collapse of the Soviet Union caused Buzludzha’s closure in 1989.

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From the New York Times: “…the city has a centuries-old tradition of solo exploration, personified by the flâneur, or stroller. Flânerie is, in its purest form, a goal-less pursuit, though for some it evolved into a purposeful art: Walking and observing became a method of understanding a city, an age. Baudelaire described the flâneur as a passionate spectator, one who was fond of ‘botanizing on the asphalt,’ as the essayist Walter Benjamin would later put it.”

Okay, so where am I?

Whelp, I’m not in Paris, but in a few paragraphs we will be transported there…hang tight.

Actually, I am still home in the beautiful confines of my Encino California Compound. Other that to get my mail, bread, and fresh fruit, I have been sequestered here riding out the Coronavirus since the Los Angeles-mandated prohibition started two weeks ago on my birthday.

In addition to missing out on a pretty stellar Disneyland birthday, I had two Japanese commercials wiped out because of the travel ban (postponed, not cancelled) and now I am having NBA and NHL withdrawals along with some severe cabin fever. Thank goodness— along with my family, friends and colleagues—I am safe.

I was planning to meet Margrét, My New Favorite Amazon Model, because the last time I spoke with her she was at the Baghdad Café lamenting bout trying to due her clothesless craft amongst families and kids roaming around the tourist trap over two years ago. But with all of the city shutdowns, we had to cancel and move to a video conference to catchup. Ah, the new world of “Stay At Home” work and friendships.

So just to catch you up—or you can scroll all the way down to end and read the previous columns— Margrét is a nude model who travels the world taking her clothes off in the pursuit of her art. It’s never going to make her rich, but it makes her happy and a happy Margrét makes the world a better place…

Media Guy: You usually stick close to the Western USA, but is it true you are stuck outside the country?

Margrét, My New Favorite Amazon Model: I would say luckily I was in France when all of the Coronavirus lockdows and travel bans went into effect, but Paris is a drag without all of the cuisine and museums and sights.But I’m making the best of it trying to go all Hemingway with my introspective writing at abandoned city sites soaking in the essence of the land.

MG: What were you up to before for the country ground to a halt?

MMNFAM: I was doing my thing with this self-photography exhibition on the French Countryside when, well, imagine four dudes breaking down 300 meters from my camera lens in their big Mercedes hauler. Now imagine then not knowing how to fix their hauler and I roll up on them to help. Except I wasn’t wearing more than a Nikon lens cover! I bet they never expected help to come in the form of an intrepid nude model.

MG: But I imagine that’s exactly what happened, right? And how did you pull that off?

MMNFAM: Imagine the look on these French bros’ faces when a second nude model, my roommate, rolled up in an Aston Martin with a back seat full of tools. I’m telling you, it was like MacGyver met French Baywatch. The only thing mission was were our red one-piece swimsuits so that we could have run over in slow motion. I’m guessing they were fairly pleased with two mostly nude chicks fixing their timing belts while the fought to keep their jaws from dropping.

MG: I’ve often wondered about the fine line you’re walking when it comes to nude modeling because some of the readers say you are reinforcing sexist stereotypes of scantily clad women (or unclad) women on film.

MMNFAM: It’s what I battle with on a regular basis with my modeling, because what is considered arty can be pretty hokey and sexist. But I figure God blessed me with a certain look and I get to control my destiny with what I charge and the situations I ultimately wind up in. At the end of the day, it’s a more honest living that some of the mucky-mucks in banking or on Wall Street.

MG: You’re doing well these days?

MMNFAM: My modeling affords me an income to support my home and my adventures. I stay off social media to avoid stalkers and weirdos and in the last five years I have shot in 31 countries. It’s a great way to make a living,

MG: What has shaped up as your specialty as of late?

MMNFAM: My specialty is artistic nudes, when translated to the layman means non-erotic nudes set in contrast against the landscapes of the world. Everyone wants this fit brunette against beautiful scenery. I love the work because it gets me outdoors. I don’t have to sit at a desk answering emails all day ad in turn I get to experience the remarkably attractive world that few ever get to see like I do. Modeling gets old pretty quick, I feel like exploring the outdoors doesn’t.

MG: What is it about the outdoors that has kept you employed all of these years?

MMNFAM: Guys will forever have a curiously mysterious hard-on for a curvy, firm backside in a ruptured landscape. I do a lot of posing in fantasy landscapes—mountains, lakes, log cabins—but the ones that garner the biggest paydays come from the most dilapidated settings like old warehouses, crumbling buildings, salt mines, abandoned parks, civil wars zones. There must be something about rotting cities that is some sort of aphrodisiac that appeals to many a photographer. The contrast of luscious nubile skin against corroded timeworn building carcasses is an age-old fantasy that will probably never go out of style. Like the Birth of Venus painting only set in Chernobyl.

MG: So your quest for post-apocalyptic ruins has taken you on a journey all over the world?

MMNFAM: With a little bit of investigating, you can find some truly extraordinary rubble to photograph and when it comes to ruin nude modeling, the Baltics and Eastern Europe are pretty much the gold standard. It’s like a Disneyland of desolation and tetanus. These areas are some that you’ve only heard about in the deep recesses of the news and now the whole region has essentially been ignored and neglected due to its being left in a state of disrepair after the boys took their weapons and petty differences and went home.

MG: And you’re finding the same in Paris?

MMNFAM: Oh no, much different here. A did a month-long series in and around Paris, fully-clothed doing a full-on Greta Garbo meets Breakfast At Tiffany’s motif. You know, it was easy to surrender in Paris to the moment. The alchemy of everything metamorphosed average activities into pleasurable ones; a stroll in the park, a cappuccino at a sidewalk café…you name it. Here, I dragged the edge of a butter knife across a baguette with a style better suited to gliding a bow across a Stratavarious. And today, with almost nobody around it is still quite the same. I am here on my own. My residence is paid for until July. I worked enough not to book another job until August and I am sponging in the city in my own post-apocalyptic illusion. In a city that has been honing splendor since the reign of Napoleon III, there are immeasurable sensual minutiae—patterns, touches, tints, hums—that can be mitigated, even overlooked, when babbling with someone or following a locked in schedule. Alone. one becomes deeply aware of the resonating clack of high heels in a park walkway; the patina of the gas lamps that light the city, the effervescence of the blue sky on a cloudless day; and how the empty wine bottles laid gently next to the recycling bins are the epitome of your neighbor’s good times.
There is a Paris that acutely repays the individual traveler.

MG: So all of this adds up to another fantastic chapter in the Book of Margrét, My New Favorite Amazon Model?

MMNFAM: It’s a fantastic book I am living. I hope it never ends. Au revior!

The post Virtually Live From Paris with Margrét, My New Favorite Amazon Model appeared first on Media Guy Struggles.

Okay, so where am I?

I’m hunkered down in my office disinfecting everything, including my phone, my desk, my water bottles and mugs, and even my 10-minute sand timer that’s been on my various desks for thirty plus years. Yes, the coronavirus (COVID-19) hysteria has hit multiple workplaces. Yes, people are freaking out. I mean, even Costco has stopped giving out free samples and the stock market is tanking. And no, I don’t have the virus and I have seldom even been susceptible to the flu. It’s business as usual for me.

Or so I thought…

But now it’s hitting the sports world and this Media Guy is none too happy. Most of you know that in addition to the four jobs I already have, I cover the Los Angeles Kings at various levels. One of the things I do are game recaps (here’s a couple recents: vs. Colorado / vs. Minnesota / vs. Vegas). This may or may not involve locker room access, but now that’s a moot point as four major sports leagues (NBA, NHL, MLB and MLS) have banned media from locker rooms due to coronavirus. The four also jointly announced that locker room access will be limited to players and essential personnel. The Professional Basketball Writers Association issued a statement saying it would temporarily comply with the ban.

Now teams aren’t allowing contact with the players and the media. Some, like the Calgary Flames, are putting do not not cross lines in pre- and post-game interviews instead of the normal scrums outside lockers in the dressing rooms.

Other teams have only banned actions (handshakes, knuckles, hugs, sitting) and not actual media members…

In California, they took the outbreak a step further. Santa Clara County’s Public Health Department announced today that a mandatory order requiring cancellation of “mass gatherings” of more than 1,000 people for three weeks is in effect. They put the order in place while it studies the spread of the virus. This means that the status of three San Jose Sharks games, the NCAA women’s basketball tournament at Stanford, and an MLS game are in doubt. They could be playing these games in empty arenas. I remember in 1980, NBC tried a game with no announcers. But a game without fans? How surreal.

I guess that is better that canceling the outcome of an entire season where Germany’s pro hockey league announced the end of its season, with no playoffs and “there is no German champion this year.” Here’s the official announcement (use the Google translate option to read in full).

In Italy, there are no sporting events…

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Okay, so where am I?

It was time to go north of the border to help out with some family things, but also to continue to doing research and interviews for my Kontinental Hockey League book. This time my travels took me once again to Montreal, Canada.

Maybe you don’t know Montreal. Maybe you think it’s that crazy city in that crazy provence that wanted to cede from Canada. Maybe you don’t care at all. I do, because Montreal is the Mecca of all hockey. The home of the greatest concentration of championships in the National Hockey League. Anywhere there’s hockey finds me an invites me metaphorically to explore the city and take in a game. But there’s more to Montreal than just hockey.

Montreal is a city with considerable French colonial history dating back to the 16th century. It began as a missionary settlement but soon became a fur-trading center. The city’s St. Lawrence River location proved to be a major advantage in its development as a manufacturing, financial, and transportation center. Montreal was the largest metropolitan center in the country from 1867, at the time of the Confederation of Canada until Toronto overtook it in the 1970s. It stands as the second largest French-speaking city in the world (after Paris).

The city has been a immigrant destination and is widely considered to be a cosmopolitan celebration of Québécois style. Montreal remains a city of great charm, vivacity, and gaiety, as well as one of unquestioned modernity. In short, Montreal is c’est si bon.

Fans enter the Bell Centre for the Montreal Canadiens game.

Bonsecours Market in Old Montreal.

The iconic hearts sculpture outside the Musee des Beaux Arts.

Rinkside at the Montreal vs. Carolina NHL game.

Love is in the air.

The Monument à George-Étienna Cartier

Outside of Parts, Montreal has the world’s finest French food.

Unique single-wind walk up stairs line the city.

The Basilique Notre-Dame is a confection of stained glass.

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