In my years as a journalist, there was a saying I was always fond of – ‘It’s the content, stupid.’ Well, I’d like to take poetic license and suggest that this applies to ballet as well. The Atlanta Journal-Constitution article (free registration required) reports this morning that the Atlanta Ballet orchestra has gone up in smoke – they have made the ‘hard decision’ to use only recorded music in all future productions. This move affects nearly 50 musicians, and will allegedly save the organization close to $400,000. What’s troubling in my mind is that the newspaper report indicates the Ballet was in the black with their 2005 fiscal year, yet suddenly needs to find a way to cut this much in costs (their total budget is reported at $7M). This issue is not unique, but for a city of Atlanta’s size, and a dance company of this stature, it’s a sad thing indeed.
Simon is One!
Simon’s friends and family gathered from near and far (well, from as far away as Chatanooga) to celebrate his first 365 days on this Earth. After just moving into their new home, Jonathan and Rachel were wise indeed to hold the party off-site at our local YMCA. There was swimming, cakes galore, and a little music to entertain the tots and adults alike. Although the cider was allegedly alcohol-free, I’m still not sure how Rachel’s mom ended up on the floor with the little ones. Actually – that’s the sign of a great grandma! Photo gallery is here.
AdOps Summit I
Big thanks go out to Dan Murphy (above) and Adrian D’Souza (along with Matthew Goldstein – more on that later) for organizing the first meeting of the leaders of digital advertising operations from most of the leading players in the industry at C|Net’s offices in San Francisco last week. The discussion was relevant, engaging and well worth our time – and highlights how important our challenges are as more and more revenue is brought to bear on our not-so-‘new’-media. I’m looking forward to our next meeting. For now, here are a few quick snaps from the Monday night dinner at Hawthorne Lane, sponsored by Rapt, a pricing/optimization vendor for the interactive industry. We missed having Matthew in attendance, as he’s left Viacom for a new gig at Tacoda – for now, we’re publisher-only in this group, so Matt was unable to attend after helping organize the event in the first place.
My Trip to Holland
Well, not actually the country, but the family. I had a chance to spend the afternoon with my old buddy Shane and his family. Vicki’s parents have left chilly Connecticut and relocated permanently to the Bay Area, and were enjoying time with Ian (now 2-ish) and Max, who only arrived a few months ago. Boy are those kids cute! Click here for the gallery featuring the kids, with a good dose of grandparents thrown in as well!