Jobs, Dogs and Movies

Now that we’ve officially settled in Missouri, I’ve got exciting news – I have a job! I recently started working with Evangel University (where Lindsie has just started grad school) as a Web Content and Marketing coordinator. It’s a temporary position as of now because I’m filling in for a gal who’s heading out on maternity leave, but it’s a fun opportunity and it’s been a blast so far.

From writing new commercials to working on website changes, I’ve pretty much had to dive in without even time to take a breath, but it’s been a wonderful experience and I couldn’t be more happy with the way things are going.

Also, the movie I’ve been helping to do some work on, Dust of War, is making some fantastic progress. They’ve added some stellar actors and they’re having a lot of fun on set from what it sounds like. The Facebook page is alive and kickin’ with over 1,200 fans now, and we’ve set up a Kickstarter push in order to raise the last bit of money Dust of War needs to finish the film out strong. Feel free to check it out if you want to be a part of a fun, independent, South Dakota film. (And don’t mind the dead body in the beginning of Andrew’s video…it’s just for show.)

That’s just a small update for now, but it’s nice to check in and let you know what’s going on.

Also, I’m starting to get along with my wife’s dog now. Soooo, taking all Mayan calendar predictions and hurricanes/earthquakes into consideration, that still might be the most blatant sign that the end is near.

Happy Labor Day weekend, everybody!

P.S. - My wife took that really awesome photo above. It's of Evangel's clock tower in the middle of campus. Pretty sweet, right?

Moving Time!

It’s official. Lindsie and I are now residents of Springfield, MO and it has been great so far. Because we have about 4,000 things to do now that we’re officially moved and situated, this will be a short and simple update.

First things first, we have gotten all of our stuff into our sweet 3-bedroom duplex. We have some awesome neighbors who are both extremely friendly and extremely quiet, which is an fantastic combo in my and Lindsie’s books. And because we’re now in a sweet 3-bedroom duplex, we have room for everything and we can actually move around without bumping into each other. It’s great.

Springfield has been a wonderful town/community so far. I don’t think I’ve met a single rude person since we’ve been here and everyone seems to be generally helpful and excited to have us here. Not that Sioux Falls wasn’t pleasant or anything, it’s just nice to be a part of a community that has welcomed us so readily from the start. It’s kind of surprising how much of an impact that vibe can have on newly-arrived residents like us.

All in all, we’re sad to be out of Sioux Falls. It was a GREAT place to live for 7 years and it deserves a better post than this (which I’m sure it will get here sooner than later), but we’re excited to be in Springfield now and we’re excited to see what adventures unfold from here on out.

Anyway, I’ll post more info soon. For now it’s back to unpacking, organizing, re-organizing what I failed to organize correctly the first time and taking a little time to take a deep breath and figure out life in Springfield.

Photo by Doug Wertman.

Unbelievable Feedback for HireMikeBilleter.com

Wow. So Jill Callison from the Argus Leader wrote an unbelievably awesome story (now archived, unfortunately) on me and HireMikeBilleter.com and the response I've gotten from everyone (friends, family, random people) has just been fantastic. Can't express how thankful I am for all of the encouragement and positivity.

Now I just need to make sure that positivity turns into a job down in Springfield. One step at a time. Thanks again, everyone (especially Jill)! And don't forget to check out the story she wrote by clicking here.

Doing Something Different

In a few weeks, Lindsie (my wife) and I will be moving to Springfield, MO. Some of you might know this already and some of you might not. For those of you that didn't know.... surprise!

One of the biggest challenges we're facing right now is getting jobs. We have a place to live, thankfully, but we also need to be able to pay for that place to live. Weird how that works.

In the hopes of getting a job, I wanted to do more than just send my résumé to a bunch of places. A mass blanketing of a Microsoft Word document résumé isn't the worst possible way to apply for a job, but it's certainly not the best. Especially in an industry like marketing, where creativity is pretty important.

And thus was born www.HireMikeBilleter.com, a site that I'm hoping potential employers will see as a more creative way to share my work experience, social network activity, work/writing samples and references/recommendations.

So if you read this blog and happen to know anybody in the Springfield, Missouri area that might be hiring at the moment, feel free to send them a link to HireMikeBilleter.com (and don't be afraid to mention how much you like me).

Anyway, if you're able to help I appreciate it. If you're not able to help, I still appreciate you reading this blog and I appreciate that you're probably an all around good person.

Happy Friday!

-Mike

Why Clarity Is Key

This post was originally written for my work blog over at ADwërks, so I thought I'd share it here too. Enjoy!

My wife and I recently made a road trip down to Springfield, Missouri. Unfortunately, we left from Sioux Falls around 8:00 pm. And it’s a 9+ hour drive.

The night we left, we ran into a problem. To make a long story short, some misplaced and incorrectly-marked detour signs added about 50 minutes to our already-9-hour drive. And since this all took place around midnight, our options for getting help were extremely limited (and I’m not even the stereotypical, never-asks-for-directions male that is portrayed in every travel-related movie).

All it would’ve taken was one or two more clearly marked signs. A few guideposts to ensure that we were on the right path. But there we were, wondering why the detour signs for I-29 S were pointing BOTH directions at a T-intersection.

However, even amidst all of the intense frustration and confusion, I realized that this scenario fits perfectly in the business world. Because, when it comes to sharing your message with your customers, it’s amazing how much a little extra clarity can do. Whether it’s encouraging them to pay for your product or service or simply asking them to support you on Facebook, giving your target audience clear, defined ways to accomplish a goal is essential.

If your Facebook page isn’t growing as quickly as you’d like, have you considered adding a “Like” button for your page on your company website? If your online sales are down, have you been sure to include a prominently displayed “Buy Now” (or similarly-messaged) button on your site? Small guideposts can make a big difference when it comes to keeping your customers on the right path.

Eventually we found our way, but it would’ve been much easier if things were clear the first time around. Make sure your customers aren’t suffering the same fate my wife and I suffered on our road trip. I can tell you from personal experience that clarity is, in fact, key.

-Mike B.

Childhood... and Captain America

I've been a fan of Captain America since childhood. I was a fan of him at a time when almost every other comic book fan my age was obsessed with Spider-Man and the X-Men. I was even Captain America for Halloween in 3rd or 4th grade. My mom made an UNBELIEVABLY awesome costume simply from looking at one of my Captain America toys and putting something together from scratch. She's so skilled it's scary.

All in all, I'm a fan of Captain America. In fact, I probably rented the AWFUL (seriously...awful) 1990 Captain America movie (if you can call it that) a dozen times growing up.

Needless to say, I have been increasingly excited about the upcoming (and slightly higher budget) Captain America: The First Avenger film that Marvel will release in a few short weeks. And while I was happy to see one of my all-time favorite heroes getting his own feature film, I was a little concerned that, from the look of the early trailers, it might not be what I was hoping it would be (especially with the recent success of the Iron Man and Thor films).

Then I saw this trailer. And I was suddenly reassured that everything would be ok. And if that scene from the 0:32 to about 0:51 mark doesn't almost bring a tear to your eye, then you're tougher than I am.

I'll be there opening weekend. Hope to see you there too.

Fighting The Flood in Pierre, SD

As someone who lives in Sioux Falls, SD, I've mostly only been indirectly affected by the intense flooding happening in the central part of the state (specifically Pierre and Fort Pierre). One of the ways I've been indirectly affected comes as a result of my friendship with Andrew Kightlinger, who is directing a movie called Dust of War. The movie itself will be filmed in Pierre, and that means they will inevitably be affected by this flood. And since I'm helping him a little bit with the movie, I'm affected by the flood.

Here's a great video from Andrew giving a tiny DoW update and then mostly focusing on some fantastic video footage of how residents of Pierre are coming together to fight this flood. It's amazing what people can do when they unite to fight a common problem that is affecting all of them. Definitely inspiring stuff.



I know I'm getting crazy with two updates in a row. Hopefully I can keep up this frenetic pace (or at least get back to once-a-week at most). Thanks for watching the video, and don't be afraid to pass it along to others. The more people who get a chance to see how great South Dakotans are when they work together, the better.

Thanks again!

-Mike