I'm going to have to be shorter because I am now pretty far behind on my notes.
So here goes: After Jens, I spoke to Nate Kuipers and a little about Technic -= he has been doing Technic models at the company and did the initial designs for the snowmobile and many alternate models:-).
After that I spent 3 hours at the idea house - including visiting the Vault. I was given a tour by Jette Orduna, and went with Melody, the Eurobureau head...wow. I got the full tour, and it's a LOT of information.
I had planned on video taping it, but the initial guide tour took too long - so I got many many pictures.
And then it was off to dinner to talk about LEGO Factory....good times...
Next: Wednesday
Thursday, August 16, 2007
Tuesday, August 14, 2007
Trip Day Two - The Rebound!
Well, things started fast when I was whisked off by Jan Beyer to start all the talks I was planned for. Top of the morning, and with some LEGO designers - always fun to talk with them,
I was taken to the Global Innovation and Marketing building (but wasn't allowed to any farther than the canteen - argh! It was the camera) and I was greet by Jens Kronvold, who was the designer of the Millennium Falcon. I met him first at the Toy Fair in New York, when the set was first announced. He's a pretty cool guy and what I thought would be a pretty straightforward interview became a conversation on more than a few things, including a little on the Indy theme (nothing really groundbreaking, though, just talking about the use of bad guys as opposed to Nazis. Turns out Jens was pushing for Raiders for some time, so he was happy to see the LEGO Group get the license.
We also talked about the Falcon (of course) and some other things (again, nothing groundbreaking - turns out the Star Wars team is very hush hush about things) - there will be more UCS models coming, and more Star Wars models coming from the Clone Wars TV show..again nothing new to report. But talking about how he worked on the model was really neat, and will be part of an upcoming article.
More in a bit - off again!
Back - I interviewed Jørgen Vig Knudstorp in video....and that is a fun little story that I will recount in a little bit - watch this space!
I was taken to the Global Innovation and Marketing building (but wasn't allowed to any farther than the canteen - argh! It was the camera) and I was greet by Jens Kronvold, who was the designer of the Millennium Falcon. I met him first at the Toy Fair in New York, when the set was first announced. He's a pretty cool guy and what I thought would be a pretty straightforward interview became a conversation on more than a few things, including a little on the Indy theme (nothing really groundbreaking, though, just talking about the use of bad guys as opposed to Nazis. Turns out Jens was pushing for Raiders for some time, so he was happy to see the LEGO Group get the license.
We also talked about the Falcon (of course) and some other things (again, nothing groundbreaking - turns out the Star Wars team is very hush hush about things) - there will be more UCS models coming, and more Star Wars models coming from the Clone Wars TV show..again nothing new to report. But talking about how he worked on the model was really neat, and will be part of an upcoming article.
More in a bit - off again!
Back - I interviewed Jørgen Vig Knudstorp in video....and that is a fun little story that I will recount in a little bit - watch this space!
Monday, August 13, 2007
Trip Day One: Some definite setbacks
Well, I made it to Billund.
My luggage didn't.
Interesting problem.
Saturday, August 11, 2007
A road trip...
So I am finishing my packing and printing...
I am going to Billund. The trip has to do with BrickJournal, of course. It's been two years since the magazine started and the LEGO Group has watched the Journal grow and mature.
They have been more than impressed with the publication and have helped out with the magazine in providing information and media when possible. And this trip is the result of the magazine being consistently released with a high level of quality.
While I am editor, I won't take full credit of the success of BrickJournal. Credit needs to be given to all the writers and photographers and artists that make each issue - I may be the person directing, without them, I'm just another person pointing a way:-).
I'm excited because I will be going to the office (which in itself is incredibly cool) and also will be spending my time finding story ideas and information for the next issue of BrickJournal. I like to say on trips like this that I will get enough information to take five years to sort out...there's so much going on to learn.
In the next three weeks, I figure, the future of BrickJournal will be finalized. There's more than the magazine being planned:-) Some subtle hints are in the website.
There's a favorite quote from Walt Disney that pretty much expresses my thoughts - he said this on a Disneyland show thah presented his next project, then the first iteration of what became EPCOT. Surrounded by planners and designers working on sketches and maps, he turned to the camera and stated,
"We know what our goals are. We know what we hope to accomplish. And believe me, it's the most exciting and challenging assignment we've ever tackled at Walt Disney Productions."
Change Walt Disney Productions to BrickJournal Media, LLC. You'll see my point of view.
I hope to update this blog through the trip - I don't know what kind of internet connection I will be able to get though. I'll be trying to post news on BrickJournal.com also.
I am going to Billund. The trip has to do with BrickJournal, of course. It's been two years since the magazine started and the LEGO Group has watched the Journal grow and mature.
They have been more than impressed with the publication and have helped out with the magazine in providing information and media when possible. And this trip is the result of the magazine being consistently released with a high level of quality.
While I am editor, I won't take full credit of the success of BrickJournal. Credit needs to be given to all the writers and photographers and artists that make each issue - I may be the person directing, without them, I'm just another person pointing a way:-).
I'm excited because I will be going to the office (which in itself is incredibly cool) and also will be spending my time finding story ideas and information for the next issue of BrickJournal. I like to say on trips like this that I will get enough information to take five years to sort out...there's so much going on to learn.
In the next three weeks, I figure, the future of BrickJournal will be finalized. There's more than the magazine being planned:-) Some subtle hints are in the website.
There's a favorite quote from Walt Disney that pretty much expresses my thoughts - he said this on a Disneyland show thah presented his next project, then the first iteration of what became EPCOT. Surrounded by planners and designers working on sketches and maps, he turned to the camera and stated,
"We know what our goals are. We know what we hope to accomplish. And believe me, it's the most exciting and challenging assignment we've ever tackled at Walt Disney Productions."
Change Walt Disney Productions to BrickJournal Media, LLC. You'll see my point of view.
I hope to update this blog through the trip - I don't know what kind of internet connection I will be able to get though. I'll be trying to post news on BrickJournal.com also.
Friday, August 10, 2007
Happy 75th Anniversary, LEGO!
There are some celebrations going on aall around for this, and I wish I could be at them.
In any case, best wishes to the LEGO Group on this milestone! I'm looking forward to the next 75 years!
Under a cool coincidence, my little sister's birthday is the same day as LEGO's anniversary. And mine is the same day as Disneyland's opening!
Monday, August 6, 2007
Looking ahead...
The site has been launched, and there's still much to be done.
Past issues have to be uploaded, and new content needs to be placed.
It's nice to know that the site is being used - I got a note about a person who went to the Chinese LEGO display because it was on the BrickJournal page. I'm pretty happy with that because it shows that the site works.
I should note that the news from that display came from the organizers and was sent directly to the BrickJournal e-mail address. This was something that didn't come from anyone in the community - it came from outside. A very good sign to me.
BrickJournal's mission is to show off the best of the community, and of what is going on with the hobby - many in the community believe that their theme is the community and center their views on that perception.
BrickJournal doesn't narrowcast. As editor, I firmly believe that we benefit from cross-pollination and exploring what is going on. And there's a lot.
While there are train shows, there are also art exhibitions, displays and robotics workshops going on all over. Some are small, but some are very large in scope - all of them work to bring awareness to the hobby in their areas. The Journal should be looking for these events and publicizing, and by using the calendar and articles, it can.
On another note, I get to go on a road trip this coming weekend.
Past issues have to be uploaded, and new content needs to be placed.
It's nice to know that the site is being used - I got a note about a person who went to the Chinese LEGO display because it was on the BrickJournal page. I'm pretty happy with that because it shows that the site works.
I should note that the news from that display came from the organizers and was sent directly to the BrickJournal e-mail address. This was something that didn't come from anyone in the community - it came from outside. A very good sign to me.
BrickJournal's mission is to show off the best of the community, and of what is going on with the hobby - many in the community believe that their theme is the community and center their views on that perception.
BrickJournal doesn't narrowcast. As editor, I firmly believe that we benefit from cross-pollination and exploring what is going on. And there's a lot.
While there are train shows, there are also art exhibitions, displays and robotics workshops going on all over. Some are small, but some are very large in scope - all of them work to bring awareness to the hobby in their areas. The Journal should be looking for these events and publicizing, and by using the calendar and articles, it can.
On another note, I get to go on a road trip this coming weekend.
Tuesday, July 31, 2007
BrickJournal.com is LIVE!
After some frantic work this weekend, the webpage to the magazine is finally online!
Why did it take so long? After all, it's been two years...
Well, it took one year to get BrickJournal to a stride that I like, but I wanted to be able to do some other things too that only a website could do. Like be able to post information within hours of getting it for scoops - wouldn't it be cool to have a Toy Fair report the same day as it happening? Or an event report just as soon?
The magazine simply cannot be that responsive. And magazines as a media form aren't meant to be that way - they are usually one of the last words on a news item, as they have the longest time to get facts and information. They also tend to be the most features-oriented - so there are many stories that are not news but about people and and newsmakers. BrickJournal follows that model, and I'm pretty proud of it.
With the website, BrickJournal is expanding to become an archive for the community, both in issues, and in information. The event calendar on the site is the most complete calendar around, with events worldwide being listed. Also, the magazine now has a true presence beyond the PDFs.
The site is also easy to manage (just a lot of pages) - so it will be easy for others on staff to add content as needed. Because I am using a webservice, if something goes down - I can call and get it fixed!
The webservice is Near-time, and I have been working with them for about two years - they were a startup that came into being about the time that I was starting to work on BrickFest 2006, and I used them to coordinate much of the event. They started on collaborative sites (essentially Yahoogroups, but much more organized) and have grown. I have grown to like them because much of their stuff is easy to work with. They like me because I was one of the first to work with their site, and I have become a beta tester of sorts. So both the Journal and Near-Time are growing and learning.
The plan for the site is to be able to post news as soon as possible and provide content that the magazine can't use - video is the first example to come to mind. BrickJournal.com is going to be a type of newsservice for the community, and I am excited with the possibilities!
Andyes, the magazine is still in the works - I need to get in touch with the publisher to establish timelines and deadlines. And there's another trip I gotta go on....
Why did it take so long? After all, it's been two years...
Well, it took one year to get BrickJournal to a stride that I like, but I wanted to be able to do some other things too that only a website could do. Like be able to post information within hours of getting it for scoops - wouldn't it be cool to have a Toy Fair report the same day as it happening? Or an event report just as soon?
The magazine simply cannot be that responsive. And magazines as a media form aren't meant to be that way - they are usually one of the last words on a news item, as they have the longest time to get facts and information. They also tend to be the most features-oriented - so there are many stories that are not news but about people and and newsmakers. BrickJournal follows that model, and I'm pretty proud of it.
With the website, BrickJournal is expanding to become an archive for the community, both in issues, and in information. The event calendar on the site is the most complete calendar around, with events worldwide being listed. Also, the magazine now has a true presence beyond the PDFs.
The site is also easy to manage (just a lot of pages) - so it will be easy for others on staff to add content as needed. Because I am using a webservice, if something goes down - I can call and get it fixed!
The webservice is Near-time, and I have been working with them for about two years - they were a startup that came into being about the time that I was starting to work on BrickFest 2006, and I used them to coordinate much of the event. They started on collaborative sites (essentially Yahoogroups, but much more organized) and have grown. I have grown to like them because much of their stuff is easy to work with. They like me because I was one of the first to work with their site, and I have become a beta tester of sorts. So both the Journal and Near-Time are growing and learning.
The plan for the site is to be able to post news as soon as possible and provide content that the magazine can't use - video is the first example to come to mind. BrickJournal.com is going to be a type of newsservice for the community, and I am excited with the possibilities!
Andyes, the magazine is still in the works - I need to get in touch with the publisher to establish timelines and deadlines. And there's another trip I gotta go on....
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