Airship Ventures
Why
should hire Michael Mattis
ALLOW me to introduce MYSELF
I'll bet you're getting thousands of resumes and letters from airship buffs
from all over the country detailing their reasons why you should give them
a job. It's to be expected.
And, I'll admit, I'm one of them: I've been an airship enthusiast from the
first time the Goodyear Airship flew over my parents' house when I was
nine. One of my favorite non-fiction books is John McPhee's "The Deltoid
Pumpkin Seed;" I own a vintage label from a bottle of Der Zeppelin Wein,
the Mulheimer-Sonnenlay served aboard the LZ 129 Hindenburg; once
wrote a capsule history of the airship for the San Francisco Art Deco
Society Magazine; and I even have a small comic book that traces the life
of Ferdinand von Zeppelin, in Spanish.
I do have an intimate knowledge of Zeppelin history. I know, for example,
the differences between an airship, a dirigible airship and a rigid dirigible
airship; that blaugas, a fuel used in the LZ 128 Graf Zeppelin, was not, in
fact, blue but was named for a chap named Blau; that the Hindenburg
made 17 trips between Germany and the Americas in 1936 and that it had
a useful lift of 60 tonnes. And I know that the "forgotten Zeppelin," the LZ
130 Graf Zeppelin II, was used for a short while to intercept radar signals
coming out of Great Britain in the early months of the Second World War.
But lots of people's heads are stuffed with such fun facts. Never mind. You
should hire me not just because I am enthusiastic about the product, but
because I know how to craft compelling marketing messages and how
to get those marketing messages across through all types of media and
online experiences, including emerging social media. I can also help
grow your business through strategic partnerships, alliances, and by
helping develop creative sponsorship opportunities. I think my resume
shows this pretty adequately, but I've built this page to offer more insight.
I'll bet you're getting thousands of resumes and letters from airship buffs
from all over the country detailing their reasons why you should give them
a job. It's to be expected.
And, I'll admit, I'm one of them: I've been an airship enthusiast from the
first time the Goodyear Airship flew over my parents' house when I was
nine. One of my favorite non-fiction books is John McPhee's "The Deltoid
Pumpkin Seed;" I own a vintage label from a bottle of Der Zeppelin Wein,
the Mulheimer-Sonnenlay served aboard the LZ 129 Hindenburg; once
wrote a capsule history of the airship for the San Francisco Art Deco
Society Magazine; and I even have a small comic book that traces the life
of Ferdinand von Zeppelin, in Spanish.
I do have an intimate knowledge of Zeppelin history. I know, for example,
the differences between an airship, a dirigible airship and a rigid dirigible
airship; that blaugas, a fuel used in the LZ 128 Graf Zeppelin, was not, in
fact, blue but was named for a chap named Blau; that the Hindenburg
made 17 trips between Germany and the Americas in 1936 and that it had
a useful lift of 60 tonnes. And I know that the "forgotten Zeppelin," the LZ
130 Graf Zeppelin II, was used for a short while to intercept radar signals
coming out of Great Britain in the early months of the Second World War.
But lots of people's heads are stuffed with such fun facts. Never mind. You
should hire me not just because I am enthusiastic about the product, but
because I know how to craft compelling marketing messages and how
to get those marketing messages across through all types of media and
online experiences, including emerging social media. I can also help
grow your business through strategic partnerships, alliances, and by
helping develop creative sponsorship opportunities. I think my resume
shows this pretty adequately, but I've built this page to offer more insight.
The NT Science Program
A good bit of PR, the NT Science Program
is a contest that would offer contest-
winning science teams free "air time"
aboard the Zeppelin NT to complete
experiments, make observations and so
forth. Entrants would submit their projects
to Airship Ventures which would hand them
off to a team of volunteer scientists from
Stanford and Berkeley to be judged. The
winning team would be offered a number of
hours of flight time. In a science and tech
heavy area, and one especially interested
in marine biology, this would generate
powerful publicity.
A good bit of PR, the NT Science Program
is a contest that would offer contest-
winning science teams free "air time"
aboard the Zeppelin NT to complete
experiments, make observations and so
forth. Entrants would submit their projects
to Airship Ventures which would hand them
off to a team of volunteer scientists from
Stanford and Berkeley to be judged. The
winning team would be offered a number of
hours of flight time. In a science and tech
heavy area, and one especially interested
in marine biology, this would generate
powerful publicity.
Sponsor an Aeronaut
Let's face it: a lot more people want to fly on
the Zeppelin NT than can afford it. Sponsor
an Aeronaut lets individuals and groups
sponsor a friend's flight as a gift. Perhaps
done through a partnership with Facebook,
sponsors would be able to set up their own
special Facebook page embedded on the
Airship Ventures site where they could
solicit and track donations via PayPal,
create their own sponsorship blog, and so
forth.
Let's face it: a lot more people want to fly on
the Zeppelin NT than can afford it. Sponsor
an Aeronaut lets individuals and groups
sponsor a friend's flight as a gift. Perhaps
done through a partnership with Facebook,
sponsors would be able to set up their own
special Facebook page embedded on the
Airship Ventures site where they could
solicit and track donations via PayPal,
create their own sponsorship blog, and so
forth.
Marketing Concepts
The Ship's Horn
San Franciscans love their fog horns. When
I was in my '20s I used to imagine what
airship service between San Francisco and
Sacramento would be like. I always
imagined the airship docking at a mooring
mast at the Ferry Building, giving a great
blast on a horn as it descended from the
clouds, like a ship coming out of the fog. Of
course, there is no mooring mast at the
Ferry Building, but Airship Ventures should
consider equipping the NT with a horn to
announce itself over the City. People would
look up in awe at the ship -- and at our
advertisers' messages inscribed on her
hull.
San Franciscans love their fog horns. When
I was in my '20s I used to imagine what
airship service between San Francisco and
Sacramento would be like. I always
imagined the airship docking at a mooring
mast at the Ferry Building, giving a great
blast on a horn as it descended from the
clouds, like a ship coming out of the fog. Of
course, there is no mooring mast at the
Ferry Building, but Airship Ventures should
consider equipping the NT with a horn to
announce itself over the City. People would
look up in awe at the ship -- and at our
advertisers' messages inscribed on her
hull.
- “Michael is so amazing, I'm not sure where better to start than the
beginning: the moment I met him, I was immediately impressed
with his sharp wit and delightful sense of humor. As I got to know
him and his work, I discovered his contagious melange of
sensibility and style, vision and verism, finesse and ferocity -- not
just regarding his knowledge of content strategy but with his
fantastic column at Dandyism.net. Whenever Michael
complimented my writing, I felt it deeply because he's a master in
his own right. He's not only a very fine person to work with, but a
person anyone would be lucky to know.”
- “Michael's understanding of the depth and breadth of content
involved in complex projects is invaluable in the process of
crafting the user experience. He has a gift in his ability to provide a
story that will guide users through a given online environment. He
has been a true partner in each of our team efforts and it has
been a pleasure working with him.”
- “Strategic (before "strategy" became a cliche), collaborative, whip
smart, and funny -- Michael is one of the best I've worked with. And
he's the only person who can get away with wearing a pith helmet
to work (unless, of course, your work involves colonial
exploration).”
Testimonials
Builder of Communities
Included among the challenges facing companies, especially in today's
economy, is building and maintaining excitement around luxury and other
"non-essential" products and services. The key is in providing customers
and prospective customers with a sense of community -- and the
community tools -- that they can then use to go out and evangelize your
offering and keep the excitement alive.
I have considerable experience in developing online communities around
specific products. First, I helped create community around Nokia's mobile
Internet product offerings. This was back in the day -- 1998 -- when mobile
was all but a twinkle in the milk man's eye and blogging hadn't even been
invented. Custom-developing bells and whistles that today seem common
in online communities, we created a dedicated audience that helped
launch Nokia's mobile Internet efforts into the stratosphere.
Later, at Walt Disney Park and Resorts Online, I helped develop the lively
and active community around the new Hong Kong Disneyland and Virtual
Magic Kingdom. More importantly, at Disney I learned the art of integrating
real-world park and attraction experiences with digital experiences. I think
of the Zeppelin NT experience as an experience similar to that of a Disney
parks attraction: a flight on the NT is an adventure in which the patron is
the hero. Our job, from the second a potential NT Aeronaut clicks on to the
website until he or she arrives home all a-glow from their flight and excited
to share their experience with friends and family, is to make sure that each
adventure has an individual story.
At Yahoo, I built a dedicated community for two product offerings, Yahoo
Search Marketing and Yahoo Publisher Network, increasing traffic from
just a few hundred page views per month to more than 350,000.
I believe I can do the same -- and more -- for Airship Ventures utilizing
both traditional and social media tools and techniques.
economy, is building and maintaining excitement around luxury and other
"non-essential" products and services. The key is in providing customers
and prospective customers with a sense of community -- and the
community tools -- that they can then use to go out and evangelize your
offering and keep the excitement alive.
I have considerable experience in developing online communities around
specific products. First, I helped create community around Nokia's mobile
Internet product offerings. This was back in the day -- 1998 -- when mobile
was all but a twinkle in the milk man's eye and blogging hadn't even been
invented. Custom-developing bells and whistles that today seem common
in online communities, we created a dedicated audience that helped
launch Nokia's mobile Internet efforts into the stratosphere.
Later, at Walt Disney Park and Resorts Online, I helped develop the lively
and active community around the new Hong Kong Disneyland and Virtual
Magic Kingdom. More importantly, at Disney I learned the art of integrating
real-world park and attraction experiences with digital experiences. I think
of the Zeppelin NT experience as an experience similar to that of a Disney
parks attraction: a flight on the NT is an adventure in which the patron is
the hero. Our job, from the second a potential NT Aeronaut clicks on to the
website until he or she arrives home all a-glow from their flight and excited
to share their experience with friends and family, is to make sure that each
adventure has an individual story.
At Yahoo, I built a dedicated community for two product offerings, Yahoo
Search Marketing and Yahoo Publisher Network, increasing traffic from
just a few hundred page views per month to more than 350,000.
I believe I can do the same -- and more -- for Airship Ventures utilizing
both traditional and social media tools and techniques.
Developer of Business
Part and parcel of developing community is developing business
relationships. At Razorfish, Yahoo and now at CBS Interactive, I've been
very active in ferreting out make-sense business partnerships and
strategic alliances that have helped these businesses grow.
relationships. At Razorfish, Yahoo and now at CBS Interactive, I've been
very active in ferreting out make-sense business partnerships and
strategic alliances that have helped these businesses grow.
Background in Hospitality
In addition to my professional marketing, PR, web content and community
experience, I also have a background in hospitality, having managed the
bar for several years at Enrico's Sidewalk Cafe, a classic, high-end
restaurant in San Francisco's North Beach. Here, bartenders and wait
persons were expected to act as entertainers as well as mere service
people -- we were taught to think on our feet while making sure our
customers had the best experience possible -- and open champagne with
a sword.
At Airship Ventures I would want to take an active role in ensuring our
patrons enjoy the best experience possible by identifying their unique
preferences and personally catering to their desires during both pre-flight
(what at Disney we called the "pre-show") and in-flight sequences.
experience, I also have a background in hospitality, having managed the
bar for several years at Enrico's Sidewalk Cafe, a classic, high-end
restaurant in San Francisco's North Beach. Here, bartenders and wait
persons were expected to act as entertainers as well as mere service
people -- we were taught to think on our feet while making sure our
customers had the best experience possible -- and open champagne with
a sword.
At Airship Ventures I would want to take an active role in ensuring our
patrons enjoy the best experience possible by identifying their unique
preferences and personally catering to their desires during both pre-flight
(what at Disney we called the "pre-show") and in-flight sequences.
Michael Mattis
mbmattis (at) hotmail.com
818-434-2873 (cell)
mbmattis (at) hotmail.com
818-434-2873 (cell)
What I Can and Cannot do for You
I can:
I cannot:
I can:
- Get your message out among news
organizations, enthusiastic
evangelists, bloggers and potential
and repeat patrons by telling your story
in creative ways. - Develop dedicated community around
the Airship Ventures experience. - Help craft the Airship Ventures
experience into a thematic story that
patrons will remember for a lifetime. - Constantly come up with new
marketing, PR and biz dev concepts --
and execute on them. - Keep the excitement going using
social networking tools, such as:
- - Facebook
- YouTube
- Flickr
- And more...
- Keep your website fresh with new
content; update your blog. - Ensure that your patrons have the best
possible experience from the moment
they get on the website until they drive
off of Moffett Field -- and beyond. - Help you manage your service
offerings, from choosing the wines in
your lounge to ensuring quality service
on board ship. - Open your patron's champagne with a
sword.
I cannot:
- Do long division
