I move quickly. I think fast. I talk fast and for the most part, I solve problems fast. I’ve always been this way. It’s probably why I was drawn to production. In one of my early Supervising Producer roles in LA, I took over mid-season and had to manage a team of people I didn’t […]

According to Census Bureau data, only 20 percent of American households ever break the six-figure mark. When you do, you join the ranks of a segment dubbed the mass affluent, new rich or HENRYs (high earners, not rich yet). This group is the professional and entrepreneurial class that drives the economy. They’re relentless strivers who […]

The customer is always right. Le client n’a jamais tort. (The customer is never wrong.) Der Kunde ist König. (Customer is King.) Interior design is the ultimate service business and it’s likely you learned this adage at some point or other as the key to your success. Maverick retailers Harry Selfridge and Marshall Field made […]

Allegedly the female brain is hard-wired to be better at multi-tasking than a man’s because we have better connections between the left and right sides. While it’s interesting that we’re more likely to remember faces—because several sub-networks can simultaneously connect—I think we have to consider the context where this whole multi-tasking concept was born. Multi-tasking […]

As 2013 comes to a close I’ve been thinking a lot about what it means to be a leader in creative business.  If you feel like you’ve been on the cusp for a long time, you might start to wonder if magic is required to lift you out of obscurity.  But the truth is, the […]

So let me cut straight to the chase. Here’s what you’re doing when you procrastinate: delaying your own good. Say it with me, I am delaying my own good. Forget what Freud said about the pleasure principle and humans preferring to avoid negative emotions or to delay stressful tasks. Because the reality is that breaking […]

Join me at the Laguna Design Center on October 30, 2013 for my 1-hr CEU Image 360°: Branding, Visibility And Money For The Design Industry. Ideal clients, consistent income and seemingly miraculous opportunities show up when you get the story of your business right.  But it’s not just what you say, it’s who you tell that […]

So why do some interior design firms thrive, while others barely survive?  The answer lies in one powerful, little word:  brand. On August 21 & 22nd, join an inspired conversation about branding, visibility and money.  This compelling series of interviews combined with live sessions for interior designers and product makers will bridge the gap between what […]

I just got my media accreditation for  Dwell On Design  and between that and a slew of interviews I’ve been doing for an incredible event – more on that later – it feels like I’m back in pre-production again. The Los Angeles Design Festival 2013 kicks off this weekend and Dwell is just one of the […]

My mentor Michael Maschio was the Production Executive in charge of The A-Team in the 80s. He rolled his eyes when I gushed. He’s old Hollywood. His dad was the packaging agent for Casablanca, so piecing together epic creative projects was in his blood. He managed all kinds of personalities with ease, dealt with situations […]