Filmmaker Nico Holthaus is joining the Music Maker Foundation in their effort to preserve the musical traditions of the South by directly supporting poor and slighted musicians who make it, ensuring their voices will not be silenced by poverty and time.

Nico Holthaus

Nico is a prolithic, Arizona based, documentary filmmaker whose work has bought him award winning critical acclaim, fame, and controversy.  All of these  as a documentarian doing his craft skillfully should.

When you purchase either the  movie, Mill Ave, Inc. or The Avenue, for just $20⁰⁰ plus shipping, 20% of your purchase price will be donated to Music Maker.  I strongly encourage you to purchase both movies, since you’ll receive a discount and even more as a bonus!

Purchase Here

About the Films

Mill Ave, Inc.

In the mid to late 90’s Tempe AZ was a hotbed of creative talent. Mill Ave, Inc. is a documentary that started with video footage of bands and venues along Mill Ave , when it became apparent that a lot of these venues would be closing their doors. It seems there was not one singular cause for the disintegration of Mill’s culture and liveliness that people everywhere had come to enjoy.

Or was there?

The Avenue

The Avenue is a documentary film based in Tucson, AZ. 4th avenue was threatened with gentrification, much like Mill Ave in Tempe, AZ. Winner of Best of Arizona at the Arizona International film festival.

By purchasing these films, you will not only have some terrific, eye-opening, quality entertainment.  You will make an impact on historical the historical musical history that is the south.

Read more & purchase

Kara works with legal marketers and small to mid-size business to create a more clearly defined focus and distinctive business strategy that will provide them with a competitive advantage for new business, higher reputation recognition, and enhance their ability to attract, win, and retain the clients they really want.

You can reach her at 917-856-5410

I didn’t realize how incredibly blessed I was living in Harlem, in a world full of future-driven, forwad thinking folk from all over the planet.  Don’t get me wrong, I truly adore the sunshine and overwhelming generosity of the many new friends I’m making.

While living in my fabulous corner of Manhattan, it wasn’t possible for me to see how much, New York with all of its issues, was a very safe coccoon brimming with intellectual, humanly rational and empathetic people.

It occurs to me now that I was living in a microcasm of the country where the  -isms are openly discussed, debated and not tolerated.  I’m also painfully aware of how much I went unthwarted because of them.  Obviously, I’m not oblivious.  I fully realise that inequality exists over the entire planet.  That’s not what I mean…

After moving to Phoenix, and meeting the countless number of people that I have, I feel it is important to note that many of my new friends encounter racist and sexist behavior and commentary on a daily basis.  Since arriving here at the end of January, I’ve experience several instances myself.  This is human behavior that I have been the focus of in the past.  Before moving here, I liked to believe was behind me.  However, it is behavior that I’ve been reawakened to.

I have found myself deeply disappointed and angry.  When I witness this behavior, there is a physical pain I feel, like a fast, deep heart break.  It truly hurts.  Just yesterday, I realized that I  truly hoped this antiquated ideology had ceased in the 1980’s and we still have far to go!

With the issues of human civility facing me, the reason I chose my vocation is extremely clear.  I adore working with attorneys, and fully respect and admire them for their mastery of  United States Law.   The structure of our laws maked them adaptable with the capability of being reworked over time.  I belive this construct was put in place in order to provide the best possible life for our citizens and standing for the law is what attorneys do.

You may think that I have an idealistic viewpoints, but I lived in Manhattan for more than 22-years, studied the rulings of Thurgood Marshall during his reign on the Supreme Court, and pay attention to civil justice changes, so I thoroughly believe in the brilliance of our legal structure. So, please realize that my opinion is only mine – not meant to be fodder for agreement or disagreement…

To all attorneys –KUDOS to You!

One of my older aunties used to tell me, “Don’t worry baby, what doesn’t kill you will make you stronger.”  She wasn’t kidding either!  I’m still getting squeezed to be more than I ever thought I could be. So I guess I’m a full fledged butterfly Ready To Soar!

Other articles you may be interested in:

How to Create a Personal Brand as a Civil Rights Lawyer – Using Speaking Engagements, Published Articles & Social Media Web Sites as a Way to Make a Name for Yourself

The Most Racist Thing That Ever Happened To Me, by Toure -The Atlantic.com

I am an advisor at The Rainmaker Institute.  The Rainmaker Institute provides business development knowledge and Done-For-You services of Blogging and Social Media and Customized Newsletter Writing services that small to mid-size firms need.  Please please feel free to give me a call at 888-588-5891 Ext. 402 or send me an email at kara@therainmakerinstitute.com.

As legal marketers, we  play an extremely important role in spearheading the development of corporate strategy for our organizations and in the responding to the Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) agenda in play.

Yesterday, I attended Good Business 2010 in New York City, hosted by the Better Business Bureau. Speakers included Michael Holland, Edelman; Exec. VP and Group Head, Corporate Social Responsibility, NY; Deborah Holmes Ernst & Young, LLP, Global Corporate Responsibility Leader; and Robin Reibel, of the Macy’s Group V.P, Media Relations Cause Marketing, and Visitors Services.

One of the highlights of the conference was a front-of-the-room conversation between NY Times Advertising Columnist, Stuart Elliott,
and Christopher Graves, the CEO of Ogilvy Public Relations Worldwide, who I had the opportunity to speak with briefly afterward.

For me, one of the most important points Chris emphasized was,

“Never forget, the emotional human being on the other side”.

Some of my key takeaways:

• In order to be sustainable, the social concerns of a firm and the human beings behind a legal organization need to be demonstrated, particularly since we see the strong influence that that “the company behind the product” has on the brands all of us consumers purchase.

• CSR has been one of the key themes of the new Millennium and involves companies operating their businesses in ways that meet their stakeholders’ expectations about economic, legal, ethical and environmental and social performance.

• People are more likely to buy and rate the products from a company that they perceive as having a good reputation.

Social Media plays an important role in delivering CSR for legal brands, particularly through :

Information: Address both the services your legal marketing organization offers and the concerns of its audience

Blog Content: Needs to be appropriately targeted, ethical, accurate and culturally enriching and acceptable;

Pricing: Be sensitive to client needs ie: moving away from hourly billing,  and value, as well as operating your firm as a profitable business;

Selling: Avoid perceptions of misleading and pressuring customers and staying within compliance of ABA and jurisdiction regulations

Customer Service: Stay cognizant of your audience’s needs and concerns is key, as well as effective with resolving disputes.

Chris also mentioned this scenario I thought you might get a kick out of.  Nestle’s grossly mishandled Greenpeace’s outrage via Facbook ver their supporting companies that destroy rainforests in order to produce the palm oil that Nestle purchases from them.

While it’s highly unlikely that any orangutans will be attacking your legal marketing org any time soon, keeping the “Beasts at-Bay” with CSR in mind is sound business advice.

Other articles you may be interested in:

As the Legal Marketing Industry Shifts – We Can Differentiate By Making A Difference

Legal Marketers and Bloggers: The FTC’s New Regulations for Endorsements and Testimonials are Effective December 1, 2009 – FTC Toolkit Keeps You Informed

20 Tips for Legal Marketers Looking to Make Some Meaningful Changes In Their Business

Legal Marketing Ethics in A Web 3.0 World

Kara works with legal marketers to create a more clearly defined focus and distinctive business strategy that will provide them with a competitive advantage for new business, higher reputation recognition, and enhance their ability to attract, win, and retain the clients they really want.

You can reach her at 917-856-5410

I’m prefacing a reference to a terrific article published on lawyerist.com on ethics, with a sneak-peak of  what’s to come for legal marketing.

Almost everyone reading this knows what Web 2.0 is, Web 3.0 is terminology you may not be so familiar with.

Web 2.0 is about social networking and mass collaboration with the blurring of lines between content creator and user whereas Web 3.0 is based on “intelligent” web applications using:
*    Natural language processing
*    Machine-based learning and reasoning
*    Intelligent applications

Read more at Suite101: What is Web 3.0?: The Next Generation Web: Search Context for Online Information

As the legal marketing industry is struggling to get up to speed with blogging, Facebook, and LinkedIn, technology isn’t slowing down in order for the sector to get caught up.  Ethical standards for legal marketers have never been more important nor more scrutinized than they are in today’s environment of the quest for new clients.

Legal marketing in a Web 2.0 world is complicated for bar associations for many reasons, but one of the most significant is that legal marketing on the web, even when it’s done in a traditional format, is completely different from the legal advertising that bar associations are used to regulating.

Google’s point-and-click ads for law firms come the closest to traditional advertising, but unlike radio and TV ads, they can be tailored and tweaked easily and frequently. Some bar associations require attorneys to submit all their advertisements for review–but how can one do this with an online ad that has 30 permutations?

Non-traditional legal advertising like that found on blogs, Facebook, LinkedIn, and Twitter is even more complicated.

Read the article in full on The  Lawyerist.com

Ethical online marketing for legal professionals is not an “in-your-face” or obnoxious sales pitch.   It is a gentle conversation that entails one-to-one communication.  Which is  why I’ve been saying “Social Media is Public Relations for Legal Marketers, for the past 2-years.

Keeping on track with legislation governing online marketing rules and learning how to stay in tune with your audience and attract your ideal clients is not something legal marketers have to struggle with.

Kara works with legal marketers to create a more clearly defined focus and distinctive business strategy that will provide them with a competitive advantage for new business, higher reputation recognition, and enhance their ability to attract, win, and retain the clients they really want.

You can reach her at 917-856-5410

Other articles you may be interested in:

Your Personal Brand vs Your Corporate Brand – Added Clarity for Legal Marketers

Listening, monetization, and ethics are key for successful social media campaigns and your legal marketing reputation

Legal Marketers – Now is NOT the time to give up on Twitter

Lawyers, Forget About “Quitting Facebook” – Expanding Your Comfort Zone to Communicate is Key