Creating Community around LOST

My last post featured the story of my Dad's dedication to a single project for his entire career, and this post stays in the family, this time with my Brother and all that he put into his work covering LOST for Entertainment Weekly.  There must be something in the Jensen male gene that keeps us engaged in a single activity, and focused on seeing it through...from my Dad and his work as a detective, to my Brother and his commitment to LOST, to my own story of spending 10 years with a local technology company.  Either way, for this post I want to recognize my Brother and what he has done for Entertainment and the LOST community by providing his insights and opinions over the last 6 years.  His passion for the show, and his desire to try and determine what it all meant and to share that with the LOST community is a great example of "Making it Happen."

I have to admit that I am not an avid LOST fan.  I watched it occasionally, but as a result of infrequent attention to the show I was ironically "Lost" quite a bit.  For me, I liked the challenge of trying to figure it all out, when I had no idea what was going on.  The other attraction was trying to be somewhat informed as I followed the various online blog posts and videos under Doc Jensen.  So, when it came to the finale, I didn't camp out and watch every minute..in fact, I only watched the last hour.  It didnt matter though, because I knew that the next day I would heave Doc Jensen's recap waiting for me to help explain what it all mean...and I'm not alone in that.  As Jeff's reputation for thoughtful analysis and "inside scoop" emerged he started to have a very loyal following.  People eagerly anticipated his weekly breakdown of all the details from the previous week as well as what was to come.  Also, over time Jeff and his EW partner, Dan Snierson, stared to get active in Social Media to further their message.  On twitter, @EWDocJensen has over 21,000 followers. His Doc Jensen blog typically received many 100's of comments.  And their weekly Totally Lost videos I'm sure get a lot of views.  Given that I am in the social media/community space for my job, it is great to see how Jeff, and the EW team, have created a community around the show and have leveraged social media tools (blogs, twitter, video) to expand the reach of their message.  The LOST audience was eager for the kind of storytelling and insight that Jeff offered, and I think were entertained by the creativity that he and Dan put into the Totally Lost videos.  It provided an opportunity for the audience to see the "real" side of Jeff and the person behind the columns.

So, cheers to Jeff and what he did over the last 6 years covering the show.  I know it meant a lot to him, and he had a passion for delivering on what the entertainment world wanted...someone to try and make sense of it all.  As he moves on to something else, I'm sure it wont be easy to let go of 6 years of brain numbing analysis, but I'm sure he will Make It Happen again, just as he did with LOST.  

Great job bro!

Read More!

Dedication, Persistence and Patience

As I was reading through a random selection of tweets last week I noticed one from Washington State Representative Dave Reichert (@davereichert) mentioning that it was "Police Week" - a time to honor those that serve and protect us day in and day out.  In reading that, especially from Rep. Reichert, I immediately thought of my Dad, Tom Jensen, who has served in law enforcement for the last 30+ years, 25 of which have been dedicated to single case, The Green River Murders.  For all you Gen X and Y'rs our there can you imagine a) working for the same "company" for 30 yrs and b) on the same project (or case)?  In this day and age, it is unheard of.  However, for my dad it was necessary...necessary to see something through to it's completion, necessary to bring closure to families, necessary to help reassure the public that they are safe.  I can think of no better example of Making It Happen then my dad and his effort on this case that has been his career.

 

Like many people, including myself, my dad has his "quirks."  I think the hat he was given with the initials E.C. on it (which stands for Endearingly Crabby) a few years ago while working on the Green River case, pretty much sums it up.  That's just who he is.  Behind that however, is a person that was dedicated to his job, understood his role, and pushed forward amidst adversity, uncertainty, frustration, and near failure to help solve the most prolific serial murder case in the history of the United States.  For 11 years (1990-2001), he was the only Full Time resource on this "unsolvable" case.  He had every opportunity to give up, move on, and do something different.  Instead he persisted and patiently went through every tip and every piece of evidence, until there was finally a breakthrough.  DNA Technology had finally caught up and in processing a final piece of evidence, they were able to make a match.  In 2001, after all those years of uncertainty and frustration, he helped make the arrest of Gary Ridgeway.  It took another couple years to bring the case to trial, conviction, and final closure for families of the victims, and in that process, my Dad was again right in the thick of it doing everything he could to ensure that all the families and the public were served.

All of this hard work, dedication, persistence, and patience finally came in the form of formal recognition a few weeks ago when my dad was awarded the King County Employee of the Year for 2009.  Knowing my Dad this is not something that he wants a lot of attention on, and he will be the first to give a lot of credit to other involved, but I know he deserves it and he should be very proud for what he has accomplished.  He has definitely Made It Happen!  Since the case has been closed, my Dad still continues to serve, applying his skills to try and solve Cold Cases in the State of Washington...and trying to Make It Happen again.

P.S. - Stay tuned for another "Make It Happen" post down the road as my brother is working on a graphic novel that tells my Dad's story.  Here is an interview with him talking about what to expect.

Read More!

Teacher Appreciation

This week was Teacher Appreciation week, it was difficult for me not to write a post about teachers and how they Make It Happen.  Not only do I have my own personal experiences as a student when I was younger, but now as a parent, I have the opportunity to witness how each and every day teachers have a positive impact on the lives of kids.  So, this post is about teachers, and the three things that they do on a daily basis to "Make It Happen"

Patience

If you are a parent, you know that as much as we love our kids, they can push our buttons, right?  Well, think of someone that spends 6+ hours of the day with your kid...and dozens more...at the same time!  The second you think about how challenging it might be, step back and think of what our teachers face on a day to day basis.  There is an art to teaching, to engaging a number of kids, and helping them learn.  The patience that teachers must have to push through the day, face the challenges that pop up, and continue on is something we can all admire and learn from.

Service

With any teacher, but especially with the teachers that I have had the privilege to be around in my lifetime through private schools in West Seattle, the word service comes to mind.  They are dedicated servants to the kids, families and the community.  In the private school setting that I have been involved with, teachers are specifically trained in what it means to "serve" and dedicate themselves to that line of work.  It takes a special person to humble themselves day in and day out to serve.  It can't be easy, but through their service they make the world a better place for the future.

Compassion

What I love about the teachers I have had, and the ones now teaching my kids, is they have a level of compassion that I wish I could have.  They have the ability to embrace kids, and the challenges they might be facing, inside or outside of the classroom, and help them learn.  I feel fortunate the my kids are around teachers now that if they have a concern, or a struggle, that they will be understanding and generous with their time to get them through it.  I know for sure that this will only help my kids in their journey.

I came across a tweet from @shanuacausey the other day with a quote from Warren Buffett that said "Someone’s sitting in the shade today because someone planted a tree a long time ago."  When I think of teachers, they are planting trees today (through the education they give our kids), so that there is shade (opportunity) for someone in the future.  They are without a doubt making it happen.

What are other attributes of teachers you have had that make them special?

Read More!