The Happs on the Apps
We are sorry. If you have clicked “subscibe” you have been terribly mislead. We have not posted in a hot minute. Truth is we have been slammed. But if your interested here is whats been going down:
-Sole Collector / Scion app has had over 40,000 downloads and we just completed a 2-page spread to promote the puppy.
-We are designing 2 more apps currently – both involve shoes.
-Klint is finishing the world’s largest website for Centra
-The Todds have been shooting video in Chicago and training at Martinville Speedway for video controls.
-We are working on ads in Arabic (the answer is no…I do not speak a word)
-Josh/Miranda have been developing and launching social media campaigns for about ten clients including BMW of Sterling
-David is getting Bandals off to a great start in 2010.
-Derek is currently launching 3 websites at once – with his eyes closed and one hand behind his back.
-Johanna and the MEDIA team have finished Lynchburg Living’s HITCHED issue, Lynchburg Life and Lynchburg Business thanks mostly to Keith!
-Andrea Webb along with Cheryl, Andrea and the help of Marvelous Mary put on a fantastic Bride of the Year Luncheon despite the reschedule.
-Oh, and somewhere in there we found time to put on EFC6 in Richmond.
Needless to say its been a great month – Just not for this guy.
Just for kicks…
A while back out buddy Steve from Sole Collector sent us a pair of Nike Zoom Kobe IVs to get some video of with the new 5D Mark II to test its capability for future video work. This 30 second clip really launched us into using our DSLR as a video camera. Since this practice run we have used it for multiple commercials and videos. The quality is amazing and with interchangeable lenses it give you the look of BIG money film cameras all the while producing HD video on the same gear we use for photography. It does have it’s limits. Audio is the big one. We bough a Beachmark bolt-on with XLR audio plug-ins for mics but we have not perfected it just yet. For most audio related issues we still use our Sony HD cams or have the VO work done in our studio.
Our first iPhone App
After a long awaited development process and approvals, our first iPhone application just made it to the iPhone App store this past week! Over the past four months we have worked with Sole Collector and Scion to create and develop a completely custom application for sneaker heads that would allow them to see the latest releases and sneaker news. In the days following the launch the SC server had a hiccup and went down for two days. Needless to say it was a stressful time, but now everything is up and running and the app is working smooth. You can read more and download the app at the Apple app store – Check it out!
Red Alert: Blido’s Got Some New Cooking Competition
She’s a confectionary baker, a social media guru and an veritable idea factory all rolled into one. Yep, little Miranda Canady is good at many of the big things in life that make us happy here at Prototype. See, we are simple creatures. Just feed us sugar then Tweet about it and we are tickled pink.
If Carboholics Anonymous ever shows up at our door, we will hide Miranda from site, but until then her bright smile, hair and ideas will keep her safe from harm. In fact, the only harm in having her here will be to our waistlines. Welcome Miranda!
You can always learn something from kids.
We live on a quiet culdesac. The perfect street for kids. The perfect street for kids to start their own business.
Last night, we arrived home late and through darkness of the foyer picked up the day’s mail. Lumped in with the bills, coupons and direct mail was a brochure from the newest entrepreneurs on my block – Connor and Emory’s Dog Walking Compuny. I was impressed! There was much to learn from their from their marketing materials. Let’s review:
1. Who – Name of the Company clearly identified
2. What they offer is visually identified – Great use of illustration. Note – The dog has 5 legs. That is not a mistake.
3. When they will be offering the service
4. How much it will cost – $2 dollers and where to contact. I mean the guys even used an area code.
What did we learn? Connor and Emory have a better understanding than 63% of adults of what to place in an ad and they are willing to work for their money.
They have earned my business. They will be walking our female Labrador this weekend, but nowhere near that five legged beast pictured.
Where the Wild Things Grow
Keith conquers them by staring into their orange eyes without blinking once.
DARE to say no to… IE6!
If you frequent the Prototype Advertising office, you may have been unlucky enough to witness the raw, savage rage of one of our web developers as they attempt to get their finely crafted website working in Internet Explorer 6. They’ve even been known to revert to primal tendencies (see the photo for proof!).
Much like our friends in college football, we each wear one IE6 patch on our coat sleeve for each website that we have successfully styled in IE6 without major modification to the layout. Let me tell you, it’s embarrassing too but fortunately people don’t expect developers to be very stylish. This January though we’ll be hanging up those war torn coats up for good.
Starting January 1, 2010 Prototype Advertising will no longer offer IE6 coding as part of our standard web development package. We will still offer IE6 compatibility coding as an additional service upon specific request (for an additional fee).
The final release of Internet Explorer 6 was in 2001 and the final security update was released in in 2008 with Windows XP SP3. Microsoft has acknowledged that they will likely cease supporting IE6 in 2014. With it’s dated architecture and code handling (even admitted by Microsoft), IE6 really leaves a lot to be desired from a design and development standpoint. Things that are simple in newer browsers are often difficult if not impossible to achieve in IE6. Since Prototype Advertising always strives to be creative and unique with our designs and layouts, often times we find ourselves painted into the proverbial corner when at project completion we view our once beautiful website in Internet Explorer 6 only to realize our fine art now looks mangled and unsightly. IE6 costs our development team hundreds of hours a year that we could be using to create more features on your website, make your site more search engine friendly, add additional support and detail graphics or just to put that final touch of creativity into the artwork of your website design. We choose to move forward!
We’ve teamed up with a growing group of companies that are putting Internet Explorer 6 in the bag (and then tying that bag – duct taping it – kicking it a couple times – locking it in a chest – and throwing that chest in the sea). You can visit www.ie6nomore.com for more information about the movement by developers to get users up to date on their internet browsers.
So, as a current or potential future client of Prototype’s, you may be asking yourself… so what will happen if someone comes to my website with Internet Explorer 6? Will they just see nothing? Absolutely not! It is still in our very best interest to make sure that your website viewers are taken care of. They will still be able to access the website (although it may not look it’s best) and will be presented with this banner at the top of their browser window which includes easy to use links where they can upgrade their current browser.
So long IE6… time to move to Florida, buy an RV and live out the rest of your days on the golf course good friend. (that is, if you can get out of that bag we stuck you in)
Best “Quote” Ever
We recently spent several days and nights working on an internal video project for Will Smith, SVP of Marketing and Terence Reilly, VP of Marketing at Famous Footwear. We had great direction, but little time. Fortunately, God gave us the strength of body (no pig flu) and the blessing of no power surges – however, as things go Adobe AfterEffects acted the fool several times ( I personally believe its because the hardware has an apple on the back : 0 ). The end result was a product that was the finishing touch to what Will’s team had worked long and hard to present to several hundred footwear industry “who’s who” folks…This what what was in our inbox the next day:
“[Prototype] The blueprint for agency effectiveness”
-Will Smith, SVP of Marketing, Famous Footwear
Martinsville Speedway – Tums500
We love the smell of gasoline mixed with burning rubber. To put it simply put, our friends at Martinsville Speedway know how to put on a show. Clay Campbell, Karen Parker, Mike Smith and Tracie Powell led us through our first BIG weekend of NASCAR – track side with only a chain linked fence separating us and a herd of metal monsters capable of 200mph. It was a true thrill and we can’t wait to do it again. The track has recently been described as the “Fenway Park” of NASCAR and after Sunday it’s easy to see why…We Experienced Tradition. We Experienced Martinsville. Up close and personal!
EFC5
NewsAdvance – Oct, 18 2009
by Mitchell Malcheff
Though he was taken down early, John Bradley needed less than two minutes to perform a triangle choke on Chad Sizemore, picking up a TKO victory in the first fight of EFC 5 Saturday night at the Lynchburg Armory.
The featherweight fight kicked off a slate of 13 scheduled fights highlighted by big victories from local Team Ram members Mike Troxel, Jack Bedenbaugh and Jeff Murphy.
Troxel took on James Rosnic of Team Asheboro in the second fight. Rosnic, who had a decided height advantage, was taken to the mat early by Troxel, who landed a number of hard punches to Rosnic’s midsection. Fighting with four ounce gloves instead of the usual six ounce gloves, Troxel knew that Rosnic’s height advantage could be a problem for him.
“He’s a couple inches taller than me so he has a couple inches of reach … because we had four ounce gloves and not six ounce gloves they’re not as forgiving. If we’d had six ounce gloves I probably would have stood with him more,” Troxel said.
Before the first round ended, Troxel was in full mount position on top of Rosnic and ended the fight early when he put Rosnic into a painful armbar.
“I knew that he was scared of my ground game … so I figured I would just take him down and remove as much risk as possible,” Troxel said. “You can control a lot of things but you can never control just a straight right hand that gets in there … so I put him in a position where I knew I would have the upper hand,” Troxel said.
The Troxel fight was followed by the first female fight of the night between Jessica Martinez and Robin Hartman. Though Hartman took a solid right cross to the chin almost immediately after the start of the second round, she managed to hold on for a decision win.
“That was a pretty good hit. Once she hit me it knocked me off balance but I also saw stars. The only thing I (could) remember is to keep moving and I did that and got my composure back,” Hartman said.
Like Troxel, Bedenbaugh ended his fight in the first round against Dustin Carol. Carol had the advantage early, taking Bedenbaugh to the mat and mounting him. Bedenbaugh countered by nearly ending the fight with an armbar but Carol wriggled free and picked Bedenbaugh up and body slamming him back down. Moments later, Bedenbaugh would complete his earlier attempt at an armbar for the victory.
Murphy continued the Team Ram trend of finishing fights in the first round, shooting out of his corner aggressively and taking Ray Cadell to the mat in seconds. Murphy ended the fight with a rear mount and chokehold tapout. The middleweight’s early aggression was much different from his first fight.
Murphy submits Cadell in the first round
“My first fight I was really nervous and I was … throwing up out back. So this time I knew I needed to have a different mindset,” Murphy said.
Strikeforce fighter Antoine Britt, a Hampton Roads, Va. native, was in attendance and said the future is bright for the EFC.
““The talent here is ridiculous. Everybody did a great job,” Britt said.
Britt was especially impressed by Murphy.
“Jeff Murphy, that dude, that fight was awesome, that dude is vicious. He’s really aggressive, really in your face. If he keeps that mentality he’s going to go a long way,” Britt said.
Heavyweight Ja Perry recorded a unanimous decision victory over Tony Witley and Jennifer Wood knocked off Melissa Blythe in her cage fighting debut to round out the first seven fights. The final six fights were unfinished at press time.