Wow -- what a day at the Frog! We took Halloween by storm and somehow managed to stay on top of our work and assignments....below, pleae find some pictures of the big event!

So I am not what you call the coolest cat in the litterbox....I still think of Pink as a color and 50 cent as something I toss in the soda machine to get a Coke. However, I have recently gotten a serious education in one of today's hottest "cool" things -- vampire romance, and in particular, the Stephenie Meyer "Twilight" series. 

We at Leapfrog MPD are happy to be representing a group of young, talented fans who are building America's largest fan convention for the Twilight series. Called TwiCon 2009, the "fan con," as it is called, will be held at the Sheraton Dallas Hotel and Convention Center July 30-Aug. 2, 2009. As I write this blog post, I am with the organizers in Dallas doing a site check and guest-starring on a "vlog" (video blog) broadcast with one of the biggest Twilight boosters, Bailey/NoMoreMarbles. I have really enjoyed her enthusiasm and that of Kaleb (of Kaleb Nation), Becca Grapsy, and my business partner, Becky Scoggins (of BresslerScoggins Literary Management).

I have found the Twilight phenomenon -- and associated fans -- to be fervent without overdoing it; to be cleancut (and in fact very intolerant of bad language and salacious content); and to truly embrace all things related to their passion (a major motion picture based on the first book, "Twilight", will be released next month.

A press release announcing the latest special guests to attend TwiCon is here. And you can go to www.TwiCon.org for the full scoop -- if you are THAT cool, of course! 

TwiCon Release 102508.pdf (86.29 kb)

TwiCon Release 102508.doc (917.00 kb)

10 | 7 | 2008

Picture day around here was no different than it used to be back in school. There were hair conferences, lipstick applications, accessories judging—and that was just Jordan! (just kidding, Jordan!) The only thing we were missing from the school picture day atmosphere was one kid off crying in the corner because her mom “trimmed” her bangs up to her hairline the night before. Thank heavens!

Having photos of you and your employees is worth the thousand words of cliché and lore. After being impressed by the bio, it’s reassuring to see who’s packing all those credentials. Your Web site is a form of first impression, and letting the graphics and text do all the work is tempting. But whiz-bang Flash and cool rollovers will never completely replace a friendly smile.

 I was thinking about the last time the nation anticipated a VP debate as breathlessly as the one that's about to start tonight -- I think the guy at the left may have had a role. Admiral Stockdale was the running mate of Ross Perot (himself a "maverick," to use an oft-quoted McCainism) during the 1992 election and was woefully unprepared and overmatched (saying a lot since Dan Quayle was one of the fellow debaters!). However, his self-effacing humor and plain spoken answers made the nation feel a measure of "warm and fuzzy" for him.

I think about how the stakes have changed, even in the short amount of time that has elapsed, with the way Sarah Palin has been treated of late. When Stockdale debated, the World Wide Web was an information dirt road and news was still received several hours post haste. Though it is seemingly stating the obvious, today, every mistake is magnified; every gaffe amplified; and every ineptitude splashed across the world at blazing 1.5 mbps speed!

As I prepare for Palin's speech, it's not her impressive political record, nor her role of relative importance, that is top of mind -- instead, it's the image of Tina Fey's most recent lampoon -- and whether the Palin of reality will display any of the exaggerated mannerisms in the Fey caricature. Nope, a fair shake is almost impossible to be had these days, when every rehearsal is aired to the world.

Lesson here folks -- the cameras are almost always on -- so always be prepared. 

Who of my generation does not remember the words of "Fernando," one of my favorite Billy Crystal characters from the 1980s:  "It's better to look good, than to feel good."

Today, I am happy to say, we at Leapfrog proudly are both. With the shouts that rang through our office at 1:47 p.m. this afternoon, it was clear that the brand new LeapfrogMktg.com had propagated across the Web - and with it, the cream on the top of the six-month ice cream sundae known as our new identity branding process.

It's a gorgeous web site laden with great functionality (hence the "looking" and "feeling" good ideal); useful features and information; and of course, this blog, which will now provide our team with a voice (or ribbit, if you'll permit it) to share thoughts, ideas and other "stuff" relevant to what we do. 

Please have a seat on the porch and click around our eLilypad, and do let us know if you come across anything we might have missed in the spit-and-polish stage of getting 'er ready for launch.

Saludos, my dahlings! And thanks for stopping by.