Deutsch LA’s Invention Strategy team journeyed to South by Southwest 2012 to document the birth of over 100 new digital startups.

Their goal was to identify key trends and insights in and around digital invention and share them with the agency, our clients, and all of you.

Following the conference, the team monitored each startups' social mentions and press, catalogued their feature set, user base, and underlying social technologies.

Their research resulted in a 12-page report, free to download, that hits at key opportunities that marketers should be focused on in the year ahead.

It's a smart and quick read. Hopefully, it will spark some new ideas for you or your business. Thanks to @bud_caddell, our VP of Invention Strategy, and his team for their work on it.

If you have questions or would like to talk to us about how we can put some of these insights to work for you, don't hesitate to contact us.

Get it here: http://scr.bi/J3po05

I watched Legends of Flight last night on Netflix, a documentary about the science and art behind groundbreaking aircraft such as the Airbus A380 and Boeing 787.

Cool content, music, narration, motion design, and 3D camera work. Also short. Only about 45 minutes. Queue worthy. A good unexpected surprise.

On October 5, 2009, Boulder Digital Works at CU (BDW) launched its first 60 Week Program. Since then they've had forty-eight full-time students through the program, and people have landed at great places. They work at companies like CP+B, AKQA, Deutsch, Goodby, Saatchi, Team One, BBH Labs, Ascentium, W+K, EVB, Big Spaceship, Fallon, Grey, Crocs, and Gaim. And many are making a real impact on work and business – Deutsch currently has two grads on staff, Charlotte Myerberg and Erin McHugh.

Besides the smarts and dedication of the program's leadership and management, David Slayden, Michael Lightner, and Jenna Conlin, and the support of Chuck Porter and MDC Partners, one of the things that's made the program so strong and unique is the quality of its supporters. Over the last few years some truly amazing digital and creative minds have advised BDW, mentored at the program, or been a part of the 'Making Digital Work' executive workshops.

People such as Matt Howell, Ben Malbon, Kat Egan, Scott Prindle, Robert Reich, Scott Witt, Alex Bogusky, Edward Boches, Jay Wolff, Shane Steele, Allison Kent-Smith, Kip Voytek, Rae Ann Fera, Eugene Wei, Dave Schiff, Alex Burnard, Eric Eccles, Diego Rodriguez, John Winsor, Rei Inamoto, Mike Geiger, Neil Robinson, Mason Reed, Tim Malbon, Gareth Kay, Jeff Benjamin, Justin Gold, Matt Walsh, Brian Skahan, Joe Corr, Mattias Hansson, Brandon Berger, Faris Yakob, Gary Koepke, Will Aldrich, Rachael Powell, Lisa Rutherford, Will McGinness, and Randy Guthrie. To name a few.

If you're looking for a digital career boost or are passionate about creativity, technology, and marketing, but aren't quite sure what to do yet, I recommend that you take a look at the program. Boulder is an innovation town, and you'll get access to some remarkable thinkers, job opportunities, and of course, big mountains.

BDW is accepting applications for its next 60 Week Program now: http://bdw.colorado.edu/#/apply/

Today, Deutsch LA, VW, and MoMA, launched the world's first branded animated GIF contest for one of the world's coolest bands, Kraftwerk. VWGIFAway.com is a ticket giveaway for the Kraftwerk Retrospective at MoMA and PS1 from April 10-17. Rather than just give the tickets away, we decided to make it more of an art exchange. One steeped in internet art culture. If you submit an animated GIF, you increase your chances of winning. The best GIFs will be displayed at a special event in NY. Check it out. Participate. The giveaway ends 3/16/12 11:59 p.m. E.T.

This should serve as a reminder to all of us who make ads. Be authentic or else. Enjoy. I did.

Thanks to David Gonzales for sharing.

Add a little Star Wars geek to your Super Bowl party this year. Make a VW Intergalactic party invite, and see you, your family, and friend's names in a custom Star Wars text crawl.

And of course get directions to your big throw down. 

A documentary of one of my favorite albums of its era, The Soft Bulletin. Thanks to Pitchfork for a great video series in CLASSIC.

http://pitchfork.com/tv/pitchfork-classic/1885-the-flaming-lips-the-soft-bull...