Introducing your Guest Host, Vanessa

I blog as I swim: shamelessly, with my eyes closed

By Vanessa Naylon

Thanks RJ for the introduction. We miss you already. Bring us back some shortbread from Scotland, please.

I’m pleased to be joining BrandFiller for a few days, as I’ve been a reader of the blog for the last year and am also good friends with fellow swimmer (and your colorful Profiles from the Edge hostess) Erin Bush.

A NONE-TOO-Brief BUT Ideally Interesting BIOGRAPHY

I’m a creative strategist for a social ad company based in San Francisco. Translation: you know how marketers like to call themselves “storytellers” these days? I’m one of Those People. I didn’t get into the advertising industry until a few years ago, but I’ve thought advertising and branding were cool ever since Toyota’s “Jump” TV commercials (which now seem bizarre) and Fast Company’s “The Brand Called You” article. Lots of people hate advertising. I think they don’t quite know what they’re talking about, but perhaps we’ll get into that later.

I come to San Francisco from the high desert of Arizona, the suburbs of Texas, and Zone 1 of London. Currently, my top regret is that it has been ten years since I’ve left the United States to explore other places (one more reason to be envious of RJ’s travels).

Like most good people, I am searching for meaning and purpose. Most of all I search for inspiration and want to find my own way of making things better.

Enough talk. Here’s a fun video I made yesterday for a friend on her birthday. Warning: it’s meme-related*. That’s how we’re gonna roll.

This week, I look forward to telling you some stories. Is there anything you want to talk about?

* Reference: “Gangnam Style” by Psy