To convey this message and educate the audience about the notion of simply leading, Chik-Fil-A had an incredibly impressive line up of speakers, including best selling author John C. Maxwell, gold medalist Sanya Richards-Ross, Dr. Henry Cloud, Executive Coach David Allen, Duke basketball coach Mike Krzyzewski, Condoleeza Rice, GE’s former CEO Jack Welch and more.

One specific takeaway that definitely rang a bell for the crew of Mighty 8th was John C. Maxwell’s speaking point: “Add value to people everyday.” Maxwell said to the audience, “ Everyday I sit and review my day in my head and always make sure to ask myself, did I add value to someone today?”

Having written several best selling books on leadership, Maxwell went on to say, “Leadership is the difference maker and the deal breaker. It’s how we grow organizations. It’s how we impact lives. But, as you also know, leadership cannot be an idea we simply talk about. Leadership is the action we must live out.”

For Mighty 8th Media, adding value to someone everyday is critical both for our clients and our employees. For all of you reading this, make sure and ask yourself, how can I add value to someone today? It could change someone else’s life and change yours as well.

Here are 9 top leadership tips from the presenters:

1. Andy Stanley, pastor of NorthPoint Church and bestselling author and communicator: Leaders don’t feel the need to be the smartest person in the room. They are willing to be the dumbest person.

2. David Allen, best-selling author of Getting Things Done and productivity expert: There is an inverse relationship between what is on your mind and getting it done. If it’s on your mind, get it out of your mind. Write it down, so you can focus on the task at hand.

3. Sanya Rochards-Ross, 2012 London Olympic gold medalist, track and field: Before the race, I imagine myself winning. During the race, I focus on executing what I imagined previously.

4. Henry Cloud, bestselling author and leadership consultant: Sometimes, the worst thing a leader can do is hope. If you are headed to the wrong destination, perseverance won’t help you. Instead, you need to create a “necessary ending.”

5. Coach Mike Krzyzewski, head men’s basketball coach, Duke University: Don’t focus on winning. Focus on creating a culture of success. This will lead to consistent winning.

6. John C. Maxwell, bestselling author and leadership expert: Divide your weaknesses by delegating them. A leader is like a quarterback. He doesn’t get paid to run the ball. He gets paid to put the ball into the right hands.

7. Condoleezza Rice, U.S. Secretary of State (2005–2009): You have to be an optimist. Nobody wants to follow a sour puss.

8. Jack Welch, former Chairman and CEO of General Electric: You can give a thousand speeches, but nothing has a bigger impact than the personnel decisions you make. This includes who you hire, who you fire, and who you assign to your most important projects.

9. LCDR Rorke Denver, Navy SEAL and star of the 2012 movie Act of Valor: As leaders, your people are going to mimic your behavior. (SEALS are going to amplify your behavior.) Calm is contagious. So is panic. So is stupidity.

Whatever your business, we hope you find as much value in these ideas about leadership and words of wisdom as we did.

For our clients, a video is an effective way to communicate a story to a target audience, but for us it’s also a way to gain valuable insight into their mindset, personality, and work environment. In turn, this provides us with knowledge and a better understanding of their DNA as we look to most effectively market them to the world. Also, it’s a lot of fun!

We recently wrapped up a location shoot for CablesAndKits, one of the largest online network accessory superstores in the world and all around experts in awesome. CablesandKits wanted to develop a video showcasing their companies’ core values, and how those values contribute to their success. Using this philosophy as the foundation, Mighty 8th’s video team, led by award-winning videographer Ron Dawson, set-off to bring their vision to life…with our own unique twist of course.

Once we have an idea of what we want and the shots required to tell that story, we do whatever it takes to “get the shot”. “Whatever it takes” usually involves a dash of spontaneity, a sprinkle of resourcefulness, a shake of willingness, and a whole bucket of humility (as demonstrated in these exclusive behind the scenes clips)…as we said, whatever it takes!

Stay tuned for the final version of the CablesAndKits core values video. In the meantime, let us know if you think Mighty 8th’s video services can help tell your story.

After Ben got to check out his custom birthday sign, we knew we’d head for a lunch destination that is never a gamble: Mellow Mushroom.  It takes a very special place to be as “cheesy” as the crew from Mighty 8th!

Did you know that nobody gets between Bev and her pizza? Now you do.

As usual, Mellow Mushroom served up a very satisfying set of delicious dishes that really hit the spot!

Once back at The Hangar, we all went upstairs to check out our very own custom casino. In one half of the room was an X-box with a track and field game. Competitors wore either a red or black hat, and the gamblers placed bets on their choice.

Justin Gillispie, Mighty 8th Business Development team member, is on the tall side. So, between his height and a ridiculously tall hat, there was limited room for him to compete in the track and field competition.

Meanwhile, birthday boy Ben put on a clinic as he showed off his incredible vertical leap!

Bev’s definitely glad she bet on black, and she’s got the chips to show for it.

Meanwhile, on the other side of the room, there was a full blackjack game under way. Here are some very happy card players, but please note this picture was taken BEFORE the card game started! (and the dealer started winning…)

Not only did Ben clean up at the track and field event, but he was raking in the chips at the tables too. Must have been some birthday luck!

At the end of the event, the chip total was counted up, and the winner was…Justin! For his efforts, he received a $15 iTunes giftcard.

Ever the gentleman, Justin gifted the card to Ben in honor of his birthday.

Ben, we hope you had a fantastic birthday celebration. And remember, what happens at The Hangar stays at The Hangar!

For those reasons and other age-realted office moments, we decided to give our “baby” a birthday fit for a princess. Her desk was adorned with pink and purple balloons, a princess piñata and cute little ponies, while her provided attire consisted of a bedazzled pink princess shirt, pink boa, matching sash and crown. And, just as a princess playing dress-up would do, Jessica sported her outfit all day…seriously. We couldn’t pry those feathers off of her.

One thing we know about our baby is that she loves her some Mexican food. And, wouldn’t you know she’d choose something she can eat with her hands. Tacos.

To her defense, she chose a very trendy Mexican restaurant, Cheeky Taqueria. So, they were semi grown-up tacos. Semi.

Our baby girl’s birthday celebration was rounded out with a dessert table straight out of a child’s birthday party including colorful vases of candy, Fruity Pebbles® treats, strawberry Twinkies® and sprinkle-covered chocolate pretzel sticks. And, for an added touch, Baby Ruth candy bars (which fittingly is Jessica’s favorite candy bar).

And, just in case she forgets hers at home, we supplied her with her very own baby bottle. How thoughtful of us!

We may tease Jessica about being the baby (and cry a little when she doesn’t recognize something that happened prior to 1990), but we do think she’s awesome! She’s wise beyond her years and brings a lot of happiness here to the hangar everyday as an amazing project manager. So, we hope this special day brought you lots of smiles too, Jessica!

PS – Think we forgot about about that princess piñata? Think not! Here’s a little clip for you to enjoy.

Inside the Hangar with Jessica Seagraves from Mighty 8th Media on Vimeo.

You might even feel like you’re viewing their site from one of their beautiful scapes by the life-like butterfly that joins you on each page. By taking advantage of the latest technology, we’re able to fully bring websites to life and help them stand out from the crowd.

Rather than relying on the typical thumbnail pictures, pages like the Gallery use new ways to share a portfolio of beautiful of stunning images.

Finally, with a custom website content management system, the team at GreenSeason is easily able to add, edit or remove team members or portfolio items with a simple interface that’s completely user friendly.

Does your website need freshening up this Spring? Let us help bring the details of your business to life and make editing your site a breeze.

To view more of the GreenSeason Group project in our portfolio, click here. Or visit their website www.greenseasongroup.com.

Therefore Mighty 8th Media is very excited to announce a new member to our squadron that will lead the charge for our film and video production services: Ron Dawson.

Ron is an award-winning video producer and internationally recognized leader in the professional video and photography industries. His long list of credits include:

• Over two decades of experience including video work for such clients as Apple Computer, Adobe, Kodak, Nielsen, QuickBooks, and Boys & Girls Club
• Leader and speaker in the professional video and photography industries having spoken at some of the largest photography and video expos in the world
• For two consecutive years voted one of the 25 most influential video producers in the industry as voted by his peers
• Co-author of ReFocus: Cutting Edge Strategies to Evolve Your Video Business
• Freelance writer for major photography and video industry blogs and magazines (like Professional Photographer)
• Producer/Host of the filmmakers podcast “Crossing the 180”

In addition to his creative filmmaking skills, Ron also brings a broad knowledge of brand marketing and business management from his work in the software industry (for brands such as Quicken) and a finance degree from U.C. Berkeley’s Haas School of Business. This unique combination of left-brained business acumen and right-brained filmmaking creativity will allow Mighty 8th to give our clients powerfully compelling and results-oriented videos that will take their brand and business to a new level.

Learn more about Ron >

Justin brings a true passion for helping businesses thrive as well as a rich understanding of web, print, branding and SEO tactics for businesses. With previous marketing agency experience and after serving as a consultant for a large document solutions company, he is ready to dive in and help our clients achieve their marketing goals. Justin is a graduate of East Tennessee State University and Zig Ziglar’s See You at the Top Sales Training Program.

In his spare time, Justin can be found enjoying the outdoors or spending time with his large family and girlfriend, Alyssa, and wonderful dog, Charlie. If not outside, he’s a master of the kitchen making up some delicious recipes – ones that are sure to keep the Mighty 8th cook-offs top notch and competitive as ever.

Learn more about Justin

2) You’ll Give Your Sales Team a New, Powerful Tool.
Rather than just following up with prospects, imagine your sales team sending a link to a compelling video that backs up the specific promises you’ve made. This instills confidence in the buyer and gives your sales team a chance to make a big impact during the sales process.

3) Your Search Engine Optimization will Improve.
YouTube is the second most used search engine after Google. Don’t have content on YouTube? Then you’re missing out on the action.

4) Video is immediate and brief.
Some people like to dive into written case studies with facts and figures and digest lots of details. For busier folks on the go, they want quick bits of information and video. A brief, powerful video allows those people to watch your story, instead of reading it.

5) Video is Multi-Purpose.
Beyond your website and social media, videos can be shared in sales presentations, at trade shows, in your email newsletter and more. Maximize your investment in video by sharing across all of your marketing outlets.

Now that you understand why it’s important to embrace video, the key to success is doing great video. That’s where Mighty 8th Media steps in with our strong storytelling skills. From scripting and storyboards to lighting and sound, we’ll make sure you make an engaging video that matters.

Here is a video we recently created for one of our clients. UTG, a technology company that helps growing business with all their IT needs, wanted to tell a story about helping one of their customers achieve number one market share in their industry through technology.

You’ve likely never met the people in this video, but after watching it, don’t you feel much more informed about their company and their ability to effectively deliver technology solutions to satisfied clients? That’s the power of video.

Ready to embrace video in your marketing? We look forward to bringing your story to life. Drop us a line.

Additionally, we also have a great admiration and dedication to the local community and the arts. From creating an award-winning new desktop and mobile website for Gwinnett County to developing a new web presence for the Gwinnett Ballet, we are deeply committed to local organizations and causes.

So, it was with great pleasure and excitement that we learned that we were recently selected for the Creative Business Award by ArtWorks Gwinnett at the 2nd annual Fusion Awards.

We were proud to be one of several individuals and organizations selected for their creativity and contributions to the arts in Gwinnett County. (full list here) We treat every project as a unique challenge that deserves a custom solution to tell that client’s story, and being recognized for these efforts is very satisfying for our team.

At Mighty 8th Media, our goal is to partner with clients that have a great story to tell, and when that happens it’s an opportunity to truly make history.

If you think your company offers us the next chance to stretch our wings and flex our creative muscle, please drop us a line.

Yes, Bradley, like all of us, is suffering the effects of aging. Some of us develop arthritis. Others lose our hair. Some fall victim to the cruel effects of gravity. Bradley’s curse? Short term memory loss. Yes, over the last few years, it’s been getting progressively worse. From misplaced car keys to forgotten employee names, Bradley’s amnesia is starting to get the best of him (by his own admission). So, what better way to close out his 30′s than throwing him the best birthday he will probably never remember? At least we did our best to make sure he would.

Things were crystal clear for the birthday boy when he arrived to work on his birthday morning. Why? Well, there was a blazing trail of hand-written reminders waiting for him, all intended to help jog his memory. These were supposedly notes he had written himself and left in what he thought were less than obvious places, so as not to draw too much attention to his ever growing handicap.

Yes, subtle clues to Bradley’s elusive not-so-distant past, left to help uncover the large tapestry of the black unknown that is his memory.

“Which door should I use? Oh right.”

“Where do I sit again? Oh, that’s right”

“Who are all these people? Apparently they work for me.”

Remembering is hard work, and it sure builds up an appetite. It was time for Bradley’s birthday lunch, and to celebrate the crew went to one of his favorite restaraunts, Dos Pancakes.

For many of us, this was our first experience with this charming little Tex-Mex diner. For others, it was a lunch we wish we could forget.

Converted from an old Huddle House, Dos (two) Pancakes’ appearance is largely deceiving. Who would have guessed that some of Buford’s best Tex-Mex is served up daily at this less than charming locale? After all, the building is connected to a GAS STATION. Doesn’t exactly scream quality. Most of us who drive by…well, keep driving. However, Bradley’s sense of adventure is far greater than most, and after eating there, he’s been championing the horribly mis-named Dos Pancakes. So his birthday seemed an opportune time to give it a try.

Ordering at Dos Pancakes was easy enough. Getting the food, however, was not. We soon realized that Dos Pancakes was not exactly equipped to deal with a party of our size. With one chef and nothing but gallons of old deep fry oil that meant no fried foods were available, things began to look bleak. Minutes turned into hours. Finally, food was brought to the birthday boy’s table. It smelled as wonderful as it looked…

and the three of us were duly impressed!

Everyone else would have to wait. Some longer than others…some much, much longer than others, and some….let’s just say by the time they got their food we were actually celebrating Bradley’s 40th birthday.

Back at the Hangar, it was time for cake! We got one of Bradley’s favorites, ice cream cake from the DQ, complete with a handwritten note (made with grocery store icing) that reminded everyone whose cake this belonged to. Not the neatest handwriting to be sure, but as with Dos Pancakes, never judge a book by it’s cover or judge a cake by how closely the icing on top resembles number “dos”. All agreed, it was delicious.

We finished up the festivities with a great game of “Memories”. Yes, we created our own custom version of the classic mind sharpening exercise that ensures fun to be had by all, especially with a lil’ twist. 12 Pairs of “Mighty” memories (connections to our firm’s, and more closely, to Bradley’s experiences at the Hangar) face down on the table. Revealed one by one, each person took their turn to uncover and match said “memories.”

Every flip of a card brought laughter and woots. It didn’t take long to chip away and match all the “memories,” and in the end, it was Tammy whose short-term memory proved most reliable. Unfortunately, someone forgot to buy a prize for the winner…fittingly enough.

To top it off, Bradley received a gift package of some Ginkgo Biloba, the original Memory card game for kids, and the movie “Memento,” which inspired his birthday theme. It was a great ending to a birthday to forget! The best part? We’ll be able to have the same exact party next year!