Sundance Film Festival 2010

This is my 5th year at Sundance and every year seems to bring a different adventure. I first came here doing celeb interviews for the site Wireimage.com. I then covered the fest for Gamestop and Movies.com, and the following year I was the video host for the Hollywood Life House.

Last year, was definitely an experience to say the least. Ashton Kutcher brought me and some other "social media mavens" (as he pegged us) to Park City to compete in a project he called "24 Hours at Sundance". We livestreamed non-stop over 24 hours, and were given crazy tasks à la "Amazing Race". My team, consisting of me and VentureBeat's very own Matt Marshall, won!

Well this year, we're seeing the convergence of tech and entertainment more than ever before. I am writing this post from the Tweethouse, put together by the Parnassus Group, who has organized the popular 140TC conferences. They brought me out here to host their livestream on http://ustream.tv/tweethouse. Over Saturday and Sunday, the event will include panels with notable Twitter users including Levar Burton, Adrien Grenier and Kareem-Abdul-Jabbar. We will also be doing a Tweetup for Haiti, bringing the on and offline community together to raise money for the Yele Haiti Foundation among other relevant charities.

See the entire Tweethouse schedule here!

As Levar Burton told me today- we're at the nexus. I couldn't agree more and I don't know about you, but that gets me pumped!

Covering Haiti

Chatting over Skype with Catherine Laine in HaitiI've had my own blog on CBSNews.com since September, where I've had the opportunity to blog/vlog about "social trends and pop culture". This encompasses stories that I hope can entertain, inspire, inform, are at the pulse of culture and influencing the online conversation.

The subject on everyone's minds over the past week is obviously Haiti. We all have our own way of helping out and giving back.

We may donate money and/or volunteer; celebrities may use their influence as a megaphone for positive impact; doctors may provide their medical aid; and charities may donate time and resources.

The question I've asked myself is what can I do to help? Well, I've donated via texting (and will continue to do so) and I've tweeted out relevant links relating to Haiti that I feel might help someone or a certain cause. I would love to travel to the country to help, but unfortunately that option is not available for me at this very moment. In horrendous situations like this, I tend to feel it's a responsibility to use my passions and platform for something greater. So I guess you can say that my additional contribution to this crisis of huge scope is small but I hope relevant to some. I hope by sharing a story, posting a blog or interviewing someone connected to the quake I can give myself, friends, family and strangers in far off lands on the internet some added insight:

"Reaching out to Haitian Victims On and Offline" It’s been a week since the 7.0 earthquake hit Haiti, destroying a country and killing an estimated 200,000 and counting. READ FULL POST ON CBSNEWS.COM...

"Haiti Reaches Google and Facebook" Social networks have become increasingly important venues where people can engage in conversations about how best to help the people of Haiti following the horrific earthquake which decimated the island nation this week. READ FULL POST ON CBSNEWS.COM...

"Haiti In Real Time" While many might make fun of our current obsession with social media and Twitter, its vital utility is never more apparent than during a crisis. We are seeing this more than ever right now as the world deals with the devastation in Haiti.  READ FULL POST ON CBSNEWS.COM...

I have also witnessed friends and mentors putting endless hours into trying to make a difference from afar. Cameron Sinclair of Architecture for Humanity is one of those individuals. Immediately after the quake struck, Cameron stayed up for days outlining an innovative plan for reconstruction and published it on The Huffington Post:  "HAITI QUAKE: A PLAN FOR RECONSTRUCTION".

Two final words to sum up my thoughts:

Grateful

Inspired

My New Years Resolutions

Oh resolutions! My great friend I can’t wait to see revisit me each year, because it cleans my slate, refreshes me, therapies me and lets me start anew.

Every year, I write a list of things I want to accomplish, see come to fruition and energy/concepts to create and maintain. I have a habit of writing them before the New Year. Last year, I even posted them on my blog as a way to share, create a conversation and put all thoughts of possibility out there for the world to see. It’s also scary to reveal our possibly intangible or bigger picture ideas to everyone. It makes us vulnerable. We might think- what if I don’t accomplish these things? Now everyone will know and I might look like a failure. I try to remind myself that putting myself in an uncomfortable situation (to a certain extent obviously) is what allows me to reach new and greater heights.

Lefty handwriting as its finest!I’m definitely a goal-oriented person. My goals are specific and some are loose, but I’m a big believer of putting ideas and thoughts out there that you want to see come to life, frequently reminding yourself of them as the year continues. I almost do this on a daily basis. Besides writing these goals down, I might even repeat them to myself before bed. They become a sort of mantra.

Things got so busy towards the end of 2009, that I only got to writing my resolutions in a new notebook (courtesy of my friends at Moleskine) over a glass of bubbly in Cabo a few hours before the clock struck midnight.

Besides specific projects, a big resolution for me this year is focus and clarity. If people know me, they know I try to do it all. For me, this year is about focusing on finding my one vehicle. That project that revolutionizes media, inspires others, brings all my passions together and that I can put my all into and own. It’s also about not letting myself be my own enemy, getting out of my head, no fear and not being afraid of taking risks, being patient and trusting that everything will be ok! Laugh, live and love!

And in no particular order here goes the rest:

• Create and host a live daily show that brings together the web and TV world. (Won’t go into details on this- soon enough you’ll see!)
• Create a live philanthropic project
• Write a book
• Appear regularly on TV as a correspondent / host that’s part of the team.
• Renew my work visa (yes, I’m Canadian! Haha!)
• Travel- see and experience new places!
• Release all baggage, all excess emotion, negativity, anxiety, stress, inner thoughts.
• Live in the now
• Embrace the air I breathe now
• Be grateful
• Let me go with the flow and move towards success and possibility.
• Let my projects/creations be successful, respected, reputable, gain positive recognition from media and public, revolutionize the industry, innovate.
• Speak/Host at more conferences. Notable ones too!
• Outlier
• Consistency
• Be Grounded
• Be free
• Be a good person and friend
• Contribute, give back
• Be more aware and organized
• Believe
• Passion
• Take action
• Happiness
• Learn and challenge myself
• Feel awesome and make people feel awesome

One of the last things I wrote sums up this post quite well and my overall goal in 2010:

• I can put my resolutions down, but I’m still open. Surrender. Flow.