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The Power of Social: Lady Gaga

October 16, 2016Nina KovnerENGAGE, GROW

“I alone cannot change the world, but I can cast a stone across the waters to create many ripples.”  Mother Teresa

NOTE: This post was originally shared on April 1, 2012 which is significant as it was nearly 5 years ago yet it is as relevant today as it was then.

(via YouTube)
Lady Gaga builds one of the world’s largest fan bases by using the web to talk directly and openly to her community. This film celebrates Lady Gaga’s special and unmediated relationship with her fans, the Little Monsters. The making of this film is a demonstration of the power of the web in its own right. The entire project, beginning with Lady Gaga’s shoot in NYC on May 8th 2011, to shipping materials to the television networks for air, took 10 days.

Within hours of the release of her new single “Edge of Glory” on May 9th, fans began uploading videos on YouTube, making the song their own by dancing to it, singing it and playing it on all kinds of instruments. Lady Gaga then posted a message on her website asking for more videos to be used in the film project. Fans responded within minutes and uploaded hundreds more videos. Back in the editing room, in real time as fan videos streamed in, editors were putting them into the film.

The film was completed on May 18th in time to air during Lady Gaga’s performance on the season finale of Saturday Night Live, and to also live on the web and turned into a commercial for the launch of Google Chrome. Wow.

 

We love Lady Gaga; we love the social web; we love you and hope that you will take this video as a lesson from Gaga on the power to use the web to transform your relationships with your own “little monsters’ in a way that will propel your business, brand, career (and life) forward!

Love + Awesomeness-
Nina xo

Dad 1966

My Dad, My Hero.

June 17, 2012Nina KovnerHEROES

The Final Analysis Prayer…Dad’s Favorite.

“People are often unreasonable, irrational, and self-centered.  Forgive them anyway.
If you are kind, people may accuse you of selfish, ulterior motives.  Be kind anyway.
If you are successful, you will win some unfaithful friends and some genuine enemies.  Succeed anyway.
If you are honest and sincere people may deceive you.  Be honest and sincere anyway.
What you spend years creating, others could destroy overnight.  Create anyway.
If you find serenity and happiness, some may be jealous.  Be happy anyway.
The good you do today, will often be forgotten.  Do good anyway.
Give the best you have, and it will never be enough.  Give your best anyway.
In the final analysis, it is between you and God.  It was never between you and them anyway.”

Mother Teresa

Dad

This picture was taken in July 2011, Dad asked me to teach him how to use Twitter.  He always had a passion for technology (and Starbucks).  As a doctor, things such as pagers, cell phones (he had one of the first big clunky ones), and online medical research databases helped him save lives.  He also believed so much in the power of social and digital platforms for connecting people and was part of creating one of the first online communities for people in addiction recovery.

Dad 1966

This super cool handsome picture of Dad was taken in October 1966, the month and year I was born. I love this photo and am fascinated that we have taken to Instagram to get the look and feel of “old school” photography. Awesome.

My Dad and I also shared a passion for music.  For Fathers Day last year, he asked me to make him a Lady Gaga CD.  He had read about her in The Economist and Wall Street Journal online. At 74 years old, my Dad, the coolest guy on the planet, was asking for a Lady Gaga CD.  I made many CD’s for my Dad, but this one was extra special, and I had no idea at the time it would be the last CD I ever made for him.  He wrote me an e-mail after listening to it which said: “Born this Way, what a beautiful message. I think I’m becoming a little old monster”.  He even shared his new found love of Gaga with his fellow doctors.

On December 12, 2011, my Dad went to heaven and the world lost the greatest man I have ever known. I miss my Dad so much today, I miss him everyday.  He was the best Dad in the world, so kind, compassionate, smart and funny.  He was also so excited and supportive of Passion Squared, and even though he never got the chance to see us launch, I know how proud he would be of the work we are doing.

A special shout out of love and immense thanks to my partner in passion Gordon Miller for standing by my side through these incredibly difficult 6 months and for allowing me to honor my Dad today on our blog. I heart you Gordon, infinity and beyond.

Wishing all of the beautiful and awesome Dad’s a very Happy Fathers Day.

(shared with LOVE from your passionista Nina)