To stay connected to their offices across the ponds (the Netherlands, Malta, New York) and lands (Los Angeles), MediaCatalyst. maintained a clever, bloggy, dishy internal e-newsletter–suitably dubbed “The Monthly Dish”– to keep everyone in the know. An intelligent but intimate tone with a lot of imagination and attitude had been established, and I made sure New York matched wits with each issue.

Sample Copy for The Dish

(Sample article for June 2008)

TOPIC: CONSTRUCTION NYC

Many think of NYC as a concrete jungle, blaring horns and wailing sirens the equivalent of monkey calls in steamy environs.  However, of late, 135 Grand Street has resembled more the war zones of Viet tropics than an Amazon of activity, as heavy demolition makes it necessary for our hardy MC-ers to brave shards of shrapnel, flying nails, boggy wet concrete, and daily ambushes of debris.  This obstacle course begins two buildings outward, continues ‘round a corner, over a bend, and up a trek of five flights of stairs.  The other option, the main door and lobby, isn’t much better – far more extensive equipment than a laptop (sans superpowers) is required to traverse a terrain without a floor, ceiling, or even walls.

But the excitement doesn’t end there!  After all, who goes into battle without their war paint on?  Vivid red streaks our walls and occasionally our very selves, while shelves and fixtures come tumbling down.  This of course requires help, and in keeping with America’s trend of outsourcing, we’ve recruited mercenary aid in the form of William, our soft-spoken yet surprisingly able-bodied handyman from Techspace.  Though the man is small and sweet, scooter rides to work and back have given him muscles of steel!  And luring him was easy; he was impressed by how far MCUS has come from the little broom closet we used to pretend was an office.

Stay tuned for more tales of destruction! - Su-Jit Lin

(Sample article for May 2008)

TOPIC: SONY ERICSSON WORKSHOP

In a virtual existence in a virtual world, facetime is a hotter commodity than the MacBook Air and Google stock.  But luck seems to be with MC these days, and we (buttressed by the uber-talent that is Malini James of previous SE brand experience, and back-end developers KPI) were able to get some coveted QT with Sony Ericsson to discuss the rebranding of Developer World.

Although cooping up strong individuals and creative types for two straight days may be madness, it seems that sometimes crazy works.  Since SE was able to actively engage in planning, we’ve gotten a good deal of guidance and direction, their team serving as a flashlight where we normally fumble in the dark for a little bit.  And through close contact in close quarters, our teams have developed a great foundation for future collaboration.  Everyone deserves a pat on the back, since names and faces (!) are finally awarded to all parties involved, as the companies leave the realm of disjointed voices talking out of floating heads, and turn into people once more. -Su-Jit Lin

Want some more hot Dish(es)? Click this for my June 2008 contributions.