25 Things I’ve Learned in 25 Years

May 1993. Bill Clinton was the new president, Sleepless in Seattle was in theaters, a gallon of gas cost $1.16 and the World Wide Web had just been born. And that was the year Allied Pixel said hello to the world.

Who knew then what an excellent adventure it would turn out to be. 2,000 projects and 25 years later, I have learned a few of life’s lessons (most of them the hard way.) Here in no particular order are 25 of my favorites.

1. Relationships are way more valuable than dollars.
2. Being creative is only half the story.
3. Life is short. Get the pepperoni.
4. Take risks. What’s the worst that can happen?
5. Know what you don’t know.
6. If you give a thousand monkeys a video camera, you’ll get YouTube.
7. You must reinvent yourself, continuously.
8. Know who to trust and trust them completely.
9. Kindness is always repaid.
10. Some days, you just don’t feel it. That’s OK.
11. Fall in love with the story, not the pictures.
12. Deep down inside, nobody’s sure of anything.
13. There is always another way to look at it.
14. Integrity is all you really have.
15. Get up early and get the hard stuff out of the way.
16. Make time for the ones your love. They’re more important than work.
17. When you screw up, admit it and make it right.
18. Whether your day was good or bad, tomorrow is a new day.
19. Everything we do is important to someone.
20. If you’re not sure, sleep on it.
21. Eye contact is vital, on screen and off.
22. Small projects count just as much as the big ones.
23. People just want to know that you care.
24. Surround yourself with people who care as much as you do.
25. Chocolate can solve most any problem.

There you have it — a quarter-century of collective wisdom. A heartfelt thank you to my colleagues, clients, friends and family who have helped me learn it.

Here’s to the next 25.

P.S. Have a question about video? Let me know and I’ll try to answer it in a future post.