Every morning around 9:00am I sit down at my computer and type something along the lines of “Howdy!” or “Morning!” into the standing Gchat window that connects me to a person living three time zones away. It’s not long before a reply pops up in my window, and with that the workday begins in earnest.
It’s been a little over a year since Jon (the founder and Creative Director of MBM) moved out to California, and in spite of the 2500 miles that separate us we have managed to continue on with “business as usual.” This situation strikes me as both remarkable and, in these days of multiple digital communication channels, fairly commonplace. I think that 10 years ago it would have been impossible – maybe even five years ago. That’s right friends – the future has arrived!
The situation we find ourselves in makes me think of two things right off the bat:
1. We really do have the communications technology available to us today to do this. Email, texts, Gchat, laptops and cell phones have allowed us to seamlessly communicate with each other and create a third mental space that exists outside of physical proximity.
2. I’ve come to think of this new mental space as the “Mixed Bag Media Mind.” Jon and I are in constant communication, exchanging written messages as well as videos, images, and website links. We also frequently get on conference calls with clients as well as having calls and email exchanges with our editor and other crew people. Things get discussed thoroughly, references are sent and reacted to, websites are looked at simultaneously, and decisions are made.
It’s been great when Jon is back to visit because there is still something to be said for working in the same room as someone – the easy back and forth, the body language and tone of voice, the seamless transition from work talk to a tangent on a band or movie or some childhood recollection and then back to “the task at hand” – that lends face to face experience its unrecreatable feel and value. While working via digital communication is different, the Mixed Bag Media vision and work flow, the attention to detail and our dedication to a high quality end product and solid client service is still the same.
Mixed Bag Media is now a “bi-coastal” company, gaining insights and strengths from the experience of working in new physical and digital environments. Viva la Future!
-Jim Threlkeld