Intro to Eric and Services Offered

These are times of challenge and change. How we communicate and interact is being transformed. From media and marketing to what it means to be part of a community. Old media, new media, long tail and the very notion of community are all in play. And more immediately, here we face an economy that is troublesome and uncertain, whether formally chooses to describe it as a recession or not.

Through it all we continue to hear the invocation that “Content is king”.
With this in mind, I write with the belief that my services and experiences would be of value to you, your organization and your clientele.

As background, for over twenty years I have been engaged in a labor love turned full time hobby.

I have been creating travel related information products and services in the “Charles Kuralt” mode since 1986 . Among my present activities, I am a regular contributor/guest on a weekly XM radio show, Left Jab. In that role, I unveil the “Hidden America” with people from around the nation with interesting stories. In addition, my podcast, Conversations on the Road is about to be syndicated through travelbeat.net

This content is mostly focused on "journeys into the offbeat, off the beaten path, overlooked and forgotten" and broadly includes such sub-areas:
* Americana
* Canadiana
* International
* Sports
* Beer
* The Music of America.

Moreover, I have also been active in aggregating and disseminating information and features in a manner that can help North Americans engage in their communities. For example, I have been involved with Main Street & Heritage Tourism programs around the country – taking these gems of Americana and molding them in a way to help communities and their small businesses survive and thrive. I have also taken a lead in the areas of Lifestyle Marketing and Lifestyle Marketing Law.

This experience has put me in a unique position to offer expertise at an intersection between information, entertainment, commerce and community. I can help develop community and audience by building strategies incorporating traditional and new media through marketing, persuasion and branding.

My unique content information sources and my varied experience allows me to work with individual clients to craft a personalized suite of services and a special programmatic agenda. I can do so by matching this diverse portfolio and knowledge source with their history, needs and culture so as to develop a tailored strategy to meet your goals. This can be accomplished through multiple strategies that can be incorporated in various ways to your organization – ranging from strategic planning to content generating, from traditional broadcast and print to novel podcasts, blogs and other interactive distributions (i.e. Q&A).

As an example, in this election year I offer a one-of-a kind ability to tie the campaign and poll numbers to the underlying political and social culture that distinguishes one state's narrative from others.

Therefore, I am uniquely positioned to help build and maintain an active and engage community dialogue through our multi-media content. I can also offer integrated a background involving advertising and grassroots outreach in helping develop campaigns.

I’ve attached a resume for your review below. Samples of some of my work can be found at my podcast site (http://conversationsontheroad.com/), blog (http://ericontheroad.com/),
and website (http://www.hiddenamerica.com/). Others are available upon request.

Just as television changed the worlds of entertainment and marketing in the 1950’s and 60’s, fundamental changes in technology and communications provide exciting opportunities and deep challenges. These changes are not just about the use of websites or blogs. While it may involve the use of podcasts, RSS/XML and messaging, I also speak of something more.

The successful harnessing of these capabilities and their role involves deep cultural change for many – including companies and organizations. Embracing these changes means providing an authenticity all too lacking in today’s polished world of sound bites.

My content and experience offer something unique in a compelling way. Accordingly,
I welcome the chance to work with you (as a consultant, project partner or staff member) on ways to best make use of my content, expertise and experience in a way that can work for you, your organization and you clientele.

Finally, as one who founded and has run a company for over twenty years, I appreciate and am sensitive to the challenges of business cycles – especially the downturns. I am prepared to work with you in ways (i.e. possible consultancy) to help you best make it through these tough times.

Thanks in advance for your consideration in reviewing these materials. I look forward to the chance to speak with you.


Eric Model