No one needs to read another post about working from home. And I certainly have no interest in writing another.
Instead, let’s find out how folks in our industry are distracting themselves from the endless stream of COVID-19 news and their daily work routine. Each week we will reach out to four to five people from different segments of our industry as well a team member at The Cannata Report to learn what they are reading, watching, and listening to during this time.
Hopefully, your friends and colleagues will turn you on to some books, TV shows, movies, or music that will distract and engage you as well.
Scott Cullen, Editor-in-Chief, The Cannata Report
Reading: The Red Lotus by Chris Bohjalian is a terrific thriller, a genre I don’t usually read. It’s the story of an emergency room doctor who returns from a trip to Vietnam after her boyfriend is killed in what may or may not be a bike accident and she starts digging to find out what really happened. I learned a lot about what happens in hospital emergency rooms and rats thanks to this book. Girl to City by Amy Rigby. She was one of the hipper performers I booked into my concert series back when I was promoting concerts as a hobby. All I Ever Wanted by Kathy Valentine of The Go-Go’s is one of the best musical autobiographies I’ve read. What a childhood!
Watching: I started watching 30 Rock for the first time. Terrific cast and Tina Fey is brilliant. Killing Eve is another favorite. This show has “quality kills,” to quote a friend, the former editor of the long-defunct Copy magazine when describing a movie with creative ways of offing characters. My youngest daughter turned me on to Kingdom, a Korean zombie series on Netflix set in the 17th century. The last excellent movie I watched was Parasite, the most recent Oscar winner for Best Picture.
Listening: I love discovering new music. I often listen to Underground Garage on Sirius Radio. A favorite new band I discovered there is Not Ur Girlfrenz, a group of 14- and 15-year-old girls who rock. Some of the more recent releases I’ve added to my vinyl collection that are receiving a lot of airplay in my house are Expectations by Katie Pruitt; the new Emma Ruth Rundle album, Marked for Death; Color Theory by Soccer Mommy; and The Dollyrots’ Daydream Explosion.
Phil Boatman, director of business development/alliances, Lexmark International
Reading: I’ve been reading (little by little) Iron Cowboy by James Lawrence. I met him at a BTA event in NYC and got his book then. It’s about his quest to complete 50 Ironman triathlons in 50 states in 50 days. As an avid runner, it’s incredible to see what this guy put himself through for a cause.
Watching: I’ve been watching Ozark Season 3, finally finished Suits, and been watching bits/pieces of the Star Wars series with my son, in anticipation of the final movie getting released on May 4th. I’ve also been following Rex Chapman and Andrew Cotter on Twitter—good for some laughs and feel-goods every day.
Listening: I’ve been training for a virtual four-miler race to support a local charity with a theme of Cinco de Mayo #willrun4tacos. This will just be me, running as fast as possible in my own neighborhood. My go-to run playlist has a wide variety of artists, including Jay-Z, Post Malone, Ed Sheeran, Katy Perry, Tom Petty, Eminem, AC/DC, Foo Fighters, and the Notorious B.I.G.
Fred Carollo, VP of originations, Office Products Platform, TIAA Bank
https://youtu.be/ioux8xtj0ug
Reading: The Rational Optimist by Matt Ridley, Running With The Devil by Noel Monk, and Inside the Empire by Bob Klapisch
Watching: I actually don’t watch much TV, but recent viewings include Echo in the Canyon, Monster Squad, and The Irishman. And I binge-watched the entire Halloween movie series with my two teenage girls
Listening: I’m a big music guy so this list is always changing. At the moment I am listening to Joey Landreth and The Bros. Landreth, Charley Hicks, Xander and the Peace Pirates. A classic album I have been listening to in the past week is Dixie Chicken by Little Feat.
Josh Lane, president, ACDI
Reading: I start my days by reading the Bible and usually an email from The Denison Forum. By the end of the day, I’ll pick up 1 of 3 books at the moment, Customer Success, The Dichotomy of Leadership, and Blue Ocean Strategy. I’m old school and boring but they all challenge my thinking and leave me wanting to for “better,” whatever that looks like.
Watching: The Last Dance with Michael Jordan has been pretty neat to watch and somewhat relive. I miss the physicality that the “Bad Boys” brought to the court. I know that if I wasn’t 5’9″ with a 2″ vertical and no shot, that I would have been playing alongside Jordan and possibly stealing the limelight from him! Back to reality. When the lockdown began, we started watching Homeland on Netflix. Any of the NCIS’s but preferably the original. My wife hates it but when she’s asleep I’ll watch Seal Team. And, somewhere in between, I’ll watch MSNBC while at the office and Fox News at home.
Listening: I hate to say it but I have been listening to more podcasts on leading during a crisis, analytics, and subscription models but they all pale in comparison to Riley Green, DaBaby (Clean), Lil Baby (Clean), and Brett Young. Obviously, DaBaby and Lil Baby are because of my kids and I’m not proud of it.
Chip Miceli, president, PULSE Technology
Reading: Get Capone, by Jonathan Eig, The Cannata Report, Workflow, and any magazine from our industry, as well as online news about how to come out of the mess.
Watching: Ozark, Heist, and just finished Jack Ryan.
Listening: 60’s, 70’s, 80’s music on Pandora, and smooth jazz.
Hannah O’Donnell, director of sales, Collabrance
Reading: The Nightingale by Kristin Hannah. I am always reading a solid fiction book at all times. The Happiness Advantage by Shawn Achor. I’ve already read this one. Great to keep these best practices top of mind in our unique times.
Watching: Masterclass. We purchased an annual subscription when the pandemic hit and have successfully made Gordon Ramsay’s famous Beef Wellington! All Bravo everything. The HGTV channel. This gives us an avenue to dream while stuck in our 800 sq. ft. apartment in downtown Chicago.
Listening: Your Daily Podcasts on Spotify. Pivot with Kara Swisher and Scott Galloway. Lumineers and Head and the Heart are two of my favorites that I listen to daily.
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