Marshall Creative / online branding + strategy + design + short film + content creation » Finance

Buffett v. Paulson

Sandy Marshall — Thu, 11 Feb 2010 14:06:54 +0000

Great background audio for 20 minutes — an interesting interview yesterday via CNBC via the Greater Omaha Chamber. Warren Buffett walks with Henry Paulson about our economy over the past few years, Fannie Mae, Freddie Mac, and how some of the massive fiscal decisions are made.

Danderson / Vlamis, Part 6

Sandy Marshall — Tue, 09 Feb 2010 11:28:37 +0000

Click here to view the embedded video.

Last week we shot yet another Dean video, this time centering around the fact that Dean hired a consultant (played by MC friend Niki Lindgren). We shoot these in PERL Mortgage’s main office on Belmont, but now we’re thinking of doing a few in other locations and the big debate is finding ways to start and end them at PERL, because, well, they have to. Big ups to Dean for finding the fire engine. As always, directed by Delahoyde and co-starring Holly Laurent.

Produce a big movie for just one buck

Sandy Marshall — Thu, 07 Jan 2010 06:17:28 +0000

Yesterday Joel mentioned the existence of an awesome opportunity to invest in a big Hollywood movie by joining nearly 12,000 people from 70 countries to produce the 1-Second Film, an endeavor to produce a film that’s a mere 24 frames long with nearly an hour (so-far) of credits. Profits go to charity. Fantastic idea — bringing big movie profit margins to the people. Of course I signed-up immediately and if you see the 1-Second Film you’ll see me listed as an Associate Producer. You might want to do the same. In fact, if you do, we can go to the premiere together, because I’m pretty sure it’s a “producers only” kind-of event, and we probably don’t want the regular movie-going population to see the flick until we’ve sort-of put our stamp of approval on the dang thing. There might be some producer notes or edits we’ll need to give, and if that’s the case, it might involve recutting a few frames here and there. Either way, it’s great to be on board such a promising project. The great thing about being a movie producer, I’m finding out, is that it doesn’t really take much training, experience or awareness of the actual craft of shooting on film. What’s involved is a keen understanding of what the people want. And what do the people want? They want Avatar II. I think my next project, after associate producing the 1-Second Film and before I sink my gross earnings into Avatar II, will be (finally) finishing my treatment for a remake of the Misfits of Science.

What if there was a Price Pfister, Wisconsin?

Sandy Marshall — Mon, 21 Dec 2009 11:59:25 +0000

I remember the Price Pfister ads from back in the day mostly from their clever textual tagline: The Pfancy Pfaucet with the Pfunny Name. Price Pfister probably owes some tad of it’s success to Kohler, which (as you’ve guessed by now) has a town named after it in Wisconsin. Not only does the Kohler company have a small village about 2,000 residents strong (just 2.5 hours north of Chicago), but it was originally designed as a planned community for Kohler workers. I spent the weekend in Kohler it has a few very nice hotels (with requisite showcase bathrooms featuring, like, the best showers and sinks in town), a strip mall full of Shops that Moms would Adore, and a couple of golf courses and a nice little lake. Apologies if you live in Kohler and I’ve left-out the all-important Whatever. Point is, the town was built around this company (which is still family owned over 125 years later). I wonder how it’d affect Town XYZ in today’s economy if a company were to, literally, move their headquarters next door and basically sponsor the dang thing. Jobs would be created and unity might be established by fighting a common battle not against the competition. NASA basically sponsored areas in Houston and Florida in the 1960′s. Maybe Apple’s sponsorship of Chicago’s North & Clybourn el station is the first step in civic sponsorship (taking things a beyond the transition from Comiskey to U.S. Cellular). Maybe Hollywood is an early economic indicator…”Semi Pro” was filmed in Flint, Michigan.

My local cleaners: the new REI?

Sandy Marshall — Fri, 11 Dec 2009 16:41:03 +0000

The other night I was picking-up the dry cleaning and a guy in front of me had a problem with a scarf that wasn’t cleaned properly. Long to story short, the conversation devolved into the guy telling Jay, the owner, that he didn’t want it re-cleaned. He wanted the full purchase price refunded to him in the form of a credit towards future dry cleaning bills. Jay said sure, okay, and he wrote the guy a credit for $33.50. After the guy left, Jay told me that the guy’s been in a number of times complaining about bad dry cleaning and wanting dry cleaning credits. Now you could say that Jay should tell this guy now way and risk him telling 100 people never to use the dry cleaners (always two sides to every story) but it’s interesting that people are now looking for ways to save money through returning clothes, Nordstrom style, to companies that don’t even have a return policy. One of my favorite companies REI has a lifetime no-questions-asked return policy, and I’ve returned a few things over the years, but come on. Would it ever occur to you to ask for the purchase price of a piece of clothing at the cleaners? Now that we’re on the subject I bet REI and LL Bean and Land’s End are having a run with people looking for a little extra cash by returning those old ski boots. It’s a slippery slope, returning goods to stores. Instead, take the boots to Play it Again Sports on Irving and Ashland and get your 10 bucks and move on with your life. Part of restoring transparency and trust in this economy applies to the consumer and not taking your ski boots back to REI.

City of Big Stressballs

Sandy Marshall — Wed, 25 Nov 2009 11:43:06 +0000

Well, they did it this time. Forbes Magazine went ahead and named Chicago the nation’s most stressful city. They cite “7.3% unemployment” and “high gas prices” and “pollution problems (No. 7 in terms poor air quality)” and “lack of breathing room (it’s No. 2 in terms of population density).” Huh. Even though Forbes tracked lots of data that people seem to trust, I posit that Chicago’s pretty chill (setting aside the fact that we’d be voted most stressful by anyone’s single visit to Navy Pier). Hey Forbes, what about: The Bean. Go chill by The Bean and take a load off. Our very chillable stress-free Lakefront invites you to run or bike in the early morning hours and take a load off. A dinner at any Golden Nugget offers a fun, stress-free and arguable very chilled-out environment. Looking for some balance between your busy work day and crazy schedule on the weekends? That one big church around 900 N. Michigan is a great place to chill out and take a load off in the middle of a busy day. The Lyric Opera during a rehearsal, Tony Bennett at Ravinia, the green room at the Chicago Tonight studios — even the downtown DMV at the State of Illinois is pretty laid-back . . . in fact, it’s incredibly well-organized and I actually like going to that DMV if nothing else for the fact that people there know how to line-up correctly. I’ve always taken issue at how American’s can’t form a proper queue. Man, do those Brits know how to rock a queue. Anyway, Chicagoans, don’t let Steve Forbes or other economists convince you that you’re working too hard and that your lives suck and that you should be all stressed out and worried. Life is good. Let Steve Forbes run for President and tell us about the flat tax. He’s got some good long-term points about government interventions and policies surrounding mass-purchases of mortgage backed securities but for now let’s focus on kickin’ back and chillin’ by The Bean.

PERL Podcast 43 / Closing the Deal

Sandy Marshall — Wed, 18 Nov 2009 11:00:24 +0000

On this edition of the PERL Mortgage Podcast, I sat down with Tom Killoren, the Senior Account Executive at Chicago Title. We talked about the closing process and the role of title companies in closings. Chicago Title is a longtime Chicago institution — and closings themselves are an odd thing. You’re in a big conference room in a huge office filled with other big conference rooms. You’re sitting down with everyone involved in the homebuying process — and you’re finalizing one of the biggest financial steps you’ll ever make. Luckily we have guys like Tom to guide us through the process. Enjoy! To hear more episodes, go to the PERL archives.PERL Podcast 43 / Closing the Deal

Economic Indicators: Light Starch

Sandy Marshall — Fri, 13 Nov 2009 13:49:25 +0000

Lately I’ve been interested in how we report and view economic indicators like Housing Starts and Jobs Reports and The Dow Jones Industrial Average. But last night I learned about an even bigger economic indicator: the dry cleaners down the street. I’ve been going there for nearly ten years now, and in that short time it’s only seen two owners. I got into a long conversation with the owner about the economy — and how dry cleaners actually work. He’s about my age, mid-30′s, and has lived in Chicago since moving here at 17. At 18 he started a company that does the actual cleaning service. He owns 3 vans and employs 12 guys that drive twice a day to pick-up inventory from 51 companies around town. He also owns a 15-unit rental, which he’s in the process of selling short. He said that within a year, 20 of the businesses he services will be closing their doors. When dry cleaners close, they don’t usually resell the inventory — it’s usually easier and cheaper in the long run for new companies to just buy new equipment. Huh. These days customers are wary to pay for price increases for shirts and dresses, and with people out of jobs, there are more jeans and sweatshirts on the streets. So much of our economy and overall financial health is based on confidence, motion and movement — and if you’re headed on a job interview, head to the dry cleaners and press down that collar. The news and Congress is starting to say “rebound” more than “recession” — and when it’s officially over, I’ll check back in with Jay over Damen to see if it’s really for real.

Would you buy a ski resort?

Sandy Marshall — Mon, 09 Nov 2009 12:34:14 +0000

California’s Mt. Waterman is for sale for a mere $1.65 million and though that sounds like a lot of money, it seems like a pretty good deal for an area with 27 trails and 3 double chairlifts. Inc magazine has a nice rundown of the pros and cons of the bid. Sounds like the biggest reinvestment you’ll need to make, if interested, is in area-wide snowmaking machines, which is ironic because the Mt. Waterman slogan is “Snow from the Heavens, Not the Hoses.” A new marketing strategy is going to be a big mountain to climb as well, though judging from their FB page, they’re on top of posting videos and quick updates about weather and fun goings on. Track weather and reports via the official Mt. Waterman site and keep in mind that if you buy a ski resort you’ll want a really good lawyer, because sooner or later someone will slip and fall and sue the resort and forget about the fact that to rent skis or even buy a lift ticket they agreed to the risks involved in skiing, which, to be honest, are nil. Did you know that 90% of all ski injuries occur when people ski beyond their abilities and go for broke down the double blacks after a few Coors Lights in the lodge? Rants aside, I’m looking forward to tracking progress on Mt. Waterman and their sale. Being the product of a small ski area in southern Minnesota, I wish these guys the best of luck and tons of snow.

Your paper isn’t due until April 30, 2010

Sandy Marshall — Fri, 06 Nov 2009 13:29:28 +0000

Well the tallies are in and both the House and Senate voted to extend the first time homebuyer tax credit through June 2010 — so long as buyers sign a contract by the end of April. This is a huge development in the national real estate market — practically everyone in the real estate and lending sectors have been speculating about the possibility of this extension for months. The House voted 403-12 (1984 election, anyone?) to approve this bill, which at present costs $1 Billion per month to fund. With this new extension, some qualified homebuyers who already own homes can receive a $6,500 tax credit. Now that the bill’s basically in place, what’s going to happen on April 30th? I wonder if there will be a fury of people signing sales contracts like a run on George Bailey’s bank or students asking for the professor’s permission to turn in that blue book after spring break. The real application is that a lot of qualified people will be able to buy homes, especially if they combine this credit with a low down payment loan through FHA. Tighter lending guidelines (and people “talking” and speculating about tighter lending guidelines and what they really mean) cause a lot of people to assume that they could never buy a home, even though they’re probably qualified and well-prepared and just don’t know it. With this in place, even more buyers who qualify under more rigid (and better) lending guidelines will be able to jump into the market. And that’s a good thing, as systems continue to repair and rebuild themselves to restore a global trust in the American housing market.