sMoRTy71.com: May 2009

Sunday, May 31, 2009

This photo was taken yesterday at the zoo. Maddox just got his first peek of the elephants.

Today is Maddox Milo Morton's 2nd birthday. It seems like yesterday that we were taking the photo below.

In his brief 2 years, he has been through so much (wearing a helmet to correct a misshapen skull, a bout with RSV, a broken leg, hernia surgery and a diagnosis of Celiacs), but he has always been a joy to be around.

For his big gift, we got him a Kota the Triceratops. He absolutely loved it.

Just finished assembling Maddox's big present for his birthday tomorrow.

Just finished assembling Maddox's big present for his birthday tomorrow.

See all of his birthday photos and videos on Flickr.

¶ 12:15 PM

Friday, May 29, 2009

The Yeah Yeah Yeahs live in Columbus

I attended the Yeah Yeah Yeahs show in Columbus last night at "the LC." It was an amazing show. Karen O. had the crowd in the palm of her hand throughout (even tho they had to restart one song twice because she lost her place). They covered songs from all of their albums. I was disappointed not to hear "Tick," but was glad to hear "Black Tongue" and "Date with a Night."

I was able to get digital photos and some HD video on my Flip camera.
Check out more video clips and photos from the YYYs show in Columbus.

YYYs-esque Grand Ole Party was the opening act. I was pleasantly surprised with their set.

Part of "Black Tongue" live

¶ 8:36 AM

Friday, May 22, 2009

My interview with Tavis Smiley

It's not every day that you get asked to interview one of TIME's 100 most influential people, so I was pretty thrilled (and a little nervous) heading into my one-on-one with Tavis Smiley yesterday at Nationwide headquarters in Columbus.

After my interview with Tavis Smiley

Tavis is in the 2nd year of a partnership with Nationwide for the On Your Side Tour and was in Columbus to announce the dates for 2009. I was able to get 10 minutes with him between his media interviews and his talk for Nationwide associates.

My questions centered around the OYS Tour as well as his new documentary STAND which had one of its first public screenings in Columbus last night. Here are my questions followed by his video response:

1. What can attendees of one of the five OYS Tour stops expect to learn? See Tavis' response on Nationwide's Facebook page

2. What was the most interesting thing you learned during the 2008 OYS Tour? See Tavis' response on Nationwide's Facebook page

3. Can you share an example from your film where you learned something you didn't already know about the people traveling with you? (This answer is my favorite, so I am embedding it below)

Afterward, Tavis was nice enough to pose for a photo with me. He even cracked a couple of Twitter-related jokes saying that he can't say no to a photo with the social media guy because I might trash him in 140 characters.

You can learn more about the On Your Side Tour and the 2009 tour dates at nationwide.com.

¶ 2:52 PM

About Shawn Morton

Married father of 6; VP of Social Media at JPMorgan Chase; gluten-free; gadget enthusiast; hair metal aficionado; #Movember man View more on LinkedIn.