By Charles Communications Staff
Kimberly Charles
My "must read": Well in my case it's a site I love to visit regularly National Public Radio's Tiny Desk Concerts.
Why does this stand out to you? I love music and my tastes are eclectic. Given the proliferation of new music offerings as well as the fractionalization of the music distribution world, it is easy to get overwhelmed by what's available. Fortunately, the All Songs Considered's host Bob Boilen has superb taste across genres and always finds a great new artist or an undiscovered established artist for me to enjoy. I love intimate venues for listening to and appreciating music and I feel like I've squeezed myself into the studio with the musicians when I hear these weekly interviews and performances. It keeps my diverse tastes satisfied and opens up new doors all the time. Often Grammy artists are discovered here, it's a real jewel.
Alexandra Fondren
My "must read": "51 Of The Most Beautiful Sentences In Literature"
Source: Buzzfeed
Why does this stand out to you? In our soundbite culture, context is increasingly - and regrettably - undervalued. We prefer the instant gratification of the Cliff's Notes, but we can do better to take the time to actually read the full novel every so often (my rarely-reached goal is one per month). So it may sound ironic that my must-read is not only from that listicle-generating, sound-bite propagating, time-suck known as Buzzfeed, but it is also a list of quotes taken out of context from some of the most beautiful stories of all time - each one worthy of at least a month of your time. I couldn't help it though, in the middle of a very busy, novel-less month, these quotes transported me back to times and places I haven't visited in a very long time (and it only took a short train ride to read them). Enjoy!
Ana Roselli
My "must read": It’s time to stop differentiating between entrepreneurs and nonprofit founders.
Source: Quartz
Why does this stand out to you? This is a really interesting and provoking speech by Alexandre Mars, the founder and CEO of the Epic Foundation. He claims that entrepreneurship is a mindset and that NGO founders are as entrepreneurial as for-profit companies' leaders. And it is true. How are Muhammad Yunus and Mark Zuckerberg different? They both had a vision, they saw were society was going and they drove in that direction. The narrative must definitely change and it must infiltrate the very beginning of the educational system everywhere in the world.
Jamie Sutton
My "must read": Are wine enthusiasts destroying the sommelier?
Source: VinePair
Why does this stand out to you? I found this article to cause me to think twice about the trend of being a wine connoisseur, aficionado, enthusiast, snob, buff-whatever you prefer. This piece pinpoints the rudimentary definition of a “sommelier” and argues the difference between what the sommelier certification title was intended to provide the industry and what it is currently doing. The popularity of being a wine enthusiast is at an all-time high and with that, the Court of Master Sommeliers is seeing an exponential growth. In this article, Adam Teeter takes on the notion that wine enthusiasts may very well be diluting the respected titled that comes with the letters M.S. after ones name. Written in 2014, I enjoyed evaluating my current thoughts on the matter (now a year later) and pondering if his observation has shown to unfold.
All the Swirl is a collections of thoughts and opinions assembled by the staff and industry friends of Charles Communications Associates, a marketing communications firm with its headquarters in San Francisco, California. We invite you to explore more about our company and clients by visiting www.charlescomm.com.