(note this interview first appeared online in 2002 on the Watersides.com website...someone called it to my attention recently and I thought I'd share the whole thing with my bloggers also cache it here because who knows how long it will stay on that site since I now have a new agent for my next book now in progress -- subtitled, PICTURING THE FUTURE, Harper Collins Publishing, Collins Design Division, blogged by Joyce Schwarz, JCOM, www.joycecom.com, email [email protected]. Thanks again to former agent Christian Chrumlish and his assistant agent Danielle Jatlow.
INTERVIEW JOYCE SCHWARZ, Author of CUTTING THE CORD: A WIRELESS CONSUMER GUIDE (Que, 2002).
Interviewed by Danielle Jatlow
Joyce Schwarz is CEO of JCOM (www.joycecom.com), a leading marketing and new product launch consultancy. Schwarz is also author/developer for the AOL Workplace of the Future forum and several other nonfiction books. She was selected as one of 10 experts on the future for Family PC Magazine's January 2001 issue. She has won more than 100 awards for her work, including the launch of the 911 emergency services system. Joyce is author of CUTTING THE CORD: A WIRELESS CONSUMER GUIDE (Que, 2002).
DJ: Your company, JCOM does everything from forming corporate alliances to market research, to PR to Wireless Strategy for companies in various industries (entertainment, biotech, nantech, space, wireless). How did you get interested in forming this kind of company--or did it happen in a more organic way?
JS: JCOM, formerly called Joyce Communications is a hybrid consulting/communications firm that operates under a core philosophy of 'matchmaking for business'. Networking is outdated and something for the 90's and just so last century. Today, just as I have Waterside for an agent, my belief is that start-ups, CEO's and new technologies all need experts to 'match them up' with funding, marketing and positioning opportunities.
JCOM evolves from my background in publishing, advertising and the entertainment industry where these 'matchmakers' are known under such titles as 'agents', 'reps', 'agencies' etc. In the new 'Free Agent' economy a third party endorsement and introduction by an expert in the field is powerful in getting funding, organizing pilot programs and bringing a product to market in the consumer or B2B space. The core of JCOM is strategy, experience and contacts.
When I started in business I always said I was looking for the 20 people I wanted to work together with for the rest of my life. Not unlike Woody Allen or other Hollywood producers/directors, I love the team, repertory concept of work and play. So JCOM is a team of top talents in marketing, advertising, research and emerging technology and entertainment. We have a track record of launching more than 50 companies and more than 200 products and services ranging from emusic.com to one of the first PC/TVs to serving as analysts on WebTV to consulting for majors like AT&T, Philips and Qualcomm divisions. For more info go to www.joycecom.com of course!
If you want to know the sequence of how I got into tech - here it is - one of my first jobs was in Cleveland at Penton Publishing as an editorial assistant on Machine Design - took a year off before I went to college full time. Got into the magazine publishing business, then into the advertising business (stint in academia in between) and then got my masters degree in film from USC, got into film marketing and then into CD ROM marketing and then into Internet and then emerging tech/interactive TV and emerging entertainment and then into wireless.
Along the way in the ad business I had AT&T and PacBell as clients so I got to know the Telecom business - so I guess you could say it was organic. I always say I'm the perfect multimedia geek-film, TV, advertising, publishing - ultimate convergence career.
DJ: I know you call yourself a "futurist." What does that entail?
JS: I always kid that a consultant is someone who knows 5 percent more than you do. BUT that it is the crucial 5 percent to solving the puzzle, reaching the goal or selling your product or service.
So you might say that a futurist is someone that is 5 minutes ahead of you and is able to instant message you NOW so that you know what obstacles, hurdles and opportunities that are coming so that you can prepare better to use your talents and optimize your company for that future.
Futurist.com defines "futurist" as someone who studies and researches probabilities for the future empirically or scientifically. They also explain that this involves three areas 1) Forcasting the future 2)Imagining the future and 3) Creating the future.
A great deal of what I do falls into the second category. But I like to think that I'm painting word pictures of the future using materials from experts in a wide span of fields and creating a collage that gives you a peek into tomorrow today. Now I'm involve more and more in working with think tanks and organizations on 'prescribing' the future -setting up the ideal scenario and then modeling the paths to getting there. It's easy to just imagine something-turning fantasy into reality is the challenge.
DJ: What are the best ways to keep up with the trends?
JS: My favorite way is to read, read, read everything I can from cereal boxes to trade magazines in fields I have no contact with generally. My mailman knows this so he gives me free magazines from tenants who have moved and left no forwarding address so that one day I'll read a trade journal about Digital Recording and the next day another one about for Plastic Surgeons and the next day one for Architects. I scan these looking for the latest technologies and product news and see how it relates to my client projects and my own research for upcoming books. Of course, I love to go to trade shows too.
Right now I'm off to Siggraph.org in San Antonio to see the latest in immersive entertainment, gaming and graphics. Thanks to Site59.com I got a great package and I'm also seeing a potential client while I'm there and writing a recap for a trade journal called Confrenza so it all fits together nicely.
Some of my favorite books that give a popular culture view of trends include: THE TIPPING POINT, BEYOND STAR TREK, THE LEXUS AND THE OLIVE TREE, THE AGE OF SPIRITUAL MACHINES, PEER TO PEER, INFOCULTURE and WORKSPHERES.
Another favorite past time is Sci-Fi movies, shows scanning the talk show circuit online. I find that the Comic Strips tell me much about technology adoption. It took about 1 year for comic strips to start referring to the Internet and then you could see characters with cell phones and last February the Cathy cartoon character got into PDAs etc. So it's fascinating how many resources can be used for trends. Sure you can do focus groups and formal research and modeling techniques too but I like the grassroots and anecdotal methods for seeing what's on the minds of consumers.
DJ: Joyce, you sure know a lot about the Wireless world. When did you first get interested in this sector of technology?
JS: As you know Danielle, what I'm really fascinated by is what I call "Unleashing the screen' - wireless is just one of the technologies that will make this possible so that the SCREENAGERS - those raised on Sesame Street and MTV will be able to participate (not just watch) 24/7/365 in a new world of infotainment, entertainment and edu-tainment at work,school and of course PLAY.
DJ: What about the Wireless culture appeals to you most?
JS: As a kid my parents always talked about the Dick Tracy Radio watch of THEIR time and I've always loved watches of all kinds. The idea of having one device that will talk to you, tell time, directions and enable you to surf the web is so fascinating to me. As a Star Trek fan I've always been enamored with their Tricorders and wearable communicators.
I can remember the day I got my own phone in my bedroom as a pre-teen. Such freedom! But as you can see from question 4 - it's more than a phone, it's about communication and the ultimate holy grail-anytime, anywhere, anyone. BUT THEN our next concern is privacy and that's my next book as you know, Wireless Privacy.
DJ: What do you think are the most interesting consumer-oriented Wireless features to come in the next few years?
JS: Remember, it's not just wireless - it's about screens and giving the listener or viewer the opportunity to participate that will change the dynamics of communication, not just entertainment. Watch for color screens this holiday season, personal communicators, wearables, hybrid devices, and implantable wireless chips and systems that can be used to aid the blind, the deaf and us as we begin to wear out. The medical and health possibilities are endless.
DJ: Do you think you'd like to continue writing about emerging technology or do you have some other areas of interest you'd like to pursue in your writing career?
JS: Emerging technology is like magic to me! I love the idea that we'll be able to use games and immersive experiences for training, education and for fun now and in the future. Like many of your readers and Waterside authors I was bored in school-bring on the GAMES! I vow to stay on the cutting/bleeding edge.
My favorite motto/slogan is "There is No envelope!" versus 'pushing the envelope etc. So I want to write about the future of entertainment and next generation communication. Plus I have a book called Silicon Soul that I was working on back in 1994 that looks at the impact of tech on our psyches and souls and more.
DJ: What aspect of writing do you enjoy most?
JS: I like right after the outline is done - when it looks like it is all together-all the pieces fit and I can see the picture of the puzzle that is on the cover of the game box.
Later I can branch off into the secret rooms and create private codes for my readers but the overview is one of my favorite sequences. Of course, I have a pet favorite-quoting from my books when I speak at seminars - such an ego trip to quote yourself or be quoted!
DJ: You lead such a busy life with your business, writing, attending 50 conferences a year! What do you like to do in your spare time? Do you have spare time?
JS: Life is real, life is earnest and the grave is not its goal is one of the favorite poetry lines I know..
I love life. I've been very fortunate to be able to create a Renaissance like life -writing, speaking, consulting, mentoring and more.
DJ: If you could recommend one book (any book) to readers of this interview, what would it be and why?
JS: What book would I recommend ...oh Danielle, as an author with a new book out what can I do but recommend CUTTING THE CORD or if you want an oldie but goodie find the compendium I edited and wrote with several other authors called MULTIMEDIA: GATEWAY TO THE NEXT MILLENNIUM back in 1994 - with a forward by Brannon Bragga, co-creator Star Trek Next Generation ...or if you're tired of what you're doing my book "Successful Recareering: When Just Another Job Is Not Enough forecast the future of work and livelihood plus any other book written by a Waterside author-you have that list don't you???
August 14, 2002
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