Wael Ghonim’s Branding of a New Kind Of Heroism: The People 2.0

Woolf + Lapin is inspired by great stories. Especially ones that change the course of history.

If you haven’t heard of Wael Ghonim, you will.

Google Marketing Manager for the Middle East, Wael Ghonim is the face behind the Egyptian revolution.

He had started a Facebook page called We Are All Kahled Said after the death of the Egyptian youth at the hands of Mubarak’s police back in June. (Here is his Twitter page. He is now commenting on protests across the Middle East.)

Pretty soon, Ghonim had half a million followers. People began exchanging images of police brutality.

And with the simple username “Admin,” the Google executive used the Facebook page as a rallying cry to get people to the streets on January 25th.

He took 6 days off from his job at Google in Dubai to join them in Tahrir Square.

Then he went missing.

Mubarak’s men jailed him for 12 days for his social media organizing.

Upon his release he was interviewed on a highly-rated Egyptian television show.

During this interview he wept over the deaths of other protesters.

(Press the CC button for English subtitles)

The next day, even larger crowds took hold of Tahrir Square.

Mubarak couldn’t oppress the people anymore.

Eighteen days after the protest began, Mubarak stepped down.

Now, pro-reform protests are spreading across the Middle East.

Google CEO Eric Schmidt said yesterday that he’s “very, very proud” of the key role that employee Wael Ghonim played in the recent Egyptian protest movement.

So are we.

Salut à toi Arcade Fire!

Pour ceux qui ne le savent pas, c’est le vidéo The Suburbs réalisé par Spike Jonze.

Woolf + Lapin tient vraiment, vraiment à les féliciter pour avoir gagné le Grammy du meilleur album de l’année.

Vive Arcade Fire, Vive Montréal!

Tinywatch Productions, Xtranormal featured in the Wall Street Journal

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Tinywatch Productions was recently featured in the Wall Street Journal.

The crux of the article details how do-it-yourself animation is gaining more and more prominence.

These DIY animators/talented writers are using online software like Montreal-based Xtranormal and GoAnimate (New York/Tokyo). The ease of use seems to be the biggest feature.  So “…all a person has to do is sit at a computer and type.”

Like Woolf + Lapin’s Tinywatch Productions, talent is getting picked up by agencies and scouts, because of the numerous clicks their clips are getting on Youtube or elsewhere. The humor, usually targeting an under-35 crowd, seems to follow one code: the snarkier the better.

Here’s an excerpt lifted from the WSJ: “It’s a quick, down-and-dirty way to get smart writing and observational comedy on the Internet,” said Richard Appel, a veteran of the Fox TV shows “Family Guy” and “The Simpsons” and a creator and executive producer of “The Cleveland Show.” Homemade cartoons can riff off the news easily, he said, unencumbered by the time-consuming production demands of an animated TV show.”

Continuing in their trailblazinng vein, Xtranormal has just launched a contest for the best video.

The WSJ article also talks about the Hong Kong company Next Media, who is making about 50 such videos a day spoofing the news from around the world.

Definitely more than a trend.

Kaveh Nabatian’s Vapor Nominated for a Genie

“Set in Mexico City over the course of a single day, Vapor is the true story of an older man’s decision to accept his homosexuality. Told without any dialogue, this short film is a cinematic exploration of shame, catharsis, and ultimately, transcendence.”

Congrats to Kaveh and producers Stéphane Tanguay & Cédric Bourdeau as well as to ALL the nominees. Check them out here.

The 31st Annual Genie Awards will be broadcast live from the National Arts Centre in Ottawa on Thursday, March 10, 2011 on CBC.