Service providers, consultants, speakers and experts are all trying to navigate the new rules of engagement borne by social media.  How do I reach prospects, engage and brand in this attention starved age?  Leading edge thinkers like Mike Desjardins of Virtus are embracing the challenge by providing demos or “bytes” of their magic - in this case - How to tell if you’re a leader - on the Social Web.

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We had the pleasure of working with Mike to produce a series of  minute long “success snacks” for fundfindr.tv, so named as they are easy to digest, tasty and good for you. A quick shoot, some sweet edits courtesy of Ben Z. Cooper and then distribution on blogs, Facebook, Twitter, YouTube, RSS and more.  A fresh new meaning for the term:  Net result. Branding, reach and an very effective marketing approach for our A.D.D. times.

Video has a unique ability to demonstrate your magic in an attention-getting way.   Your customers buy you and your content.  Demo it!  We’re excited about the next collaboration with Virtus as part of our new Riiplay.tv service.  We’d love to  work with you too.  You can showcase your mojo and deliver it online in high quality, at great rates, to great effect.

Knowledge on demand. Your next presentation.  Live Streaming.  Webcam wizadry.  Or even 60 seconds…

Have you submitted your pitch to The Pitchies competition yet for your chance to win over $20k in prizes? Our experts want to see the finest new innovations so get your webcam or videocamera in action. We are just coming up to the announcement of our first semi-finalists so simply enter your pitch in our Compete section after you have uploaded it.

We also wanted to share some more background on the stellar judges we have lined up for the big November event where the Expert Pick winners will be announced. Plus, don’t forget to get your network voting for you for the People’s Choice Awards!

2008 Pitchies Judges - Bios

Basil Peters , Angel Investor, Entrepreneurial CEO, Fund Manager

While still in grad school, Basil co-founded Nexus Engineering. Nexus grew to seven companies with over 300 employees with operations in Hong Kong, Jakarta, London and five Canadian cities.  Basil is currently the manager of the Angel Fund Fundamental Technologies II.  Full bio

Greg Wolfe, Executive Vice President, Operations of SAP-Business Objects

Greg Wolfe is responsible for managing SAP-Business Objects operations and ensuring customer success in the Americas and EMEA. Wolfe has a strong track record of success in creating and managing high-growth and customer-obsessed organizations. Full bio

Mike Desjardins , Driver, Virtus

Mike is the Driver of Virtus and Past President of the Vancouver chapter of EO - the Entrepreneurs Organization. A graduate of UBC’s Commerce Faculty with a specialization in Marketing. Mike also spent three and a half years as the President of Purity Water Treatment Products. Full bio .

Robin Chakrabarti, Vice President, Corporate Development of T & M Group of Companies

The T&M Group have over 30 years of experience investing in, acquiring, building and growing profitable businesses, including Boston Pizza, Mr. Lube and Global Entertainment. In 2005, Robin was named one of BC’s top 40 businesspeople under 40. See Robin’s profile on Linked In

Ron Bertram, General Manager, Nintendo of Canada Ltd.

Ron Bertram is the Vice-President, General Manager for Nintendo of Canada Ltd . He is responsible for all of Nintendo’s business activities in Canada. Under Ron’s stewardship, Nintendo of Canada’s business has quadrupled in size to over ½ billion dollars. More bio here.

Ron Moravek, Chief Executive Officer, Sitemasher

Ron Moravek’s extraordinary ability to identify business opportunities and execute business plans made his joining Phil Calvin a natural next step in Sitemasher’s development path. The results-oriented, creative, high-energy leader comes packaged with an inspirational, fun and empowering management style. Full bio

Thomas Hellmann, B.I. Ghert Family Foundation Professor in Finance and Policy, Sauder School of Business University of British Columbia

Dr. Thomas Hellmann is a Professor at the Sauder School of Business at the University of British Columbia. He holds a BA from the London School of Economics and a PhD from Stanford and teaches executive, MBA and undergraduate courses in the areas of entrepreneurship and strategic management. Full bio

Have you ever wanted the opportunity to spend 10 minutes with a successful businessman - to seek out their secrets to success and delve into the mysteries behind what it truly ‘takes’ to realize your goals? Are you thinking of starting your own business or perhaps taking an existing business into unchartered territory? Have the fears, the doubts and the emotional obstacles of taking it to the next level started to creep in? Are you looking for support from other entrepreneurs?

Well, here is your opportunity to have your 10 minutes and garner the encouragement you need to succeed. Mike Desjardins, the President of the Entrepreneurs Organization (EO) in Vancouver and the Driver of Virtus, reveals his success tips and the top 3 things an entrepreneur should consider when starting on a new venture. From pre start-up reading to mapping the goals of the company to filtering the shiny objects, Mike touches on the first steps to becoming a success.

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