As I published the first part of my new series, Monsters and Mayhem, it occurred to me that I have topics coming up that will be sensitive, and quite possibly, offensive.

It is my intention to write a series about self reflection, leadership, and organization. Connecting these topics through the metaphors and tropes of horror movies is a bonus. There is a little horror fan in all of us (when we assume the broader definition of the horror genre).

Important to keep in mind, this series is full of my personal opinions and my own research. When discussing those metaphors, theories, and “truths”, I will be discussing the universe as it exists in the movies. We all know there isn’t actually a “Final Girl” who will survive us all, and we all know that vampires actually don’t mind garlic. But since they survive in movie land, they and other canon will be used as references and source material. Likewise, theories and psychoanalysis about serial killers and the like will be based solely on those discussed in movies unless otherwise referenced. I will be sensitive to the topic, as many of those movies are based on true stories, but remember, this series is based on the movies.

My writing is meant to be light and campy. My writing is meant to derive meaning from cinema. Maybe along the way you’ll learn something about leadership.

Part 1 of the Maniac’s Guide to Organization and Leadership

There is a certain type of person attracted to monsters and mayhem. Personally, I am one of those people. I watch horror movies on the treadmill and elliptical, binge watch scary documentaries on my couch folding laundry (a task scary in and of itself), and bow down to all things John Carpenter or Stephen King.

So how does this correlate with organization and leadership? I don’t recall the exact moment I came up with the idea. I remember going through a random stream of consciousness which landed on final girls. I thought to myself, wouldn’t it be interesting to express leadership through archetypes and recognized metaphors in horror? We’ll explore that exact topic in a future article.

Let us start the series with a light, fun quiz. Tally your points for an intriguing insight into your procrastination proclivities.

Mostly A’s — You’re fastidious, put together and planning is totally your thing. You’re Vampyr, and not the Twilight kind. No, you’re steam punk Gary Oldman in a 3 piece grey suit. You’re only distracted by the occasional exposed carotid. Sure, you’re a little spontaneous and romantic, crossing oceans of time to meet up with a chick. But not before you bought 10 houses in a her country and filled them all with the soil of your homeland, giving you multiple options should you get tired somewhere around town. Every action you take is calculated, planned and then planned again.

Mostly B’s — You’re easy going, thought out, but with a bit of a streak where you might let things get out of control. You’re a werewolf, prone to regular but predictable lapses in judgement. Most of the time, you’ve got it together. You’re not bad with planning, making sure you’ve got a pair of shackles and a lockable basement room ready. You’ve got the full moons highlighted on your calendar and a 2 hour alarm set so you know when it’s time to head down. But once you get in that room, and once the moon is full, you’re a beast. Squirrels beware — for that period of time you’re distracted from your normal tasks and every snapped twig brings the promise of a snack.

Mostly C’s — Procrastination and spontaneity are your jam. Loafing around the house binging Netflix and avoiding your planner (if you have one), is your idea of a good time. The second an article comes out announcing a new show, you’re on it. You’re a total zombie, stuck in place with nothing to do until live bait walks by.

If you got one of each — Congrats! You’re human.

Follow me for more! Next time we tackle how to write a to do list like a serial killer!

1. Tacos! Of course with Pacifico or Modelo. Give me a new recommendation!
2. Bacon Cheeseburger — Gotta be Genesee Beer! Genny Light or 12 Horse.
3. Hot and Dirty Jersey Crab — We went with Longboard Island Lager
4. Sushi: More often than not, I go with Sapporo or Kirin. I need a new recommendation though!!
5. Irish Stew: Call me crazy, call me a blasphemer, but I do not drink Guinness with my stew. I will pour a stout or porter into my stew, but the result needs something lighter to combat the heaviness. I would drink a red lager or Rorbach Scotch Ale with this one.
6. BLT Sammich — Sorry, gotta say Genny again for this! 12 Horse is so good when you need to cut a salty flavor.

Ok, that is my list! Tell me your ideas and thoughts about where I went wrong or what your favorite combo is in the comments below!!

After the target market has been identified, the company must start planning. Marketing and sales objectives are needed in order to prepare a marketing budget. The budget should be established based on the marketing objectives for the product, including what the company can afford and what the competition has budgeted for their campaign.

During strategy development, a company must decide how to position themselves in order to differentiate their product from the direct and indirect competition. They must also identify possible demand and determine methods of communication. After this, the marketing mix is reviewed to identify product, price, promotion, and place.

Product: Developing brand equity involves packaging, brand name, size, design, quality, and warranties. Work together with promotion communication to build brand equity.

Price: A pricing strategy must be created. The price objectives must be determined based on discounts, list pricing, demand and the competition.

Promotion: A market communication strategy should be developed to reach and attract customers. Companies should determine an integrated strategy that would meet the marketing objectives from the following high level list: Direct marketing, indirect marketing, advertising, public relations, events and experiences, personal selling, and sales promotion.

Place: Distribution channels, location, transport, and inventory — How will this product be sold? Resellers, manufacturers, and other distributers need to be determined based on the product, including how many channel levels are needed to effectively disseminate the product.

In addition, during the product life cycle the company will want to continually review direct and indirect competition in addition to consumer behavior for outside factors that may influence a change in marketing objectives and pricing strategies.

Borat!: Cultural Learnings of America for Make Benefit Glorious Nation of Kazakhstan has the second longest movie title in history. It is one word shy of Dr. Strangelove or: How I Learned to Stop Worrying and Love the Bomb, Kubrick’s 1964 political and social satire on America. History aside — what a trip.

Sacha Baron Cohen, the multiple personality Brit of “Da Ali G. Show” fame, has created a masterpiece.

Much like the 2004 presidential elections, America is split. Some think it’s a huge slap in the face, others can’t get enough of the Kazakhi’s antics. I was floored by Sacha Baron Cohen’s performance. At first I thought it was just going to be another film of the Jackass persuasion, but Borat yo-yo’s the audience, pushing us away with disgust and reeling us back in with it’s touching moments. I felt genuine sorrow for Borat when he is left to fend for himself, and I rejoiced when he finally gets to California. Of course, the movie saves you from getting too misty eyed when he tries to bag Pamela…literally.

Borat is offensive, disgusting, and breathtakingly over the top. Sacha Baron Cohen is a genius. I can see why people don’t like this movie. But in all honesty, those are the people that Baron Cohen was aiming to piss off. The man is a lord of war when it comes to customizing the ammunition with which to blow someone’s patience and ego away.

The movie is one long string of “I can’t believe he just did that” moments that just make you want to die in the throes of laughter. There were some moments I didn’t fully appreciate. Baron Cohen seemed to be trying just a bit too hard to draw some scenes out. At 82 minutes, the movie is shorter than most others, but damn, some of the scenes seemed to drag on through some of the gags. We have much mad respect for you Baron Cohen, don’t play us like that.

I found the movie to create this perfect blend of compassion within my psyche. I felt sorry for Borat’s backward beliefs. I felt frustrated when people didn’t understand him. I felt angry at America because we got pissed when someone comes into our country holds a mirror up to our face, and tells us what is wrong with certain parts of our culture. Oh, and he just so happened to make a blockbusting movie about it. It’s all right people. No person, nation, political view, or movie, is perfect. Just accept it and move on. Borat did.

Sorry man, Pan’s Labyrinth is a far cry from puppets and musical numbers. Actually, it’s a deeply intense fable about a young girl’s adventurous mind, helping her cope through Spain’s war torn countryside after the Spanish Civil War, and during World War II. The trailers and publicity for this film are a little misleading, as this is no fairy tale. The stills of the magical creatures shown only make up a small portion of the film, which centers mainly around young Ofelia (Ivana Baquero) , but equally so around the escalating fight between the Spanish fascists and insurgents. Hideously graphic and violent at times, you become relieved and hopeful when Ofelia comes back on screen to take you away from the horrific events that transpire in the film.

The film opens with beautiful, sweeping pan shots, taking us back and forth between Ofelia’s world and reality. The shots are consistently larger than Ofelia, trying to make her seem small and insignificant to the environment around her, however Baquero’s screen presence immediately shows the audience that she is anything but. Along with that, the scenery and characters are intoxicating. Whether they are brutal or gentle, from another world or as plain as can be, you cannot look away from the screen. They each found an amazing way to captivate and bring us closer to their hopes and fears.

The setting and characters do their jobs well at character coding and atmosphere. It’s pretty clear who we are going to trust, and who makes us feel threatened and nervous. The fantastic quality of this film is that you never feel safe. Pan’s Labyrinth gives the gift of paranoia and fright to the audience, we are always on edge, no matter which world we are in. As opposed to other fantasies the film has been compared to, the political statement this film makes is more prominent.

The story is just beautiful. I cried. I’ll be the first to admit it. My grandmother was born during the Spanish Civil War, during which her once wealthy family lost everything. She would have been around the same age as Ofelia, and has told me stories that chilled me. But seeing them told on film…del Toro made those stories come to life and was true to the subject and era. Again, the film is terribly graphic and sad, but heroines Ofelia and Mercedes (Maribel Verd) gently cradle us as the film takes us through fantasy and tragically brings us back to the ground.

A word on the directorial style of Guillermo del Toro. Taking a break from the intense scenery and themes in the film, I noticed some subtle nods to del Toro’s previous films. A fascination of clockwork/cogs from Hellboy (2004) and Cronos (1993). A gramophone playing music that is eerily out of place, also from Hellboy. A portal or gate to another world, surrounded by an intricate design, Blade II (2002), and again, Hellboy. And lastly, the design of the fairies and the faun are reminiscent of Mimic (1997). Not terribly important, but interesting to note.

Something you’ll also notice is the similarity in color palette used in The Shape of Water (2017). Although I haven’t seen the film yet, the stills are stunning and practically from the same world as Pan’s Labyrinth. The amphibian man (played by Doug Jones, del Toro’s frequent collaborator, is a beautiful collection of deep blues and haunting greens, similar to Abe (also played by Jones) in Hellboy. The scenes are shiny wet with that familiar film noir style that del Toro likes to use. Since I mentioned characters, Sally Hawkins could really play an adult Ofelia. If anything, the man is consistent!

Guillermo del Toro’s style choices and award winning films have led him to become quite the auteur. It is not a far fetched idea that someday, he and his films could be used as a semester topic for a film class somewhere. I’d be the first in line to take that class!