Category: Focus On The Family

What do you want to be? Part 4

12/1/2023

Interviewing for Focus on the Family was an exciting experience, and though the job I applied for had not been something I expected, nor was it in my degree field, it offered an opportunity to grow, and to trust God.

So I interviewed and ultimately came work at Focus on the Family, as an application support specialist. In my role I had to learn whole new skill sets and begin to understand information technology. One huge benefit of that role was that I got to know lots of people at Focus on the Family, and work with lots of departments. This made getting integrated far easier, than a job that may have been more isolating. Plus I also got to work at a ministry that truly changes lives.

While I started in IT, that's not where I ended up, and over the course of about 7 years I had the opportunity to work for a brand and indeed set the course for its future. That brand was Adventures in Odyssey.

One year into the role at Focus on the Family I had the opportunity to become the product marketing manager for kids and family products, which included Adventures in Odyssey.
My very first task was to launch the new brand look of Adventures in Odyssey, a new look for the characters, and a new logo.

See the cover where we revealed the new look of Eugene and Connie, you could actually see Eugene's eyes. And also see below for the old Adventures in Odyssey logo and the new one. (Sometime I'll go in to more detail about the brand revision process, in fact I am experiencing that again with The Action Bible at David C. Cook)

Through my new role as Product Marketing Manager (Kids & Parenting) I began to get into my degree field of marketing, and learned about managing an expansive multi-million dollar brand, content marketing, working with talented storytellers, and collaborating with partners like Tyndale and Christianbook.

My role continued to change and expand, and soon not only where we releasing new Adventures in Odyssey albums and episodes, but launching new book series (The Imagination Station) and repacking older titles.

Side note is that I got to write Imagination Station #5, Showdown with the Shepherd, as well as the outline for Imagination Station #10, Challenge on the Hill of Fire.

Signed Copy

Another fun note is that my favorite episodes from Adventures in Odyssey while growing up were Camp What-a-Nut (1 & 2). In my role, I was responsible to lead the design of the Album covers for Adventures in Odyssey, as well as all the repacks, bringing them into the new brand look and feel.

So I had the opportunity to make a change to my favorite album, one that I felt quite passionately about. So I changed the cover for Album #2 as well as the title to reflect what I thought was a better encapsulation of the album. Working with Gary Locke I directed him to to feature my favorite moment from Camp What-A-Nut, where Whit and Donny have to escape a bear by climbing a tree.

This post has already become too long, so I guess i'll continue the next part of my time at Adventures in Odyssey in Part 5. Stay tuned!
*PS this is also when I became a published author with Taken, Showdown with the Shepherd, and HowlSage all in the same year! I'll be sure to cover that as well in a future post.

Do you listen to Adventures in Odyssey? Let me know your favorite episode in the comments below.

0 Comments

A great day at Barnes & Noble in Little Rock, AR

8/1/2017

1 Comment

I was recently in Little Rock Arkansas and had the opportunity to meet with two sets of #TQ4T readers. The first was a young man who writes for his school newspaper and also releases his reviews @ Quattro's Corner. Listen to the interview as we discuss two of my favorite things; space and dinosaurs. Would you like to interview me for your blog or school newspaper? Let me know.

Listen to the interview on SoundCloud!
#MGLit #TQ4T.

I also met with an avid group of Questers. These kids knew everything about the series. They knew details I'd forgotten. (I suppose I need to re-read the series) Their passion for the series reinvigorated me to finish the final book and gave me some excellent insight into the depth of my characters and stories, especially the now beloved Drex. And maybe a bit about Midnight the cat. But it's readers like you, readers like the Hibbard and Choate families that make writing fun and exciting, and well not quite so lonely.

Finally, I love seeing how the Quest for Truth has inspired you. I recently received a kind letter from a reader and a poem inspired by Quest for Truth from another reader. So why not send me an email with your thoughts about the series or even some artwork. I love hearing from you the Questers. You're the ones that make this adventure possible.