Next stop = the future
To spare you the drama of wondering what happens in the video above…I didn’t make it to the next round. But that’s ok! As I’ve said before, in the past few weeks I’ve learned so much about myself, my abilities, and where I thought my limits were that I wouldn’t trade that knowledge for all the followers on twitter.
This experience has changed how I approach my life, and for that reason alone this contest is a personal success for me.
And support! God, I would have turned around and went home before even making it to the Mahalo offices on the first day if it wasn’t for my dear friends who really and truly make me feel like I’m selling myself short for not following my dreams (yes, that’s quite cheesy…deal with it). Specifically, I couldn’t have done anything without my partner in crime and vegan ice cream hunter David Horn (actually, he’s the sole reason why I’ve eaten anything since April), Brynn Evans for being one of my favorite people on the planet, Alex Kawas because months ago he planted the first seed of thought that I should shoot for an opportunity like this if it ever came up, my amazing role model and mentor Cyan Banister, Patrick Crowley for keeping me sane, Declan Fleming for being the absolute best at finding something nice to say about me, Larry aka ConnectedGeek for stepping in as my Chief Strategy Officer, and my mother for keeping me more informed on how the contest is progressing than even the Mahalo production staff. You all mean the world to me.
You know you can count on your friends, but what I never counted on was the support from hundreds of people who were activated to form the Lisa Nation. My twitter follower count has gone up by something like 200 people, there are 57 people in the fan club ConnectedGeek started, at some point my website went up from PR4 to PR5, and my original contestant photo got almost 70 responses all in my favor. This is many orders of magnitude more attention than any other contestant has generated so far, which has left me both shocked and flattered. I mean, really…wow. Thank you.
So now we’re all left with a bit of a problem. A lot of people were rooting for me in this contest, but I don’t want anyone to feel let down or lose interest just because I’m out of the running. Someone else still has to win, and from what I know public opinion will matter for the final round in some capacity. So who should we vote for instead?
If you spend any length of time around me at all, you’ll quickly learn that I care a lot about this little concept called community, especially in San Diego. Community means nothing if you’re not supporting and promoting those in your network, so my choice for the next host is an easy decision to make. Kristina Allison also comes to Mahalo with no podcasting experience, but she’s a rockstar so that’s ok. Referred to as the "dark horse" in previous rounds, the judges saw a fight in her that was worth investing in to see what she could do in the next round. And as you can see in the video above, Kristina has pulled to the lead and definitely started to kick some ass. San Diegans and netizens alike, I encourage you to join me in supporting Kristina as she produces her own Mahalo Daily episode this week. Stay tuned for updates on where the voting will take place!
As for my own plans, seeing that people are inspired by the ideas I want to evangelize has in turn inspired me to seek out other opportunities to connect on this level even more. The whole reason I joined this contest was to take my career in a drastically new direction, and because of you guys I can see that future starting to take shape. I may not be materializing at Mahalo, but this girl still has a few good cards tucked in her stocking.
16 Comments, Comment or Ping
Bryan Payne
Sorry you didn’t make it further, but I’m sure there are great things in store for you either way. Lisa Nation lives on! :)
May 12th, 2008
sean percival
terrible news!
However we are so glad you got so much out of the experience. Thanks for giving it a shot!
May 12th, 2008
pcnerd37
I was rooting for you. Its too bad you didn’t get farther. Now I am rooting for Andrea with Kristina as my second choice.
May 12th, 2008
Christina
Congrats on getting so far! I think you’re very brave to put yourself out there - I’m sure its just a stepping stone for cooler, better things. (BTW, love the new site)
May 12th, 2008
Lisa Brewster
@ Christina,
That’s what I’m hoping! If nothing else comes around, I at least have some ideas on what I’d like to do on my own. I’ve become fairly obsessed with video creation, but the trouble is obtaining hardware. Blogs are free, but camcorders aint.
I suck at finding time to post video while it’s still relevant (it’ll be months before I get the BCSD3 talks up, just you watch), so I think livestreaming may be my calling. I’m seriously considering getting a second phone for this. Maybe Nokia N95, maybe nextgen iPhone (and then hope the Qik iPhone client comes out Real Soon Now). We’ll see. =]
May 12th, 2008
Jason
great job Lisa! you did a fantastic job and clearly, as you mentioned, you’ve grown a lot during the contest.
we wish you the best and we’re looking forward to watching you develop and build on what will certainly be a promising future!
all the best,
jason
May 12th, 2008
andy
It was definitely fun watching you come into your own — while learning on the gig — as a daily vlogger. I hope to see more video podcasts coming thru this RSS feed. As many of us know, Lisa gets into and evangelizes all kinds of crazy cool stuff before most others are hip to it.
Great job! And for heavens sake stay outta politics ;-)
May 12th, 2008
MelodyMooney
I really enjoyed meeting you Lisa. You were so friendly and kind at that first big audition and I was rooting for you! More great things to come!
XO Melody
May 12th, 2008
Lisa Brewster
@Melody,
Omg, so were you! All the teaser vids look like we’re being all snarky to each other, but each and every girl in this contest has been an absolute sweetheart. We should get together and have a rejects party. ^_^
May 12th, 2008
Larry M
I can’t tell you how truly disappointed I am that you did not make it!!! I know you have a few cards tucked away; however, you would have rocked the Mahalo WORLD!!! In my opinion, you won hands down!
@jasoncalacanis, @1938media, @alexalbrecht and @lons are all brilliant men/judges… but, they truly missed out on a one of a kind person that would have brought diversity, style and enthusiasm to the Mahalo universe.
I wish you nothing but happiness and success!
I will always be your #1 FAN!! :)
May 12th, 2008
Kristina Allison
Thanks sooo much for the support Lisa. It was lovely to meet you, and I’m sorry that you didn’t make it to the top six. I totally thought you were gonna make it and was surprised when they cut you… You rock my world and I wish you nothing but the best in your ventures to come!! =)
xx
Kristina
May 12th, 2008
David Horn
As the person who made sure Lisa ate, I want to add something to this post:
We live in a safety-conscious society. My car is so comfortable and ubiquitous I sometimes forget what those 4 airbags are there to prevent. There aren’t many opportunities to take real life risks anymore, and what opportunities do exist are reserved for the adrenaline junkies who jump out of airplanes. For someone like me, I know I could go through the rest of my life without feeling like I took a real risk.
That’s why I’m so proud of Lisa. She took a risk on something with a possibility of failing publicly (not privately where we can pretend it didn’t happen). She didn’t do it because she needed the job. She did it because she saw Mahalo Daily as a potential outlet for her passion, and Lisa is the most passionate girl I’ve ever met.
Lisa dared to do something most of us would never dare try. That she didn’t win is immaterial. As the expression goes, life is about taking risks, and Lisa is living more than most of us.
May 12th, 2008
Brynn Evans
David, well put! Lisa is truly a role model and someone I admire greatly. Thanks for making sure she ate :)
Lisa, I (sadly) didn’t get around to reading your awesome post until just now! Mahalo is missing out on a good thing, as I’ve said all along (even in my DM to jasoncalacanis!) I can just *feel* that life has good things in store for you. If not this one opportunity, then the next. How can it not, when you are the only person I know who could come out of this whole contest with such a positive attitude! Whether you won or not is immaterial. You have rallied a group of people around you and around a cause that you cared about, and that is exceptionally admirable!
May 12th, 2008
Dennis Bjørn Petersen
Great attitude!
It’s all about getting back on the horse. I think it’s a great career move and I’m looking forward to the next cards :-)
May 12th, 2008
Zara
I hope you find a place that suits you really well. You deserve it. I loved the energy on the show.
May 13th, 2008
Amanda
Hey there readers of Lisa’s blog. I’ve put together a profile of Lisa Brewster for the Geek Girl Blogger articles, please come check it out at http://www.spyjournal.biz/geek_girls/lisa_brewster - Thanks
Jun 11th, 2008
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