One month into our little T-shirt experiment and we're amazed how sales have remained stable. As we approach the "Back to School" and Holiday season, it’s pretty much anticipated how hectic things will become around here. Till then, we make necessary preparations for the impending storm. To end our short update on an interesting note, we have a special announcement that will be posted sometime in September (October at the latest). I know it's a tease, but keeping it shrouded in mystery is part of the fun. Certain elements of it have trickled out on the web, but you’ll have to be patient for the actual event.

Aug 26th Update: We regret to inform everyone that our partnership with Cloud 9 T-Shirts has unfortunatly ended since the company has decided to sell their business to persue other creative ventures. While this recent news is somewhat of a shock to us, we wish the staff at Cloud 9 the best with their future endevaors and express our deepest graditude for their collaboration with us while it lasted.

Happy America Day!  Seriously, we do have a legitimate reason to celebrate in tandem with the birth our nation and thought today would be appropriate to make a post about it. Why?  Cause everyone here is jazzed on how incredibly prosperous business has been.  The lull period has finally subsided and momentum continues to build as we’re proud to welcome a few new additions to our family.  First off, there’s a start up known as “YouWhoo?”  Similar to MySpace and Facebook, they’re a social networking community that has kindly approached us in branding and creating their identity.  Not much to present at this juncture, but once the stationary is finalized. we’re proceeding to phase two.  Advertising! 

The next announcement is more on the soapbox.  If you recall from pervious entries, there was the possibility of an impending collaboration which resulted in an ambivalent decision.  As communication between us became more frequent, we can confidently say prophecy fulfilled, as A Thirsty Bottle has officially teamed up with Cloud 9 T-Shirts; solidifying ourselves as a manufacture of custom made apparel.  This means our staff will design the graphics, screen print the shirts, and ship them to your residence or place of business!  Gearing up for this ambitious endeavor has been exciting and it’s only the tip of the iceberg for what’s in store.  For more detailed information, please refer to the “Services” section for a complete price listing.  Surprisingly enough, we’ve already received a dearth of orders and even prompt feedback from satisfied customers.  So to give you the short version, we now do T-shirts =)  

On the other front, our animated TV series that we alluded to has landed a meeting at Cartoon Network for early August.  Preparations are diligently being handled as we hope this project can open doors to future venues for us in the entertainment industry.  Even if we’re unable to accomplish our goal, there are several contingency plans mapped out.  One of them involves a feature film; one of the many ideas that was tossed around. 

With that said, we at A Thirsty Bottle greatly appreciate the assistance of our new affiliates in hope to expand our operations to a vast market!  It’s amazing how eventful the first half of this year has been and makes us ponder what will transpire in the remaining months. 

Designing fare has been on a plateau in the last couple weeks. Nothing major to discuss, but I am optimistic that momentum will grow as summer roles around. Speaking of which, I have collaborated with a follow co-writer on a possible animated TV series that we plan on pitching to a variety of animation studios and production companies. It’s an original project that I’ve been engaged with during my leisure, and my fellow staff members and I harbor the stoic dedication in getting it approved. The groundwork is already laid out. It just needs the right construction crew to build it. I’ll try to circle back on some updates when the time is appropriate, so please be patient since we collectively hope this new venture will come to fruition as we strive to improve our services and experiment with new business endeavors.               

While the SF Bay Area job market continues to stagger, we at ATB were fortunate enough to land a couple small projects in the previous month.  One in particular involved designing layouts for T-shirts. There were talks of a possible partnership, but negotations are still being hammered out.

On the site front, you’ll notice the portfolio section has finally received its long awaited update; now adored with semi-recent projects that are available to view.  As the weeks progress, more will be added as time permits but in the interim, the recent submissions should suffice. 

The last announcement involves an ambitious project that has recently gravitated interest of various production companies.  Unfortunately, I can not divulge any information at this juncture since we’re currently combing through several proposals before making any solid commitments.  Rest assure, the wait will be totally worth it once everything is finalized.  Then again, the entertainment industry can be so unpredictable.  Information can trickle out prematurely when you least expect it.  Stay tuned ;) 

Not much of an update, but more of an advisory to all those struggling artists.  In a crippling economy, I can empathize with the plight of constantly trekking around various cities, relentlessly replying to job opportunities on Craigslist.   When job searching becomes a job in itself, it can be very frustrating.  For several months, I mortgage my social life to invest weeks on end, farming out my resumes and filling out job applications.  While most companies in the San Francisco Bay Area seem to be floundering, understand that its persistence and an optimistic attitude that will help you brave through rejection.  Being in the freelance biz for nearly 10 years has taught me a few things about the entertainment industry and how to approach and attract clients.  Some seek a particular style.  Some require a designer who is legitimately certified with a college degree.  But in most cases, its about your personality and how socially adept you are. 

While stepping foot in a job interview, it’s important to assess your surroundings while building a rapport with your client.  You’re there cause you submitted an impressive resume so don’t bother expounding on your experience unless its prompted in conversation.  Now while they are interested in your background, engaging in small talk is a great way to make a first impression.  Be observant of the working environment.  If your client goes off a tangent and asks if you like music, sports or whatnot, use that opportunity to elaborate on your personal hobbies.  Knowing someone outside of their profession increases your odds of landing that position, cause it builds a trust factor and showcases that you share common interests. 

From my experiences, interviews are a popularity contest, especially when it involves art.  You never know who you’re competing against, so I personally recommend bringing the necessary materials.  A second copy of your resume, a physical portfolio of your best work, and a smile that lights up the room.  Follow this itinerary and it will solidify that you’re genuinely excited about the job.  I hope this guide was educational as it was motivational.  I can not guarantee that my methods will be effective for you, but its certainly worth exploring that avenue.  Good luck fellow designers! 

In the last couple weeks, you probably have noticed a media drought plaguing the blog section.  The central reasoning behind this is due to the fact that most of the visitors who browse the site were confused on what exactly ATB does, and the fan submissions threw several people off guard. Though it was a fun and interesting experiment; building rapports with fellow artists, it's just a venture that didn’t exactly take off. Not implying that the copious amount of articles and videos were problematic, but I felt it deviated from the services this site legitimately offers and it’s important to be clear about that. So after careful deliberation, I have decided to condense this section to the style of a standard blog; supplying only company information on a monthly basis.

Even though this may act as a drastic change to the site, the staff at A Thirsty Bottle will continue to thrive on what it was originally established as. A design firm that expands on new ideas to provide client satisfaction. To all the freelance bloggers that contributed their talent here, I sincerely appreciate your committed support and wish you luck on your future endeavors.  With that said, lets all make 2010 a productive year and expect the next update to surface around early April.