You have been doing a stellar job at leading Idealab. How did you assume the role of organizing Idealab? Can you tell us some of the great things that Idealab does?
Thank you, Will! I appreciate it. It was a long journey, but I am happy I was able to bring it home with the rest of the admin team before the winter break. My path to Idealab Chair started in [season year] with me harassing Nick Biagioni to allow Chicago to join the challenge. I then recruited four other members to join the Chicago team and we made it to the finals!
The following round I worked remotely from Chicago on the admin team as Mark Fang’s Deputy when he was running the challenge. At the end of the challenge, he asked me if I would lead the next round and I happily accepted. My time as Chair taught me how much hard work and effort goes on behind the scenes to make the challenge possible. Being on the inside is more work than I expected. The admin team’s commitment and ability to juggle various different tasks at the same time is extremely important to the well-being of Idealab. I could not have pulled it off without such a talented team of individuals.
I made a few changes this past round which I believe will improve the experience for everyone connected to the program: HW Lab helps participants connect with relevant SMEs weekly; Idealab Task Force tackles improvements in branding, classes, operations, and technology; homework revisions align assignments to final presentations; weekly mentor calls allow for direct connection between teams and the admin team; altering the timeline increases UX interviews; and entry, post-class, and exit surveys providing more quantitative and qualitative feedback than ever before.
You have not always squabbled for a desk in USQ. How did you get from the BAP/TAP to Digital?
My first engagement in the BAP/TAP was creating a hypothetical bankruptcy strategy for a large bank in Charlotte, NC. I had worked on Digital BD decks with Viktor Bunin for nine months after reaching out to him on the old “Strategy, Growth, and Transformation” Yammer page (yes, Yammer; I was a staff one, cut me some Slack). I was working on the Innovation Acceleration Center team as a new designer building prototypes for pursuits and POVs.
One day I received an email for Idealab and decided to sign up. Idealab gave me the platform to take things I enjoyed - design, prototyping, thinking creatively to solve problems - and put them to the test in a pressure-cooker of 11 weeks. I learned that I did indeed love all of those things and was sure the Digital practice was for me. After that challenge, I spent every moment I could teaching myself design, working on BD work, and making connections throughout the practice. From there I worked on three Digital engagements in Minneapolis, Washington D.C., and New York City. Last October, I successfully aligned with the practice as a UX designer after moving from Chicago to New York City.
You are a product of Idealab, what did you take away from the experience? Can you tell us anything about the next round?
Idealab has been my most satisfying experience at EY. The biggest takeaway I received from the program was if you give something your all, and work hard to do well, good things will surely come. I will never forget handing over eight iPhones to a panel of judges and watching their eyes light up as they talked amongst each other, deciding how they wanted to customize their travel experience on a prototype I designed with my own two hands. I spent about 20 hours per week on Idealab during that challenge and tried to make every moment last.
As a kid, I was always building with LEGOs and later was fascinated by the idea of creating something in the world that did not previously exist. It was not until I arrived at EY and participated in Idealab that I realized I could create things in this world for a living. My career path crossed through Idealab to get to where I am now. I hope to provide that same opportunity to the next generation of designers and thinkers. At the same time, all good things reach their natural conclusion and so my time at the helm has come to an end. Like Mark before me, and Nick, Sahej, and Kathryn before him, it is my time to hand over the reins to the next generation and step into an advisory role.
Today I am happy to announce that Bonnie Smyth and Nina Ali will be the co-chairs for Idealab Spring 2019. Both of these women bring incredible skills to the table. Nina’s enduring determination, coupled with Bonnie’s operational dexterity, make them an awesome pair and I cannot wait to see what they do with the program. I wish them nothing but the best in the challenges they will face in the future.
Having lived in both Chicago and now New York, who has the better pizza and why?
Chicago. At Indiana University, when I had not yet lived in either place, I roomed with a Chicago-native and two guys from New Jersey. They would regularly debate who had a better pizza and I would frequently troll them by claiming the superior slice of my hometown Dallas, Texas. You need to work-out the day before and after, but the cheesiness of the Chicago slice is incredible. Don’t get me wrong, both have their place, but the Chicago slice has more space in my heart (and arteries).
For those of us that may find ourselves traveling to Chicago or Dallas for a client or just making a trip there for vacation, any recommendations of places we have “just gotta go to”?
There are a handful of gems in Chicago. I am a big cocktail guy and Chicago has some excellent cocktail lounges. The Aviary uses gastronomy and science to reinvent cocktails. They also have a location in NYC, but the original is in Chicago and is worth the trip. All of that being said, The Violet Hour is my favorite cocktail lounge in Chicago. It is an unmarked, intimate, no-reservations, seated space-only spot with the best Oaxacan Old Fashioned mezcal cocktail I have ever had. You know you have arrived when you see a line outside a wall-long mural that gets painted over by a local artist each month. The bartenders there are extremely knowledgeable and can guide you through the menu or create a “bespoke” cocktail for you after answering a few questions (just like Attaboy in NYC). Lou Malnati's has the best pizza, Taco Joint has the best tacos, Jam ‘n Honey (in Lincoln Park) has an awesome brunch, and Alinea is the dream I hope to experience someday. The Alfred Caldwell Lily Pool is a beautiful spot for a walk/date/picnic.
Dallas brings its own creative flavors to the table. The best barbeque in the country is at Pecan Lodge and it has been awarded best barbeque by Texas Monthly each year since it opened. You have to wake up early to get in line an hour before the doors open, but it is 100% worth it. You do not want to be standing behind the person with the “If you are reading this we are out of brisket” sign draped on their back. [MT2]When it comes to bars, the vibe is more important than the drinks in Texas. The Backyard is an open-air, dog-friendly bar with Texas-sized Jenga, ping-pong, cornhole, and other board games. It has more space than you would ever see in New York City and I try to visit whenever I am in town. Fish City Grill has the best fish tacos I have ever had. It also happens to be my place of previous employment. I spent three summers as a host there and cannot recommend the oyster nachos enough. Above all, get to Pecan Lodge.
Before Chicago, you were in Texas correct? Did you grow up there? More importantly, how much different is the culture and music scene in Texas compared to New York?
Fun fact: I am a 6th generation Texan. I was born and raised in Texas, and have since been lucky enough to live in Bloomington, Hong Kong, Chicago, and now New York City. Throughout all of these moves, I have always introduced myself as a Texan and have specifically traveled back to Texas to renew my driver’s license so I can have a piece of it with me always. The Lone Star State is always home and I hope to live in Austin one day. The culture in New York City is quite a bit different than Texas. This is best illustrated with a practical example: when I walk down a sidewalk in Dallas and cross paths with someone, we both look up, say “Hey, (or Howdy, if you are really feeling it) how are you?”, smile to each other and continue with our day. I have yet to have that happen to me in New York. I miss those familiar pleasantries in the bustling streets of the city. The music in Texas is not entirely dissimilar from New York City, but it does show its countryside much more often. If you ever can, make a point to hit up Red River. It is my local Honky-tonk (wow, that must sound cringe-worthy to some native New Yorkers). The folks there can two-step like I could only dream of!
Before Chicago, you were in Texas correct? Did you grow up there? More importantly, how much different is the culture and music scene in Texas compared to New York?
Kanye West, Kendrick Lamar, Martin Garrix.
Kanye is an incredible artist and the best in his generation when he is at his best (MBDTF, Watch the Throne). If anyone else wants to fan out/debate Kanye with me, then I would happily engage them. Who knows when Yandhi will come out, but hopefully it has more soul in it than recent albums. Recent events like “Sunday Service” point towards this, so hopefully this turns out to be true!
Lyrically, Kendrick has recently surpassed Kanye. His second album, To Pimp a Butterfly, nearly made me cry. Kanye is to Gospel as Kendrick is to Jazz. Kendrick’s ability to balance his understanding of melody, rhyming, and jazz all while telling a gripping story is incredibly impressive.
Martin Garrix is a wildly talented DJ who brings such a positive vibe to all of his music. I have been following his work for a few years now and will listen to many of his live sets on my runs around NYC. I would love to see him in concert one day. If anyone else feels the same way, then please let me know and we can go together!
Footnotes
I want to give a big thank you to Mark Fang for his support during this previous Idealab round. Mark, I could not have done this challenge without your patience and reassurance. I genuinely enjoyed our times spent ideating, joking, and trying to make the challenge the best it could be. Thank you.
There is a small group of folks in USQ that enjoy playing video games on PS4. If you are one of these folks, then please let me know and I can add you to our super-secret slack channel.
LATEST MIX
Desk Dancing Music
A playlist to listen to when you need to grind out some work. These songs consistently make me raise my desk to standing mode so I can dance!