Getting Googley at the Ranch…

(Update: check out this highlight video created by the good folks at Catalyst Ranch.)

2 nights ago, I had the pleasure of dropping some knowledge (and rhymes) with an eclectic gathering of friends, family, and colleagues at the always eclectic Catalyst Ranch.

Over the course of 90 minutes, I powerpointed, whiteboarded, and rapped my way to a donation of about $200 and 50 used children’s books for Open Books, a local Chicago non-profit that promotes literacy.

Besides the unique format and venue, this event was unique because my mom and dad (and wife!) were in attendance. This was the first time they had seen me present anything book (or work) related in public. Needless to say, when it came to my trademark $2 bill at the end, I had to do a little bit of self-censorship so what you’re about to see is rated very PG….

Things got interesting when I decided to take a page from Emeril’s playbook and “kick things up a notch.” I asked the audience for 10 words to incorporate into my rap. Here’s the list they came up with:

Hannuka
Purple
Bears
Relevance
Orange
Money
Altruism
Shoes
Echo
Literacy

Let’s just say this was one funky mad lib…

Thanks to Larry Bak from Elevate Studios for the steady hand recording these on his iPhone. Now that’s what I call FaceTime!