In November of 2004, Death Cab for Cutie signed a long-term worldwide deal with Atlantic Records, leaving their long-time label Barsuk Records. Gibbard stated on the official website that nothing would change. This was a marked change from Gibbard’s earlier views on major-label relations. (From their Wikipedia entry)
I have been a long time fan of Death Cab and when they switched from Barsuk Records to Atlantic Records, I like most fans, was afraid that their music would change, that they had sold out. Especially when Ben Gibbard, the founding member of the band had been so out spoken against major labels. In the end Death Cab’s sound has only gotten better and they have been able to reach a much larger audience.
For the last 6 months I have been trying to land HP as a client. (What consultant isn’t?) To my surprise, just when I thought I was making progress, they flipped the tables on me and offered me a job. This was very surprising and the last thing on my mind.
I just turned 35 last week and have never worked in a cubicle in my life. I have been on my own to some degree or another for the last 6 years. This was a very scary proposition for me.
It’s no secret that I have a great love for all things Web 2.0. I chose this as a career field 2 years ago when most people thought I was crazy. A lot has changed over the past 2 years. Companies big and small are rapidly adopting Web 2.0 and using it to their advantage.
HP is aggressively moving into the Web 2.0 space and the opportunity to work on projects from the inside, especially for such a strong brand like HP, is incredibly appealing. In addition to that I will be walking into a welcome environment and working with a smart group of people who already “get it.” For this and many other reasons the opportunity to be the LaserJet Business Web 2.0 product manager for HP was way to tempting.
This move may come as a big surprise to many of you (it did to me).
Much like when Death Cab for Cutie signed with Atlantic, I’ll still be making the same noise music, I’ll just be doing it on a bigger stage, with the ability to help not just HP but their customers as well.
