I don’t know about your office, but here at Mekanism, we share our favorite Internet finds with each other very often. Being on top of what’s trending online is an important part of our jobs, so we never feel guilty spending time on such matters… At least that’s what I tell my supervisor when he catches me watching a video of a baby singing with a dancing cat to the song allegedly leaked from Kanye West’s new album.

Today we’re sharing our favorite Tumblrs. Enjoy!

If you watched the news or were online in any shape or form this Wednesday night:

http://whenobamaendorsed.tumblr.com/

If you have no idea what it’s about, please look it up or ask the person nearest to you.

When you can’t seem to find the right words (submitted by everyone at Mekanism and their intern):

http://whatshouldwecallme.tumblr.com/
Banish the phrase “it was just like…you know…” with this Tumblr that put the animated .gifs in your mouth.

If you work at an advertising agency and you want to explain a work situation (submitted by everyone at Mekanism, giggling for “no reason”):

http://thisadvertisinglife.tumblr.com/
Forward this Tumblr to your friends who also work at ad agencies for instant inside jokes. Forward this Tubmlr to your friends who don’t to subtly hint that your job is so much cooler than theirs.

If you want to creep out your friends who have cats (submitted by Elijah @FrodoBKK):

http://catswatchingyouhavesex.tumblr.com/
Think about it, man. Cats walk silently and they’re curious creatures. It must have happened at least once by now. Just saying.

When you look into the innocent eyes of your dog and think “he seems so human sometimes” (submitted by @BrendanGahan):

http://textsfromdog.tumblr.com/
You totally knew it! There are other dogs out there who are just as smart as your dog!

When your super fashionable friend with good genes says “I’m never having kids. They’ll cramp my style” (submitted by Richard @BoyShapedBox):

http://childrenwithswag.tumblr.com/
This should make your womb/loin go “aww” and feel embarrassed about what you wore when you were a kid.

When your overachieving Type A friend needs a little pick-me-up (submitted by @Dan_Abramson):

http://textsfromhillaryclinton.tumblr.com/
Besides the incredible story of how the creators met Hillary Clinton in person, this Tumblr is so witty and sarcastic that it’s able to successfully make a crack at another powerfully popular Tumblr Feminist Ryan Gosling. It’s the kind of thing that makes you want to do a little sassy snap.

When you just need some hipster softcore porn (submitted by @RossWolinsky and Daisy @Daise):

http://boniverotica.tumblr.com/

Who needs moving images when you can read a couple lines of well-chosen words and look at a picture of Justin Vernon? Best when letting Justin Vernon’s soothingly deep voice croon to you at the same time.

When you need another conspiracy theory (submitted by Mary @gunandagirl):

http://tildastardust.tumblr.com/
Holy crap. How come no one else noticed this before?!

Maya recently joined Mekanism as our new Office Coordinator. Personally, I loved conducting this interview because it was a great way to get to know her better… besides that one time, when a few of us got tipsy together, and she told us she used to do rhythmic gymnastics. Naturally, all of us asked her to show us. Right at the bar.

This is one of Maya’s favorite montages of rhythmic gymnastics. Did you know that what most people consider gymnastics is actually called “artistic gymnastics”, which is a completely different sport than rhythmic? Yeah, me neither.

Originally on the path to pursue ballet and modern dance professionally, Maya double-majored in dance and environmental science in college. Through a gig dancing in a music video, she was offered a job choreographing for an MTV commercial, and had her first introduction to the production world. It sparked her interest, and she left her job to work at a video production studio in Oakland, before arriving at Mekanism.

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Q: What’s the hardest part about your job?

A: I’m going to have to say that the biggest challenge is playing music throughout the office for nine hours a day. I try to respond to the general vibe and keep it fresh—but trying to match 50 people’s moods throughout the day naturally yields some mixed reviews. Currently, it’s classical and folk in the morning, then jazz and hip hop in the afternoon.

A sample of the unofficial Mekanism office playlist

Q: What’s your favorite part about your job?

A: I’m so inspired by all of the amazingly creative projects we pump out every day. I wanted to come to Mekanism because the work is so artistic, with great clients, and my expectations have all been exceeded.

Q: What would you say is Mekanism’s secret?

A: The people here are so real. The company culture is very playful and productive, simultaneously. We break down the old school notions of professionalism.

Q: What do you do to keep your brain fresh and eyes clear?

A: I still dance often and I attend a lot of dance, music, and theater performances. I’m interested in fashion and photography as well, so I’m always working on a few side projects. I also love the ocean and spend my weekends exploring the coast with my border collie.
 

Q: Anything to say about the industry in general?

A: I see advertising as an integration of many different art forms–visual, performance, writing, etc. It’s great that it generates revenue at the same time!

Well, I think I know who’s getting challenged to a dance off at the next Mekanism party!

Photo: Jorge Ayala at La Pink One and @SergiosDaddy

Mekanism recently worked with the Sierra Club to create a campaign exposing the dangerous and deadly effects of coal through a series of hilarious viral videos. In the videos, clips of iconic television personalities in shows from the 80′s are recycled and dubbed over by a mischievous executive, The Coal Baron (played by John Ennis of Mr. Show) to derail any bad press about coal.

Mekanism Art Director Greg Dalbey reflects on his work as a first-time Copywriter:

Hi, Greg. These videos are insane and are made even crazier by the voice-overs. When you were writing the scripts, how did the existing footage influence you?

The footage usually dictated the plot of the story. We chopped the footage up into what seemed like a cohesive edit and then wrote based on what it looked like they said. There was a lot of time spent staring at actors’ and actresses’ mouths with no sound.

Tell us a little about how you recorded the original scratch tracks.

It was me in a super hot sound booth screaming into my SM57 (that’s a microphone). I did all of the original tracks and created the characters on the fly. It was a really funny process, because it was me flying off the handle in the middle of a serious advertising workspace.

Tell us a little about your experience on the set.

The set was awesome. It’s always amazing to see something come to life after months of concepting. John Ennis was super into the idea and helped us form some of the scripts during the shoot. He really owned the character of The Coal Baron. It was also awesome to work with a director like Tommy (Mekanism founder, Tommy Means). He knew exactly what he wanted out of every scene but also understood the importance of improvisation.

What was your goal for the Sierra Club videos?

We saw an opportunity to create a video series that appealed to a younger audience and a wider demographic, rather than just the hardcore environmentalists it seems like the organization usually targets.

Any lessons or ways this experience might affect future projects?

Yeah, I think when I approach the next project I’ll do so with a lot more patience. I had no idea what I was getting into and how in-depth and crazy the process of creating content can be. It’s kind of like running a marathon and if you aren’t ready to do it… well, it can be painful. I have a supreme amount of respect for people who do this all of the time. It’s not an easy job to make people laugh!

Watch out! There’s a new jerk in town, and his name is The Coal Baron.
Check him out here.

Photo: Jorge Ayala at La Pink One and @SergiosDaddy