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12/08/2008

Podcast 15: Credit Union Innovators has jumped the shark

By Tim McAlpine

Welcome to episode 15 of Credit Union Innovators. My guest is, errr, me. That's right, my guest is Tim McAlpine of Currency Marketing.

This is a strange one.

Back on May 30, I interviewed my good friend Morriss Partee from EverythingCU.com for Episode 9 of this podcast series. Well, being a clever and crafty guy, Morriss only agreed to the interview if he could turn the tables and interview me for the following episode. I agreed and then somehow six months slipped by as I had second thoughts about publishing what might come off as a self-servicing commercial for Currency Marketing.

I recently took a listen to the recording and thought why not. Morriss did a great job and I didn't sound too awful or self-promotional. Interestingly, this was recorded one week before we went public with our plans to license Young & Free to other credit unions, so I think I was a little guarded at a few points in the interview.

Tim is the president and chief strategist of Currency Marketing. He founded the company in 1990 straight out of art school. Tim lives in Chilliwack, BC, Canada with his wife Jan, son Aidan and daughter Elise. He is a graduate of the University of the Fraser Valley's graphic design program.

If you are not familiar with the phrase "jump the shark," here is some background information from www.jumptheshark.com:

Q. What is jumping the shark?

A. It's a moment. A defining moment when you know that your favourite television program has reached its peak. That instant that you know from now on...it's all downhill. Some call it the climax. We call it "Jumping the Shark." From that moment on, the program will simply never be the same.

The term "jump the shark" was coined by site founder Jon Hein's college roommate of 4 years, Sean J. Connolly, in Ann Arbor, Michigan back in 1985. This website, book, film and all other material surrounding shark jumping, are hereby dedicated to "the Colonel."

The aforementioned expression refers to the telltale sign of the demise of Happy Days, our favorite example, when Fonzie actually "jumped the shark." The rest is history.

Jumping the shark applies not only to TV, but also music, film, even everyday life. "Did you see her boyfriend? She definitely jumped the shark." You get the idea.

You can listen by streaming audio here or you can subscribe to it in iTunes and listen on your iPod.

Some links to get to know me even better

+ Currency's corporate website
+ Currency's blog
+ Me on Twitter
+ My LinkedIn profile
+ My Facebook profile
+ My YouTube channel

Fast facts about me

• Weather on the day of the interview? Rainy
• Temperature? 12 degrees Celsius
• Pets? One cat—her name is Ally
• Industry or movement? Industry that thinks its a movement
• First Mac ever? G4
• Favorite Twitter client? Twhirl
• Favorite URL shortener? TinyURL

Looking for innovators

If you know a credit union innovator who I should interview, please e-mail me at tmcalpine at currencymarketing dot ca.

Production notes

+ Interview recorded with Call Recorder and Skype
+ Intro recorded with a Blue Snowflake microphone
+ Edited in Audacity
+ Hosted on Evoca
+ Podcast RSS Feed through Feedburner
+ Music is A Song for Jake by Oregon Chad licensed through Creative Commons

Leave an audio comment

Leave an audio comment on my Skype voicemail.
+ 1-206-792-9470

NOTE: If you are listening on this page and want to post a comment, there is a good chance the CAPTCHA will time out. Make sure to hit the 'Post Comment' button twice. Copy your comment to your clipboard just to be safe. Thanks!

Comments

1) Morriss Partee @ Dec 09, 2008
http://everythingcu.wordpress.com

This series jumped the shark on day one with the Gene Blishen interview. After you start with the best, you can only go downhill from there.

But srsly, great job with this one. We were both pretty coherent! Amazing. I don't think this came off as self-serving at all; folks really do want to know the story behind Currency Marketing and Young & Free.

And what a funny way to end the episode! I was a little nervous filling the shoes of that brilliant Mr. McAlpine guy!

2) Morriss Partee @ Dec 09, 2008
http://everythingcu.wordpress.com

Best quote ever from Tim McAlpine, which may or may not have been uttered during the course of this festival of interviewing phone call: "Even *I* had never heard of Tim McAlpine before the Young & Free campaign launched."

3) Credit Union Warrior @ Dec 09, 2008
http://creditunionwarrior.blogspot.com

@Morriss Great interview! You were able to shine light on some questions I've always wanted to ask Tim, but never had the chance to ask. Very well done.

@Tim You amaze me not only with your creativity, but with your humility, energy, and passion. From a creativity perspective, I've learned more from you, Currency Marketing, and your collective work than you will ever realize. Thank you for continually raising the bar...and challenging credit unions to as "why not? Why wouldn't this work?" Can't wait to see what you have in store for us next.

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