Thanks, Rob Schwartz.

About a year or eighteen months ago, a guy I never met started commenting on this blog. The internet being what it is, I did about two-seconds of digging and found out that the guy, Rob Schwartz, was the CEO of TBWA\Chiat\Day New York.

Flattering, right?

We flirted back and forth for a couple months, then about a year or so ago, we met for non-alcoholic drinks. We seemed to hit it off.

A couple of weeks later, along with another friend, we did what older New Yorkers do. We met downtown at a communal table in a dingy Chinese restaurant and we shared soup dumplings and stories.

We laughed. A lot.

Since then, Rob and I have become friends. We trade stories, emails, and jokes when we have them. We have a good time together. As New Yorkers, as dads, as writers. As people who love the business and, for all my grumpiness, life itself.

Around the beginning of May, Rob asked me to appear on his Podcast: The Disruptor Series. Rob's kept up the podcast for nearly 40 episodes and going on three years. On "PodBean" alone, the series has been downloaded nearly 40,000 times.

Here's Rob's blush-inducing blurb on me:

George Tannenbaum is Disrupting The Youth

May 17, 2019

George Tannenbaum is a true Disruptor. In a business where the average age is 31, George, at twice that age, is thriving as a working ECD and creative leader. You can read about his experiences in his wonderful blog, AdAged. A Business Insider “Most Influential” blog, AdAged chronicles the daily life of advertising today and occasionally reminds us of the magic of yore. Sometimes sardonic. Often incisive. Always heartfelt. Listen in as Rob and George reveal the secrets of longevity and relevance in advertising and life.

Click here to hear it. If you have an hour and a pair of headphones, you might like it.  

At the very least, you'll hear a couple of new friends, who act like old friends, having a nice chat.

Thank you, Rob.

And thank you, dear readers.
Hopefully for becoming dear listeners.

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BTW, for all my negativity about the silliness of social media, blogging has worked for me. I am more popular and well-known than ever-before in my life. And it's because of Ad Aged.

That said, Ad Aged has only become popular because I have worked at it relentlessly. Writing on average more than a post a day for nearly 12 years. And generally speaking, those posts have been qualitatively pretty good, at least in my opinion.

My conclusion from this is fairly simple. Social media can be worthwhile if you have something worthwhile to say and say it with regularity. 

Like most things, it doesn't just happen. You have to work at it.

On the other hand, if like most social media, you're banal and sporadic, in the words of my old man, you're just pissing up a rope.