Jackson recently joined emerging eCommerce software development and deployment firm Cinsay, Inc. as SVP Global Sales and Distribution, it was announced today by Christian Briggs, Cinsay, Inc. President and CEO. Jackson will head all sales and distribution for the company, and is assembling a sales team that will undertake widespread deployment of the unique Cinsay portable video technology during the fourth quarter of 2011.

“After an exhaustive search for the right individual to lead the roll out of our game-changing technology, we are thrilled to announce that Rick has joined our team,” said Briggs. “His track record speaks volumes about the wealth of technology distribution success he brings to Cinsay, and we could not have asked for a better leader. What we have is truly remarkable, and requires someone with Rick’s depth of vision and extensive network to successfully bring it to market. With Rick leading the charge, we are now poised to change the way business is done online.”

With 20+ years experience in the deployment of world-class sales teams to create new markets for subscription services aimed at the consumer, SMB and enterprise segments, Jackson comes to Cinsay, Inc. from computer security giant McAfee where, over the past five years, he oversaw the company’s SMB segment for direct and channel routes to market. Key partners included Dell, Softlayer, CDW, SonicWall, iYogi, Cox Communications and HP. Notably, McAfee was recently purchased by Intel for $7.8 billion.

Prior to McAfee, Jackson headed teams that successfully created new markets in the selling and delivery of global platform services for satellite and Internet broadcasting companies, including Broadcast.com and Westcott Communications. Broadcast.com was sold to Yahoo! for more than $5 billion in 1999, and Westcott Communications was purchased by Kill in 1996 for $550 million.

To Register for re:create ATX One Day Gathering of Creatives, October 19 — go HERE.

Quintessence (literally “the fifth element”) — what Aristotle called the “ether” — is the purest substance that permeates all things.

Practice of Empathy

Certain crucial aspects of creativity (of who we are) are actually skills that can be developed. Are you an empath?

Different types of empathy:
1) Knowing another person’s feelings – Cognitive Empathy
2) Feeling what that person feels – Emotional Empathy
3) Responding compassionately to another’s distress – Compassionate Empathy

These three types can be summarized in the following 1-2-3 steps: 1) I notice you, 2) I feel with you, and 3), so I act to help you. (Story of the Good Samaritan)

In order to better practice empathy, we need to:
A) Repair the damage of our childhood.
B) Practice the “empathy stress test.”

Practice of Intuition

1) We need to understand our spiritual mind. The Spirit is to the Soul, what the Mind is to the Body.
2) We need to practice contemplation. We need to say “yes” and act with a “yes” to God.
3) We need to practice imagination. Our imaginations are an untapped resource.
4)  We need to practice remembering what we have forgotten. Remember when you could fly?

Practice of Charisma

Charisma is the ability to help people feel intimate in a non-intimate space.

We need to understand Presence. Presence is the ability to project a sense of ease, confidence, and self-assurance.

We need to understand the difference between large-group and small-group Charisma.

Three ways to practice charisma:
A) Pay attention to your Emotional state.
B) Focus.
C) Listen.

The key is being present to others.

“People have their best days and do their best work when they are allowed to make progress.”

“I want you all to be EMPATHIC, INTUITIVE, CHARISMATIC Creatives.”

Conclusion

1) If you are leading, give your team room to make progress.
2) If you are in a situation where your progress, your creativity is stifled, don’t hang on just for the paycheck.

“Look for the place where your passion intersects a need, and there you will find that job, that calling, that will give you deep satisfaction while being personally challenging which will result in the highest creativity.”

$149. Conference Special This Weekend Only $99. (plus $5. Shipping)

Ed Kowalczyk, the legendary lead singer and songwriter now teams with his new band – James Gabbie on lead guitar, Chris Heerlein on bass and Ramy Antoun (Black Eyed Peas, Seal) on drums. They played their debut gig in the UK headlining London’s Camden Koko. They will perform at re:create 2011 Tuesday evening, Feb.8 with a full show including greatest hits such as Lightning Crashes, I Alone and many more.

In mid-2008, Ed Kowalczyk found himself in an unfamiliar situation. As the singer and songwriting force behind the multi-platinum rock band Live, Kowalczyk had been playing music professionally for nearly two decades. But for the first time in his life, Kowalczyk felt no urgency to write songs or have anything to do with music for that matter. “I was in a malaise about the whole thing,” Kowalczyk says. “I felt like I had done everything I wanted to do and wasn’t sure if I wanted to re-engage.”

A contemplative person by nature, Kowalczyk turned inward for a period of soul-searching. “Then, out of nowhere, I got this incredible inspiration to do it again in this new way,” he says. “I realized that one of the limitations I was experiencing was the fact that I’d been doing it the same way for so long that I wondered what would happen if I challenged myself and tried things differently. From then on, it was like uncorking a bottle that had been shaken and it exploded into this writing fervor.”

The result of that burst of inspiration is Kowalczyk’s debut solo album Alive — a collection of powerful, melodic rock songs that represents Kowalczyk’s renaissance as a vocalist and songwriter, while retaining the searching lyrical qualities and emotional uplift that have made him beloved by fans the world over. “It is a reinvention of my sound,” Kowalczyk says, “but, thematically, Alive is very much vintage me. The material is dark at times, but it’s not depressing. I’ve always been a big fan of Peter Gabriel because he can capture a feeling of darkness, but also give you this intense feeling of hope as well.”

Knowing he wanted to make a rock record, rather than an acoustic affair, Kowalczyk turned to a friend, Texas-based producer and engineer CJ Eiriksson, who has worked with Live, Phish, and Incubus, among others. “CJ said, ‘I’ve got this full set-up down in Austin and am plugged in with all these great musicians. Come make your record here,’” Kowalczyk recalls. “So I went down there trusting him to put me with whomever he thought was great, and, sure enough, he totally went over the top with it.”

Eiriksson brought in lead guitarist James Gabbie, bassist Chris Heerlein, and drummer Ramy Antoun, whose combined experience and technical abilities meant rock-solid performances, which lend the proceedings a more musically sophisticated air than anything Kowalczyk has recorded prior. “What I’ve noticed about the new stuff is that the space in the music is being interpreted differently,” Kowalczyk says. “By space, I mean where there isn’t a lyric or something going on melodically. How that space gets interpreted is really where a musician’s talent and genius come through and that’s where this record has a lot of different aspects going on.”

The best example of Kowalczyk’s new direction on Alive is “The Great Beyond.” “Because of Ramy’s playing, it went to this dance rock place that was really exciting,” Kowalczyk says. “Here was a song that I could have easily written eight years ago and had it sound one way, but Ramy brought a totally fresh perspective. That’s when I knew I had done the right thing for myself as an artist, which was to break out and not rest on a style I was used to.”

Lyrically, “The Great Beyond” addresses an idea that permeates the entire album: “The song is about having no boundaries and heading off into the unknown — a place you’re unsure of, but that feels free,” Kowalczyk says. Other songs carry on the theme of letting go: On “Drive” Kowalczyk sings about falling asleep at the wheel and letting inspiration take over, while “Zion” is a call to meditation and contemplation. Then there’s “Drink (Everlasting Love)” — a song Kowalczyk wrote with Chris Daughtry, a friend he describes as “an incredible melodist and writer.” “That song is ultimately about my faith,” Kowalczyk says, “but I always like to leave a door open for people to respond to my lyrics in the way that feels natural to them. That’s the beauty of the language of music, it is the universal language of the heart.”

Finally, Alive’s first single is “Grace,” which Kowalczyk says was inspired by watching the news coverage of the devastating January earthquake in Haiti. “Every time something like that happens you get this onslaught of images,” Kowalczyk says. “Most of them were obviously very tragic, but there were also these perceptible moments where there was a sparkle in someone’s eye. I picked up on it as this really heartfelt thing that felt like a silver lining of hope or love amidst this incredible disaster. I wanted to write about that and make sense of it.” “Grace” was produced by Greg Wattenberg, who has worked with Daughtry, Train, and Five For Fighting, among others. “He’s a visionary co-writer and producer who challenged me to see guitars and song structure in a different way,” Kowalczyk says. “That song has a lot of emotional weight and I feel like it really represents this new era of my life.”

Kowalczyk hadn’t been in the recording studio since making Live’s last studio album, 2006’s Songs From Black Mountain. When his songwriting muse returned in early 2009, Kowalczyk hit the road for a series of solo acoustic shows that re-ignited his love for performing. “I fell in love with it all over again because I discovered a new capacity in myself to build a rapport with people that you just don’t get when you’re on stage with the big rock band,” he says. “But I also fell in love with writing at the same time, so it was really personal, emotional, and creative process.”

The result, of course, is Alive, which Kowalczyk feels truly represents who he is as an artist. “There are moments on it where I get as close to how I feel about myself as I’ve every gotten in my songwriting,” he says, “moments when I feel like I’ve really connected to something in myself that, for whatever reason, I’m compelled to share with others. As an artist, that’s about the best you can hope for.”

This epic Nashville Christmas event has become a perpetual sell-out in a city where capacity crowds are almost impossible to find, and one of the most sought after tickets in Ryman Auditorium history. Andrew is a musician’s musician. An artist’s artist.  Watch this amazing documentary about the “tall tale” and behind the scenes of Behold The Lamb.

is the Chief Executive Officer of Thomas Nelson Publishers, the largest Christian publishing company in the world and the seventh largest trade book publishing company in the U.S.
He began his publishing career at Word Publishing while a student at Baylor University. He worked at Word for a total of six years. In addition to serving as Vice President of Marketing at Thomas Nelson in the mid-80s, he also started his own publishing company, Wolgemuth & Hyatt, with partner Robert Wolgemuth in 1986. Word eventually acquired their company in 1992.

He was a successful literary agent from 1992 until early 1998. He has also written four books, one of which landed on the New York Times bestseller list where it stayed for seven months. He is currently working on two new books, which he plans to announce closer to publication.

He joined Thomas Nelson for the second time in 1998. Since that time he has worked in a variety of roles in both divisional and corporate management. He was promoted to President and COO in February 2004 and CEO in August 2005. He is also the former Chairman of the Evangelical Christian Publishers Association (2006–2010).

While he loves his work, it is not the most important thing in his life. That position belongs to his family. He has been married to his wife, Gail (follow her on Twitter @GailHyatt), for thirty-two years. They have five daughters, a grandson, and three granddaughters. They live outside of Nashville, Tennessee.

In his free time, He enjoys writing, reading, running, and golfing. He is a member of St. Ignatius Orthodox Church in Franklin, Tennessee, where he has served as a deacon for twenty-three years.

Mike will be speaking about “The Business of Creativity: How to Monetize Your Art Without Selling Your Soul”

Follow Mike on Twitter: @michaelhyatt

Read his informative and invaluable blog: MichaelHyatt.com

Patsy Clairmont

Petite, profound, and playful. These words help to describe her size, her message, and her humor. She has a command of God’s word and with her quick wit and fast Patsy Clairmont paced humor she will keep everyone laughing. This light touch combined with scriptural knowledge makes Patsy an unusual package. You find yourself laughing God’s truths right into your heart.

Patsy comes from an uncommon background. Her years of suffering as a prisoner in her own home, a victim of agoraphobia, have given her a deep appreciation of God’s healing power. God has pulled together the emotionally fragmented pieces of her life. From her emotionally troubled background God has combined her humor and her knowledge of story to remind you that imperfect, “cracked” Christians are God’s specialty.

Patsy now travels throughout the U.S. providing humor for the heart and hope for the healing. Currently, she is a speaker with the Women of Faith conferences, speaking to tens of thousands of women each month. In her fourteen years with Women of Faith she has reached over 4 million women.

Patsy is also the million-selling author of the best-selling books “God Uses Cracked Pots”, “Normal is Just a Setting on Your Dryer”, “Under His Wings”, “Sportin’ a ‘Tude”, “Tea with Patsy Clairmont”, “It’s About Home; Creating a Place to Cherish”, “I Love Being a Woman” and “Stepping Stones; A Garden Path”, “Mending Your Heart in a Broken World, “The Hat Box”, “The Shoe Box”, ‘I Grew Up Little’ and ‘Pillow Prayers’, ‘All Cracked Up’, Dancing Bones, Living Lively in the Valley, I Second that Emotion and “Catching Fireflies”. She also has written her first book of fiction, “Stardust on My Pillow; Stories to Sleep on”. Her latest book is “Kaleidoscope“.

Patsy is excited to now be a children’s author! The ‘Tales from the Pantry’ series contains five children’s books ‘Meatball’, ‘Soccer’, ‘Stinky’, ‘Spud’ and “Basil and Parsley”.

Patsy has been married to Les for 43 years and they have two sons, Marty and Jason, daughter-in-law Danya, and grandsons, Justin and Noah.

She will be speaking about “Shaking Your Tree,” a guided discovery of the multi-layers and golden nuggets of our individual stories and how to more effectively communicate them.

Follow Patsy on Twitter: @patsyclairmont

Read her insightful and beautiful blog: PatsyClairmont.com

Dan T. Cathy

He loves to garden.

He says he probably should have started this page with a sentence like, “I am the President and Chief Operating Officer of Chick-fil-A, Inc.” but he wanted to begin things with something few people know. He could have said, “I love riding motorcycles” but then his riding buddies wouldn’t have been surprised. Or “I play the trumpet” but then the 70,000 people who saw him play one time would have known that. Or maybe “I love being a pilot” but then anyone who has flown with him is aware of that.

So gardening seemed like a good place to start. But to really start, to really take things all the way back to the beginning, He needs to talk about his dad S. Truett Cathy, and a childhood spent in Chick-fil-A restaurants. Customers were his passion and service was his driving motivation. Watching his heart for people over the decades instilled in Dan a love for the Chick-fil-A family that he gets to live out everyday. Although Dan became the President and Chief Operating Officer in 2001, the truth is, he works in customer service. And with more than 1,400 restaurants around the country and more than 50,000 employees, he has a lot of customers to serve.

Dan says, to tell you the truth, it doesn’t feel like work. He truly believes that we all have the responsibility to Live, Love and Lead in our communities. That’s why he pursues healthy outdoor passions like gardening and running in marathons. That’s why he loves continuing to build a strong relationship with Rhonda, his wife of 36 years, and their two sons, Andrew and Ross. That’s why he teaches Sunday School.

There are a million opportunities for each of us every day to Live, Love and Lead. He says, maybe he should have started this bio with that sentence, because at the end of the day, that’s really what Dan Cathy is all “about.”

Follow Dan on Twitter: @dancathy

Read his LIVE LOVE LEAD blog: DanTCathy.com

Ken Davis

Best-selling author, frequent radio and television guest, and one of the country’s most sought after inspirational and motivational speakers—Ken’s mixture of side-splitting humor and inspiration delights and enriches audiences of all ages. His books have received national critical acclaim, including the “Book of the Year” award and the Gold Medallion Award. The video and audio tapes of his live appearances are in constant demand.

Ken has been the keynote speaker for hundreds of major corporate events. He was a featured speaker for Promise Keepers and is a frequent guest on “Focus on the Family”. Ken has made thousands of personal appearances around the world. As president of Dynamic Communications International, he teaches speaking skills to ministry professionals and corporate executives. Ken’s daily radio show, Lighten Up!, is heard on over 1500 stations in the United States and around the world.

Ken was born and raised in Minnesota and is a graduate of Oak Hills Christian College. He and his wife, Diane, live in Tennessee and have two daughters. Traci, their oldest, is married to Brian and they have three daughters and a son. Taryn, is married to Scott Fowler of Legacy Five and they have two sons. The entire family is involved in Ken’s ministry, bringing much laughter and liberating truth to people around the world.

Ken has become a vital part of the cre:ate family. His cre:ate talk is called Fully Alive and will be a mixture of intensely serious challenges and side-splitting humor about the dimensions of our personal lives.

Follow Ken on Twitter: @liteNup

Read his hilarious yet poignant blog: KenDavis.com

Randy Elrod

Randy Elrod is described by his friends as a Renaissance man. A dreamer, artist, author, speaker and mentor, he enjoys a marriage of 30 years with his childhood sweetheart, Chris. They enjoy traveling the world, the sacraments of food and wine, the culinary arts, and hosting guests at their home “La Maison des Reves” in historic downtown Franklin, Tennessee. They have two daughters, a son-in-law & a maltese named Taffy.

He loves reading and favorite authors include Ayn Rand, Frederick Buechner, Madeline L’Engle and David McCullough.

He also enjoys painting nature and the female figure with watercolor,  and revels in the sensory overload of climbing America’s highest mountains. He navigated the Uganik River with only a tent and raft in grizzly country for a week in the wilderness of Kodiak Island, Alaska. He has completed nineteen full marathons (yes, 26.2 miles each).

A self-taught artist, Randy began painting in the winter of 2002 at the age of forty-two after his wife Chris gifted him with an easel and paints. A lifelong love affair with graphite sketching provides the foundation for the watercolors and anchors his distinctive style. Originals and limited edition prints can be purchased at his art gallery, SacramentalLife.org.

All profits from SacramentalLife.org benefit his charity, Kalein, a 2,000 acre non-profit Rustic Elegant Retreat for Creative Solitude that provides world-class master teachers and retreats for gifted artists, pastors, corporate executives and leaders.

Randy Elrod grew up in the poverty of the Appalachian mountains. The first person in his family ever to graduate high school, he recalls teaching his grandfather to read and write. Isolated and without television, he turned to the magic of used classic books that his mother would buy for a nickel. These books opened a world of dreams and possibilities, many which ultimately have come true.

For 16 weeks, his book Sex, Lies & Religion (Enjoying The Freedom of Unconditional Sexuality) remained on the Amazon.com bestseller list.* It is currently utilized as “an invaluable resource” by the director of a well-known Woman’s Institute for Sexual Health. Randy was cited as “writing with the pen of an artist, philosopher and poet, painting pictures that glisten with supernatural love, acceptance and eroticism.”

* Rose to #2 in Amazon Hot New Releases in Popular Culture, Sociology and Love & Romance Categories

Randy will be presenting a talk called The Messiah Gifts. A look at 5 invaluable yet often overlooked aspects of the effective leader’s life.

Follow Randy on Twitter: @RandyElrod

Read his sometimes controversial and always creative blog: RandyElrod.com

- Randy Elrod, founder cre:ate & author Sex, Lies & Religion, Why I Wrote Sex, Lies & Religion

- Stephen Mansfield, speaker & author The Faith of George W. Bush, The Arts Pastor & The Senior Pastor Relationship

- Dan Cathy, President & COO of Chick-fil-A, How To Create Raving Fans the Chick-fil-A way

- Luci Swindoll, author & Women of Faith speaker *Ms. Swindoll appears courtesy of Women of Faith), Why I Love Art

$149.00 (plus $5. shipping) Available Now!

Schedule

Monday, Feb. 8

5:00-6:30 Registration/Industry & Registrants Meet and Greet -/Puckett’s Grocery

6:30-7:30 Dinner (Compassion) /Puckett’s Grocery

7:30 Concert/ Amy Grant  /Puckett’s Grocery

Tuesday, Feb. 9

8:30 Welcome and Introduction /Worship Center

9:00-9:45 Worship: Matt Maher, Audry Assad, Ian Cron /Worship Center

9:45-10:00 Sponsor Break (CTS/Syngery) /Worship Center

10:00-10:15 Restroom Break Restrooms /Exhibits

10:15-10:45 World Premiere Debut & Concert: One Sonic Society /Worship Center

10:45-11:30 Session I: Randy Elrod /Worship Center

11:30-12:30 Breakout Sessions by Levels /Breakout Rooms

12:30-1:30 Lunch (Save the City Records) /Social Area

1:30-1:45 Sponsor Break (Save the City Records) /Worship Center

1:45-2:15 Concert: Brandon Bee /Worship Center

2:15-2:30 Restroom Break Restrooms /Exhibits

2:30-3:30 Big Tent Revival Reunion /Worship Center

3:30-3:45 Ken Davis /Sponsor Break /Worship Center

6:30-9:30 Dinner: (Word) /Clearview Baptist Church

Wednesday, Feb.10

8:30-9:15 Worship: Matt, Audrey & Ian /Worship Center

9:15-9:30 Sponsor Break: Centricity/ Matt Papa /Worship Center

9:30-9:45 Restroom Break R estrooms/Exhibits

10:00-10:45 Session II: Stephen Mansfield /Worship Center

10:45-11:45 Breakout Sessions by Levels /Breakout Rooms

11:45-12:45 Lunch (Westone) /Social Area

12:45-1:00 Sponsor Break: Westone /Worship Center

1:00-1:30 Concert: Bryan White /Worship Center

1:30-1:45 Sponsor Break: Kalein

1:45-2:00 Concert: Leeland /Worship Center

2:00-3:15 Holy Eucharist: Ian Morgan Cron /Worship Center

3:15-3:30 Interview: Jars of Clay /Worship Center

3:30-3:45 Restroom Break Restrooms/Exhibits

4:00-4:05 Sponsor Break: (The City) /Worship Center

4:05-5:00 Short Film Festival: Doorpost Film Project /Worship Center

6:30 Dinner (EMI) /Harpeth Community

Thursday, Feb. 11

8:30-8:45 Worship: Matt, Audrey & Ian /Worship Center

8:45-9:00 Sponsor Break: CTS University, etc. /Worship Center

9:00-9:15 Restroom Break Restrooms/Exhibits

9:15-11:45 Women of Faith & Mandisa /Worship Center

11:45-12:30 Lunch (Chick-fil-A) /Breakout Rooms

12:30-1:00 Concert: Downhere /Worship Center

1:00-2:15 Session III: Dan Cathy, Chick-fil-A /Worship Center

2:15-2:30 Restroom Break Restrooms/Exhibits

2:30-3:30 Debrief: Randy Elrod /Worship Center

3:30-3:45 Restroom Break Restrooms/Exhibits

3:45-4:45 Concert: Michael Gungor /Worship Center

6:30-9:30 Dinner Jonathan Lee & Laura Story & Jars of Clay (Great Worship Songs) /Fellowship Bible