Bring the Heat!

Our office is full of people who love food. Love to cook it, savor it, grow it, and eat it. And spicy food is the overall current favorite.

Competition ensues with who can handle the hottest heat. Hot giardiniera is in the refrigerator, not just a tiny jar from the grocery store, but the giant Costco jar. It disappears quickly. It’s added in large quantities to everything: hamburgers, grilled cheeses, salads, soups, leftovers from home. A few folks grow their own jalepenos, and then bring them in for taste testing, and for “who can handle the hottest heat” testing.

Forget boring ketchup or mustard. Hot sauce, fiery peppers, blazing tabasco: these are the Kindle lunchtime staples.

One thing that’s clear – the heat of the fire brings people together, just like any successful production should. Eating spicy food is just another way we keep our creativity flowing.

Bring the heat – we can handle it!

What’s In Our Ears?

It’s the end of summer, approaching autumn quickly, and a good time for a wrap up of what’s playing in our ears, on our ipods, and in our Kindle offices lately.

Here’s our favorite music from Summer 2010:

1. Cape Cod Kwassa Kwassa by Vampire Weekend
2. Fun, Fun, Fun by Pharrell
3. Howlin’ For You by The Black Keys
4. Golddust by DJ Fresh
5. Feelin’ Good by Nina Simone
6. Nothin’ on You by B.O.B.
7. Crave You by Flight Facilities featuring Giselle
8. Fishin’ Blues by Taj Mahal
9. Tighten Up by The Black Keys
10. Odessa by Caribou

Hope y’all will enjoy this music as much as we did this year. And did you see the amazing set from the MTV Video Music Awards? Holy LED, Batman!

Spring has Arrived!

Spring has arrived in Chicago and it’s glorious!

We’re all enjoying the good weather with the windows open, breezes blowing, and creative ideas flowing.

We’ve got lots of good news to share in the coming weeks, so stay tuned!

Inspired at Kindle

Now, dear readers, let us lift the stage curtain and show you some behind-the-scenes secrets from our humble office in the West Loop.

One of the challenging (and rewarding) aspects of our business is continuing to find ways to be inspired, energized, and enthused. Luckily, we work with a lot of very talented people who strive to stay on the cutting edge of pop culture, and are willing to share that knowledge.

One way we group share our inspirations in the office is through our Inspired Board, located conveniently in the Kindle kitchen.

Safety First

Sometimes, the ideas flying around the office get so hot, we need a fire extinguisher.

What’s Delicious at Kindle?

At Kindle Communications, we are proud to have not only talented producers, writers, designers, and creative directors, but also brilliant chefs!

We have a long-standing tradition of deliciousness here, which started way back when Kindle Communications was first formed, and we were working out of one of our Partner’s homes.  We had our first client, our first launch meeting booked, work to do and a fast-approaching deadline, so we set up camp in the dining room of our Executive Producer.

It was summer, and the long, hot Chicago summer days were perfect for a light lunch.  The other Kindlers would come over and cook lunch for the folks who were working on the show, like personal chefs!  Fish Taco day was the favorite, and became another Kindle Campfire Legend.

At long last, brought to you here, is the recipe for Fish Tacos.   Trust me, they are tasty – and easy to make!

Kindle Fish Tacos – read on for the recipe!

What’s on Our Playlist: February 2009

Here at Kindle Communications, we’re music-crazy.  We listen to music on the i-pod in the office, and are constantly on the search for new music to use in upcoming shows during walk-in.   Everyone on staff has pretty diverse tastes in music, but we all find common lyrical ground to enjoy on our community i-pod.

Here’s a list of what’s currently on our February playlist – the music that makes us get up and dance just a little bit at our desks.

1.    Green Light – John Legend featuring Andre 3000
2.    Move – Q-Tip
3.    Burning – Whitest Boy Alive
4.    Fancy Footwork – Chromeo
5.    Another Day – Jamie Lidell
6.    Nobody – Ne-Yo
7.    100 Days, 100 Nights – Sharon Jones and the Dap Kings
8.    Chelsea Dagger – The Fratellis
9.    Just Dance – Lady GaGa & Colby O’Donis
10.  Right Round – Flo Rida
11.  Bang Bang – K’naan

Did you catch the Grammys?  We love award show season.  Remember to download music legally!

2008 – It’s A Wrap

The holidays are over, and we’re left with a warm glow.

We continued with our office tradition of giving back and supporting our local community.  Each year, we collect monetary donations from the Kindle employees, and the Kindle Communications Partners match our donations.  Everyone’s generous donations allow us collectively to be generous with those less fortunate.  We adopted 5 families through St. Vincent De Paul on the south side of Chicago, and bought holiday gifts for each member of the family.   The day of shopping at Target was exciting –12 shopping carts overflowing with holiday presents for over 20 people.   We even got our own check-out lane at Target!

The shopping completed, we decided that the only way to get the multitude of presents wrapped in a timely manner was to have a wrapping party!  One Wednesday before Christmas, after the office closed for the day, we put on our Santa hats, turned on the holiday lights in the office, cranked the Christmas music on the ipod, got out the wrapping paper and tape, and went present-wrapping crazy.

Our goal was to wrap as many presents individually as possible so the kids would have lots of presents to open on Christmas morning.  With 25 Kindle employees and friends wrapping multiple holiday gifts for 21 people, the mayhem ensued – paper flying, ribbons curling, tape everywhere.