The First Affiliate Summit Was 20 Years Ago Today
Shawn Collins
by Shawn Collins
5M ago
My life changed in a big way twenty years ago today. It was the first Affiliate Summit that I organized with Missy Ward and it took place at Baruch College in New York City on November 3, 2003. Pulling the whole thing together happened pretty fast. We chatted on the phone about trying to start a conference and registered AffiliateSummit.com on May 19, 2003. The original goal was to put on a conference on a cruise in 2004, but we decided to do a small event before that to get the name out there and build a list. I heard about an opportunity at Baruch College, which was a few blocks from where ..read more
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I Graduated from College 30 Years Ago Today
Shawn Collins
by Shawn Collins
11M ago
I dreaded graduating college. After a rough start where I got a 1.0 GPA and landed on academic probation, I straightened things out. It took five years and one summer session (a Spanish class in a room with no A/C in the hot Maryland summer), but I finished what I started on May 20, 1993. The graduation ceremonies were pretty uneventful. I was just waiting for it to be over and get on with things. I had to look back to see that Dr. Frank M. Snowden, Jr., Distinguished Professor emeritus of classics at Howard University, was the commencement speaker. My mind was focused more on what the hell I ..read more
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Affiliate Summit Sort of Started as a Spite Store
Shawn Collins
by Shawn Collins
11M ago
In April 2003, I attended an affiliate marketing event on a cruise ship out of Miami. This was the third year it took place on a ship after an inaugural version on land. Over those years, I met Missy Ward at these events and became conference friends. While sitting at a bar on the ship in 2003, we realized we were both unhappy with the event’s direction. We had provided much help to make it happen, and I was the top affiliate referring attendees. The last straw for me was when the organizer got up in front of the crowd and thanked me for telling him he wouldn’t have to pay me the many thousa ..read more
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Please Make a Small Donation to Help More Kids Play Soccer
Shawn Collins
by Shawn Collins
1y ago
Help! I’m taking part in the 31st Annual Austin Marathon Gives to raise money for Soccer Assist, who do great work for a cause that’s very close to my heart. The organizational mission of Soccer Assist is to help underserved, deserving youth (ages 7-11) participate in well-organized soccer leagues. In doing so, their collective goal is to add to, diversify, and strengthen the players and families involved in the “Beautiful Game” in the Austin community. If you are able, please donate to Soccer Assist in my fundraising project on GivenGain – this is my second year doing it and I am trying to r ..read more
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Back to Las Vegas For The First Time Since 2020
Shawn Collins
by Shawn Collins
1y ago
I am heading back to Las Vegas. It’s the first time since late January 2020 that I have visited and my first time without being a part of Affiliate Summit. From 2005 through 2020, I was in Las Vegas every year, sometimes multiple times. But this time it is different. I am going to have some friends, learn some things, make some memories and deals, and do absolutely no conference stuff. I am excited to not have all of that pressure on me this time and to be able to take more time to enjoy the city. In a decade and a half, I barely wandered more than a couple of blocks off of the Strip. When I ..read more
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Soccer is More Than a Sport to Me
Shawn Collins
by Shawn Collins
1y ago
On October 16, 2017, soccer pundit Grant Wahl Tweeted: “Columbus Crew owner Anthony Precourt is set to move team to Austin, Texas, in 2019 if downtown stadium can’t happen in Columbus. Story soon.” That Tweet set off a firestorm on Twitter of angry Columbus soccer fans and excited Austin soccer fans. And I was there for every second of it sharing my enthusiasm about the prospect of having MLS in Austin. It was perfect timing for me. I was in a bad place as I worked through the steps leading to divorce after 21 years of marriage. The soccer controversy gave me something to hold onto and hope f ..read more
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Medical Cannabis Has Helped So Much With My 9/11 PTSD
Shawn Collins
by Shawn Collins
1y ago
I think about September 11, 2001, daily. I was on the east side of 5th Avenue near the Empire State Building when I heard screams. I looked up. It was 10:28:22 AM, and the North Tower collapsed right before me. After a long journey by foot, ferry, bus, and hitchhiking, I made it home late in the afternoon. A few days later, I was back in Manhattan at my desk, trying to be normal. But I couldn’t. I was a mess every second in the city, on the commute, and at home. Severe emotional distress and sleepless nights became normal as I tried to carry on with things. It was a continual struggle. When t ..read more
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My Dad Passed Away 20 Years Ago Today
Shawn Collins
by Shawn Collins
1y ago
My dad died on June 12, 2002, and he was 61. Twenty years ago already. He was only nine years older than I am now and that’s weird to think about. In my professional life, I’ve probably spoken in front of crowds one hundred times or so. By far the most difficult time I ever had speaking was when I delivered his eulogy. Here is the eulogy I gave for him… Well, Gary decided to retire early. I’m sure you know that he was supposed to retire next year. He’d been giving a countdown to that day for quite a while. Yep – he left early. Nobody ever said that he was conventional. Just a few days ago ..read more
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Check Out My Airbnb in Austin
Shawn Collins
by Shawn Collins
2y ago
I had a garage apartment built at my house last year, and beginning this past February I put it up on Airbnb. This coming weekend will be my 7th weekend in a row to have guests staying over and the people who have booked range from locals looking for an Austin staycation to folks from the east and west coasts checking out Austin for a variety of reasons. The apartment, Moontower Loft, was named for the moontowers (or moonlight towers) that you may remember from the movie Dazed & Confused. Anyhow, the loft apartment is close to downtown Austin and can sleep up to 3 with a queen bed and co ..read more
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Do You Hear What I Hear?
Shawn Collins
by Shawn Collins
2y ago
When I was a teenager, I went to a lot of small club shows to see bands. Usually, they were punk bands that played loud and I’d be right in front of the speakers. The next day at school my ears would be ringing so loud that I could barely hear anything. But it would wear off and I’d go to another show soon after. I would also listen to my knockoff Walkman at volume 11 whenever I’d walk to work or take the dog out. My ears were getting abused and I didn’t care, because I wanted my music loud. At some point, the ringing stopped going away. I had a sort of white noise in my head all of the time ..read more
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