Every Monday we bring you a featured blogger who inspires us. This week we’re changing it up a little and sharing Clark Dinnison the founder of Noon Pacific. Our neighbor in Hermosa Beach, Clark started Noon Pacific as a way to share music with others. Now that we’ve discovered it, we can’t wait to get our weekly mixtape of the best songs handpicked from the best music blogs every Monday! Read more about Clark and start using Noon Pacific here.
Can you tell us a bit about yourself and your background?
My name is Clark Dinnison and I’m the creator of Noon Pacific, a new type of music discovery tool that delivers a mixtape of the 10 best songs hand curated from the top blogs every Monday (at Noon Pacific). I’m originally from Spokane, Washington, went to college at the University of Washington in Seattle, then moved down to Hermosa Beach, California where I’ve been ever since. I started Noon Pacific in late-2012 and ran it as a side-project while I worked as a product manager/designer/developer (wore lots of hats) for a startup during my first 3 ½ years in LA. As of February of this year I’m working on Noon Pacific as much as I can while I freelance design/develop to pay the bills.
What 3 words would you use to describe yourself?
Driven. Passionate. Casual.
What Profession other than yours would you love to attempt?
Photographer. I’d love to travel full-time for work and capture interesting people/cultures/places around the world.
What is your favorite quote?
“A man is a success if he gets up in the morning and gets to bed at night, and in between he does what he wants to do.” ― Bob Dylan
What inspired your blog?
I wanted an easy and fun way to share music with friends and family so I built it. I wanted to keep it simple, so design and minimalism were core values I’ve had since Day 1.
What is your favorite social media platform and why?
I’d have to say Twitter. Although it’s somewhat of a firehose of news and people spewing unimportant things, that’s where the most real conversations happen between myself and the fans of Noon Pacific.
Where do you find inspiration for blog posts?
Since Noon Pacific isn’t a traditional blog, our ‘posts’ consist of weekly mixtapes which are composed of 10 songs that are handpicked from the best music blogs on the internet. Being surrounded by good music and good vibes in Hermosa Beach is what inspires me.
What do you think it is about your blog that keeps people coming back for more?
It’s one of the easiest ways to discover new music. As soon as people get out of college and have day-to-day jobs, it’s hard to stay on top of new music and find anything that’s not in the Top 40 charts. Listening to Noon Pacific helps you uncover those gems you might miss and makes it easy to share with your friends and family.
How does a brand get your attention for a feature?
By doing something unique and cool. There’s a lot of brands doing the same type of things these days, so the more you can differentiate (and usually simplify), the better.
What do you love most about blogging?
It’s a rush to have over 100,000 people listen every week to a mixtape I made. Helping people all over the world find out about new bands is rewarding and has in some cases even helped to kickstart an artist’s career.
Where do you see yourself in 10 years?
Running Noon Pacific as a lifestyle brand and managing a worldwide tour of the best artists traveling around the world together.
In your opinion, what separates a great blog from an unsuccessful blog?
Consistency in quality content so that that a reader/viewer/listener can gain trust and be interested enough to come back day after day or week after week. The internet is a busy place these days so it’s important to differentiate enough from anyone else who could write a blog post or pick a song. It’s all about being yourself and not letting other things influence that too much.
