When it came time to launch TNT in Belgium, they got creative…and made a video about it.

This is how you launch a network:

With SXSW well underway, there are clear themes and trends in Austin – things “everyone” is talking about.

This is a non-scientific report of what I’ve gleaned from discussions with people, attending sessions, reading Tweets and roaming the convention center and downtown area.

1. The Weather – It’s been insanely bad so far. Rain, thunder, even reports of hail, going along with a stiff cold breeze. Just nasty. And it has definitely had an impact on sessions. More people seem to be staying at the Convention Center instead of traveling to the satellite campuses.

2. Social TV – From “transmedia” to “second screen,” there is a pronounced emphasis so far on the TV industry and expanding brands using social media. GetGlue and Bravo have been the most impressive brands.

3. Lines, lines and more lines – Perhaps related to the weather, most everything has had an excruciating line. I heard stories for people waiting up to 3 hours just to get their badge. This is a real problem for organizers, as it directly impacted attendees’ ability to go to panels and sessions.

4. Joss Whedon Keynote – I spend some time near his keynote address and it felt like Avatar and he was the big tree. People flocked to get as close to his address as possible. From what I heard, it was funny and insightful and the post-keynote buzz seemed quite favorable.

5. Party Time, Excellent – More so than last year, there seems to be an increased emphasis on the party scene. This could also be tied in to the weather, since people don’t seem to be hopping around town as much. Or…brands and companies are doing a better job putting on parties.

6. Jay-Z – The new dad is performing on Monday, as part of a partnership with American Express, with tickets being made available this morning.

Mashable released their latest “Social TV” list for both cable and broadcast programs for the week of 10/24-10/30/2011. Through a partnership with Trendrr, the list presents which shows were most buzzed about online, incorporating statistics from Twitter, Facebook, GetGlue and other social platforms.

We’re in an interesting place in pop culture right now.

Never before has pop culture been more about the NOW.

However, never before have we had the ability to time-shift the way we do now.

While the online conversation is real-time, we can easily postpone watching a show by minutes or even months.

This “mixed media” presents some obvious challenges for all parties involved:

1) While you can avoid “spoilers” for shows that haven’t aired yet, how can you possibly avoid conversations about major TV shows after they have aired?

I vividly remember an episode of the tragically-short series “Sports Night” where sports broadcaster Dan Rydell goes to great lengths to avoid knowing the score of a game he wanted to watch in full after his show. This included rewiring the studio, involving a dozen other people and other shenanigans. Naturally, someone who didn’t know about his avoidance tactics told him the final score immediately following the broadcast.

2) You have to choose: be in the NOW or be free.

If you watch a TV show live, you are doing so with millions of other viewers. You can have live chats with other viewers online and over the phone, which builds amazing communities.

Years ago, my wife and I would call people during the commercial breaks of LOST and create a shared viewing experience.

The trade-off is freedom; freedom to set your own schedule, consume media when you want and skip over commercials. You can’t generally have both.

3) Stories play out so differently.

Gone, for many, are the days of the cliffhanger. There was little more exhilarating than seeing your favorite show end in a mystery or with a shocking development – knowing you had to wait a full week for the next chapter in the story. Anticipation would build over the next seven days, allowing word of mouth marketing to get more and more people interested.

Now, you can live-stream entire series, or DVR and store several episodes, watching a season’s worth of stories play out in a lazy weekend on the couch.

We’ve traded anticipation for instant gratification. Not a bad thing, per se, but still a thing.

4) Who wants to be 2000 and late?

As our news/entertainment/meme cycle continues to accelerate, things happening this morning will be even more obsolete by this afternoon. (Dare I say things will appear and move on faster than a Kim Kardashian marriage?)

And with hundreds of channels and hundreds of social platforms, the churning will lead to burning faster than ever.

We have been presented with some of the greatest technology to control our lives and increase productivity, only to see pop culture move more rapidly in response.

How do you keep up with your TV and social media?

This week, I was given access to a special sneak preview of ABC’s upcoming TV remake of “Charlie’s Angels” – the hit show from the 1970s.

The  premise – three badass chicks kick ass.  And work for a guy named Charlie.  Who we never see.

We do see the three ladies, played by Minka Kelly (pictured), Rachel Taylor and Annie Ilonzeh.  Oh, do we see them.

Add in the fact that it’s being made by the guys who produced “Smallville” and it seems to have been set up for success.

Take a look at this special exclusive preview and let me know what you think!

Tuesday night, on Discovery Channel, you can catch a special sneak peek of a new series!  Right after Deadliest Catch (check your local listings for time and channel), they will be showing the not-so-secret premiere of Swamp Brothers!

After Tuesday’s premiere, the show moves to it’s permanent home of Friday nights, starting Friday, May 13.

Why do I tell you this?

Well, from what I’ve seen and heard, it will be an awesome show!

And, my wife lead the development team behind this show!  She spent time in the swamps with the brothers themselves.  (That was a fun middle-of-the-night phone call, by the way.  “Honey, I just left the swamp!”)

But I digress.

Please try to watch the show, or set the DVR and watch it later…but I really think you’ll like this one!  One brother is a rock star, the other is a trained dangerous animal handler – and now they are business partners saving animals in Florida.

Here’s a quick look at the brothers:

PR and Social Media are high-stress industries.

Brands have trusted us with their voice.  We interact with people on behalf of them.  We control the messaging and presentations for large companies (with big budgets) and small companies (that have invested their life savings into the business).

Sometimes, the stress levels reach a boiling point.

Here are five ways to reduce your stress:

5) Take a walk!  It’s springtime now, so take 10 minutes, get some fresh air.  The exercise, however light and brief, will center you.

4) Read a fun website!  May I suggest you bookmark this one?  Or this one?

3) View a video on YouTube.  From something silly to something…well…silly, it can relax you quickly and effectively.

2) Stretch, Caffeine, Stretch.  Some people choose coffee, I prefer tea.  Either way, it will give you a mental break, some physical activity and a sweet chemical rush.

1) Two words: Carl Winslow.  I often-times reenact this scene.