From everyone at SaatchiNY to you – Happy Holidays!
We’ll be away from now until the 3rd of January, but be ready for tons of cool stuff from H/H in 2011. Over the break, be sure to have some fun with our Holiday card (see the above photo for a sneak peak). You can upload photos, check out the great photos of the SaatchiNY team and share with family & friends through your email, Facbook or Twitter.
Kwame Taylor-Hayford is VP/Senior Sisomo Producer at SaatchiNY. He joined the agency in 2008, and has worked on integrated campaigns for JC Penney, General Mills, P&G and Turner Classic Movies, among others. Below is a round-up of some of the cooler Integrated/Sisomo produced specifically for the Holiday Season.
SAATCHI & SAATCHI LA – NOGPONG
Saatchi LA Staffers Drinking Eggnog . . . for charity
Created by Saatchi LA, this inventive site allowed visters to play a game of beer pong (using eggnog) with a Saatchi employee. Vistors took turns launching balls into cups of nog, with every shot made earning money for charity. Fun game, cool tech… and another excellent example of how the lines between the physical and digitals worlds are slowly (but surely) being blurred.
Editors Note: The Front Page image showcases some of the behind-the-scenes technology used to make NOGPONG run.
PNC BANK CHRISTMAS PRICE INDEX
The Christmas Index
PNC Bank created this beautiful interactive picture-book to share the results of their “Christmas Price Index”, which sums up the value of all the gifts given in “The 12 Days of Christmas”. They’ve been keeping the index for 27 years and over that time it’s insights on consumer spending and trends in the economy have closely mirrored the very real Consumer Price Index. Fun site to check out… especially since it’s the season for gifting.
CIROC SAFE RIDES
Ciroc Vodka and the NYC department of transportation team up to offer free cab rides on New Year’s Eve. Feels right for the Official Vodka of New Year’s Eve… and it supports their campaign celebrating designated drivers and responsible planning. Don’t forget to grab a pre-paid debit card and enjoy the New Year. See you in 2011.
As we close out 2010, we wanted to look back at some of our most popular H/H posts of the year. We were pleasantly surprised with the balance in the list – some great work, some social events, and, most importantly – a focus on the people that SaatchiNY a great place to work. Here’s to an even better 2011!
1. KEITH STONE
Keith Stone & his Keystone Light
Fueled by excited fans trickling in from the iconic Keystone Light mascot’s Facebook page, this early post had more clicks than any other in 2010.
Devin & Glenn get married
Devin & Glen was some great pro-bono work done on California’s Prop-8 campaign. If you haven’t seen the short film yet, be sure to check it out. You won’t regret it.
A packed house at 7x7
Alongside Hudson/Houston, 7×7 was one of the many new projects SaatchiNY launched this year. Both events showcased some amazing talent (Chris Anderson from TED, founding editor of Gawker Elizabeth Spiers, and News Director of Time Magazine Howard Chua-Eoan. . . to name a few) and the house was packed on both nights. Stay tuned for info on our first 7×7 of 2011 in early March.
DJ Donna D'Cruz entertains the crowd @ the Free Arts Auction
A great collection of photos from two big nights out in May. The first was a Q&A with our Worldwide CEO Kevin Roberts and Alexis Glick. The second – the Free Arts NYC Annual Art Auction at SaatciNY.
The King St. Q&A's were all about YOU.
And of course, this list couldn’t possibly be complete without all of the awesome Q&A’s we’ve done throughout the year. Thanks to all of you who filled them out and double-thanks to our wonderful photography team who snapped so many memorable portraits.
Some work on display at the His & Hers Exhibit
Kathleen Bennett is executive assistant to Mary Baglivo, CEO of SaatchiNY & James Orsini , Director of Finance & Operations. In her downtime, she’s currently studying at the Fashion Institute of Technology. She recently attended FIT’s current His & Hers exhibition. Below are her thoughts on the work on display.
HIS & HERS
With most of the students packing up to head home for the holidays, I took the opportunity to take a visit the Fashion Institute of Technology’s Museum one evening this week. Founded in 1967 to support educational programs at FIT, the museum has grown to house three exhibition galleries, a conservation laboratory, photographic studio, workshops, classrooms and storage. Currently on display in the Fashion and Textile History Gallery is the His and Hers Exhibition, which explores the relationship between gender and fashion over the past 250 years.
THE EARLY STUFF
Visiting the His and Hers exhibit in the evening was a memorable experience. With no crowds around me, it felt like I was tucked away in a special, historical closet. With more than 100 garments on display, the fashion timeline begins with costumes from the 18th century. These costumes made for men were lavishly decorated with adornments that to us might look feminine, but in the 18th century were considered the height of fashion for the aristocratic society. During the 19th century the collection showed the difference in clothing worn in the home for both men and women.
THE 20TH CENTURY
Even though men traditionally wore dark, conservative clothes in public and women wore brightly colored dresses, there was a brightly patterned men’s dressing gown displayed next to a woman’s plain, white cotton robe. Moving onto the 20th century there was a silk checkered day dress by Louiseboulanger from the 1920’s, women’s pantsuits by Yves Saint Laurent from the 60s and 80s, men’s suits from Alan Flusser, and a pastel man’s suit created for the show, Miami Vice. Wrapping up the exhibit are clothes from labels such as Burberry Prorsum.
VISIT THE MUSEUM!
In addition to the His and Hers exhibition, also on display in the Special Exhibitions Gallery is the Japan Fashion Show, which explores how Japanese fashion has evolved in recent years. Located on Seventh Avenue and 27th Street, admission to the exhibitions are free to the public and the museum is open Tuesday through Friday noon to 8 pm and 10 am to 5:00 pm on Saturday.
Sheldon & his wife at the ADCOLOR awards
Sheldon Levy is Deputy Director of Broadcast Production at SaatchiNY. He was recently featured on H/H for his work with the Marhtha’s Vineyard African American Film Festival, which you can read more about here. If you’re interested in learning more about Sheldon, feel free to check out his LinkedIn page.
WHAT DO YOU DO AT SAATCHI & SAATCHI?
Despite the lofty appellation I am still a PRODUCER. However, I wear many hats. I work on almost all of our client’s businesses. I have been fortunate to wear many hats including: talent scout, drill sergeant & film festival curator.
Over the years I have had the pleasure of seeking out and hiring many of our most accomplished producers. They become my pupils; but only for a short time. I find myself today in the role of pupil to many of the people I recruited and mentored.
I am also responsible for our sponsorship of The Martha’s Vineyard African American Film Festival. I chair the group of Saatchi people who review the films and choose the Winner of our Nothing is impossible Producers Award.
WHAT WAS YOUR FIRST JOB?
I was a Production Assistant at WLIB Radio in New York. I was a senior in High School and the radio station was 1 block away from the school. AS luck would have it, they always hired one student a year to work after school. I was 17.
WHAT LED YOU ON THE PATH YOU’RE ON TODAY?
When I was a pre-law freshman at Columbia, I saw a film titled Citizen Cane. The Orson Wells epic altered my DNA and the course of my life. I decided to eschew Political Science and Law for a career as a film director. I wanted to make films. Four decades later I’ve produced hundreds of them; mostly of the thirty-second variety.
IF YOU WEREN’T IN ADVERTISING WHAT CAREER WOULD YOU MOST LIKE TO TRY?
My alternate career path would either be as a chef, or a jazz promoter. I’m sorry I never kept up with my piano lessons
WHAT IS YOUR BEST “NOTHING IS IMPOSSIBLE” STORY?
The whole of 2010.
My favorite moment is always the last . . . which in this case was last Thursday night when a client wanted an animated Christmas spot to be on the web in 1 week at a 10th of the normal budget. We persuaded one of the best animation houses in the business to do it for the money and in time. The film looks great.
TELL US SOMETHING SURPRISING ABOUT YOURSELF:
There are two things most people don’t know about me:
I love to cook. I am self-taught so my family has had patiently endure a fair share of misfires as I pursue my culinary passion.
I am also an amateur church historian. I’ve always been intrigued by the history of the papacy and the splintering of Christianity.
WHAT ARE YOUR LOVEMARKS?
The most important one is Family. My wife of 28 years is the Lover who became my best friend. My sister is the Angel who was put on this earth to save me time and time again. My two children are the living proof of God’s hand in my life. They are my heroes. My mom in heaven gave all of us every ounce of herself. My mother in law made me her son.
My other biggest Lovemark is Jazz. There is no music in America without Jazz . . . and the NFL is a close third.
FAVORITE CHILDHOOD TELEVISION SHOW?
When I was a kid I used to battle with my big sister who wanted to watch American Bandstand while I waned to watch Bozo. I loved the Swamp Fox Zorro. But, we can’t forget Superman. I spent years running around my mom’s apartment in my underwear with a blanket tucked into my undershirt.
WHAT IS YOUR FAVORITE CREATIVE PURSUIT?
I have two favorite pursuits:
I love to watch the film classics again and again. I find it’s a great way to dissect and digest the craft.
I also listen to, and study Jazz.
WHAT DO YOU DO FOR FUN?
I cook.
WHAT BLOGS/MAGAZINES/BOOKS/PAPERS/WEBSITES CAN YOU NOT LIVE WITHOUT?
WBGO.ORG and CooksIllustrated.com.
HAVE YOU EVER WON A TROPHY?
I have won a Tiffy (The ADCOLOR award) as a Legend. I also won a lifetime achievement award from MAIP
BOOK THAT YOU’RE CURRENTLY READING:
I am currently reading two books.
POPS—The biography of Louis Armstrong and “Like a snowflake falling…The Warren Buffet Biography
A GUILTY PLEASURE FOR ME IS:
Bread
WHAT DO YOU THINK IS THE GREATEST INVENTION OF YOUR LIFETIME & WHY?
I think that the greatest invention in my lifetime has been the personal computer. I believe that it has been the great equalizer. It’s a mentor, a teacher, a babysitter and a window to the entire world.
FAVORITE ARTIST/MUSICIAN/DESIGNER?
Stevie Wonder
WHAT’S THE LAST SONG YOU LISTENED TO?
The last son I listened to was ‘Favorite Things” by John Coltrane
WHAT’S THE LAST GREAT TRIP YOU WERE ON?
The last great trip went on was to Hawaii with My family. I love Hawaii. It is my favorite spot on earth.
WHEN’S THE LAST TIME YOU GAVE A STANDING OVATION?
At the recent ADCOLOR awards in Miami. It was to Honor Roy Eaton. He blazed trials in the world of advertising and music that made it possible for a kid from the projects in Harlem to be featured in this blog.
Photo by Sasithon Pooviriyakul
It’s that time of year again, and our final agency meeting of 2010 has arrived. Don’t forget that we’ll be holding festivities at 9:30 (that’s AM) in the SSpace. We’ll have food, seasonal drinks and most importantly – some exciting new projects and announcements for the coming year.
A GREAT YEAR
The end-of-year meeting is always special, but this year we’re hoping to make it the most memorable to date. It’s been a year of change, a year of hard work and a year of excitement. We debuted a new blog (and an accompanying twitter feed) that we’re very proud of, held two 7×7 events, won some awards and had a lot of fun doing all of it.
IT’S ALL ABOUT YOU
For many of you, this will be your first EOY meeting, and our goal is to keep the focus on what matters most at SaatchiNY – the people. We look forward to seeing everyone there, and hope that you’re all as excited about 2011 as we are. Thanks for all the hard work and enthusiasm!
Kids drawing their neighborhood Lovemarks at the Dapolito Rec Center
The corner of Hudson & Houston has been home to SaatchiNY since the agency arrived in America almost 25 years ago. Over the years the location has become a part of our identity. Two of the SaatchiNY creatives, Jessica Raddatz & Jaclyn Marinese, put together a book about the local neighborhood to celebrate that connection. This is this year’s final Hudson/Houston feature from the book. The Tony Dapolito Recreation Center is located at 1 Clarkson Street.
MAYOR OF GREENWICH VILLAGE
The Tony Dapolito Recreation Center was named in honor of Anthony V. Dapolito in 2004, a year after he passed away. Dapolito’s community work in the neighborhood earned him the honorary title, “Mayor of Greenwich Village.” His family opened the Vesuvio Bakery on Prince Street in 1920, shortly after his birth. When old enough, he took over the family business and eventually became a respected community organizer. He focused on rebuilding parks and facilities for children in the neighborhood.
IMPROVING LIVES
Dapolito was a consistent advocate for the youth of Greenwich Village throughout his life. Today the recreation center offers facilities for residents in the community. It will continue to serve the people of Greenwich Village and New York City for many years to come, as did the man it honors.
AMAZING ART
The art you will see here was made by the children who attend the Parks After School Program at the center. The program works to enhance communities and enrich the lives of children by providing safe, supportive, and structured environments that support overall health and well being.
These art pieces represent the children’s favorite neighborhood Lovemarks. While the rec center is proof that one man’s work can have a lasting impact on the future generations of a community, the art itself shows us that love and loyalty to the places and things we love exist even when we are young, often lasting for a lifetime.
Ashley Johns is an Assistant Account Executive at SaatchiNY. Outside the office, she also an organizer for the AAF’s Mosaic Alumni & Friends) Association (MAFA), which is an extension of the Mosaic Awards Luncheon & Career Fairs. Today she was kind enough to provide us with some information (and an invitation!) to their Annual Holiday Happy Hour.
WHAT’S MAFA?
The Mosaic Alumni & Friends Association (MAFA) connects advertising and communications professionals who are alumni of the AAF Most Promising Minority Students Program , the National Student Advertising Competition (NSAC), Mosaic Career Fairs, AAF College Chapters, Alpha Delta Sigma Honor Society and supporters of AAF’s Mosaic Center. (Not connected to any of the above? No worries, you’re in advertising, so join us!
Our focus is to bring MAFA members with opportunities to maintain and build new relationships with a network of over 300 advertising and communications professionals, participate in career development initiatives, support minority youth aspiring to enter the business and stay knowledgeable and involved in industry diversity and inclusion efforts.
HOLIDAY HAPPY HOUR
As an agency member of the AAF, the MAFA team invites you to join us for a festive night of networking and reconnecting at our annual Holiday Happy Hour, this Thursday, December 16 from 6-9pm at Sidebar Union Square! We’ll also be revealing our 2011 Events Calendar that includes a sleigh of seminars, panels, and professional development opportunities.
You can find MAFA on our Tumblr page, on Facebook , or on LinkedIn. If you have any questions, feel free to contact Ashley Johns at ashley.johns@saatchiny.com.