WNTD

The nerdiest halloween costumes ever...

Smart thinking from a couple of New York creatives...

Google Street Boo

Halloween...

My husband sent me this picture this morning since we have a passion for VW campers. Someone spent a bit of time pumpkin carving, but we have to say, the outcome is brilliant!

I may have to try this next year!

Steve Jobs 1955-2011

Very sad to hear the recent news about the passing of Steve Jobs. The man was a genius! 

http://www.apple.com/stevejobs/

Apple publishes Steve Job's Resignation letter...

Shortly after it was announced that Steve Jobs was stepping down as Cheif Exec Officer, apple published his resignation letter on their website.

http://latimesblogs.latimes.com/technology/2011/08/steve-jobs-resignation-letter.html

Back to Blighty...

I recently managed to wangle a trip back to the UK. It's been a while since I was there last, especially visiting mid year as we normally head home at Christmas.

I was pleasantly surprised to get the opportunity to see most of my friends and family and have a great time whilst doing so. Even the weather was kind of okay. 

One day I spent checking out Manchester with my Mum, which I always love doing and whilst there I came across a really cool directors chair, which certainly reminded me of Portland... 

Check out the pictures!

ihaveanidea article...

Came across this the other day and found it an interesting read! 

http://ihaveanidea.org/articles/2011/07/08/diary-of-a-copywriter-account-people-from-heaven/

Cool link...

Tricia shared this with me the other day, and I've been meaning to put it up on the blog since then... 

 http://www.thewildernessdowntown.com/

 (just click on the link and follow the instructions).

U2 at Quest Field, Seattle

The past weekend was possibly one of the best I've had for a while. 

A group of us set off for Seattle Saturday morning to go see the long awaited U2 concert. 

With 80,000 people packing Quest Field, Lenny Kravitz as the supporting act, and over two hours of great music, the evening was fantastic.

I have to say I was blown away by how amazingly talented these four blokes from Ireland actually are, and how very humble they came across especially when Bono spoke about Amnesty International and The Gates Foundation!

It was such a special night, we had a blast, and even the weather was great! 

AdAge Article; What You Won't Learn in Ad School

WNTD came across this article and thought it might be worth sharing, for those who may not have seen it yet. 

What You Won't Learn in Ad School

Insights for the Next Generation

By: Curt Hanke

There's one thing that everyone in the fields of advertising, marketing, digital and the like all share: We were all once newbies. Young pups. No matter how we earned our first job or sneaked into this industry -- and regardless of previous class work, internships and competitions -- we really had no idea exactly what we were getting ourselves into.

Recently, the University of Wisconsin Ad Club asked Shine to speak at its monthly meeting. Inspired by their impending graduation, we decided that instead of the expected dog-and-pony show, we'd offer a fresh perspective for the graduates -- and anyone considering entering the business.

Now, to be fair, it's been 17 years since I passed through the UW Journalism School's hallowed halls (go Badgers!), so I thought it worth pulling in another perspective as well for the presentation -- one more relevant for the modern student. With this in mind, I invited a Shine colleague (and advertising newbie) to join me, a 2010 graduate from the University of Oregon (go Ducks! -- you're welcome, Emily).

The assignment we gave ourselves: Identify some of the key insights that we wish someone had shared with us when we were in school. The presentation theme: "21 Things You Won't Learn in School." The result: Surprisingly similar perspectives, albeit from very different vantage points. And for you: A few of our key insights for your reading pleasure, as another generation of students enters the ad game.

The Stakes Are High 
Welcome to agency life. A life with real clients, dollars, expectations and people. It's a profound leap from classes and competitions to clients and campaigns. Every project matters. Each decision has implications. The trust that clients place on their agency partners -- and how that agency honors and cultivates that trust -- has a very real impact on your careers (and life). Very quickly, you realize that you're not in Kansas any more. And that your success is defined by much more than a grade.

It's Not Just About Great Work. Or Even Results, for That Matter 
There are plenty of agencies that do great work every year that get fired. And I'd dare say, even more agencies that do lackluster, mediocre work for their clients that don't. Our business isn't just about the work or whether it makes the cash register ring. It's about people -- relationships -- and the myriad of individual interactions that build trust. In college, you most likely didn't take a class in how to show the right level of urgency for a client, or how to best manage and push back on subjective feedback, or how to handle the oft-necessary budget/schedule/expectation conversations, or how to be a "junior" all over again. But these are some of the many tests of the workplace that will influence every individual's success or failure in this business, in one way or another.

It's Ultimately About People 
No matter how "creatively driven" the agency, we are ultimately responsible for helping our clients interact with real, living, breathing human beings. While it's tempting to get caught up in pursuit of fake gold awards to hang on the mantel, we need to always remember that we're being paid to create connections between people and brands -- whether it be building awareness for a new product or cultivating evangelism for an established brand. So while we may make ads, or build apps, or design and program websites, we must never lose sight of the fact that we are truly in the "people" business.

Ambiguity Is Everywhere 
Every agency or firm has its own universe -- its people, personalities, processes and the like. In addition, every client has its own universe -- its own dynamics, motivations, politics and such. And then we have the actual universe -- the world in which we live, breathe and market -- constantly shifting and increasingly morphing at a faster rate than ever before. It's a web of connections that changes each and every day. Remove or modify just one component, and the entire web is altered. And it is our job to understand this web; divine not just direction but inspiration; create engagement platforms that resonate; and make everyone feel good about the process. (Indeed.)

The World Is Not Rational 
Research has demonstrated that even when consumers believe they are making rational decisions, the vast majority of brand preference are driven by their emotions. And if you think this irrational behavior is constrained to the consumer marketplace, you're kidding yourself. When I graduated, I most certainly had the naive perception that the workplace was rational. "Look at them! They wear suits! They must be rational!" The reality is that we're all emotional beings, sorting through the needs and wants of our conscious and subconscious each and every day. We all have good and bad mornings, stresses with maintaining a good work/life balance, and everything else that comes with the modern-day workplace. Within and between clients and agencies, people want to feel secure, important, respected and, yes, liked. Starting with this premise and working backward for every relationship, client, engagement and assignment is critical to understanding "how things work" -- and successfully navigating this industry's sometimes choppy waters.

It's Less Fun Than You Think (and More Fun Than You Think) 
Make no mistake about it: A career in advertising may well be one of the most culturally enjoyable life choices that you can make. That said, we don't sit around drinking and napping all day before scratching out a campaign idea on a cocktail napkin the night before the presentation. We work hard and take what we do very, very seriously. This field is not for everyone. But if you are innately curious, embrace change and have a passion for solving problems, you're off to a good start. So buckle up. Get ready for an exciting ride. And if you ever lose your way, take heed of our final "thing you won't learn in school": A little hustle goes a long way.

The full link is here: http://adage.com/article/small-agency-diary/learn-ad-school/227743/

Happy Birthday Claire!

It's Claire's Birthday today, so we had to embarrass her and give her a big shout out...

Happy Birthday to our very own British flower... have a super duper day! 

Can anyone guess how old she may be?

SXSW 2011

For the second year running we attended SXSW in Austin, and although we kinda knew what to expect we were still pretty much blown away by the festival, the attendees, the people we met and of course Austin!

WNTD Offsite; Palm Springs

Once a year we always try to take a few days away from the day to day shenanigans that makes up WNTD. This gives us the opportunity to spend some time reviewing what's working well / not working well with the running of the company. We spend time reviewing what we can do as partners to make the business better and what we can do as people to continue to be the best at what we love to do. 

This year we decided instead of shutting ourselves in a dark room for a few days, we'd push the boat out and take a trip. So we threw the dice and the outcome was Palm Springs. 

What a bonus!! Working around a swimming pool in the beautiful sunshine certainly is a perk!

a very red hotel lobby!

very pleasant dining!

 the parker hotel

Another New Year is here!

Around this time I tend to start reflecting on previous years and the things I've have done in life, both personal and professional. It's also a good time to sit down and review future goals and ambitions, again not just in a professional manor, but also in a more personal one. Many people like me take this time of year to attempt to act on those new year resolutions!! I'm determined to run a full marathon this year, hoping to complete the Portland Marathon in October. I'm also going to try to keep in contact with family and friends more back home (UK), not just my mum, but my brothers, sisters and mates too! I've gotten really bad staying in touch lately and with the likes of Skype, email, phone all at one's fingertips, it's not hard staying in touch! My final goal is to pick up a good book more often... I love reading and find that it really takes me away to a special place "my me time". I just don't read enough these days!

I asked Tricia about any resolutions she might have, and after the ten minutes she spent laughing at me, she then gave me a big smile and said that if anything she'd love to spend more time with her two adorable children, as well as spending more time working in her garden... (huh?? hello, we live in Oregon!).

One thing Tricia and I would like to do is to wish everyone a very happy and prosperous New Year!

All the best for 2011.  

Cheers!

WNTD new shoes!

 
Have you ever WNTD your very own personalized shoes? 

WNTD did. 

So where better to go than to a world renowned sneaker maker, adidas. Here we worked with marketing and creative people to develop our very own "one off" WNTD identity sneakers. 

Taking elements of WNTD's corporate logo, and painting this on a modern classic canvas, we came up with a fun way for us to show off the brands on the street. 

The other foot, thanks to Claire's 5 year old niece, now adorns pompoms, eyes, jewels, feathers, stickers and anything else she could find around the adidas office...

For an alternative to sneaker customization, check out the professionals at Sneakart.  

WNTD... in New York

Tricia and Claire took a whirlwind trip across the country to attend The One Show. 

Ran around like idiots for three days, before jumping back on a plane Portland bound. 

Although it was the quickest of trips, we met some great people and got the opportunity to view some really cool work as well as some great architecture!

SXSWi 2010

Winter in Portland

CAT London

Attended the CAT Conference in London, a gathering of some of the brightest minds out there to discuss furthering creativity through technology. Technology is like having a kid. Every step of the way, the second I think I have it all figured out, I don't. The fun part is trying to figure it out and evolve with it, spending each day absorbing as much as I possibly can, and by listening to people who are way fucking smarter than me talk about what they do and how they do it. I know I'm not the brightest bulb in the room at these events, and that realization is what makes it interesting. I end up seeing even the smartest people out there as human. They get nervous before they go on stage, they stumble over their words at times while they speak, they argue, they get excited, they cuss and they are every bit as human as me. Which puts us right back on the same playing field, doesn't it? I walk out feeling energized and inspired and believing I'm capable of doing something much bigger than I thought when I walked in.

W+K London

One of the two walls we were able to photograph in the office.

More of a ceiling than a wall, really. This was just before the camera was confiscated.

So we took Anders to the pub on the corner instead. 

Where he drank a surprising amount for such a skinny guy.

London, England

God Save the Queen!

It's time...

For a pint.

Amsterdam, Netherlands

Shanghai, China

Tokyo hijinks

Stumbled across Oregon restaurant in a Tokyo hi-rise, brochures by W+K PDX.

Lil' Ted taking a rest.

Doh! WNTD sticker.

Tokyo art & architecture

Nike Harajuku store

Akio Iida, Naoki Ga, Jose Cabaco

Architect: Masamichi Katayama / WonderWall Video #1 Video #2

W+K Tokyo

 

Inspiring Akio.

Tokyo

 

 

My cankles and I have finally arrived in Tokyo. Such an incredible city, it's a very clean, friendly, respectful New York with incredible people, art, design, architecture, fashion, food, culture. 

Airports can be fun.

 

As Claire would say, this bloke has lost the plot with these shoes.  

The Decemberists at Edgefield

Aaron Rose + Jim Riswold

 

Talented men with similar hats.

 http://www.allegedpress.com/     http://www.jimriswold.com/

Can (American for Cannes) 2009

Hotel du Cap

Melanie and The Gimp

WNTD made a last-minute decision to send a representative to Cannes this year, after much deliberation. Several unexpectedly tough mud-wrestling matches later, Melanie emerged victorious. Here's what she had to say about the week:

I was the first to arrive in Nice, and shared a cab with a lovely guy I met on the plane into Cannes. Picked up the keys to our apartment, which was surprisingly nice considering it was booked by our partners across the pond who are men, Matt Wells and Andy Wardlaw of Congregation. The boys finally arrived, insisted I get the nicer room with the bigger bed (Thanks to the British tendency to avoid face-to-face confrontation at all costs) and we were off. It wasn't as empty as we feared this year due to the economy, but turned out to be a great crowd that never seemed to get so over-crowded you couldn't get a drink or pee. Highlights? Hotel du Cap, Martinez, Carlton, Beach parties, Gutter Bar with Fancy, Y&R, W+K Portland, NY, London and Amsterdam, 180, Coca-Cola, TAXI, DDB, Nike, Google Creative Labs, Poke, R/GA, Apple, Publicis, LBi, Leo Burnett, JWT, Ogilvy, RSA, Creature, Fallon, Lobo, Ebeling Group, BBH, Goodby, Crispin, Massive Music and tonefarmer. 

The big buzz of the festival included the first time not film, but PR campaigns, Best Job in the World and the Obama campaign, dominated multiple categories. Other impressive works: the Wallpaper / Trillion Dollar Campaign, Eco-Drive, Carousel, a kickass Uniqlo interactive t-shirt with a small piece of special something on the front that plays video - no wires or anything. We saw Bob Geldof, Roger Daltrey, Kofi-Annan... It was one of the best years I've had, as long as I don't think back to when Matt sprayed Andy's cologne on my toothbrush. And now, a little revenge...

Andy Wardlaw and Matt Wells of Congregation

Someone should have thought before spraying shit on my toothbrush...

*JUST. DO. IT.

Before

After

Claire ran the Helvetia Half-Marathon on Saturday, along with 4,000 other people who aren't lazy. Let me give you a little background here. About 2 years ago, Claire smoked about 40 cigarettes a day. When we worked at W+K, someone had the great idea to bring in an acupuncturist who specialized in smoking cessation and agreed to pay half the cost for anyone who was interested. Claire completely quit smoking. Then she started eating. And eating. Then she started running. And running. And Pilates. Running. Swimming. Running. Biking. More running. And she's lost 30 lbs. (Which is like over 2 stone!) Last week, she announced she might try to run this half-marathon in a few days, even though her longest distance was 9.5 miles. She didn't think she could do it, but leave it to Claire to give it a try. 

She ran 13.1 miles in just over 2 hours on Saturday. This strong, determined, focused, inspirational woman literally couldn't run one block 8 months ago. 

Claire, we think you KICK ASS! 

*If you're Tim Reynolds, Claire's husband and employee of adidas for 17 years, please replace above title to Impossible Is Nothing. 

Dan Wieden's speech at the 4A's

This is what I love about Dan. 

He was invited to speak at the 4A's, an advertising group that shunned W+K when they were a brand new no-name agency back in the 80's, and a group Dan has refused to join ever since. This is a conference where advertising people get together to talk about shit that really doesn't matter. Well, maybe some of it does, I've never been. I can only imagine the riveting discussions at the American Association of Advertising Agencies' yearly conference.

Dan is known by everyone at this little shindig as the man who penned Just Do It. He's half the name behind an agency that revolutionized advertising because they had the balls to say and do things no one else would. Their brilliance is using brands as a vehicle, not only to sell people crap they don't need, but they often use the industry to send important messages, messages of courage and determination and strength and truth, to huge audiences around the world through their televisions, magazines, radios and computers.  

But very few in the ad world know Dan for what I think is his most inspirational achievement, Camp Caldera. A camp of pure love he and his family built from the ground up that has changed the lives of kids who've faced challenges more difficult than most of us will ever know. What's important in life is what you give back, and just watching this video reminds me, once again, of all the things I've wanted to start but haven't yet found the time. 

It's people like Dan we should be following - people out there who are doing not just it, but IT.

Clios 2009: What happens in Vegas, might stay in Vegas

Tricia Krupa Cha, Claire Reynolds, Karen Monahan, Nick Law and Geoff Teehan. Drunk.

David Kennedy giving solo speech about Wieden, in front of a crowd, behind a podium? Now that's love. 

Tricia and Claire jetted off to the 50th Anniversary of The Clios in Vegas. Who knew Tricia was a candidate for Gamblers Anonymous? The Hard Rock Hotel was official headquarters, and between the riveting speakers including Tony Granger of Y&R, Anne Bologna/TOY, Daniel Stein/EVB, Rob Reilly/Crispin, MIke Geiger/Goodby, Karen Monahan/BBH and Nick Law R/GA to name a few, Tricia was hitting the blackjack tables in order to help WNTD maintain our high standard of living. 

A highlight was the Lifetime Achievement Award presented to Dan Wieden, an extraordinary man on so many levels who holds a very dear place in our hearts. Some of the other W+K big-wigs, Dave Luhr, Susan Hoffman, John Jay, Bill Davenport and one of the most wonderful people who walks this planet, David Kennedy, showed up to celebrate the occasion. Based on our previous experience, getting those people out the door and actually AT an event is no easy task, quite impressive.

The second highlight was....drumroll....no, it wasn't Matthew Weiner, the producer of MAD MEN, nor was it Mark Cuban, Chairman of HDNet and owner of the Dallas Mavericks and no, it wasn't even the Evolution of Dance guy from YouTube...

Two words: Barry Manilow.

All this experienced in Vegas by two girls in three days - gambling, swimming, connecting, talking, learning, laughing, drinking, dancing and getting to experience Barry Manilow's unbelievable plastic surgery up close and in person. 

Well worth the trip. Thank you, Clios. 

- WNTD

OFFF 2009 - Fail Gracefully

OFFF is a 3-day festival where digital artists, web, print and interactive designers, motion graphics studios and musicians celebration emerging visual culture. This year, the venue was moved to Oeiris, Portugal from Lisbon, to a huge warehouse formerly used to make bombs. I'm pretty sure several years were taken off the end of my life due to the crazy dust and poor air circulation the first day. The speaker line-up was killer, though, and made my shortened lifespan feel worth it. Aaron Koblin is just amazing, Champagne Valentine creates incredibly unique work and they look damn good doing it, Joshua Davis has the most incredible energy and just lifts a room, Stefan Sagmeister is just one of the smartest and most talented people I've ever laid eyes on and PES does the kind of stuff that makes you kick yourself for not coming up with it first. What I love most about all these people? Not only are they geniuses of their craft, they absolutely LOVE what they do and it radiates off them and sticks to you. Love OFFF.

Check out more here and here.

The Roots at Roseland Theatre

BRAVO!

While in L.A., I found myself at the BRAVO awards. Now, I'm not into the Hollywood scene, or at least I wasn't, until I went to the after party and saw Tyson Beckford. You must understand, Tyson was the love of my life in college. He wasn't aware of it, but my love was real. So to have the opportunity to share with all of you, all you people who most likely aren't wasting your time reading this blog, our incredible photo? C'mon. You'd post it, too. You know it, and I know it. 

- Melanie

TEMPT / The Ebeling Group / Graffiti Research Lab - Day 3

Caskey Ebeling, Jose Cabaco and the sound guy prepping James Powderly, in the wife-beater, for a scene in the upcoming documentary.

Evan Roth and Zach Lieberman, being smart.

Zach and Theo Watson being smart on the couch.

TEMPT'S crew, ANGST and KEY, laser-tagging messages to him as he watches out his hospital window. TEMPT wrote with his eyes for the first time using ocular-recognition technology just a few days later. Great to watch this unfold. Thanks Mick and Caskey! 

- Melanie

TEMPT / The Ebeling Group / Graffiti Research Lab - Day 2

I got to take Theo and James to Home Depot and Fry's Electronics today to help them shop for supplies that will ultimately allow TEMPT to write again. Watching them do what they do was a great experience for me. It's not that it's so inspirational watching people shop at Home Depot and Fry's, it was watching these two follow their passion in an uncompromising way. It was watching them fearlessly try new options, knowing they could fail, and if they did fail, going back again and again, never giving up. 

Watching these guys run around like two little boys, pure and innocent and free, doing what they love with such unbridled enthusiasm, it made me think. Potentially, they could change the lives of thousands of people out there who are suffering, just like TEMPT. Just because they have the courage to be exactly who they are. Pretty fucking cool. Can I type that here? Hmm. 

- Melanie

TEMPT / The Ebeling Group / Graffiti Research Lab - Day 1

Our friend, Mick Ebeling, had this great idea. Mick runs TEG, a successful production company with offices all over the world. Mick heard about TEMPT, a well-known graffiti writer who, along with his crew, elevated graffiti to an art form in L.A. back in the day. TEMPT, aka Tony, was diagnosed with an awful disease called A.L.S. (Lou Gehrig's disease). He currently resides in a hospital bed with only control over his eye muscles. 

This SUCKS. 

Mick met Theo and Evan, who are two of the smartest and talented guys I've met in a long time. They, along with their other smart friends, including James Powderly of Graffiti Research Lab, are all really passionate about technology and open-source and art and communication and freedom. Mick told us about his idea, and we offered to help in any way we could. Mick's idea was this: Can these super smart inventive code-writing laser-tagging artists figure out a way for Tony, who can only move his eyeballs, draw again? The answer is yes. Yes, they did.

- Melanie