I•A•M• Graduating!
Pomp & Circumstance reigned at the Brooklyn Museum on 062612. Julius Dunn II of the 4A's asked me to photograph the FIRST EVER graduating class from the High School for Innovation in Advertising and Media and it was quite the celebration. With full backing from the 4A's and the NYC Board of Education in ongoing efforts to promote diversity and inclusion in the industry the students were treated to an emotional, heartfelt and encouraging greeting from President & CEO of the American Association of Advertising Agencies, Nancy Hill, as well as a rousing and RELEVANT keynote by CEO and Chairman of the Board for the Interpublic Group, Michael Roth. Gina Grillo, President and CEO of The Advertising Club was also on hand to award scholarships. Overall, it was a great day to be a part of.
And the students? Like most of us at that moment in our lives: they simply were jumping' with jubilation to have reached that happy day FINALLY!
Good luck to them all!
Yes, Jet Blue DOES Have First Class
"The End is Near!" -- So Rock the House
Hmm . . . lots of scaffolding . . . is this the Hudson Hotel? . . . oh, there's good friend & super uber creative guy, Gerry Graf, headed in the door ("Hi, Gerry!") so this must be the place for the awards show but . . . "go where?" . . . down these fire stairs? . . . now what!? . . . MORE fire stairs? . . . is this SPINAL TAP?! . . . you sure we're in the right place? . . . but wait!: what's that cool robotic voice saying? . . . "Welcome to the ANDY Awards" ?. . . OHhhh ! Alright! This is different!! This is COOL and EXCITING and FUN!!!
By now, EVERYONE has seen their share of awards shows -- from the Oscars, to the Emmy's to the Grammy's -- so everyone kind of knows the drill. And as one who has covered a lot of awards events, it was very stimulating to experience the formula getting a kick in the pants. Once, that is, I got over my preconceived notions. And that is what I realized was going on at the 2012 International ANDY Awards.
The One Show Interactive awards broke the mold a few years ago with theme-based events/awards presentations that serve as an electrifying culmination to Creative Week.
This year, the Advertising Club asked industry icon Bob Greenberg and digital agency R/GA how to breathe new life into one of the industry's most celebrated events: the International ANDY Awards. Themed around predictions of the end of things as we know them, the answer was a club scene-like creation at Hudson Hotels' Good Units. Attendees were shuttled thru graffiti'd winding hallways into a cocktail reception area with award winning works spotlighted on the walls that were otherwise decorated with moody low-lighting and art installations. Eventually, everyone was called upstairs to a loft-like area with streaming photo-booths that overlooked a foggy dry-iced, post-apocalyptic set with two giant overhead screens to show the winning work (which you can see a full list of on the ANDY Awards site). An all-star team of industry luminaries entertainingly steamrolled through presentations of four basic categories with quick video tributes but without the usually obligatory, finger-drumming parade of acceptances.
AND THE BAR STAYED OPEN!
Yes, Bob Greenberg and The Advertising Club rocked the house!
Everyone In Advertising Goes Looking For a Little Head
And they find it -- if they’re good enough -- at the annual Advertising Club International ANDY Awards!
The Great Debate: Take 4
