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Campfire Brings On Nick Braccia As Creative Director

The New York Egotist — Thu, 23 May 2013 12:21:09 +0000

Local

Campfire announced the hire of Nick Braccia as Creative Director, effective immediately.

Braccia comes to Campfire from G2 USA, where he was the Group Creative Director overseeing the Hertz and Pepperidge Farm Goldfish businesses. Prior to G2 USA, he was the Creative Director at Deep Focus. Over the course of his career, Braccia has served major clients including Disney, M&M'S, EA, Sony Pictures, General Motors and Citibank. He is also a member of the Producer's Guild of America and participates in its New Media Council.

We wish Nick good luck, and we're looking forward to seeing the work he gets done.

A Story For Every Journey: Books To Be Read In The Length Of A Flight

The New York Egotist — Thu, 23 May 2013 02:35:46 +0000

National

Australia’s Droga5 worked with Qantas airlines to create a series of fiction books written specifically to be read during flight. The book lengths were calculated taking into consideration average times for things like average reading speed vs average time for naps, meals, and just staring out the window.

The series is titled A Story For Every Journey, and was written by popular Australian novelists. The covers were and designed by UK-based agency Paul Belford.

While this is a clever idea, we're wondering how well the written word will stand up to the dozens of glowing digital ways people have to entertain themselves up in the air.

Via.

Who Babysits The Babysitter?

The New York Egotist — Wed, 22 May 2013 12:28:20 +0000

Local

In a new video promoting the American Red Cross’ Babysitting Basics online course, BBDO Atlanta and Tool Director Erich Joiner takes viewers through a tour of worst-case scenarios for childcare amateurs and parents alike. As always, full credits after the break.

Grey Gets Epic For DirecTV

The New York Egotist — Wed, 22 May 2013 12:28:13 +0000

Local

Arnold New York Launches Campaign For ComforPedic

The New York Egotist — Wed, 22 May 2013 12:28:05 +0000

Local

Here's a spot from the first national ComforPedic campaign. Featuring an Alex Trebek voiceover, music video director Patrick Daughters, and 3 celebrated experts and their dreams: oceanographer Phillippe Cousteau, graph theorist Maria Chudnovsky, and first African-American female astronaut Dr. Mae Jemison. Give it a watch.

How Historical Figures Would Have Looked Today

The New York Egotist — Wed, 22 May 2013 02:37:38 +0000

National

Famous faces from history including William Shakespeare, Henry VIII and Horatio Nelson have been given a modern makeover to see how they would look if they were alive today in this series done by the History Channel for its new series, The Secret Life of...

Via.

Dear Jr Creative, Earn Your Place. You’ll Be Better For It.

Tue, 21 May 2013 14:32:43 +0000

Dear Jr Creative,

I’m a firm believer in earning your keep, starting from the bottom, doing the less than desirable well, before moving up.

Prove yourself on what seemingly matters little, and people will notice. I promise.

At the very least, I promise I’ll notice. Because it’s the unorthodox grind of a route I took.

I was a rich kid from the suburbs. I was embarrassed by it. I hated it. It was a 90’s thing.

In High School, and in Gen-X “rebellion” against my white collar family, I worked for the Las Vegas Water District doing underground construction.

I dug ditches and changed water lines during the Vegas Summer for 8 dollars an hour. Not desirable work. And the guys I worked with could smell the rich kid on me. They busted my balls mercilessly for it.

I dug the shit out of those ditches. I loved it. I used my hands. I used heavy machinery and pneumatic tools—I drove a dump truck (which is awesome by the way).

All I wanted was the respect of these old guys changing water lines in the desert. Dudes that worked so fucking hard. For so fucking little. To feed their families; their addictions; their gambling debts.

Eventually, I’d earned a bit of respect.

I worked hard…”for a skinny rich kid.”

One day I mentioned to the crew lead: “Fuck it. I like this. Why not full time?”.

He pulled the truck over to the shoulder of a mountain road, heading North towards Mt. Charleston, looked deep into my face, “Every single one of us would give the world NOT to be here. Stop your blue collar charade. Go to school like you’re supposed to. Get out of this shit.”

So I did.

That was my last of three summers working for the water district.

I went to school for business. Marketing & Advertising to be exact. Which, aside from teaching me some business basics, really just help develop my aptness for bullshit.

Luckily for me, somewhere along the line, I learned a real skill and about this thing called the “Internet.” It was a place I could upload the photos I was taking (and developing in a darkroom, btw). I learned some Photoshop and HTML skills because of it. Eventually, I started freelancing: horrible graphic design and web work. Whatever I could get—fucking rave fliers, man. I just wanted to learn. The beer money was the gravy on top.

My first “real” job out of college was resizing graphics for an eCommerce company. I showed up for the interview on my skateboard, handed the HR lady my resume and said, “I’ll take anything. I know Photoshop. Here’s my book.” I didn’t even know what a “designer” was. But that’s why I was there. And by no means was I a designer; Photoshop monkey…maybe.

Ninety people had been laid off a month prior to me being brought on. I was the first hire after those layoffs and in the eyes of everybody…I was “that guy…”

I was at the bottom of the totem pole. Where I belonged.

The only thing I had going for me was a fear of “sucking.” And for the record, I sucked. (Certainly compared to the kids I see today).

“…good enough to resize graphics” was what I overheard the Creative Director say, just around the corner.

So I resized graphics. I resized the shit out of graphics, learning to code HTML along the way. I unlearned what I learned in business school. And learned…business. I developed site and page concepts for fun. Always showing my boss. Wanting critique. Always trying to get better. People noticed. He noticed. I gained more and more responsibility and more importantly, trust. Never begging for more money. Just wanting to do more work, better work.

To not suck.

Eventually, I took over as Creative Lead. I redesigned both KBToys.com and eToys.com. Enterprise level eCommerce stuff. Real businesses, making real money. I thought the designs were pretty damn good for the early 00’s. Some of the first .com’s to switch to 1024x768. We won some eCom industry awards. It moved product. I thought I was hot shit.

I was far from it.

Fast forward a decade and I’m blown away by the level of talent that’s out there. Kids today come out of school with so much fucking skill it’s crazy. But with all of that skill, in so many, there is equal-to-more parts hubris. An entitled attitude that seems to expect everything for nothing.

Somewhere, along the lines, we (everyone) got sensitive. We started giving trophies for last place. People forgot how to take criticism. We started (and continue) to want to spare people from the realities of what it really takes. Close counts. Thanks for trying. Better luck next time—even worse—Fail Harder.

I hate this phrase more than anything.

“Fail Harder” is a manifesto for the delusional, the lazy—the lotto dreamer.

Celebrating failure is a cop out. Be pissed that you fucked up—when you lose. And know why.

Fail “Smarter” maybe. But failing hard is for losers.

Industry-wise, we covet the idea. Not its realization, it’s viability.

“I want to be an AD. But I don’t write and I don’t design. I’m an idea guy”

“No, no, no, i’m a UX guy. I don’t do wires and I don’t do finished design. I just explore interaction concepts.”

“I want to be a CD. But I don’t like talking with clients.”

“My new Web 3.0 business concept doesn’t have a revenue model—it’s like Instagram but with animated gifs of kittens.”

Ideation in a clientless vacuum; devoid the realities of real life (inside an agency or any company for that matter). Feasibility. Budgets. Client bureaucracies. The fact is that big ideas take time to sell. They die. They have to be reborn. And that it’s your role to breath the life back in. But only if you really give a shit.

The “idea” is the tip of a gigantic, shit stained iceberg of work. And if you aren’t ready for what it takes, or worse, you think “that it’s someone else’s job” to push your idea from ether to reality—reconsider your profession.

My advice is simple: don’t be the entitled kid. The kid who over indexes in ambition but lacks any real passion—any real drive other than a new title at a new agency.

Be the kid who wants to learn even when he doesn’t have to—the designer who wants to learn to write, to code, to understand business because it makes the design better.

Don’t be an industry douche. They call themselves ninjas or gurus…even evangelists. They’re the ones who will tell you, to your face, that they are smarter than the other guy. They’re the ones who have stopped reading by now.

Don’t be the kid who hops around. Don’t be the kid, who, when given the chance, will opt for the bare minimum. Who scoffs at perspective. The kid who will jeopardize the team to spare his fragile ego. The kid, who, when faced with a situation that gets difficult, says “I’m too good for this kind of work. I deserve better.”

Nobody deserves shit. Until you do. And even then, never admit it.

I’m now the old guy. I get it…

I’m not saying you need to go out and work construction. But it’s good to know where you don’t want to be. And understand why.

I know I don’t want to resize graphics anymore. Why? Well…because it sucks.

But I’ll still dig the shit out of a ditch.

- Dave

I should note, that my teen “rebellion” against my Father was laughably ironic. My dad was blue collar. A cowboy who changed tires on big rigs before finishing college and becoming who he is today.

Behind my teen angst, unbeknownst to me all that time, I was trying to be just like him.

What a silly little rich kid.

David Snyder is Executive Creative Director at Firstborn. Living in Brooklyn. He likes progressive thought, design and technology. He eats and libates well. This editorial original posted on Medium.

The ABCs Of Contemporary Creatives

The New York Egotist — Tue, 21 May 2013 04:14:31 +0000

Local

Here's an interesting project. It's a children's book for adults working in advertising and the creative field called "The ABCs of Contemporary Creatives". It's filled with beautiful illustrations along with alphabetized snippets of advice like the one shown below.

It was written by Tim Nolan, of BBH Labs, and co-creative directed by Tim Nolan & Jen Lu. All illustrations were provided by BA Reps. The print version comes out June 6th. In the meantime give it a read here, on tumblr.

What It Was Like To Be "Right There" On 9/11

The New York Egotist — Tue, 21 May 2013 02:05:48 +0000

Local

New Yorker, ad creative, filmmaker and mother Florence Buchanan has directed "Right There," a short film about tolerance, and the kids of PS 234, who were right at the World Trade Center during the attacks. The film brings them together again, exactly ten years after 9/11.

It will screen at the NY Shorts Fest on Tuesday, May 28th 2013. Check out their site for more info.

Click through for credits and a short synopsis, or watch the trailer below.

RIGHT THERE trailer from Florence Buchanan on Vimeo.

Arnold Worldwide Literally Drops The Ugly Truth

The New York Egotist — Tue, 21 May 2013 01:57:56 +0000

Local

The latest for thetruth.com, from Arnold Worldwide:

Which is uglier? The fact that Methane is found in dog poop and cigarette smoke, or that Urea is found in cat pee and cigarettes?

#votePOOP or #votePEE at: thetruth.com #uglytruth

Diet Dr. Pepper Flips "Hot Guy" Advertising On Its Head

The New York Egotist — Tue, 21 May 2013 01:49:20 +0000

National

This new spot from Deutsch LA, "Josh Button," pokes a little fun at the trend of hot guys in advertising (we're looking at you, Zesty and Drano) while conforming to it at the same time.

Spike DDB Plays Up The Aesthetic Side of Cadillac

The New York Egotist — Mon, 20 May 2013 12:32:05 +0000

Local

Spike DDB has created a new spot for Cadillac, interpreted by director Anthony Mandler with Believe Media.

Fallon CCO Jeff Kling Drops Wisdom On VCU Brandcenter Students In Graduation Speech

The New York Egotist — Mon, 20 May 2013 12:31:46 +0000

National

Jeff Kling, Chief Creative Officer at Fallon, was the commencement speaker at VCU Brandcenter's graduation ceremony on May 11th.

Regardless of when or where you graduated, this is a great speech and definitely worth the watch.

Wi-Fit Encourages Fitness To Feed Your Internet Addiction

The New York Egotist — Mon, 20 May 2013 12:31:01 +0000

Local

Here's an interesting idea from Miami Ad students Eszter Kazinczy and Matteo Capaldi. A fun way to stay fit, while staying glued to your wi-fi at the same time.

Wi-Fit from Eszter Kazinczy on Vimeo.

Jay Zasa Returns To R/GA

The New York Egotist — Fri, 17 May 2013 12:38:26 +0000

Local

Jay Zasa has returned to R/GA as SVP, ECD, Campaigns after spending the last five years at Barbarian Group. In this new role, Zasa will serve as a “connector,” coordinating across the disciplines that concept, create, and deliver campaigns and working in conjunction with department heads, R/GA group leads, and ECDs.

Congratulations to everyone involved.

Food Porn, Literally.

The New York Egotist — Fri, 17 May 2013 12:38:26 +0000

National

NSFW if you work with animals.

Volkswagen's "Lucky Man" Isn't Always So Lucky

The New York Egotist — Thu, 16 May 2013 12:38:26 +0000

National

New VW spot from Deutsch LA. This guy is lucky. You can tell because his soundtrack is a cover of “Lucky Man” by Jim James of My Morning Jacket.

"85 Seconds" Of The Best Stock Footage You've Ever Seen

The New York Egotist — Wed, 15 May 2013 13:23:43 +0000

National

Getty Images & AlmapBBDO do it again. They brought us "From Love to Bingo" (which if you havn't watched- you should check out here) and now "85 Seconds" one of the most creative uses of stock footage we've ever seen.

Photographer Creates Real Life Models From Abstract Paintings

The New York Egotist — Wed, 15 May 2013 12:38:26 +0000

National

19-year-old Hungarian photographer Flora Borsi imagines what models from abstract paintings would look like if they were real people.

We love creepy beautiful.

Via.

Job Posting: Writer

The New York Egotist — Tue, 14 May 2013 13:56:21 +0000

Local

Here's a good one. It's a writer position for a Princeton, NJ architecture firm. When you apply, tell them the NY Egotist sent you.

Remember: Only members get to see jobs posted within the last 3 days. So if you want to get a jump on everyone else - join us.

Show All The Wired Magazine Covers!

The New York Egotist — Tue, 14 May 2013 12:45:15 +0000

National

To celebrate its 20th anniversary, Wired compiled this video of every Wired Magazine cover since May 1993.

Astronaut Covers Bowie’s ‘Space Oddity’ In Space

The New York Egotist — Tue, 14 May 2013 12:39:35 +0000

National

Pereira & O'Dell NY Creates New Spots For Realtor.com

The New York Egotist — Mon, 13 May 2013 12:38:26 +0000

Local

In a fun new campaign,Pereira & O'Dell shows that the only way to get the home you want is to find it first.

Click here to watch the rest.

Local Artist Beth Galton Cuts Food In Half

The New York Egotist — Mon, 13 May 2013 12:20:26 +0000

Local

From local artist Beth Galton comes a fun series called "Cut Food". Where, you know, she cuts food in half.

Check out more of the series here.

Need A Belated Mother's Day Gift Idea?

The New York Egotist — Mon, 13 May 2013 05:25:06 +0000

Local

For very obvious reasons, Mother New York takes Mother's Day pretty seriously.

This year, they've come up with the The MomTract, a loving and legally binding gift to bring mothers and children closer together.

Check it out for yourself here.