Some More Employee Team Building Games from the Former Soviet Union
Pin the Fur Hat on Comrade Stalin
Expose the Informer
How Many Countries Fit Inside Mother Russia?
Detect the Accurate Newspaper Story
See if Your Comrades Catch You Should You Fall Backwards
Ignore the Expatriate
Bread Line Shenanigans
Babushka, Babushka, Who's Got the Babushka?
The new Job List is here! The new Job List is here! (I always think of Steve Martin in The Jerk when I say that.) I'm listing the ASAP Job List here and over to the right under Current Hot Jobs until someone tells me it's a bad idea.
BTW, I've already been chastised this week for writing about iPods in a Talent newsletter under the heading "Going Poddy".
What can I say, I get a lot of ideas at home taking care of two toddlers.
The Aquent ASAP Job List
"Still Partying Like it's 1999"
Interested in a position?
E-MAIL THE AGENT:
A recent resume which REFLECTS the MUST HAVES
Specific samples that show the MUST HAVES
A brief summary of how your experience matches the MUST HAVES
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
THIS WEEK'S POSITIONS:
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POSITION: Marketing Associate
TERMS: Long-Term Temporary (On-Site)
MUST HAVES!:
2+ years of experience in a marketing role in any industry
Good project management, analytical, and research skills
San Fernando Valley location
5 years (minimum) of experience in consumer electronics
Prior role where main responsibility was research (Market Research Analyst, Developer, etc.)
Strong grasp of market trends
Salary is $50K to $55K
College degree required
Carson location
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POSITION: Presentations Supervisor (Asia Pacific Hours)
TERMS: Temporary-to-Permanent (On-Site)
MUST HAVES!:
Prior position managing a presentations team
Expert knowledge of Desktop Publishing (especially Excel and Word)
Hours are Monday to Thursday 8:30a - 5:30p and Sunday 11a – 7p
Century City location
(Positions also open for Presentation Specialists. Hours: Monday to Thursday 6p - 2a, Friday 1:30p - 10p & Sat 11a - 7:30p)
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POSITION: Graphic Designers (Product Graphics & Product Design)
TERMS: Long-Term Contract (On-Site)
MUST HAVES!:
3+ years of experience designing products and product graphics for the toy and/or entertainment industry
Excellent Illustrator and Photoshop skills
Prior work on products like backpacks, mugs, lunchboxes, action figures, dolls, etc.
Must apply with recent samples
2 locations: Westside and San Fernando Valley
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POSITION: Campaign Manager
TERMS: Permanent (On-Site)
MUST HAVES!:
5 to 7 years of experience in Direct Marketing
Experience with datamining tools (i.e., SQL) and campaign management tools (i.e., Epiphany)
Must have previously worked with an IT Team on campaign management and possess strong IT knowledge
BA or BS in marketing or related field
El Segundo location
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IF YOU ARE INTERESTED AND QUALIFIED, E-MAIL THE AGENT LISTED:
Your most recent resume that REFLECTS the MUST HAVES
Any specific samples that show the MUST HAVES
A brief summary of how your experience matches the MUST HAVES
IF YOU KNOW SOMEONE WHO IS INTERESTED AND QUALIFIED, YOU CAN EITHER:
Send the Agent listed that person's name and contact information
Or tell your friend to send the Agent everything listed above
INTERESTED IN OTHER AQUENT POSITIONS?
Go here, my friend
Select Job Openings
* MyAquent users, use your UserName & Password to express interest in jobs. - Everybody else, they just made the registration process 79% easier!
The JOB CENTER will track which jobs you've applied for and the current status.
Another Million Dollar Idea:
Invent a less expensive car navigation system based on the Magic 8 Ball.
Instead of turning over the ball to reveal answers like, "Ask again later" or "Outlook not so good", the Magic 8 Auto Ball will help drivers by suggesting things like, "Make a left", "You passed right by it", or "Would you just please go and ask someone for directions already?"
We'll package it with a 100-page User's Guide.
Price: $54.50
Magic 8 Auto Ball accessory (which lets you mount it in the car's drink holder) sold separately.
Yeah, that elevator still isn't working...
If you can believe it, it looks like they may just be fixing our building's fourth elevator (which has been down for 3 months). Yes, for 3 months they've had a sign on it saying, "Elevator Out of Order. Sorry for the inconvenience". Charlotte who started a few months back has never even been on that elevator. When we called the building's management to ask what was taking so long, the answer we got was that the part had to come from Japan.
Oh, Japan. Well, heck, why didn't you tell us that earlier?
Ah, the Orient, so mysterious and so far away. We can all only hope the Emperor of Japan will let our steamship through so we can pick up the part. Watch out for the Samurai, Mr. Elevator Mechanic! They don't take too kindly to our advanced technologies.
With luck, the steamer won't hit any icebergs on the way back.
By the way, they took the Out of Order sign down two weeks ago and gave away free donuts downstairs "to apologize for the inconvenience".
Funny, though, the elevator still wasn't fixed. They just took the sign down and hoped no one would notice.
That is customer service. I'm just not sure what kind, though.
Yes, you have your DailyCandy and your flavorpill and your Single Shot for daily e-mail updates on what to do and buy around LA, but aren't they doing just half the work as your "well-connected friend"?
Your "well-connected friend" should also be telling you what events and products to avoid. I mean, if a club is chock full of trendy, pretentious people and you have to wait 40 minutes to get in (if you get in at all), that's someplace you don't want to end up, right?
Wouldn't it be nice if you could have heard in advance that the Fred Segal Sidewalk Sale was merely a melee between high-end soccer moms and Melrose hipsters (and not really such a deal)? Shouldn't someone list Bathrooms to Avoid in Greater Los Angeles? How about Dishes to Stay Away from at Your Favorite Restaurants or 10 Reasons to Stay Inside this Saturday?
We think it would.
And we would call it DisMail.
Speaking of which, Heather Hamilton at Microsoft has a lot of good things to say about running a blog as a Recruiter vs. running a blog about recruiting.
Any of you Marketers dying to get into Microsoft, she's the hookup!
A couple of our folks here attended a marketing association event the other day where the topic was (among other things) blogging and how it can help keeping a customer base.
The speaker essentially said that you can't measure how a blog interacts with your customers, it's simply PR. Really? Not sure I buy that.
The important question for me, being someone who blogs at work, is how do recruiters measure the effectiveness of their online presence? Is it simply numbers? Or, in my case, the number of inquiries from interested clients and Talent?
Because, let's face it, at the end of this quarter, I'm going to have to write something on my Performance Review...
Did you see this story about a guy getting paid to blog about Dukes of Hazzard?
Susie passed this along.
Honestly, you'd have to pay me a lot more than $100,000 for the year to watch that much Bo, Daisy, and Luke Duke.
The Aquent ASAP Job List
"First Sauté Briefly then Chill"
Interested in a position?
E-MAIL THE AGENT:
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
THIS WEEK'S POSITIONS:
1) On-Line Media Supervisor
2) Traffic Coordinators
3) On-Line Media Planner
4) Ad Coordinator
5) Presentations Lead
6) Offsite Bilingual Copy Editor
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POSITION: On-Line Media Supervisor
TERMS: Permanent (On-Site)
MUST HAVES!:
5 to 7 years of media experience at a major agency
4+ years of on-line experience
SEO and SEM experience helpful
Skills in one or more of the following: Jupiter, Forrester, Net Ratings, or Media Metrics
Mid-Wilshire location
TERMS: Temporary or Temporary-to-Permanent (On-Site)
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POSITION: On-Line Media Planner
TERMS: Long-Term Temporary (Possibility of Permanent)
MUST HAVES!:
1+ years of professional experience researching, reporting and analyzing on-line media campaigns
Proficiency in Excel, PowerPoint, DoubleClick/DART, Media Visor, NetRatings, and Media Metrix
4-year degree
Westside location
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POSITION: Ad Coordinator
TERMS: Permanent (On-Site)
MUST HAVES!:
1 to 2 years advertising coordination experience with magazine insertion orders
$35 to 40K pay
San Fernando Valley location
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POSITION: Presentations Lead
TERMS: Permanent (On-Site)
MUST HAVES!:
Prior supervision of a 5 or more person team
5 to 7 years presentations experience at a major corporation
Project management experience, experience working with senior management
Downtown location
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POSITION: Off-Site Bilingual Copy Editor
TERMS: Temporary (Off-Site)
MUST HAVES!:
2+ years professional experience
Copy editing proficiency in both Spanish and English
Must pass both Aquent's English and Spanish proofreading assessments
Offsite location, project-based work
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
IF YOU ARE INTERESTED AND QUALIFIED, E-MAIL THE AGENT LISTED:
Your most recent resume that REFLECTS the MUST HAVES
Any specific samples that show the MUST HAVES
A brief summary of how your experience matches the MUST HAVES
IF YOU KNOW SOMEONE WHO IS INTERESTED AND QUALIFIED, YOU CAN EITHER:
Send the Agent listed that person's name and contact information
Or tell your friend to send the Agent everything listed above
INTERESTED IN OTHER AQUENT POSITIONS?
Go here, my friend
Select Job Openings
* MyAquent users, use your UserName & Password to express interest in jobs. - Everybody else, they just made the registration process 79% easier!
The JOB CENTER will track which jobs you've applied for and the current status.
To: The Entire Company
From: Your CEO
Subject: The Berkeley Team
As you probably have heard, the team from Berkeley will be here next month. As these folks are the new owners of our company, we should make them feel as welcome as possible when they come to evaluate our teams and redefine our company's goals and direction.
That being said, they have asked me to let all of you know in advance about some of the changes that will be implemented before they come. This will be (mostly) to avoid any shock that might otherwise detract from all the important work we have ahead of us.
This is the first of three memos.
As of tomorrow the entire office will be going Organic.
This is not a joke, people, so I hope you will listen up and follow these new procedures closely.
Tomorrow everything in the refrigerator that is not Organic will be tossed out. Do not try to rush back there and slap an "Organic" label on your Ding Dongs or what have you, before then. We are not stupid, and we will be looking closely at the ingredients. If they are not organic, they are history.
All banana peels, eggshells, coffee grinds, etc. will no longer be allowed into our trashcans. Instead, they will need to go down to the compost pile where they will be turned into something called "humus". (Not to be confused with the Middle Eastern dip "hummus".) This will be used as mulch in the new company garden. The compost pile will be located in what used be known as the Smokers' Lounge.
(FYI, the Smokers' Lounge can now be found in Any Area Off Company Property.)
If you eat or drink something from a recyclable container, then for heaven's sake, recycle it when you are through. Appropriate bins for recyclable plastics of all different kinds can now be found around the office, as will receptacles for aluminum cans, plastic bottles, Ni-Cad batteries, windowed envelopes, chicken carcasses, and dental floss. If you are eating something wrapped in plastic, then eat it off property.
Should you be one of those recycling bin "scroungers", don't even think about it. The monies raised from recycling will be supporting a "Meat Is Murder" campaign currently running in rural Nebraska and Iowa, a cause very near and dear to our new company owners' hearts.
If you have any article of clothing made of fur or leather, or any part of what was once a living animal, leave it at home.
Ditto on anything black. Black is no longer a clothing option at this company. If you are working in the Art Department, I suggest you do some shopping at Gourd & Tailor, Organic Clothing B Us, or wherever within the next couple of weeks.
All paper loaded in the laser printers will be made from 110% post-consumer recycled stock. This paper is a fairly dark shade of gray, so you might want to think about your choice of font colors going forward.
When the new team arrives, please keep all talk regarding sports, fashion and (especially) reality TV to a minimum. Some of these people are highly sensitive in nature and may become aggravated should you reference one of these topics while they are also in line for the FroYo machine or Raw Food Bar.
Our former parking lot will be made into a Farm Collective this month. The artisanal cheese-making contingent from rural Tibet will arriving shortly thereafter. Until that time, the pygmy yaks will be located in our COO's office along with the hens, banty rooster, and Angora goat.
On a sad note, our COO will no longer be with us as of delivery of this memo. (This may also be a sobering note for some of you in upper management.)
I hope you will follow all these protocols outlined above, as the new team will expect all procedures to be in place upon their arrival.
I appreciate your help in fulfilling all of these to the letter and look forward to writing my next memo:
Hemp: Friend or Foe?
HOT TALENT
Is it illegal for adults to throw toy paratroopers from their 4th floor balcony to see how far they'll go before they land? Or just ill advised?
We've been asking ourselves that very same thing.
If anybody out there is a lawyer, please contact us before 5pm today (which is when Operation Teensy Weensy Paratrooper is set to deploy).
If you are not an attorney, then perhaps you'd like to find out more about our excellent Aquent Talent in the newsletter that follows.
No strings attached (but you knew that was coming, right?)
Follow the links for profiles, samples, and resumes!
Geronimo!
__________________________________________________
FEATURED TALENT THIS WEEK
Richard F. - Graphic Artist
Robin M. - Proofreader, Editor, Designer
Scott K. - Design Director
Taylor S. - Interim Marketing Executive
__________________________________________________
Scott K.
Design Director
Over eight years of strategic visual communications experience, Scott's work is as good-looking as it is effective.
Most recently with ACCO Brands, he managed the marketing department's graphic design group and was responsible for designing packaging, retail environments, copywriting, directing photo shoots, plus budget review and planning. His arm's length client list from his own design consultancy firm includes Mazda, Cosco, Curves, AXL Skateboard Products, eKnowledge, and dozens more.
His broad range of work includes print, interactive, packaging, product as well as environmental design.
Be sure to see his on-line Aquent profile!
Desired Work: Permanent
Skills: Adobe Photoshop, Adobe Illustrator, QuarkXPress, Adobe InDesign, Adobe Acrobat, Microsoft Word, Copy Writing
__________________________________________________
Robin M.
Proofreader, Editor, Designer
Great attitude. Great skills.
Just finishing up a long-term assignment at biotech giant Amgen, Robin was running point as Quality Control Specialist maintaining corporate branding, identity standards and guidelines in all printed materials, ensuring all copy and artwork were free from errors before she preflighted each and sent them off for printing.
Accomplished in almost every area of the desktop publishing industry, she has previously held positions as a Writer, Editor, Proofreader, and Graphic Designer. She was Publications Editor for the U.S.'s 3rd largest home-improvement company, Menard, Inc., where she designed, wrote copy, edited, and pretty much did everything else for a 40-page monthly magazine mailed to 30,000 employees.
No job too big. No error too small.
She's comes with highest recommendations!
See her on-line Aquent profile.
Desired Work: Freelance & Permanent Work
Skills: QuarkXPress, Microsoft Word, Microsoft Windows, Microsoft Excel, Adobe PageMaker, Adobe Photoshop, Adobe Illustrator, WordPerfect, CorelDRAW!, Adobe Acrobat, Eudora, Microsoft Access, Microsoft Windows NT, Microsoft Office, Flatbed Scanning, Netscape Commerce Web Server, Claris Works, Real Audio, Outlook Express
__________________________________________________
Richard F.
Graphic Artist
Also finishing up at Amgen, Rick has been working in graphics since 1995 and has just about the fastest Photoshop skills we've ever seen (and great Quark, to boot).
Besides his truly superior work at Amgen, Rick designed and executed a huge 1200-page Chinese herb reference book for Evergreen Herbs. Working as both a staff member and freelancer he's produced and designed everything from video boxes to software manuals design for a number of clients including Jackson-Dawson, DMB&B, The Jewish Journal, Capital Research & Management, and Tradeshow Week.
And he's dang fast! Did we mention that?
See his on-line Aquent profile.
Desired Work: Freelance & Permanent
Skills: Adobe Photoshop, Adobe Illustrator, QuarkXPress, Macromedia FreeHand, Microsoft Word
__________________________________________________
Taylor S.
Interim Marketing Executive
A Columbia School of Journalism graduate, Taylor has used her award-winning creative expertise in multinational corporate, entertainment, and media industries.
In both Europe and the U.S. she's directed corporate branding and strategic marketing campaigns, holding senior management and consulting roles in Marketing Communications, Media Relations and Creative Services for many high-profile agencies, multinationals and organizations including Texaco, The Body Shop, PricewaterhouseCoopers and UCLA's Graduate School of Theater, Film and Television.
She's managed large budgets and directed internal teams and vendors, as well as produced key art, print and audiovisual promotional collateral.
And she's available locally or for across the pond! (That'd be England.)
See her on-line Aquent profile.
Desired Work: Freelance & Permanent
Professional Categories: Account Management, Corporate Communications, Marketing Communications, Public Relations, Other Print Design and Production
Another Friday, another Hot Talent Newsletter! (That's a link for those of you who want it in its entirety.) And a new Bit at the End.
If you're a client and you've come to the blog, we're trying to figure out what exactly people want to see here. I had one of our Talent's write ups here earlier, but Susie, my manager, felt that was a little salesy. Hmm, I'm too salesy? That's a new one.
Would everyone rather hear how the launch of the toy paratroopers off the 4th floor balcony worked out instead?
What is up, precisely, with the Brontosaurus?
I don't know if this is an age issue, but I remember knowing only two dinosaurs when I was a kid: T. Rex and the Brontosaurus (why does it seem every kid now knows around 50?)
Remember when Barney and Fred used to order Brontosaurus Burgers? Which is strange when you think that Fred was on a Brontosaurus all day working, then got down to get something like Brontosaurus meatloaf out of his lunchbox.
That quarry confused me. But I don't think it was me. I think it was the writers at Hanna-Barbera. Sometimes his boss was Joe Rockhead, sometimes it was Mr. Slate. Sometimes it was J.J. Granite or Mr. Boulder. Sometimes Barney worked with him, sometimes Barney worked somewhere else. (Please see the folks at the Straight Dope to set things straight. Sort of.)
There is the distinct possibility that the writers were smoking something other than Lucky Strikes on their breaks.
How else could you explain the incredibly lame, and almost always weeping Great Gazoo?
But back to the Brontosaurus.
That's almost as confusing as the Flintstones. And it takes place in a quarry, too.
Who knows, maybe a lot of the bones in natural history museums are the remains of some sort of elaborate practical joke that Fred and Barney were playing on Mr. Slate.
Or Joe Rockhead.
Or whoever.
I was riding my bike to work the other day and I wondered, "What if they shut off a whole street, like 4th Street, from anything other than bicycles? Wouldn't that be cool?"
Part of the problem of riding in this city is there is one heck of a lot of traffic on the main thoroughfares like Beverly and Melrose. Riding on the sidewalk is technically illegal, plus cars making a left or right will NEVER see a bike coming off the sidewalk onto the street at 15 mph.
So I ride a lot of streets like 4th Street anyway, because it's quieter, nicer, and there's less traffic. The only problem is it takes longer to get home because of all the stop signs.
Which got me to thinking about closing a street to everything but bikes. The city could put up stop signs for the car traffic crossing the 4th street, but bikes would have the right-of-way.
By the way, before you give me kudos for riding to work, you should know I take the easy way to work, bus for 4 miles and bike for 5, then ride home for 9. All the Metro busses are outfitted with bike racks on the front, which are pretty easy to figure out (unless you're my old coworker Dave, who demanded that the driver come out and show him how to work it. Which of course he didn't.)
The true heroes of biking to work are those guys like at Google, where most of the company bikes to work and one of their System Ops Managers, Joe Gross, just got San Francisco County's Bike Commuter of the Year.
Not to mention the guy I see when I'm driving down Hyperion Blvd. Mondays through Thursdays.
He's got one leg.
Now that, my friend, is commitment.
England's Guardian newspaper recently held a competition to pen the demise of Harry Potter's
Dumbledore in the style of another author.
And not just your standard Chaucer fare either. Try Dave Eggers. Or Jack Kerouac.
Highlights are here.
Would have been nice to see entries from Harry's blog...
The AMA is hopping aboard the blogging bandwagon. They're hosting a lunch seminar this Wednesday entitled Brand-Building by Blog (and Gaming, and RSS), featuring a discussion with Freddie Laker, founder and CEO of iChameleon Group.
More information at the AMA's site.
Wish I could go, but I'm at another lunch....
The Aquent ASAP Job List
"Fresh from the Farm to You"
Interested in a position?
E-MAIL THE AGENT:
A recent resume which REFLECTS the MUST HAVES
Specific samples that show the MUST HAVES
A brief summary of how your experience matches the MUST HAVES
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
THIS WEEK'S POSITIONS:
1) FileMaker Scripting Expert
2) Apparel Graphics Designer
3) Presentation Specialists
4) UI Designer
5) Group Information Marketing Director
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
POSITION: FileMaker Scripting Expert
TERMS: Temporary (On-Site)
MUST HAVES!:
5+ years of experience
Excellent hands-on skills in FileMaker Pro (scripting, automating, and developing)
Working for IT department
Burbank location
E-mail Michelle
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POSITION: Apparel Graphics Designer
TERMS: Long-Term Temporary (On-Site)
MUST HAVES!:
3+ years working in apparel and product graphics design
Must have children's products and/or entertainment experience
Experience styles sheets and licensed merchandise
Excellent Quark, Photoshop, and Illustrator skills
San Fernando Valley location
E-mail Olivia
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POSITION: Presentation Specialists
TERMS: Temporary (Off-Site & On-site)
MUST HAVES!:
Daytime hours required
Excellent PowerPoint skills (including animation)
Hands-on knowledge of Photoshop and Illustrator
3+ years professional presentation design experience
Able to interface easily with senior executives
Positions around Los Angeles
E-mail Debra
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POSITION: UI Designer
TERMS: Long-Term Contract (On-Site)
MUST HAVES!:
3 to 5 years of experience
Previous experience designing GUIs
Top skills in all multimedia design applications including 3D design
This position is for a conceptual visual Designer
Santa Monica location
E-mail Drea
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POSITION: Group Information Marketing Director
TERMS: Permanent (On-Site)
MUST HAVES!:
Circulation, publication experience
7 to 10 years of experience
Background in planning strategic consumer initiatives
On-line and direct mail experience
MBA a plus
Miracle Mile location
E-mail Ryan
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IF YOU ARE INTERESTED AND QUALIFIED, E-MAIL THE AGENT LISTED:
Your most recent resume that REFLECTS the MUST HAVES
Any specific samples that show the MUST HAVES
A brief summary of how your experience matches the MUST HAVES
IF YOU KNOW SOMEONE WHO IS INTERESTED AND QUALIFIED, YOU CAN EITHER:
Send the Agent listed that person's name and contact information
Or tell your friend to send the Agent everything listed above
INTERESTED IN OTHER AQUENT POSITIONS?
Go here, my friend
Select Job Openings
* MyAquent users, use your UserName & Password to express interest in jobs. - Everybody else, they just made the registration process 79% easier!
The JOB CENTER will track which jobs you've applied for and the current status.
As promised, I'm putting this week's and archived Hot Talent Newsletters here and Bits at the End here.
But I'll run the whole sheebang on this blog every week.
Is that working? Please let me know...
-------
H O T T A L E N T
The Newsletter of Aquent's Available Talent
J U L Y | 1 5 | 2 0 0 5
__________________________________________________
IN THIS ISSUE:
Featured Talent This Week
That Bit at the End - "Cupholder Not Optional"
__________________________________________________
FEATURED TALENT THIS WEEK
Rose A. - Web Content Development & Editor
Maury M. - Director of Brand Marketing
Whitney M. - Presentation Specialist
Karen L. - Marketing Director
__________________________________________________
Rose A.
Web Content Development & Editor
An award-winning Content Developer and Hand-Coder, Rose has never met an application she couldn't master.
Most recently working with the Google AdSense group and ensuring text ads were correctly related to search words, she has outstanding hands-on experience in both contextual advertising and non-traditional marketing strategies. Armed with a working knowledge of CSS and JavaScript, she content-managed and coded Sony Pictures' SoapCity.com and helped develop a spoof called "SoapVivor" which increased traffic and provided an interactive experience for their users (as well as incorporated retail aspects by partnering with the Sony online store).
When you need your code and content to sing and dance, then talk to us about the person whose been dealing with both since '96!
See her on-line Aquent profile here.
Desired Work: Freelance & Permanent
Skills: HTML, Microsoft Word, Microsoft Windows, Adobe Photoshop,
Adobe Illustrator, Copy Writing, Microsoft Windows NT, BBEdit, UNIX,
JavaScript, Macromedia HomeSite, Adobe ImageReady, Macromedia
Dreamweaver
__________________________________________________
Maury M.
Director of Brand Marketing
With 10 years of brand management, and consumer products licensing experience, Maury has a Black Belt in Brand Marketing.
At Twentieth Century Fox, Maury oversaw worldwide marketing strategies for licensing and merchandising for all Fox-owned TV properties including The Simpsons, Buffy the Vampire Slayer, X-Files, working with an annual budget of more than $10 million. Under his leadership, retail sales increased 36% in his first year on board. As Director of Brand Development at TokyoPop, he secured national partnerships and placements for their graphic novel and anime-based properties, landing them in Radio Shacks, Barnes & Noble and Border's, as well as on both MTV and Cartoon Network.
If you want your products to appear in the right places and disappear to the right consumers, you know where to call. Right?
See his on-line Aquent profile here.
Desired Work: Freelance & Permanent
Skills: Advertising/Account Management, Media Buying, Public
Relations, Marketing/Professional Services, Marketing/Media &
Entertainment, Marketing/Interactive, PR/Account Management, Event
Management, Event Co-ordination, Business Development, Media Sales,
Media Strategy, Media Planning, Microsoft Word, Microsoft Windows,
Macromedia Director, Microsoft Excel, Adobe Premiere, FileMaker, Adobe
PageMaker, Adobe Photoshop, Microsoft PowerPoint, Adobe Illustrator,
QuarkXPress, Microsoft Project, Adobe Acrobat, Output to Film, Sound
Designer, Microsoft Access, Management, Macromedia Dreamweaver, Sales,
Microsoft Windows NT, Avid Composer, Microsoft Office, HTML, Microsoft
FrontPage, Real Audio, Real Video, Outlook Express, Administration,
Office Management, Customer Service
__________________________________________________
Whitney M.
Presentation Specialist
If you need someone who can work long hours, weekends, and under tight deadlines without losing his cool, then Whitney is your man!
A solid presentations designer with Quark, Photoshop and Illustrator skills, Whitney's chops in PowerPoint, Word and Excel are nothing less than amazing.
With a client roster that includes Morgan Stanley, HBO, Amgen, Northrop Grumman, and Young & Rubicam, he's used to working on presentations for clients where mistakes can't happen and time is always of the essence. He is also expert at setting up and running presentations, using laptops, sound equipment and video projectors, so everything works smoothly without any last minute surprises.
So if you're looking to get your presentation across with sizzle instead of fizzle, call us about Whitney!
See his on-line Aquent profile here.
Desired Work: Freelance & Permanent
Skills: Microsoft PowerPoint, Adobe Photoshop, Adobe Illustrator,
QuarkXPress, Adobe After Effects, Adobe Premiere, Microsoft Word,
Microsoft Windows, Microsoft Excel, FileMaker, Adobe Acrobat, Microsoft
Windows NT, Microsoft Office, DOS, Advertising/Account Management,
Media Buying, Sales, Marketing/Professional Services, Marketing/Media
& Entertainment
__________________________________________________
Karen L.
Marketing Director
A senior level marketing executive with extensive project & product management, branding, launch, and PR experience, Karen has a successful track record of launching new products, developing brand strategy, creating effective media campaigns, and delivering on sales and revenue targets.
Most recently at Oroweat, she directed all aspects of product marketing and brand management for this $330 million dollar bread category leader. At Ninedots (formerly CyberSight) she was Director of Brand Strategy of Consumer Packaged Goods, supervising CRM strategy, on-line advertising, e-business application development, site design, and direct marketing. She was one of the pioneers in the use of the Internet to promote feature films, entertainments libraries, and merchandise at Digital Planet and has solid business experience in the Asia Pacific Region (along with advanced Japanese language skills).
This Thunderbird MBA promises to add punch to any brand she takes under her wing!
See her on-line Aquent profile here.
Desired Work: Freelance & Permanent
Skills: Management, HTML, Advertising/Account Management, Sales, COM/DCOM, Marketing/Media & Entertainment, Business Development, Administration
__________________________________________________
THAT BIT AT THE END
"Cupholder Not Optional"
Grand Theft Mini-Auto:
Escape from the Shriners
You are G. Willikers, ex-hit man for the KFC.
You've left war-torn Slovena when the bottom dropped out of its fragile PEZ-based economy, and have come back the big city of Chutzpah only to find a town rife with danger.
And there's no turning back.
Mean-spirited Shriners have taken this bustling metropolis by storm and are running amok in the streets. A sea of red fezzes undulates wildly and threatens each of the peace-loving citizens with obscene balloon animals, well liquor, and little red automobiles. No one is safe.
Including you, G.
Now you must mercilessly beat a Shriner clown, obtain his low-speed vehicle, and make it to through each of the 8 boroughs to save the people of Chutzpah from this fuzzy red-hatted menace.
Easy? Hardly.
More than a few obstacles stand in your way:
The Shriner leader, Grand Master Flash, has resolved to have your head for assaulting an unarmed clown and throwing down rival faction Fraternal Order of Eagles gang signs in his territory.
The crooked police department, led by the fearless Sergeant Atarms, have stationed themselves outside gas stations, Starbucks, and donut shops, lying in wait to hand you a citation for failing to drive in circles and wave while driving a 5 horsepower vehicle.
Your old girlfriend, Krystahl Cathedral, isn't thrilled to see you back in town and taking up with the stunning and heavily armed Cora Loft. In Grand Theft Ice Cream Truck you said you'd be back right after you found a less itchy sweater and haven't seen her in 5 years. Hell hath no fury than a woman scorned (nor as many hollow-tip bullets). When you come back to her side of town, you'd better be prepared. At least with a good excuse.
Chico Andeman is certain you've come back to take over his bustling shower cap trade in the 4th borough. You just try explaining to him you only want to get out alive. (Maybe at a nice out-of-the-way restaurant. Be careful, though, he has a tendency to counter suggestions with, "The service there is terrible" or "I just had Chinese for lunch.")
The slipshod Tipsy McSwagger is still hounding you for that drink you owe him. He'll stop at nothing to get it. (Don't fall for it, you'll say you're just getting one, but you know you're going to be in the bar for at least 3 rounds of drinks.)
The Dry Cleaner wants to know where your ticket is.
School Kids want you to buy candy for their band trip to NY.
Your Mother demands to know why you haven't called.
Flying Monkeys swoop around and steal bullets from all male protagonists while they're otherwise occupied.
And your Shirt Tag is out.
There's nowhere to run, there's nowhere to hide.
Are you prepared?
You'd better be, because
Grand Theft Mini-Auto:
Escape from the Shriners
Comes into stores August 5th, 2005!
(Or so. The Programmers are working furiously.)
Try our other G. Willikers titles:
Grand Theft Bumper Car:
How Do I Get this Thing into Reverse?
Grand Theft Rental Moving Van:
Didn't You Box Anything Before I Got Here?
Grand Theft Mini-Auto:
Escape from the Shriners
You are G. Willikers, ex-hit man for the KFC.
You've left war-torn Slovena when the bottom dropped out of its fragile PEZ-based economy, and have come back the big city of Chutzpah only to find a town rife with danger.
And there's no turning back.
Mean-spirited Shriners have taken this bustling metropolis by storm and are running amok in the streets. A sea of red fezzes undulates wildly and threatens each of the peace-loving citizens with obscene balloon animals, well liquor, and little red automobiles. No one is safe.
Including you, G.
Now you must mercilessly beat a Shriner clown, obtain his low-speed vehicle, and make it to through each of the 8 boroughs to save the people of Chutzpah from this fuzzy red-hatted menace.
Easy? Hardly.
More than a few obstacles stand in your way:
The Shriner leader, Grand Master Flash, has resolved to have your head for assaulting an unarmed clown and throwing down rival faction Fraternal Order of Eagles gang signs in his territory.
The crooked police department, led by the fearless Sergeant Atarms, have stationed themselves outside gas stations, Starbucks, and donut shops, lying in wait to hand you a citation for failing to drive in circles and wave while driving a 5 horsepower vehicle.
Your old girlfriend, Krystahl Cathedral, isn't thrilled to see you back in town and taking up with the stunning and heavily armed Cora Loft. In Grand Theft Ice Cream Truck you said you'd be back right after you found a less itchy sweater and haven't seen her in 5 years. Hell hath no fury than a woman scorned (nor as many hollow-tip bullets). When you come back to her side of town, you'd better be prepared. At least with a good excuse.
Chico Andeman is certain you've come back to take over his bustling shower cap trade in the 4th borough. You just try explaining to him you only want to get out alive. (Maybe at a nice out-of-the-way restaurant. Be careful, though, he has a tendency to counter suggestions with, "The service there is terrible" or "I just had Chinese for lunch.")
The slipshod Tipsy McSwagger is still hounding you for that drink you owe him. He'll stop at nothing to get it. (Don't fall for it, you'll say you're just getting one, but you know you're going to be in the bar for at least 3 rounds of drinks.)
The Dry Cleaner wants to know where your ticket is.
School Kids want you to buy candy for their band trip to NY.
Your Mother demands to know why you haven't called.
Flying Monkeys swoop around and steal bullets from all male protagonists while they're otherwise occupied.
And your Shirt Tag is out.
There's nowhere to run, there's nowhere to hide.
Are you prepared?
You'd better be, because
Grand Theft Mini-Auto:
Escape from the Shriners
Comes into stores August 5th, 2005!
(Or so. The Programmers are working furiously.)
Try our other G. Willikers titles:
Grand Theft Bumper Car:
How Do I Get this Thing into Reverse?
Grand Theft Rental Moving Van:
Didn't You Box Anything Before I Got Here?
FEATURED TALENT THIS WEEK
Rose A. - Web Content Development & Editor
Maury M. - Director of Brand Marketing
Whitney M. - Presentation Specialist
Karen L. - Marketing Director
__________________________________________________
Rose A.
Web Content Development & Editor
An award-winning Content Developer and Hand-Coder, Rose has never met an application she couldn't master.
Most recently working with the Google AdSense group and ensuring text ads were correctly related to search words, she has outstanding hands-on experience in both contextual advertising and non-traditional marketing strategies. Armed with a working knowledge of CSS and JavaScript, she content-managed and coded Sony Pictures' SoapCity.com and helped develop a spoof called "SoapVivor" which increased traffic and provided an interactive experience for their users (as well as incorporated retail aspects by partnering with the Sony online store).
When you need your code and content to sing and dance, then talk to us about the person whose been dealing with both since '96!
See her on-line Aquent profile here.
Desired Work: Freelance & Permanent
Skills: HTML, Microsoft Word, Microsoft Windows, Adobe Photoshop, Adobe Illustrator, Copy Writing, Microsoft Windows NT, BBEdit, UNIX, JavaScript, Macromedia HomeSite, Adobe ImageReady, Macromedia Dreamweaver
__________________________________________________
Maury M.
Director of Brand Marketing
With 10 years of brand management, and consumer products licensing experience, Maury has a Black Belt in Brand Marketing.
At Twentieth Century Fox, Maury oversaw worldwide marketing strategies for licensing and merchandising for all Fox-owned TV properties including The Simpsons, Buffy the Vampire Slayer, X-Files, working with an annual budget of more than $10 million. Under his leadership, retail sales increased 36% in his first year on board. As Director of Brand Development at TokyoPop, he secured national partnerships and placements for their graphic novel and anime-based properties, landing them in Radio Shacks, Barnes & Noble and Border's, as well as on both MTV and Cartoon Network.
If you want your products to appear in the right places and disappear to the right consumers, you know where to call. Right?
See his on-line Aquent profile here.
Desired Work: Freelance & Permanent
Skills: Advertising/Account Management, Media Buying, Public Relations, Marketing/Professional Services, Marketing/Media & Entertainment, Marketing/Interactive, PR/Account Management, Event Management, Event Co-ordination, Business Development, Media Sales, Media Strategy, Media Planning, Microsoft Word, Microsoft Windows, Macromedia Director, Microsoft Excel, Adobe Premiere, FileMaker, Adobe PageMaker, Adobe Photoshop, Microsoft PowerPoint, Adobe Illustrator, QuarkXPress, Microsoft Project, Adobe Acrobat, Output to Film, Sound Designer, Microsoft Access, Management, Macromedia Dreamweaver, Sales, Microsoft Windows NT, Avid Composer, Microsoft Office, HTML, Microsoft FrontPage, Real Audio, Real Video, Outlook Express, Administration, Office Management, Customer Service
__________________________________________________
Whitney M.
Presentation Specialist
If you need someone who can work long hours, weekends, and under tight deadlines without losing his cool, then Whitney is your man!
A solid presentations designer with Quark, Photoshop and Illustrator skills, Whitney's chops in PowerPoint, Word and Excel are nothing less than amazing.
With a client roster that includes Morgan Stanley, HBO, Amgen, Northrop Grumman, and Young & Rubicam, he's used to working on presentations for clients where mistakes can't happen and time is always of the essence. He is also expert at setting up and running presentations, using laptops, sound equipment and video projectors, so everything works smoothly without any last minute surprises.
So if you're looking to get your presentation across with sizzle instead of fizzle, call us about Whitney!
See his on-line Aquent profile here.
Desired Work: Freelance & Permanent
Skills: Microsoft PowerPoint, Adobe Photoshop, Adobe Illustrator, QuarkXPress, Adobe After Effects, Adobe Premiere, Microsoft Word, Microsoft Windows, Microsoft Excel, FileMaker, Adobe Acrobat, Microsoft Windows NT, Microsoft Office, DOS, Advertising/Account Management, Media Buying, Sales, Marketing/Professional Services, Marketing/Media & Entertainment
__________________________________________________
Karen L.
Marketing Director
A senior level marketing executive with extensive project & product management, branding, launch, and PR experience, Karen has a successful track record of launching new products, developing brand strategy, creating effective media campaigns, and delivering on sales and revenue targets.
Most recently at Oroweat, she directed all aspects of product marketing and brand management for this $330 million dollar bread category leader. At Ninedots (formerly CyberSight) she was Director of Brand Strategy of Consumer Packaged Goods, supervising CRM strategy, on-line advertising, e-business application development, site design, and direct marketing. She was one of the pioneers in the use of the Internet to promote feature films, entertainments libraries, and merchandise at Digital Planet and has solid business experience in the Asia Pacific Region (along with advanced Japanese language skills).
This Thunderbird MBA promises to add punch to any brand she takes under her wing!
See her on-line Aquent profile here.
Desired Work: Freelance & Permanent
Skills: Management, HTML, Advertising/Account Management, Sales, COM/DCOM, Marketing/Media & Entertainment, Business Development, Administration
So, it's only been 3 weeks, but I can't tell you the amount of positive encouragement (can encouragement be negative?) I've gotten on starting up this blog.
The thing that's so surprising is how enthusiastic people are about other recruiting/staffing bloggers, especially in an industry that can be so competitive.
The underlying point I think was made by Marc Stone in his recent post. The work we do every day impacts people's lives significantly, which isn't something many people experience daily. Hard, yes, sometimes it's incredibly overwhelming (but aren't most jobs?), but the fact that you can help change the course of someone's life for the better is just an amazing perk, don't you think?
Beats making widgets!
And thank you, thank you, thank you to Heather, Jason, Marc, and Jason for making me feel so welcomed!
The BBC News will have a reviewer picking up his copy of the new Harry Potter book and reviewing it live, via their blog!
You can imagine this will be more exciting than actually reading the book itself. I mean the man will be doing a blow-by-blow account of the book.
"The first word is 'Darkness'"! The second word, hold on, it's coming into focus now, yes folks, it's "falls"! Hold on everyone, looks like we've got punctuation!"
Remember when that 14 year-old tried to tell you the plotline of an episode of 24? Or when your uncle Phil recounted a Seinfeld plot and left out all the jokes?
It's true, there's no limit to what you can do with a blog.
Did you know the most common spelling error we see here (besides my own frequent errors) is the misspelling of QuarkXPress?
There's a few different variations of this: "QuarkExpress", "QuarkXpress", "Quark Xpress"…
One of my old client contacts wouldn't look at a resume if Quark was spelled wrong. She'd toss it out.
Silly? Probably, because there's a heck of a lot of people who can burn it up in Quark, but aren't the best spellers. They're Designers for heaven's sake, not Copywriters!
But then again, there's a lot of hiring managers who see typos in resumes and stop reading.
That's just the fact.
When I rewrote my resume (now many years ago) I was sick of looking at it. After I was done making revisions and revisions and revisions and then proofing it and proofing it, I never wanted to see it again. Believe me, the last thing I wanted to do was have a friend critique it and tell me what was wrong with it just so I could go and rework it again.
Crazily, having a peer or friend look over your resume before it's sent out is probably one of the most important pieces of advice we give to people in our resume seminars.
That and Don't Eat a Muffin During the Interview (boy, I wish I had a link for that).
Hard to believe but resumes may get only 10 seconds of viewing by HR before they decide "No" or "Maybe". 10 seconds. That actually may be lenient. It could be 5 seconds.
Just think if you made it to the "Maybe" pile and then got tossed into the "No" pile because QuarkXPress was misspelled.
You can do what I do. Put "QuarkXPress" in your spelling dictionary, then you never have to worry about it.
BTW, have you checked out Google's new Firefox toolbar? You can SpellCheck (tm) any entry in an on-line form. I'm only on day 3, but all's well so far.
Do you ever have one of those days when you know everything will be technically related?
So far I have:
And it is 12:47pm.
My work here is done for the day.
See you in the AM!
Our old officemate, Daphne, now works for Aquent Down Under (don't ask me how she managed to pull that off) and still sends us the Word of the Day.
Today's:
potable \POH-tuh-buhl\, adjective:
Fit to drink; suitable for drinking; drinkable.
I think of this word whenever I go to city parks and see a "This water is non-potable" sign by a water faucet.
Now if potable has to be a Word of the Day because many people don't know what it means, doesn't it follow that the city shouldn't use it to notify its citizens that certain water faucets may kill them?
I'd like to see park rangers putting up signs that say, “Caution, squirrels may be temerarious�.
The Aquent ASAP Job List
"Your Shirt Tag is Out"
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
INTERESTED IN A POSITION?
E-MAIL THE AGENT:
A recent resume which REFLECTS the MUST HAVES
Specific samples you have that show the MUST HAVES
A brief summary of how your experience matches the MUST HAVES
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
THIS WEEK'S POSITIONS:
1) Marketing Manager
2) Product Manager
3) Account Executive (Direct Mail)
4) Account Executive (Print Brochures)
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
POSITION: Marketing Manager
TERMS: Temporary-to-Permanent (On-Site)
MUST HAVES!:
3+ years experience as a Marketing Manager
Prior experience developing marketing and sales programs to acquire new business
$50 to 55K salary
Pasadena location
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
POSITION: Product Manager
TERMS: Long-Term Temporary (On-Site)
MUST HAVES!:
Prior experience concepting and designing consumer products
Market research experience
Previously managed production and development process
Moorpark location
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
POSITION: Account Executive (Direct Mail)
TERMS: Permanent (On-Site)
MUST HAVES!:
5 years of Account Executive experience
3+ years of direct mail experience
Excellent understanding of the print process
Glendale location
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
POSITION: Account Executive (Print Brochures)
TERMS: Permanent (On-Site)
MUST HAVES!:
3+ Account Executive experience
Experience managing day-to-day client relationship in the development of print brochures
Mid $50s salary
Long Beach location
With the sale of full-sized Sport-Utility Vehicles sharply slumping in the recent months, we've decided to help boost SUV sales nationwide and help give the American economy a shot in the arm.
The idea came to us after receiving a curious "non-chain letter" in the mail about a "Kitchen Towel Exchange".
The idea is amazingly simple, just send off a few towels and receive a bunch more!
Wow, we thought, if we just replaced a small ticket item like a kitchen towel with a bigger ticket item like a full-sized Sport-Utility Vehicle in the letter, ran off a hundred copies, then sent it to everyone we knew, we'd be doing the American public a huge favor!
Just take a look at the revised letter with our new text IN CAPS.
And feel free to print out and participate!
---------------
BRAND NEW FULL-SIZED SPORT-UTILITY VEHICLE Exchange
Dear: FELLOW INTERESTED AMERICAN
This is a BRAND NEW FULL-SIZED SPORT-UTILITY VEHICLE exchange! Please send a BRAND NEW FULL-SIZED SPORT-UTILITY VEHICLE to the person whose name is listed in the #1 spot below. Then move my name to the #1 position and put your name in the #2 position. Only your name and my name should appear when you send your letters out. Send this to six friends.
This is not a chain letter! It's just for fun AND AN ECONOMIC BOOST. If you cannot do this within 5 days, please let me know so it will be fair to those participating.
A LARGE CRATE will mail the BRAND NEW FULL-SIZED SPORT-UTILITY VEHICLE nicely. You should receive 36 BRAND NEW FULL-SIZED SPORT-UTILITY VEHICLES for the price of one! It is fun to see the different locations from which the BRAND NEW FULL-SIZED SPORT-UTILITY VEHICLES arrive. Seldom does anyone drop out because we can all use the BRAND NEW FULL-SIZED SPORT-UTILITY VEHICLES, right?
The turnaround is extremely fast because there are only two names on the list. You should be receiving your BRAND NEW FULL-SIZED SPORT-UTILITY VEHICLES within about two weeks. Don't be the one responsible for spoiling the fun OR OUR NATION'S ECONOMY and stopping the parade of BRAND NEW FULL-SIZED SPORT-UTILITY VEHICLES.
Remember to please contact me AND CHAIRMAN ALAN GREENSPAN if you don't want to join the good times AND THE FINANCIAL REVITALIZATION OF YOUR OWN COUNTRY'S ECONOMY.
PLEASE DO NOT SEND ANYONE YOUR CRAPPY OLD SPORT-UTILITY VEHICLE, AS THIS WILL DEFEAT THE PURPOSE OF THIS IMPORTANT UNDERTAKING.
Thank you AND PEACE OUT!!!
Name #1
Anthony Thompson
Name #2
__________________________________
FEATURED TALENT THIS WEEK
John L. - Illustrator & Designer
Yvette G. - Project Management
Leigh W. - Presentation Specialist
Bob Z. - Marketing Manager
__________________________________________________
John L.
Illustrator & Designer
And his resume is cool, too.
When you look at John's resume, you'll see over 10 years of awesome experience in retail brand design, advertising/marketing, visual merchandising, product design, illustration, and young contemporary graphic/clothing design.
Currently working as Senior Visual Presentation Designer at Federated Department Store Corporate Headquarters in Miami (which includes Macy's), John's able to relocate swiftly to SoCal and bring his unique design and illustration to everything from surf & skate branding to vendor display packaging.
His recent Back to School visual collateral package tended 34.5% over sales goals for Federated's 3rd Quarter and was flexible enough to use for future events.
And that makes Back to School better for everyone, wouldn't you say?
Check out his on-line Aquent profile: HERE
Desired Work: Permanent (relocating from Florida)
Professional Categories: Illustration, Art Direction, Graphic Design, Print Production, Presentations
__________________________________________________
Yvette G.
Project Management
What do Coca-Cola, Amgen, Kellogg's International, Colgate, Gillette, Saban Entertainment, Fox Family, BMI, Radio Disney, Mattel, and Axius Automotive Products all have in common?
Why Yvette, of course!
Over 11 years of project/production management experience, Yvette's exceptional organizational abilities, strong planning, implementation, and project management skills enable her to move projects in the right direction and the right timeframe!
Partner that with her wide variety of software skills, including MS Office applications, graphic applications and FileMaker Pro, and you'll see why all those other companies just love her!
See her on-line Aquent profile: HERE
Desired Work: Freelance & Permanent
Professional Categories: Creative Department Management, Print Production, Production Management, Traffic Management, Print Project Management
__________________________________________________
Leigh W.
Presentation Specialist
When our clients request a flexible, skilled, and gifted Presentation Specialist, we tell them Leigh is on the way!
At PriceWaterhouseCoopers, AAA, Bain & Company, and many other top firms, she's been instrumental in creating high-level, sophisticated proposals and presentations that have helped win contracts with numerous Fortune 100 companies. And with InDesign under her belt, she's quite handy to have around.
Leigh's role consistently expands at every company she's worked with, so she's created flyers, banners, newspaper ads and every other communication product imaginable for in-house or client use.
She's a real find for any company trying to outdo the competition in creating cohesive, smart presentations!
See her on-line Aquent profile: HERE
Desired Work: Freelance and Permanent
Skills: Microsoft PowerPoint, Adobe InDesign, Adobe Photoshop, Adobe Illustrator, Visio, QuarkXPress, Microsoft Word, Adobe PageMaker, WordPerfect, Adobe Acrobat, Microsoft Office
__________________________________________________
Robert Z.
Marketing Manager
And able to leap tall buildings in a single bound!
Okay, that might be stretching the truth, but we feel Robert (aka Bob) can do anything with his 13+ years of exceptional marketing experience in industries as diverse as entertainment and banking.
Most recently working on contract at mega homebuilder KB Home, he's been overseeing all marketing and advertising efforts created by their in-house agency for the South East U.S. and supervising a team of 2.
As VP of Marketing at the Los Angeles Police Federal Credit Union, he helped increase sales for a closed financial institution by setting up promotional alliances and working with the city to broaden their reach to police officers' family members and other city employees. At the LA Kings hockey franchise, he developed strategic consumer promotional plans with all categories of corporations and created much needed interdepartmental synergy between marketing, PR, the Account Execs, and the ad agency, Rubin-Postaer.
If you want your brand to be more powerful than a locomotive, call us about Bob!
See his on-line Aquent profile: HERE
Desired Work: Freelance & Permanent
Professional Categories: Management, Public Relations, Advertising/Account Management, COM/DCOM, .Net, Business Development, HTML, Real Video, Sales
One of the favorite parts of my job (besides having Susie read my blogs for grammatical errors, I mean) is writing our weekly client newsletter for the LA market. It's called Aquent's Hot Talent Newsletter and features 4 currently available Talent that we represent. I do write-ups on each and it's great to hear their reactions (almost always positive) to their new "pitch". Let's face it, not many Creatives like tooting their own horn, so it's fun to do it for them.
I'm going to post these up here every week, because this information certainly doesn't apply to everyone reading the blog.
At the end of each newsletter I write something called That Bit at the End. It's become (weirdly) popular with the clients. If you thought blogging about (or for) your company was strange, you should see what we're putting at the bottom of our newsletters.
I'll put a couple up and see what you guys think; otherwise, everything's going over here.
------------------
THAT BIT AT THE END
"SUV LUV"
With the sale of full-sized Sport-Utility Vehicles sharply slumping in the recent months, we've decided to help boost SUV sales nationwide and help give the American economy a shot in the arm.
The idea came to us after receiving a curious "non-chain letter" in the mail about a "Kitchen Towel Exchange".
The idea is amazingly simple, just send off a few towels and receive a bunch more!
Wow, we thought, if we just replaced a small ticket item like a kitchen towel with a bigger ticket item like a full-sized Sport-Utility Vehicle in the letter, ran off a hundred copies, then sent it to everyone we knew, we'd be doing the American public a huge favor!
Just take a look at the revised letter with our new text IN CAPS.
And feel free to print out and participate!
---------------
BRAND NEW FULL-SIZED SPORT-UTILITY VEHICLE Exchange
Dear: FELLOW INTERESTED AMERICAN
This is a BRAND NEW FULL-SIZED SPORT-UTILITY VEHICLE exchange! Please send a BRAND NEW FULL-SIZED SPORT-UTILITY VEHICLE to the person whose name is listed in the #1 spot below. Then move my name to the #1 position and put your name in the #2 position. Only your name and my name should appear when you send your letters out. Send this to six friends.
This is not a chain letter! It's just for fun AND AN ECONOMIC BOOST. If you cannot do this within 5 days, please let me know so it will be fair to those participating.
A LARGE CRATE will mail the BRAND NEW FULL-SIZED SPORT-UTILITY VEHICLE nicely. You should receive 36 BRAND NEW FULL-SIZED SPORT-UTILITY VEHICLES for the price of one! It is fun to see the different locations from which the BRAND NEW FULL-SIZED SPORT-UTILITY VEHICLES arrive. Seldom does anyone drop out because we can all use the BRAND NEW FULL-SIZED SPORT-UTILITY VEHICLES, right?
The turnaround is extremely fast because there are only two names on the list. You should be receiving your BRAND NEW FULL-SIZED SPORT-UTILITY VEHICLES within about two weeks. Don't be the one responsible for spoiling the fun OR OUR NATION'S ECONOMY and stopping the parade of BRAND NEW FULL-SIZED SPORT-UTILITY VEHICLES.
Remember to please contact me AND CHAIRMAN ALAN GREENSPAN if you don't want to join the good times AND THE FINANCIAL REVITALIZATION OF YOUR OWN COUNTRY'S ECONOMY.
PLEASE DO NOT SEND ANYONE YOUR CRAPPY OLD SPORT-UTILITY VEHICLE, AS THIS WILL DEFEAT THE PURPOSE OF THIS IMPORTANT UNDERTAKING.
Thank you AND PEACE OUT!!!
Name #1
Anthony Thompson
Name #2
__________________________________
Okay, maybe not the best post title, but how else could I react to getting advice from Recruiting Guru Heather Hamilton at Microsoft (I called you guru, Heather) and an introduction post on her blog?
I guess I'm going to have to get used to the pace of blogs and how fast everything can move.
Heck, I talked to a Marketing candidate already this morning. Thanks, Heather! (Looks like someone's getting a fruit basket...)
Is this the kind of response any of you other recruiters are getting on your blogs?
Because I'm already thinking, Why didn't we think of this earlier?
Just because you can't have a blog without telling people what you're reading, right?
Latest reads:
Salt by Monique Truong
Blink: The Power of Thinking Without Thinking by Malcolm Gladwell
Extremely Loud and Incredibly Close by Jonathan Safran Foer (this is the current Aquent Book Club pick with Lauren, Amy, Susie, and Colleen [who btw, runs the coolest Pet Sitting Biz on the West Coast]
The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-Time Mark Haddon
Cloud Atlas by David Mitchell (confusing but worth it)
The Good House by Tananarive Due (don't bother)
The Screwtape Letters by C. S. Lewis
The AIGA/Aquent Survey of Design Salaries (okay, that's for work but more on that later…)
Books I always have cluttering up my nightstand so I can read them if I'm between books:
Heart of Buddha's Teaching by Thich Nhat Hanh
National Audubon Society Regional Guide to California (okay, I'm a goober)
Seven Habits of Highly Effective People by Stephen Covey (see?)
The Vegetable Gardener's Bible by Ed Smith (we're probably one of the few Angelenos growing corn in their back yard. I was taking an online course, free, through Barnes & Noble University, but I believe I got kicked out)
Shh, don't tell anyone, writing is hot.
Every morning we all sit together in a big circle (which is getting bigger all the time) around four white boards and talk about new people we brought in, open jobs, and sometimes participate in Show & Tell (Wednesdays).
Mondays, or Tuesday as was the case was today, while the phone is ringing off the hook, every Agent and Business Development Manager goes over every order they have not filled. You hear who was pitched to the client and why they didn't take them. Many times this is a learning curve, we pitch a Graphic Designer, then the client tells us after looking at resumes what they're really looking for is a Production Artist. Some of the Sr. Agents, like Debra, can talk for 10 minutes and just scrape the surface of every position she's working on. I have no idea how she keeps it straight or how she doesn't run screaming out of here every morning.
What I kept hearing was how many high-end corporate Copywriters and Copy Editors we need.
Kind of odd, in a town filled with writers, that we need a few more. But I do understand, they're so specific and the writers must have worked on that kind of material before: long form copy, toy packaging, writers who have done everything collateral related, etc.
Know anyone?
Send them to my way!
Here's an idea for you.
Start calling the 4th of July by its proper name, Independence Day, and move it to the first Saturday of July.
But, you may say, then offices around the nation will try to shirk their duty for giving you a day off. Au contraire! When the 4th of July is on a Saturday, we get Friday off anyway, right?
This way, though, we won't have this current 5th of July Tuesday thing we're now slogging through.
Which, you may notice, requires a great deal of coffee.
-----
Oh, Elliot Smith, was there anything you couldn't do?
I blame Marcy, the receptionist, for this.
I asked her for the bathroom key and she obviously gave me the mailbox key instead.
So when I walked through the door and it shut behind me how was I to know that I'd be locked in our mailbox until Monday morning?
I think Marcy set me up.
This also brings up several interesting questions:
1) Why does the mailbox key open the men's bathroom?
2) Now that I'm stuck in the mailbox, have I gotten any smaller?
And, most importantly:
3) If #2 is correct, will unlocking the mailbox with the bathroom key return me to normal size?
The only refreshing thing about this experience is, of course, the downtime to think. And time is all I've got, I've been in here for hours.
Unfortunately the only thing I've been thinking about is whether or not I am 4 inches tall.
Which might not be so bad. I could probably save a heck of a lot of money on food, not to mention clothing. Depending on my height, I could either dress like Ken or G.I. Joe.
Strangely, though, many other consumables will remain the same. I imagine I'll still be charged the same for bus fare, movies, airline tickets, and the like.
Why is that sort of stuff cheaper for children, anyway? It's obviously not based on height, because then people of short stature would pay less than big people. Probably works off the "children don't earn a living" theory. Which holds water for me.
But you would reason, though, people with less hair would get charged less for haircuts, which is not the reality. I mean, if I'm four inches tall, then I have significantly less hair than a 6 foot tall guy who has a head of hair like Willie Nelson. I should be charged less. In fact, if there's another guy who is four inches tall (and who knows, there might be, just a few boxes away) and he's going bald, then I should pay more than him. I don't mind that.
Speaking of which, if the money in my wallet and pockets shrunk with me, is it still legal tender or has it now been reduced to play money? That'd be a blow, because I just got $160 out of the ATM in preparation for the weekend.
There goes Catalina with the wife. Though, notably, spending your weekend by the pool, swimming in a margarita wouldn't be half bad, though. It'd probably be one of the few high points of this experience.
I've got to calm down, I may not actually be 4 inches tall. I could be 6 inches, maybe 7.
That could make all the difference when trying to find a nice little desk and chair.
Could I use my cell phone to get out of this jam? Maybe if I'd thought to bring it with me. Certainly not now without hopping from button to button.
How am I going to use my computer or do any work, for that matter?
My wife will never tolerate this. She freaked out last July when I broke my nose. She's big on appearances. It's going to get nasty, I'm sure. I've got to find a good lawyer. And make sure he can get a judge who would be lenient on someone just a bit bigger than a Krispy Kreme.
What's that noise?
What if a spider comes in here and attacks me? Or a rat?
Oh my god, I've got to find a weapon!
If only it wasn't so dark in here...
Good, here's a big piece of wood. Alright now, come on, Ratty, give it your best shot.
Why the heck is a piece of wood in our mailbox?
Kitchy direct mail piece? Quite possibly.
Wait, it's got something soft and wet on the other end. Kind of like a mop.
It is a mop!
What kind of idiot puts a little damp mop into a mailbox? Hey and there's a little water bucket a broom in here, too.
What the heck do they think this is, a broom closet?
Wait a minute...
So, the blog.
After reading recruiter Heather Hamilton's blog at Microsoft (apparently, they have tons of them over there), our Regional Manager Ann suggested that we put up our own for the Los Angeles Aquent market.
Heck, Heather put the call out there (or here rather), so I guess no one should be surprised that someone actually went and did it. We heeded your call, Heather!
So after a bit of discussion we figured it'd be an interesting way to talk about what we see on a daily basis inside this office, what's currently on the minds of creative hiring managers, why QuarkXPress is so often misspelled on resumes, etc.
We also figured it'd be a great place to post up stuff like our ASAP Job List, which lists a bunch of jobs which may not be on our site yet, the current issue of our Hot Talent Newsletter which we send out to our Clients, a weekly column that goes out with that newsletter which has been well-received, as well as an ongoing link about what snack food is open by our printer (currently little milk chocolate hearts in a commemorative tin that Olivia brought back from France).
You'd really think, given all this responsibility, that for my first blog I'd pick a better topic than why the hell did I put on these dirty jeans this morning to go to work in.
But there you have it.
Though many people don't believe it, I've got two little kids at home and don't exactly have the best mindset in the morning. Everyone in my house under the age of 6 must be up and out of bed by 7AM, then dressed, fed, and out the door by 7:45. Now before you say that's a huge challenge for a 3 and 5 year old, I want you to imagine how relaxed you'd be if someone got you out of bed, picked out your outfit, made you breakfast, then snapped you into your safety seat every weekday morning.
Which explains why my kids have on clean clothes and I accidentally put on those jeans that you see dads wearing on the weekends when they're "puttering" (and I don't mean those designer ones).
Hey, these looked clean enough when I put them on in the dark without my contacts in at 6:30 this morning (Abby, my daughter, was sleeping in our bed, so I had to keep it quiet and dark).
This also may clarify exactly why Aquent doesn't let me out to see Clients often (and why every time they do, someone comes over the night before and lays out an outfit for me). And why they moved me very far away from any visitor's line of site.
I don't know why I'm complaining, I haven't even gone into work yet, I'm sitting in a coffee shop in Downtown Long Beach, having a cup of coffee before I go up to my doctor's appointment (I live near Dodger Stadium, so I have to get here early).
There's a very funny waitress here, Jenny, who is one of those people who knows everybody's names (and is always glad you came?) who just struck up a conversation with me when she saw I was a writer. When she asked what kind of writer, fiction or non, I was kind of stuck.
Um, I'm a marketing writer, I write both.
Which is kind of funny in retrospect.
Unbelievably, she gets up every morning in Valencia and drives way the heck down to Long Beach for the morning rush to the coffee shop.
Talk about dedication.
She's joking that a lot of her money goes to finance her son's tutors, so he'll score high on the SATs. And then she laughed, because she says every Korean parent does that. (Do they? Got me. Maybe it's like a joke about Italians talking with their hands.)
I just can't imagine that this woman, who moved here from Korea, commutes 3+ hours a day just to try to get her kid a better opportunity than she has.
Which makes me hope I'll think twice before I crab about my measly 1:15 commute or the hour-long trip to this doctor's office.
Or about these damn dirty jeans.
The Aquent ASAP Job List
"Lose Dwight, Ask Me How"
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INTERESTED IN A POSITION?
E-MAIL THE AGENT:
A recent resume which REFLECTS the MUST HAVES
Specific samples you have that show the MUST HAVES
A brief summary of how your experience matches the MUST HAVES
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THIS WEEK'S POSITIONS:
1) Production Artist
2) Database Specialist
3) Prepress Production
4) XHTML Developer
5) Software Marketing Manager
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POSITION: Production Artist
TERMS: Temporary-to-Permanent (On-Site)
MUST HAVES!:
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POSITION: Database Specialist
TERMS: Long-Term Temporary (On-Site)
MUST HAVES!:
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
POSITION: Prepress Production
TERMS: Temporary-to-Permanent (On-Site)
MUST HAVES!:
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
POSITION: XHTML Developer
TERMS: Temporary 2 months (On-Site)
MUST HAVES!:
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
POSITION: Software Marketing Manager
TERMS: Temporary 3-6 months (On-Site)
MUST HAVES!:
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IF YOU ARE INTERESTED AND QUALIFIED, E-MAIL THE AGENT LISTED:
Your most recent resume that REFLECTS the MUST HAVES
Any specific samples you have that show the MUST HAVES
A brief summary of how your experience matches the MUST HAVES
IF YOU KNOW SOMEONE WHO IS INTERESTED AND QUALIFIED, YOU CAN EITHER:
Send the Agent listed that person's name and contact information
Or tell your friend to send the Agent everything listed above
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INTERESTED IN OTHER AQUENT POSITIONS?
Go here, my friend
Select "Job Openings"
- MyAquent users, use your UserName & Password to express interest in jobs. Everybody else, they just made the registration process 79% easier!
The new JOB CENTER will track which jobs you've applied for and the current status.
FEATURED TALENT THIS WEEK
Kristine B. - Traffic Manager
Michael J. - Marketing Manager
Elizabeth O. - Editor | Proofreader
Debi L. - Senior Graphic Designer
__________________________________________________
Kristine B.
Traffic Manager
A consummate pro with experience in all aspects of feature film, television, print and commercial production, Kristine's the person you need to keep projects moving on track and right on schedule.
Over 13 years of trafficking experience, she's used her extensive knowledge of print, video/audio formats, and production to ensure delivery for important projects for TBWA\CHIAT\DAY, Rubin Postaer and Associates, Kaufman and Broad, Mercury Media, and more.
Capable of handling a multitude of fast-paced, deadline-oriented situations, she's well able to go head-to-head to overcome daily derailments....
And get the project back on the right track!
See her on-line Aquent profile HERE
Desired Work: Freelance & Permanent
Professional Categories: Office Management, Other Print Design and Production, Traffic Management
__________________________________________________
Michael J.
Marketing Manager
Michael has over 5 years of consumer product marketing experience focusing on trade marketing, promotion development, account-specific exclusives, and new business development for industries as diverse as entertainment, wine distribution, and apparel imports and distribution.
He's currently been working with Disney/Buena Vista Home Entertainment on a major club store account helping manage 1.1 billion dollars of home video revenue. While there he's been securing promotional partnerships, developing "retailtainment" events, executing cross-divisional opportunities, and everything else to help their titles hit top numbers.
Michael's Spanish fluency aided his management of the US marketing for the Chilean winery, Balduzzi, developing and executing their first US distributor marketing programs and giving the brand a 22% lift in sales for that year.
If your sales could use a boost, then ask us about this terrific triple Cum Laude Aquent Talent!
See his on-line Aquent profile HERE
Desired Work: Permanent
Skills: Adobe Photoshop, Adobe Acrobat, Management, Microsoft Publisher, Advertising/Account Management, Real Video, Sales, COM/DCOM, Business Development, Administration
__________________________________________________
Elizabeth O.
Editor | Proofreader
If she finds a typo in here, she's going to kill us...
What would you say if we told you Elizabeth came to our office, scored highest marks on our proofreading assessment plus had financial, scientific, government, and direct mail experience?
What we said was, "Where have you been all our lives?"
An excellent freelance Talent, Elizabeth is an expert in several different editorial styles and coordinates easily with clients to ensure timely delivery of their documents. She's reviewed FAA documents to make sure they meet the regulatory drafting guidelines of the Federal Register, edited scientific and non-technical documents both online and hard copy, edited and cross-checked references for documents in the health-related sciences for government clients. That's just the tip of the iceberg.
And best of all, she's here now!
See her on-line Aquent profile HERE
Desired Work: Freelance
Skills: Microsoft Word, Microsoft Windows, Microsoft Excel, Adobe PageMaker, Adobe Photoshop, Microsoft PowerPoint, Adobe Acrobat, Administration
__________________________________________________
Debi L.
Senior Graphic Designer
A senior level Designer with over 10 years of experience creating packaging and marketing collateral, Debi is also a skilled Project Manager with great hands-on skills.
Previously at Vivendi Universal Games, she was responsible for everything: packaging, inserts, brochures, trade shows, press checks, budgets, and you name it for titles like The Simpsons, Barbie, American Idol, Buffy the Vampire Slayer, Halflife 2, and more. At Havas Interactive and Hill and Knowlton her client roster included Fisher-Price, Mattel, Sony, Disney, Hitachi, Knowledge Adventure.
Armed with a terrific personality and great design sense, she's sure to brighten up any brand and any team!
See her on-line Aquent profile HERE
Desired Work: Freelance and Permanent
Professional Categories: Art Direction, Creative Direction, Graphic Design, Other Print Design and Production
To: Finance Dept.
From: Office of the CFO
Re: Martin Cornblum
To put to rest anything the rumor mill may have already churned out, I wanted to take a moment to publicly announce that one of our Sr. VPs, Martin Cornblum, has left the Empire Finance Department, Death Star Accounting Division, to pursue other opportunities.
While many of you may have heard (and spread) rumors that Mr. Cornblum is leaving us to become the CFO of Rebel Alliance LLC, at this point the administration is neither confirming nor denying this statement.
These rumors must come to a halt immediately.
I should like to point out regardless of the whereabouts of our ex-Sr. VP, your work will not be affected in any way, other than being without a Sr. VP for a short time. Rest assured this office will be seeking a qualified candidate for this vacant position by promoting from our own ranks or by bringing another senior level Accountant to the Dark Side.
I would like to remind each of you that we are still woefully under-financed for construction of the Death Star, and though passing crudely drawn pictures of Mr. Cornblum holding a light saber and dueling Lord Vader may be considered funny to some, it is frowned upon by the administration and is taking attention away from the work at hand.
Please keep the fun and games to a minimum.
Might I remind you that the last time his Lordship came down to find out why his RC/489 form had been rejected (he was informed he didn't fill it out in triplicate), we ended up short one Director of Finance and two Auditors.
He is not a great advocate of "upward feedback".
On the subject of rumors, I would like to put a stop to the one that the Rebel Alliance is quickly amassing a superior AR/AP team to ours. Absolutely false!
We still have unheard of turnaround time of 15 days on all invoices and our Credits and Collections Team have an unprecedented 100% retrieval on all monies owed us by non-paying clients.
We have nothing to worry about from this ragtag band of Accountants.
While we are on the subject of "loose lips", the Death Star is not your personal highway to dating opportunities (and I'm speaking to the gentlemen here, ladies). The Death Star is the greatest military weapon ever devised and the Empire's secret weapon, so please do not discuss its inadequate number of restrooms for a battle station of its size nor its potential vulnerabilities just to score points at the cantina with a Bothanian "hottie".
Do I really have to point these things out?
On another, but still important note, our monthly pot luck in the Dark Side Executive Meeting Room will be postponed until we locate the staff member who placed a yellow "The Force Is With Me!" post-it on the back of Admiral Ozzel.
Grow up, people.
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