Tim Donnelly: March 2009 Archives

The U.S. Government is rolling out a new I-9 form (for employment eligibility verification) this week.

This used to be a 4-page document, but now it's 5 pages.

And what's hanging out there all by itself on its own page? Just look below:

Someone passed along this article from Time Magazine, "Is It Less Stressful to Get Laid Off Than Stay On?", which I have to say I don't agree with.

A Cambridge sociologist presented "his analysis based on various surveys conducted across Europe. The data suggest that employed people who feel insecure in their job display similar levels of anxiety and depression as those who are unemployed. But whereas a newly jobless person's mental health may 'bottom out' after about six months, and then even begin to improve, the mental state of people who are perpetually worried about losing their job "just continues to deteriorate, getting worse and worse," Burchell says."

I've read through enough psychology and sociology experiments to get the gist of long-term fear, but I can't say that there's enough evidence here to really indicate that it's worse to be out of work than be working, but at risk for being laid off.

I know you're not supposed to use personal experiences to look at data, but heck, has this Cambridge sociologist ever been laid off? During a financial crisis?

My guess is that in six months, even people who are insecure about their jobs will have a better grasp of where they stand, because there's bound to be a lot more information about how the economy is faring.

BTW, good timing on this report! Bound to cheer everyone up, right?

But if you want to read the full Time article, do so at your own risk.

Afterward, you can go here for pictures of cute puppies.

That's bound to make everyone feel better.



 

Yesterday I was standing for a good period of time outside two restroom doors, one labeled "Bronco", the other "Cactus". I had been waiting for someone exit, so I could at long last decipher which bathroom I was supposed to use.

After five minutes, I started to realize that I had spent too much time enjoying the fine drink and company in the other room and should have sorted this issue out much earlier. It was getting late for these kinds of decisions, if you understand what I mean.

There are, if you think of it, many similarities concerning broncos and cactuses. And an abundance of differences. My problem was that none of those differences lent themselves to conjure up an image of a man or woman.

I am not a dullard. I graduated cum laude from a well-respected university. Neither am I unfamiliar with so-called clever bathroom names, having seen my share of "Buoys" & "Gulls", "Laddies" & "Lassies", and "Bucks" & "Does" in my travels over the years.

I was even able to decipher, after being led by a series of "TO THE JOHNS" signs, the correct choice between two doors labeled "Elton John" & "Olivia Newton John" (though I did catch my breath as I entered the former).

Yet yesterday afternoon I stood there in front of these particularly enigmatic doors with time running out.

Years ago, when I was confronted with similar doors marked "Gilts" & "Shoats", I was fortunate enough to catch a young lady eventually exiting. In Hawaii, I opted to use the facilities at a gas station across the street from a restaurant where I'd just spent ten minutes trying to translate "Kane" and "Wahine". (I, by the way, am both a "Kane" and "Shoat", though the latter is pushing it, even by the low standards set up by the establishment).

I will also inform you that there is nothing worse than finishing up in a restroom (say, when the choice is between "Pointers & Strikers") only to be greeted by the opposite sex upon departure.

Many times I have avoided confusion at these establishments by simply noting the inevitable line outside a women's room.

But I had no such fortune on this day.

I had waited an eternity and I could delay no more.

I impatiently summoned a passing employee and informed him I needed to use the facilities at once and demanded that he quickly inform me in which of these two rooms was I to relieve myself!

"I hope neither, sir," he answered. "These are both private dining rooms."

He looked me up and down then pointed to a door down the hall clearly marked "Men's Room".

Now this story would not be worth retelling, nor particularly amusing, if I failed to add that upon returning to my table I told my colleagues nothing of the incident and kept each of them drinking until they absolutely had to make the same trip down the hallway.

Or that I'm taking my wife back tomorrow.

IN THIS ISSUE:

Hot Talent

Featured Talent This Week

That Bit at the End - "Lady or Tiger?"

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HOT TALENT

Why is reading our Hot Talent Newsletter so much better than downing a trendy martini at a hipster watering hole?

After reading Hot Talent, you:

* Are a full 50% less likely to tell off your boss
* Can still pronounce "slipshod" without slurring
* Will not feel the urge for out-of-control dancing
* Won't light the filter end of your cigarette
* Probably won't create a fake David Letterman Top 10 list

Now that we've figured that out, take a look at our top available Talent this week.

None of which will make you regret what you said the next day...

Enjoy in moderation!
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FEATURED TALENT THIS WEEK

Ron L. - Director of Product/Software Development
Jin A. - User Experience Designer
Alex T. - Marketing Analyst
Yu M. - Creative Director - Publishing
Richard K. - Senior User Interface Designer/User Experience Expert
Herb B. - Front-End Developer
Aaron B. - Flash AS3 Developer
Wesley P. - Web Designer w/ Production
Kathryn C. - Marketing Coordinator
Sandra R. - Marketing Project Manager
Mike E. - Sr. Web / UI Designer with Mobile
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Ron L.
Director of Product/Software Development

Ron is a standout Aquent Talent with over 10 years of impressive online product/program and software development experience for clients such as Disney Mobile, Buzznet, ManiaTV, Toyota Financial Services, Honda, and many more.

Recently as Director of Software at ManiaTV, Ron was responsible for full site and video distribution development initiatives created in an Agile environment using Flex, Flash, Java, and HTML. Updates under his leadership included dramatically improving the video product and the release of a full site redesign, both of which resulted in triple the traffic to the site.  

Prior to ManiaTV, he was a Program Director at the music social networking site Buzznet, managing development activities, SEO initiatives, and new product launches for the main site as well as their new CelebrityBuzz division.  

Ron has managed in-house and offshore development teams ranging from 6 to 25 staff members and budgets in excess of $1.5 million.  

A stellar Aquent Talent!!
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Jin A.
User Experience Designer
 
Jin is a User Experience Designer who's helped streamline and develop the User Interface Strategy for entertainment, corporate and gaming clients known 'round the world!

As a freelancer at Almer/Blank he designed Web, desktop, and social applications that extend the DIRECTV viewing experience via PC to existing subscribers with a growing demand for online content. He was involved in every phase of the project from discovery, workflow (both Waterfall and Agile Models), testing, documentation, QA, and analysis. He also helped to design the UI for widgets and applications used for Facebook! 

In the gaming world, he worked with gaming giant Konami to take their most popular game, Dance Dance Revolution to the PC, transitioning the game without losing the key concepts. For MTV/Viacom, Jin helped launch the wildly popular Neopets, one of the world's most popular multi-player online game. He produced sketches, wireframes, user personas, use case scenarios, rapid Flash prototypes, test plans, and QA.

Jin has many other talents and a large range of User Experience deliverables and samples, all you have to do is ask!

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Alex T.
Marketing Analyst

Alex has 4+ years of solid marketing analytics experience managing direct marketing strategy, campaign analysis, and reporting.    

He was recently at HSBC Credit Card Services as a Sr. Marketing Analyst for their direct marketing initiatives targeting new customer acquisition and new market trends. His duties included developing campaign analytics systems for direct mail, online marketing, branch initiatives, and telemarketing channels. He worked with cross-functional analytics teams in which much of the data was fed from SAS into an Excel format for presentation.

Before HSBC, Alex implemented national marketing campaigns (including vendor management, market research, and event coordination) for clients that included Harley Davidson and ING Direct. He's also held paid marketing internships at both Universal Music, LA Clippers, and the UCLA Medical Center.

Armed with a terrific attitude and his BA in Economics from UCLA, he's a great fit for any company culture.
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Yu M.
Creative Director - Publishing

Most recently Deputy Art Director at Conde Nast's Bon Appetit Magazine, Yu's beautiful art direction of photoshoots, features, and covers has shifted the magazine to more of an upscale, luxurious look. While onboard she managed a large team of Designers and Production Artists and worked closely with outside vendors.
 
Her impeccable eye for creative detail and sumptuous design were well used by both Martha Stewart Living Magazine and Martha's Flowers, where she spent 5 years as Senior Art Director. While there she managed all aspects of creation from concept, art direction, research, location scouting, budgeting, and (inhale...) producing!

Her amazing background also includes agency work at both Frankfurt Balkind Partners and Weiss, Whitten, Stagliano, working on clients such as Time Warner, Avon, Giorgio Armani, Bulova, Rolodex, Rossignol, Saks Fifth Avenue, and Guggenheim Museum.

Best of all, she's available right now!
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Richard K.
Senior User Interface Designer/User Experience Expert

Richard is an IA/User Experience Designer who has been working with Razorfish for the last several years on huge accounts such as Walt Disney World, NFL, and Comcast.

For the NFL, he created a CMS that allowed all 32 teams to customize each of their own sites. For the Walt Disney World site, he created user scenarios, identified user goals, created wireframes, storyboards, and detailed visual design comps.

Prior to Razorfish, Richard worked at Helio as a hybrid Business Systems Analyst and Interface Designer. He created interface architecture and the design for the "MY ACCOUNT" element of Helio.com where customers would come and update their account, pay online, monitor their minutes, etc. He also wrote all the technical specs and documentation and provided mockups for the user interface design in Photoshop and Visio.

His other experience includes four years at Countrywide Financial working on their HR intranet portals and Conexant Systems and also working on robust intranet CMS systems.

Richard is that rare talent who is a hybrid of user interface, architecture, and online product design and truly gets the technical aspects of creating user-friendly sites!
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Herb B.
Front-End Developer

Herb is a Junior Front-End Developer and Integrator with an awesome set of skills!

He last worked at Bold New World as part of a team of Web Developers on a number of projects for non-profit clients such as National Veterans Foundation, SPCA, Save Africa's Children, and more. Herb's work was heavy on the transactional side of the house, dealing with the shopping cart elements on sites.

He's terrific at hand-coding in HTML and CSS, can edit JavaScript and PHP, and has worked with several open source templates and CMS systems.

Herb works well on his own or as a part of a large team and is available for his next assignment right now!

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Aaron B.
Flash AS3 Developer

Aaron is an awesome Flash AS2 and AS3 Developer who also can code HTML, CSS, PHP, and more!

For the last several years Aaron has been working with Maritz creating online training modules and e-learning portals for big brand clients like Toyota and Lexus. Each of the learning portals were exceptionally advanced, interacting with each of the participants. He handled all the QA for the modules and was able to streamline the development by working closely with the Writers, Producers and Creatives.

In addition to his e-learning development skills, Aaron has been creating and developing sites, Flash banners, online games, media players for his own clients in the film, music, and non-profit industries.

Contact us to see samples of his stellar work!
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Wesley P.
Web Designer w/ Production

Wesley is a highly versatile Designer with a really hip and edgy look and feel to his work.

His impressive list of clients includes companies like Nike (Niketown.com) and Yamaha. For Nike, Wesley worked on both print and Web campaigns for the Nike store and his work for Yamaha included microsites, tradeshow graphics, and product packaging.

Most recently he was designing and launching an online promotional campaign (microsites, banner ads, email campaigns, widgets, etc.) for Grammy award-winning producer Adam Freeland.

Wesley has awesome illustration skills and vector art and comes from a print design background. He's also one Web Designer that doesn't shy away from doing hands-on production work (he's great with both Dreamweaver and Flash).

He's the whole package and available starting this week!
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Kathryn C.
Marketing Coordinator

Kathryn is a superstar Marketing Coordinator who always goes above and beyond!

Her experience includes branding, events, promotions, online, retail, print collateral, outdoor ,and broadcast! Most recently working as part of Warner Bros. Consumer Products division, part of her goal was to take legendary characters like Penelope Pitstop, Speedy Gonzales, and The Banana Splits and rebrand them for today's audience.

For Banana Splits, Kathryn headed up the coordination of the remake of the 70's TV show, a process that included research, working with the production team in Australia, project managing the creation of the new Website, and executing all print and online promotional campaigns. For the rebranding of Speedy she created merchandise like T-shirts and stickers to give out at the X Games, which was a huge success.

For MGM's consumer products group, she managed budgets of up to $1.3 million and worked with licensees, print, online and DVD releases for Pink Panther and Stargate.

Kathryn is available starting April 1st and is someone you WANT on your team!
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Sandra R.
Marketing Project Manager

Sandra is a Marketing Project and Account Manager who most recently worked at International Code Council (ICC), a non-profit membership organization providing products and services to building professionals. She was responsible for management of various marketing and membership projects while supporting internal clients. Her responsibilities included strategic /creative planning and copywriting for ads, direct mail, brochures, fliers, newsletters, the Website and product releases. She also handled research and analysis and recommended target audiences to market membership, products, and services. She worked on membership campaigns from inception to completion including: email blasts, postcards, web ads, banner ads, landing pages and tradeshow signage. She also explored, strategized and managed the execution of online marketing efforts and initiatives.

As Marketing Manager for Mrs. Beasley's Gourmet Bakery, she wore every hat imaginable, and her days were filled with business development; advertising placement; design and production of catalogs, brochures, and direct mail; product development; and development of their Website. She oversaw all the timelines, budgets, and project management.

Don't miss out on this awesome Aquent Talent!
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Mike E.
Sr. Web / UI Designer with Mobile

Mike is a fantastic Sr. Web Designer who has worked with top tier companies like Fox Interactive and Bloomberg LP.

In his last project, Mike was the sole Designer for the complete overhaul of the MyFox local portal site for all of Fox's news affiliates - all 50 of them! He designed landing pages, story pages, interchangeable content modules, the interactive weather package, and the redesign of the community blogs and message boards. He was also involved in handling the redesign of the user interface for their CMS system.

Mike has worked on full sites, microsites, mobile UI, banners and is no stranger to Web 2.0 design. He can crank out a sitemap and workflow in a flash and has a great sense of aesthetic to make a heavy content site look like a work of art!

Just ask to see some samples of his great sites!
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Well, if you're Costco.

I like Costco, but it's that kind of store that has always seemed weirdly gluttonous to me. That kind of "I went in to buy two loaves of bread, but came out with two 65" plasma screen TVs" gluttony, that always makes me feel weird.

I might actually be onto something. Just take a look at the offerings from the Costco emailer I just got yesterday.

The Blackline 6x8 foot greenhouse only $699.99 delivered!

The Evolution 6-person spa only $4,999.99!

A Pescaso Gold Chandelier only $389.99!

The Tuscan-looking home office, merely $1,699.99!

The only things that look vaguely recession related are the selection of pain relievers and the business surveillance system, which, sad to say, may come in handy if you're worried about your merchandise.

Either the people shopping at Costco aren't feeling the pinch, or this retailer kind of needs to come to grips with the times.

Keisha is right, this is a strange place to put a No Soliciting sign....

THE OVEREDUCATED PARENTS GUIDE TO CHILDREN'S BOOKS
For parents seeking deeper meaning to timeless children's books


"IF YOU GIVE A PIG A PANCAKE" by Laura Joffe Numeroff
The sequel to "If You Give a Mouse a Cookie" and prequel to "If You Give a Moose a Muffin", the author covers her now well-trodden ground: Don't give anything away unless you are willing to suffer the consequences (i.e., "If you give them an inch, they'll take a mile"). The author's repugnance for charity is firmly rooted in her belief in Ayn Rand's philosophy of Objectivism.


"HOP ON POP" by Dr. Suess
In this Cold War era tome "Pop" fully represents Stalinist Russia and her East European satellites, while the children portray democracy and free trade. Look for the hidden missile silos throughout.


"CARL'S AFTERNOON IN THE PARK" by Alexandra Day
The latest entry in the "Good Dog, Carl" series, the author once again makes her point that Rottweilers are better suited to care for children than adults (and certainly far more entertaining). Her underlying motif is one of loss, hope, and ear mites.


"GOODNIGHT MOON" by Margaret Wise Brown
In this classic work of coercion, Ms. Brown's prose is intended to put the listener to sleep before reaching the conclusion: an uneventful goodnight to a brush, a pair of mittens, and a bowl of mush. A noteworthy introduction to a parent's use of totalitarianism.


"THE VERY HUNGRY CATERPILLAR" by Eric Carle
A tale of greed and gluttony as a caterpillar seeks to satisfy its own worldly cravings. The caterpillar symbolizes the id and the butterfly, the ego. The parent reader represents the superego. A Freudian masterpiece.


"WHERE IS BABY'S MOMMY?" by Karen Katz
A baby cannot find his mother, who is hiding behind the curtain. Unquestionably the best example of Man's Inhumanity to Man currently available in board book form.


"PAT THE BUNNY" by Dorothy Kunhardt
The number 6 all-time bestselling children's hardcover book, Paul and Judy smell flowers, look in the mirror, and pat the bunny, then encourage toddlers to do the same. Considered THE early primer for toddlers not yet ready to tackle Thomas a Kempis' "Imitation of Christ", it remains a staple introduction to theology in many households, religious or not.


"FIRST BOOK OF SUSHI" by A. Sanger
A late 1990's propagandist primer, both author and publisher try to hospitalize tots one by one by persuading them to ingest raw fish via colorful pictures and playful rhyme. A consummate example of indoctrination.


"WHERE IS BABY'S BELLY BUTTON?" by Karen Katz
Much like the Zen koan, "Has a dog Buddha nature or not?", this thin volume seeks to aid satori-seeking tots by teaching them that the meaning of life is right under their noses (or, rather, in the middle of their tummies). Thorough Buddhist dogma, this is an adaptation by the author of the ancient writings of Zen Master Dogen.


"THE RUNAWAY BUNNY" by Margaret Wise Brown
In Brown's seminal work, a young bunny cannot escape the clutches of his mother, who assumes a number of disguises including a cloud, a tree, and a fisherman. A worthy homage to Carson McCullers' short work "A Tree * A Rock * A Cloud" as well as a retelling of the archetypal tale "you can run but you can't hide (from your mother)".


"TV GUIDE" by Various
Still not considered a book, nor for children, please keep tots away from this publication.

IN THIS ISSUE:

Hot Talent

Featured Talent This Week

That Bit at the End - "Cliff's Notes"

Subscribe | Unsubscribe Information

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HOT TALENT

We got some Addys, we got some Addys!

Okay, when I say "we" we're not actually talking about the folks here in the office (we do a good job with streamers for birthday desks, but POPs? Not so much.)

Our staff had set up a remote group of Aquent Designers and Art Directors to be an off-site solution for a top client's creative needs, instead of using a traditional agency to do the work. The group was so masterfully led by our Talents Joe and William, that they picked up 8 Addys last Sunday night!

Check out the whole story on our blog. http://blogs.aquent.com/butlessaboutme/2009/03/an_inside_job.php

But don't forget to check out many more awesome and available Talent right here in our weekly newsletter ... perfect for any team, onsite or off.

It's Addy-licious!

Enjoy!
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FEATURED TALENT THIS WEEK

Rosivaldo N. - Web and Print Designer
Thomas M. - Sr. Art Director | Flash Designer
Dan C. - Creative Director
Dina W. - Marketing & Project Manager
Charlene M. - Administrative Assistant
Lauren W. - Marketing Project Manager
Jason M. - Senior Copywriter/ACD
Jay L. - Front-End Web Developer w/SEO
Eric M. - Sr. Web Producer
Leanne M. - Print Project Manager
Erik K. - Sr. Print Designer
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Rosivaldo N.
Web and Print Designer

Rosivaldo is a Print and Web Designer with awesome production skills, in fact he is a one-man design shop!

For over 5 years he was one of two Designers for John Paul Mitchell Systems, creating all print collateral, packaging concepts, labels, logos, in-store materials, and consumer and trade-related Websites (www.PaulMitchell.com) and (www.PaulMitchellpro.com). He also created a bi-monthly magazine specifically tailored to the beauty industry which highlighted Paul Mitchell products. During those non-busy minutes he also managed to art directed their photoshoots.

For the last several years he's been freelancing with advertising agencies here in LA such as Deutsch and a bevy of his own clients that include e-commerce sites, real estate, non-profits, and more.

Rosivaldo got a PERFECT score on our demanding Web Production assessment and has hands-on skills that include Advanced Photoshop (with retouching), Illustrator, HTML, Flash Animation, InDesign, and Quark.

He is fast, reliable and can fit in any environment!!
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Thomas M.
Sr. Art Director | Flash Designer

Thomas is a hands-on Sr. Art Director with a wealth of agency experience!

In his last position at WhittmanHart Interactive, he worked on highly visible sites for clients such as Sony and Anheuser-Busch. In '08 he delivered the creative that won Budweiser's business, then art directed and designed Budweiser.com from the ground up!

As Sr. AD at Zentropy Partners, he directed a design team to deliver 19 online room reservation sites for Park Place Entertainment's eight casino brands, with an ROI equaling more than one half a million online room reservations in less than 6 months! While onboard he also developed and delivered creative pitches to win new business from the likes of Reebok and PRIMEDIA and designed General Motor's award-winning GM BuyPower.com site.

He also has experience doing full site designs, microsites, rich media ads, and online marketing campaigns, and is ready to do everything from concept to completion for a site when the project calls for it.

An award-winning Designer with great samples to show for it, you'd be crazy not to meet him!
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Dan C.
Creative Director

Dan is the ultimate in brand elevation and group creative direction. He made a huge splash when brought on to rebrand/modernize Lands' End as their Creative Group Director of Brand & Photography. He was the Executive VP's go-to man, so much so that when there was a creative or leadership problem anywhere within the company, he looked to Dan to fix it. Dan was promoted to revamp the Women's division of the company in addition to running Brand & Photography where he managed 30 creatives.

Other brands Dan has elevated with his fashion-forward design sensibility are magazines like Marie Claire, Child, Jane, and most note-worthy, Elegant Bride. He was responsible for catapulting the Elegant Bride brand from a low-end bridal magazine to a very luxurious "5th Avenue Bride" look and feel. After the redesign, not only the magazine, but the entire bridal industry was forever changed. Other magazines strived to become more high-end and ultra modern, following in Elegant Bride's footsteps.

His stunning work also includes packaging for Victoria's Secret Beauty and Revlon.

With heavy editorial experience, industry versatility, beautiful design sense and strong leadership, Dan will make a wonderful Creative Director anywhere!

(Dan is currently in the process of relocating and is available for interviews immediately.)
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Dina W.
Marketing & Project Manager

Dina is a versatile, strategic, and tactical Marketing Manager and Project Manager with entertainment, non-profit, and healthcare experience.

Working with the Mayor's office on LA's BEST, a nationally recognized after-school enrichment program, she worked to publicize and increase fundraising for the program. She created and managed Web and print communication strategies, was Web Producer and content manager for the www.lasbest.org site, produced and wrote newsletters, managed Designers to create invitations, worked directly with printers, and yes, even more!

As Project Manager for Kaiser Permanente, she supported the implementation of a massive-scale member letter publication project, writing product requirement documents, project management presentations, creating and maintaining project plans, and evaluating complex information related to healthcare utilization, regulations, and plans.

No project too large or small, ask about Dina when you give us a call!

(Don't blame her for the rhyme, that was pure us.)
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Charlene M.
Administrative Assistant

Charlene comes to us with an abundance of experience in the financial industry.  

Her extensive work experience includes staff positions at KB Home, Dailey & Associates, and City National Bank. At City National Bank she worked for the Chief Compliance Officer assisting with budgets, meetings/minutes, organizational/flow charts, travel, and created PowerPoint Presentations. For KB Home she was quickly promoted to Corporate Cash Manager within the Treasury department and put in charge of a $1 billion dollar credit line for reconciling debt, land acquisitions, and funds to cover purchasing.  

For Dailey & Associates she assisted the director of Human Resources and tracked payroll, arranged candidate interviews, and handled any number of vital HR tasks.

She is incredibly professional, has outstanding skills, and refuses to be ruffled, whatever the situation!
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Lauren W.
Marketing Project Manager

At KB Home for the past year and a half, Lauren started as an e-marketing consultant, developing and implementing email strategies and campaigns and managing CRM programs for new customer acquisition. She also monitored and refined the programs through analysis and market research.  

She then moved into a role as a Marketing/Account Manager, developing and managing marketing plans and supporting regional Marketing Managers. She managed all media including advertising, direct mail, signage, radio, TV, and email campaigns, interfacing with both in-house creative teams and external vendors. She was responsible for brand standards, legal regulations, scheduling, and budget management.

Her string of successes for KB Home include developing email strategies to increase open rates by over 25% that led to sales leads, providing creative direction for all in-house advertising and marketing strategies across five states and eight markets, and initiating and directing the corporate launch of a new email processing system and text-blast program.

You'll love her!
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Jason M.
Senior Copywriter/ACD

Jason has amazing advertising experience from the likes of J. Walter Thompson, DDB, Arnold Worldwide, Direct Partners, and more!

His strength is creating new concepts and product branding. For Epson, he and the Creative Director created advertising campaigns for each of the five product lines that became national campaigns.

Jason's writing experience is very diverse and he can create a style that is unique to every client with whom he works: Boeing, Stamps.com, UCLA, Jack In The Box, Wells Fargo, lowermybills.com, and many more.

Online, print, outdoor, direct mail, broadcast (radio and TV), event signage, collateral... he's done it all and is ready to do it for you!
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Jay L.
Front-End Web Developer w/SEO

Jay is fantastic interactive Talent with 9+ years of strong Web development experience for leading clients!

Just finishing up as the Sr. Front-End Web Developer at Walt Disney Pictures, he's been managing development for major motion picture sites such as: Wall-E, Hannah Montana: The Movie, Jonas Brothers 3D Concert Experience, as well as the Walt Disney Pictures Home Page. He typically leads at least 5 simultaneous Web projects with full cycle launches in as little as an hour turnaround, no sweat. He also spearheads many of Walt Disney Pictures' SEO initiatives and has a strong understanding of technical requirements for optimizing search exposure.  

Jay was also Sr. Web Designer for the VoIP company OpenPop, Inc. There he designed and programmed the main consumer site and backend systems which included shopping cart, store administration, CRM features, and credit card processing systems.

His programming skills run the acronym-laden gamut, including advanced versions of ASP, XML, XHTML, CSS, CSS Scripting, ASP.NET, JavaScript, Ajax, VB Script, and ActionScript.  
 
Just finishing up his contract for Walt Disney Pictures, he'll be available soon, but not for long!
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Eric M.
Sr. Web Producer

Eric is a senior Web producer with terrific agency and publishing experience able to adapt incredibly well to different environments.

For Conde Net's OregonLive.com, he was a sports and local news Producer for their main site. In addition to grabbing headlines and doing full lifecycle project management of the site, he also developed content and managed their online community.

As Sr. Producer at Zambezi Ink, he produced the official Kobe Bryant site. There he managed the online club memberships, produced events and online campaigns, and developed viral video campaigns and online copy (including blog content!)

He is a highly skilled Producer with great content background, perfect for any environment!
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Leanne M.
Print Project Manager

Leanne is technically a "Print Project Manager," but is way more than that! At Capitol Records she was the Associate Director in Creative Services & Operations and worked directly with clients like Williams-Sonoma, Starbucks/Hear Music, Nordstrom, Lexus, and music legends such as The Rolling Stones and Paul McCartney.

Her entire career is focused on a blend of print production, project management, and creative services management. She is expert at mentoring Designers on production in order to achieve the best outcome possible and saving the company money.

While consulting at Genius Products, she implemented a scheduling system, a tracking system, and introduced weekly team meetings, thus opening lines of communication between print, marketing and operations teams. The end result saved the company lots of dough in rush charges and shipping costs and created three very cohesive, happy teams.

Leanne is a fantastic blend of print project management, traffic, and creative services management all rolled into one. She is ready for her next challenge in a fast-paced environment. Be prepared. She might shock you with her ability to save you time, money, and help your business run like a well-oiled machine.
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Erik K.
Sr. Print Designer

Erik is a fantastic Sr. Designer with an amazing amount of experience who has just finished working for Disney Consumer Products designing a variety of Disney-licensed products for companies that included American Beverage Corp., Bartons, Heritage, and Citrus World.

His extensive roster includes stellar work for Crate and Barrel, McDonald's, VO5, Keebler, Motorola, Shell, Blockbuster Music, S.C. Johnson, Apple, and many more. His freelance and staff agency experience includes Art Direction with Foote Cone & Belding, Ogilvy & Mather, J. Walter Thompson, and IQ Communications Group.

Erik is flexible, open-minded, enthusiastic, and has a passion for everything he does.

We know you'll love working with him as much as we do!
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Dushawn W.
Project Manager Print & Web

Dushawn is a Project & Traffic Manager well versed in both print and Web worlds. Working in agencies and in-house environments such as Hamon & Associates, Herbalife, and Sketchers, Dushawn has proven her extensive business knowledge by drastically improving efficiency and workflow of each company of which she's been a part.
 
Most recently she held a Project Manager position at Hamon & Associates where she managed accounts for Logitech, Kreiss, Bosch, Hyundai, and Thermador. While onboard she initiated the creative process with the creative team and managed everything down to product schedules, mechanicals, and deadlines. Prior to that she handled Web traffic at Herbalife, managing initial marketing campaigns for the Web. From inception to completion, she single-handedly communicated technical requirements and objectives to internal and external teams for three Websites.
 
As International Coordinator at Sketchers, she developed the electronic order process which completely revamped and improved customer service relations by 80%. She managed 19 accounts on her own and when she left it took three people to fill her role!

A wonderful personality accompanies her wealth of knowledge in print and Web project management. Dushawn would make a great addition to any agency or in-house team.
 

(From guest blogger, Jenn Tran)

I'll have to admit that I am a Marketer's dream. I love nice packaging, appreciate witty or cutting edge commercials, beautiful billboards, etc. When I'm sold on how something is sold, I'm likely to buy it, if anything to just test it out. Naturally, this is only for products and services that are relevant to me as a consumer (you won't see me buying denture soak anytime soon, no matter how great the ads happen to be).

For people like me, Google recently launched a "behavioral" based advertising platform. You know those little non-invasive Google sponsored links and text ads that we see all the time? Before this change in display ads, Google affiliates would have "relevant" advertisements (based on the content of your site) displaying prominently in the space. But what about the casual Google user (you, me, and most of the civilized world) on the main site? Well, now you can modify preferences on the types of ads you want to see (sorry, but a "no-ad" preference does not exist). Ads displayed are also based on user behaviors (sites you visit, where you click, shop, etc.)

Some would worry about the Big Brother aspect of the site but this article on Search Engine Land would beg to differ with this stat: 1/5 people don't mind the user information gathering (collecting information on the types of sites you visit, etc.) if advertising were more relevant to interests.

So much for that Big Brother fear!

Decide for yourself: You can read a more detailed recount of this new advertising launch here.

Okay, not THAT kind of proposal. The kind that makes you money, not the kind that throws you and your spouse-to-be into debt for years to come.

We're sponsoring a workshop this Saturday run by Peleg Top, whose 17 years of experience includes top clients such as The Walt Disney Co., The Grammy Awards, Toyota, and tons more.

It's cheap for a full half day workshop, and the $147 gets you (if you can believe it) Peleg himself for a 30 minute phone consultation to "review your next proposal or help you figure out what to charge on your next project" and a copy of his latest book, The Designer's Guide To Marketing And Pricing: How To Win Clients And What To Charge Them.

Here's the full pitch below:

Whether you're a seasoned veteran or an aspiring newcomer, most creative professionals spend way too much time writing proposals. Neglecting to ask the right questions before writing a proposal can create hours of unpaid work. What's more, if you forget to address important issues (like your client's budget) you can waste a lot of time writing proposals for prospects that can't afford you to begin with.Yet, even when you think you've asked all the right questions, it's natural to wonder:

Are my proposals being read at all or simply skimmed?

Do my proposals have enough (or too much) information?

Do my prospects understand the work that is involved in the project?

We can answer these questions and help you save all that time and money using real world examples to teach you how to craft more effective proposals that get you working!

Details here!

We are excited to bring you the first session in our Fellows Speaker Series: Inspire.

Stories overheard about Clive Piercy:
1. He started his first design office in a laundromat
2. He played football for Manchester (that's in England)
3. He holds the Guinness Record for the longest foldout design presentation
in the world

One thing we know is true: Clive has a passion for design. And on March 19th we'll find out why.

Details here.

"I'm a great writer," you say, "what in the world could you teach me that I don't already know??" Well, we're definitely not going to give you our 'top 10 tips' or even our 'top 20 tips' to improve your writing. We've been there, done that, too. We've gone outside the profession to the realm of psychology this time, to tackle writing from another angle. Local psychologist, successful businesswoman and creativity expert Virginia Green, PhD, has kindly agreed to facilitate some exercises intended to get you tapping in to both left and right brain hemispheres when you write. You'll understand how your mind works when you write and be able to unleash an entirely new level of creativity and inspiration at will.

Details here.

Goe is a collection of 2,058 NEWspot colors. 
Giovanni Marra, from Pantone, will discuss how the Goe collection takes advantage of current design and printing technology to be cleaner, greener and more accurately reproducible.

Quite simply, Goe is PMS 2.0.

Join us on Tuesday, March 17, as PANTONE gives an informative presentation and discussion on Goe. They will have a variety of products on hand to spark everyone's imagination.

Details here.

The group who set out to do GE's Ecomagination site really took the wow factor to the next level.

I mean this is insane - everyone I've shown this to has been blown away.

The only problem I see with the campaign is that it takes a bit of work to get there, but it's one of those Web trick you'll feel compelled to share with everyone in your office (as I just did).

After loading up the site, just print out the downloaded document, launch the player and get ready to freak out.

I mean it. It's weird.

I believe this was built by Atmosphere BBDO using FLARToolKit.

We got some Addys, we got some Addys!

Okay, when I say "we" I'm not actually talking about the folks here in the office (we do a good job with streamers for birthday desks, but POPs? Not so much).

Meri and the crew here had set up a remote group of Aquent Designers and Art Directors to be a solution for DIRECTV's creative needs (instead of using a traditional agency). The group has been masterfully led by our Talents Joe B. and William V., so masterfully in fact, that they picked up 8 Addys Sunday night!

Here's what they ended up going home with:

Point-of-Purchase: Award of Excellence (NFL Sunday Ticket)
Point-of-Purchase: Best of Category (NASCAR Standee)
Point-of-Purchase: Award of Excellence (NFL Sunday Ticket Standee)
Color Brocure: Award of Excellence (Beer, Girls, Sport Brochure)
Poster: Award of Excellence (Bond)
Consumer/Trade, Full Page, Color: Award of Excellence (Just Add Ice)
Local Radio: Award of Distinction (DIRECTV)
Local Radio: Award of Excellence (DIRECTV)

I just hope Joe or William brought the SUV.

Congrats to the whole team!

It's HERE!

For the last few years, I've had a lot of people comment to me that our Website didn't really look like we repped Creative Talent. Marketing, yes, but Creative, not so much.

Which is why I was happy (and sort of floored) when our Web Director Jeremie gave us a preview of the new site.

Personal? Every Account Manager and Account Director at Aquent has their own PURL, which is Personal URL for those of you who have no idea what that stands for. Much like me before Jeremie gave his presentation.

That's globally. Or, 550 (?) or so people.

That's Aquent in France, Poland, Australia, Korea, and the bike loving Netherlands.

The biggest feature is that jobs are now listed by Account Manager (or Agent, as they are dubbed in other offices) by region. And you can send them an email or apply to jobs with the click o' a button, as they say in Aquent Ireland. as the Irish folks say who work in our UK offices (thanks to Kim Croscup in London for pointing out that I need to start an office in Dublin)

Any thoughts, design, interactive, and marketing community?

Will 2009 be a blockbuster action adventure or a horror movie at the Box office?

The movie industry seems to thrive during times of economic hardship both financially and creatively.In fact, 2008 theatrical box office revenues were higher than the previous year's. The quality of the tent pole movies was higher than ever, with Oscar buzz even around genres that don't usually garner much award attention, such as "The Dark Knight" and "Iron Man".

Join us for a comprehensive look into the Entertainment Industry for 2009.

Details here.

I'm not a stats guy, but a couple years ago I was asked by my former company to find some interesting figures about the corporation, then create PowerPoint charts.

I still think this is fairly compelling.



Not long after this project I was moved to a different department.

Some people can't handle the truth.

(this is a post by guest blogger, Jenn Tran)

How many times have you ignored the application invite from your friend to grow a little plant, buy a drink for, take an online quiz, etc. via Facebook or your social networking platform of choice?

I know I have certainly been labeled by more than one person in my network as being a notorious social app hog. Needless to say, I am guilty as charged for taking a music quiz every once in awhile, then superpoking (ALL of my friends) or even sending some good karma every now and then (albeit it in the digital form).

So if everyone else is doing it, why can't we? By "we" I mean Web Developers who are out in the world trying to make the most of a growing digital trend (please note: I am *not* a Web Developer). 

There's an interesting article on ZDNet where the head of Yahoo! Programming waxes tech over the benefits of being a company (or Developer) riding on the coattails of the social app trend. In the end, it seems like it's all in how many people you can attract to your application (I think at least 90% of my network has "superpoked" me at LEAST ONCE) but also how quick the turn around will be in showing you the money - as it were. Mobile apps may be a bigger contender in that arena, according to the article.

As for me, I am guilty of downloading all sorts of mobile AND social Web apps from all walks of digital life. You can decide which you think is more lucrative and read up more right here.

Attend the Web & Interactive Design summit and discover the latest technologies impacting Web and interactive content. Find out how to implement effective on-line and interactive campaigns. Hear from creative technology experts on simple ways to radically change your web and interactive design projects. Discover strategies and tools to accelerate your design workflow and create content with maximum impact.

Conference & Workshops include:

Web Strategy in Search Dominated Environment
The Storyboard: Comping a Website Project
Effective Web Design Workflow--from Design to Deployment
Maximum Impact with Adobe CS4: Flash, Dreamweaver, & more...

Migrating From Print to Web Design: Mind the Gap
Flash CS4 & Dreamweaver CS4: New Features, Tips & Tricks
Creating and Deploying Streaming Interactive Video

Full details here.

Flash CS4 & Dreamweaver CS4: New Features, Tips & Tricks
Creating and Deploying Streaming Interactive Video
Creating Dynamic Interactive Content for Silverlight using Blend & Design
Power CSS for Web Design
Photoshop & Fireworks for Web Design

I believe (as of this AM) there's still space available.

Here's the registration page - at $198 for two full days, well, that's pretty danged affordable. Especially when you consider that I was just looking up a 3-day emarketing seminar that's got an early bird option of $2,340 (hey, but they promised me that was $50 off full price!)

It's going to be the survival of the fittest. In this economic climate, some designers are facing difficulties and others are doing very well. We'll discuss strategies that separate the thriving LA studios from those who are barely surviving. Eduardo Braniff, CEO & Creative Director of Imagination will moderate a live session with principals from Baker Brand Communications, Hello Design and IE Design + Communications about growing business in a tough economy. Learn from the experiences of our experts, how they have weathered the business storm before, and what they are doing now. Bring your thoughts and questions and be ready to participate in the discussion.

Full details here.

True, Facebook just turned 5 in February. And it seems, just in the last 6 months, to have increased its users somewhere in the area of 5000%. Or maybe a bunch of the 35+ crowd just joined. All I know is that I've gotten more requests since December than I've had last year.

Even though I've been on for, what, two years (?), I've just experienced the I-have-no-idea-why-my-high-school-girlfriend-who-dumped-me-would-now-want-to-connect-with-me syndrome. Which maybe many of you have already been through. Which, admittedly, is very disconcerting. I'm wondering what I'm going to do when the guy who tortured me in gym pokes me (which will be a lot better than hitting me in the head with a flattened basketball).

And though people like our own Jenn Tran are such SuperUsers that they can give you advice on anti-Facebook apps, I'm guessing the newer users will probably just drop out completely.

Just as Steve Tuttle from Newsweek did in his really funny post You Can't Friend Me, I Quit!