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This Is My Ten Year Old’s Favorite Rockstar…

August 23, 2010 in Advertising | 1 comment

Dennis Ryan, Element 79, Chicago Advertising–yet she couldn’t pick him out of a line-up.

His name is Parry Gripp and he’s one month away from turning forty three. He had some middling success with a West Coast punk pop band called Nerf Herder.  And he uploads a new song every week to his website and YouTube channel, most of which are inspired by internet memes.

For the past two decades, Parry’s plied his affably daft, post-modern vein of wit and whimsy, long on pop culture arcania and catchy hooks.  Now, with his increasing web success, his unique brand of absurdist bubble gum pop has spread like wildfire via word of mouth amongst the elementary school set.

And so after any day spent with her friends, my daughter comes home and surfs over to YouTube to check out their recommendations.  Lately, the vast majority of those have been Parry’s intentionally amateurish re-edits of popular video clip subjects like his masterful toe-tapper about cats flushing toilets, his madcap take on a chimpanzee riding a Segway, or his melancholy meditation on kids taking soccer balls to the face .  Every one of his good-natured videos features infectious singalong hooks, and so the kids spread his work faster than chicken pox.

Since he began uploading back in August of 2006, Parry has earned 40,675,647 upload views. His ditties can be downloaded as ringtones or on iTunes and Amazon.  And he invites everyone to join his list of nearly 72,000 YouTube channel subscribers.

About ten years ago when we started Element 79, a group of us developed an almost unhealthy obsession with this bit of Flash animated nonsense: “Peanut Butter Jelly Time” by the Buckwheat Boyz.  It was very silly, very catchy, and very 2002.

But this past Sunday morning, I heard at least two different Parry Gripp tunes, both of which could make viably silly musical updates for 2010.  First, is “Nom Nom Nom Nom Nom Nom Nom”–which celebrates adorable pets eating, and second is my daughter’s current favorite, “Fuzzy Fuzzy Cute Cute” which is almost Japanese in it’s manic, irrational celebration of all things adorable.

I’m sure you have better things to do today than to click on either of those links.  But if you like to smile, or simply wish Monday could feel more like Thursday, you might want to click away and spend three or four minutes tapping your toe to pure, grin-inducing, melodic bliss.

After all, there’s still a ten year old inside most of us.

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By Dennis Ryan, CCO, Element 79

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The Slicker and The Snake: A Tale From Two Weeks of Texas Production:

June 1, 2010 in Advertising | 2 comments

Today, we’re happy to welcome Patrick Brennan, Canice Neary, Adam Samara and Josh Witherspoon back to the agency.  For the past two weeks, they’ve been galavanting all over Texas with director Jeff Bednarz, capturing authentic sights and sounds for a series of Wolf Brand Chili commercials.

Production has many uniquely wonderful joys: the discovery of location shooting, the challenge of designing shots on the fly, the plentiful gums and mints on the craft service table.  But best of all are the stories; the hilarious, ridiculous, remarkable stories that crop up any time a team of creative people work together for any length of time.

The following came verbatim via an e-mail from Creative Director Canice Neary last week.  Enjoy, won’t you?

“When Patrick Victor Brennan awoke at 4:45am on Tuesday, May 25, at the Holiday inn Express in Mineral Wells, Texas, he had no idea that this was the day he’d (almost) be a hero.”

Element 79 Chicago Advertising Dennis Ryan

Patrick V. Brennan, Producer/ (almost) Cowhand

We were setting up a shot where the director’s kid was to throw rocks into the Brazos River.  Young Josh Witherspoon was the first to spot a water moccasin, sunning itself on a river rock with a very full belly, right next to the area in which said youngun was to hurl the scalloped stones (being an art director by trade, Josh’s keen eye shouldn’t surprise anyone).

One thing was certain; that snake had to go.

After one of the ranch hands initiated the battle. brave Patrick began looking for boulders that would (almost) put that serpent out of it’s–and our–misery.

One after the other, rocks pelted that poisonous beast.  After about the fifth stone, it appeared the job was complete.  Until the ranch foreman lifted up the largest stone with the biggest walking stick these slickers from Chitown had ever seen.  Jaws agape, the snake prepared for it’s final defense.

Well, lemme tell ya…  They don’t call it ‘the Wild West’ for nuthin’.  With one whack, the moccasin slid into it’s watery grave for good.  And we got the shot.

And that my friends, is the story of how Patrick V. Brennan (almost) killed a water moccasin.”

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There really is no greater joy in this business than making stuff.  And when it’s great–when it inspires and surprises and sells, the reward is the opportunity to go back out and make even more stuff.  Here’s hoping those two weeks provide nothing but good things for Wolf Brand as we go to edit.

By Dennis Ryan, CCO, Element 79
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The 9th Annual AICE Awards and A Big Thank You To All Our Editorial Partners

May 21, 2010 in Advertising | 1 comment

Last night, the AICE–the Association of Independent Creative Editors–held their 9th Annual Awards Show at the Field Museum.   Optimus Editor Craig Lewandowski took home the “Best of Chicago” award for a spot he cut for our client Cricket Wireless.  It’s a lovely brand spot, showing how the “Respect” theme pervades a modern city, with more and more people picking up the signal that Cricket and their no contract, fixed rate offering has become the best value in wireless.

It’s typical for advertising creatives to single out the work of a director: directors are at the center of any production, making a thousand and one decisions that impact the look and feel of the spot.  Directors serve as the final arbiter of what will appear before their lens and how.  Successful directors inevitably become brand names in the industry.

And yet in most cases, it’s the far less heralded editor that determines any production’s impact.  More spots have been lost in edit than in production.  Pacing, storytelling, tone: the editor sets it all, frame-by-frame with every cut, every fade, every shot selection.  And they do it with the further burden of direct collaboration with the agency–and often the client team.  Not only must they excel at their craft, they must master persuasion, diplomacy and tact to really drive their creative achievements.

All of which makes editing a singularly challenging job.  In my career, I’ve been very fortunate to work with some spectacularly gifted editors.  Last night, the AICE honored the relentlessly creative and affable Craig.  Today, I’d like to thank every one of his peers who works with us to make things better.

We all have our opinions, but in the end, we truly succeed when you have the final cut.

By Dennis Ryan, CCO, Element 79

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Harris Bank, The Chicago Blackhawks and the Joys of Postseason Production

April 30, 2010 in Advertising | 3 comments

Saturday night, the Vancouver Canucks come down to Chicago to kick-off the Western Conference semi-finals at the United Center.  Last year, the Blackhawks took this same series in six.

The timing couldn’t be better for Harris Bank, which has been a long-standing supporter of both the Hawks and the Bulls.  A couple of months back, hopeful that they would be making just this kind of running for Lord Stanley’s cup, we produced two Blackhawks themed ads for Harris’ “We’re Here to Help” campaign.  The Blackhawks did their part by winning the Central Division crown—their first division title in seventeen years.

Spots like this are a joy to make–you have a local location shoot in the main branch, you have the civic pride angle,  and you have a chance to produce something particularly timely.  It wasn’t a big budget, but it didn’t have to be: the Blackhawks promised us two players and we’d work with whomever they sent over.  Projects like these present a simple, honest challenge; as Charlie Chaplin wrote in his autobiography, “All I need to make a comedy is a park, a policeman and a pretty girl.”  Replace ‘park’ with ‘bank lobby,’ ‘policeman’ with ’teller’ and ‘pretty girl’ with ‘bruising two way defenceman’ and that pretty much summed up the challenge for art director Lih Min Yuan, writer John Barry and producer Ali Dolan.  Working with the incredibly capable teams over at Resolution Digital Studios, they shot during business hours, juggling the constraints necessitated by bank security and NHL players closing out their regular season schedule.

Here’s hoping everything work out as well for Duncan Keith, Brent Seabrook and company as it did for us.  Go Hawks!

By Dennis Ryan, CCO, Element 79

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Yes, Brands Are Opinions, Even the Element 79 Brand

April 26, 2010 in Advertising | 1 comment

In today’s socially-networked, immediate-impact world, brands suffer when negative opinions spread unchecked.  When those negative opinions are unfounded or severely exaggerated, the damage can be massive (ask any ex-Bear Stearns employee about that one).

Because in today’s socially-networked, immediate-impact world, opinion trumps reality.  As soon as it forms, opinion spreads through mass viral channels like Facebook, Twitter and blogs.  And because it is opinion, it doesn’t require fact-checking.

Last week, I got a wake up call that this truth applies to our Element 79 brand as well.  In the finals of a new business pitch, a CEO mentioned that he Googled Element 79 and wondered when we were gonna merge with DDB?

We’re not.  Never were.  But due to a newspaper column written by a speculatively-inclined columnist for the Chicago Sun Times over fifteen months ago, that rumor popped up in our prospect’s search engine.  Worse, when I shared this anecdote with a few friends at other shops in town, they admitted hearing the same thing.  When the rumor mill, or at least irrelevant suppositions, can influence the outcome of new business, you’ve got trouble.

We’ve spent two years reinventing and rebuilding our agency.  And slowly, we’ve been regrowing.  Today we have about 110 people busy working to help our clients thrive during these tight times.  We want Cricket to leverage their national coverage into a leadership position for value innovation in wireless.  We want Supercuts to show the value of their affordable haircare so that if and when the economy turns better, people realize they don’t have to pay more to look good.

We want Amway to help people supplement their incomes and Central DuPage Hospital to be the first choice for superior healthcare — especially as they bring Illinois’ first Proton Therapy Center online this Summer.  And we want Harris to keep helping people realize how much better the right bank can be.

We also want to do big things for the half-dozen new clients we’ve brought in these past five months.  We want LasikPlus to show glasses wearers that this simple procedure can radically improve their lives quickly and safely.  We can’t wait for the private equity firm GTCR to launch their revamped website and concise brand story in May.  And we take inordinate pride in winning three new brands–Wolf Chili, Alexia, and Banquet–from our friends at ConAgra.

There’s an old adage about physicians taking their own medicine.  And so we’re also going to be taking some steps to clean up our online hygiene.

It wasn’t good news to hear.  But like criticism from a smart coach, it will make us better.  And that’s the daily goal.

By Dennis Ryan, CCO, Element 79

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PS:  Michael Gabriel and Gus Gavino made the video above for a recent pitch.  Though we didn’t prevail there, the energy of this piece is just delightful.  The track is “100,000 Thoughts” by Tap Tap.


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Awkward? Yes, But If It Makes Even One Person Feel More Positively About Element 79, So Be It

April 22, 2010 in Advertising | 2 comments

It’s an odd thing, looking at yourself on video.  Odd and awkward.  I look at myself in this clip and can only think that if I had arthritis, I wouldn’t be able to talk.

This video just went up on the New York Festivals website today.  I was extremely flattered to be interviewed some months back, along with the redoubtably awesome Todd Crisman. Interactive Group Creative Director.  The two of us spent an hour talking to Gayle Seminara-Mandel, the Director of Media Relations for the New York Festivals and from that, they produced this piece.

If you do watch, you’ll see lots of hand gestures and hear lots of opinions on advertising from me, but far more importantly, you’ll experience a taste of the magic that is Todd Crisman.  Todd is one of the reasons why showing up to work each day and actually getting paid to sell things on behalf of our clients feels like such a privilege.  And he’s one of about a hundred people at Element 79 who make me feel that way.

Sure, it’s fun to grouse that this ad agency sucks or that one is full of hacks, but I imagine most people in the advertising business feel the same way about the people in their shop.  The work can be very challenging–pleasing people always is–but in the end, the people in the trenches beside you as you try to get  that work done make it uniquely rewarding.

Personally, I’m fond of and grateful for the people at Element 79.  I hope you feel as fortunate with the people at your place.

By Dennis Ryan, CCO, Element 79

PS:  Herkimer IS a very good fromage.  You can quote me on that.

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Closed For Agency Party

February 26, 2010 in Advertising | No comments

Today, Element 79 officially enters its ninth year.  As is our custom, we celebrate this with our own holiday, Founders’ Day: a celebration of the spirit of those who began this agency and those taking it into new and game-changing places.

See you again Monday.

By Dennis Ryan, CCO, Element 79

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Timing Is Everything: From Dashing to Exceeding Expectations

February 23, 2010 in Advertising | No comments

We have this lovely little ad hoc thing at the agency called, unimaginatively enough, Breakfast Club, where every Friday morning, four or five people at the office provide some breakfast for the rest of us.  Over the months and years, the Breakfast Club has become a nice way to end the week by sharing a cup of coffee and maybe a homemade scone or a bit of egg casserole.

Last Friday, the scheduled Breakfast Club hosts did the unprecedented and waved off at the last minute due to an unfortunate confluence of client travel and personal illness.  There was disappointment–not getting your danish can do that to you.  One note on Facebook conjectured Breakfast Club had been given up for Lent.  Hardly.

First thing Monday morning, a Spartan offering of donut holes and coffee sat on a break room table, an intentionally underwhelming display meant to be, as a tweet from @jennylui read, “Just a little something to whet ur whistle before we blow ur mind. At 4 pm.”

By mid-afternoon, the rhetoric had escalated.  Tweets and emails promised “the single greatest breakfast club ever.”  That was all–no explanation, no hint of their plans.

Four o’clock arrived and a far larger crowd than usual gathered at our main meeting room to find an amazing troika: a proper English breakfast, vodka drinks, and the DePaul Mens a Cappella group, DMaC.  For the next hour or so, these college undergrads worked their way through a varied catalogue, from Peter Gabriel’s “Sledgehammer” to a surprisingly moving rendition of Toto’s “Africa.”  Pure, multi-octave voices, loose but conscious choreography and an undercurrent of collegiate wit created a deeply engaging performance that lived up to its billing.  And provided an unprecedented backdrop to eggs, beans and crumpets.

From dashing expectations to wildly exceeding them–if you can ever get a shot at redemption and nail it, the effect is twice as impactful.  Well done Ron D’Innocenzo, Jenny Lui, Mike D’Amico and Josh Witherspoon: John Hughes himself would have been proud.

And whoever has Breakfast Club this week is so hosed…

By Dennis Ryan, CCO, Element 79


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This Weekend, I Saw The Future of Film Rendered In Breathtaking CGI

January 11, 2010 in Advertising | 1 comment

No, I didn’t see Avatar–though I will.  As a student of culture, I must.  In one month, Avatar’s already become the second highest worldwide release ever, behind Cameron’s own Titanic.  And this despite having a title set, as Element 79 art director Lindsay Stevens first noted, in the horrid Papyrus font.  But I digress…

Instead I saw this twelve and a half minute piece called “The Third and the Seventh” by Alex Roman on Vimeo.  Do yourself a favor and cleave off the time to watch this on your computer in full screen and HD.  If you can’t afford the time but can find a minute and a half, watch this.  And then remind yourself that despite the natural lighting, despite the seemingly hand-made erraticism of some camera moves and depth of focus changes, regardless of the incredible details of wear and tear on vintage film cameras and the botanic splendor of deciduous trees and waving shafts of wheat and grass…heck, notwithstanding even the appearance of a photographer in some of the scenes…none of it is real.

You really have to force yourself to fully absorb that.  None.  Of.  It.  Is.  Real.

Should you doubt that, watch this.  And if you want to see exactly how the filmmaker uses 3dsmax, Vray, After Effects and Premiere, he shows you here.

In these times of Harry Potter and Transformers, the most remarkable cinematic effect of all is to see something utterly believable rendered staggeringly perfect through entirely artificial means.  The very invisibility of the effects in this piece will blow your mind.  What it means for the future of Hollywood and commercial set building remains to be seen, but this will be used.  And we’ll have more actors scampering across blue screens, only later to be turned into fantastic images and landscapes.

Perhaps not surprisingly, Alex Roman (real name Jorge Seva) is a classically trained painter who spends his days working in the world of arch viz: architectural visualizations created through computer graphics.  Some amazing masterpieces of architecture appear in his film, including MAM, Milwaukee’s fabulous art museum designed by Santiago Calatrava.  For more information on this filmmaker, here’s the only substantive interview I could find, conducted early in the process as he was creating various pieces before they all coalesced into his final film.

“The Third and the Seventh” refers to pillars of Art: Architecture (third) and Cinema (seventh).  I’m not familiar with the entire list of pillars or their ranking, but I can speculate on the foundation of Art…

Awe.

By Dennis Ryan, CCO, Element 79

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The Office is Now Closed

December 23, 2009 in Advertising | No comments

Put a fork in 2009–it’s done.  Not to say that we’re done, particularly.  The business of ideas never truly shuts down for a Holiday.  It bubbles along, freeriding the subconscious, honing in on quieter moments, casually filling the idle hours.  Because there’s always another assignment, always another avenue, always something you could do more remarkably, more memorably, more effectively.

trailerOfficially, we’ll start doing that again on January 4th at 9am.  But during those off days, chances are good thoughts of work will share top synaptic billing with all those sugarplum visions dancing in our collective heads.  Merry merry indeed.

By Dennis Ryan, CCO, Element 79

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