One of those people is the prodigiously talented Dave Straus.  If you haven’t been to his Vimeo page, go there now and see the greatness that a creative mind can achieve by reinventing cel animation via Adobe Illustrator. Among his other remarkable labors of love, he just posted this farewell to me.

To be commemorated with this sort of art is an honor for me–and with the mellow, precursor to Soul harmonies of the Mills Brothers no less. Thanks Dave. I’ll miss you. Hell, I’ll miss all of you.

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By Dennis Ryan, CCO for one last workday at Element 79

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Happy Friday to all.  Mine is bittersweet as I say goodbye to the good people and clients of Element 79 Chicago before starting an exciting new chapter at OLSON in Minneapolis on Monday.

Yes, this Monday.  The one three days from now. Scheduling has never been a real strong suit of mine…

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By Dennis Ryan, CCO, Element 79

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Yesterday, the news broke that I was leaving Element 79 for the CCO job at OLSON in Minneapolis.  As part of this transition, I needed to take a press photo.  A tough gig given I’m a writer, not a model.

Despite my new employer hiring a big name photographer, the first shots didn’t work out so well.  I looked like a tired and overweight Mrs. Doubtfire, if Mrs. Doubtfire were an investment banker–not exactly the look I was hoping for to impress my new agency.

Panicked, I Facebooked a friend of mine who’s taken photographs of Element 79 staffers since we opened: Todd Baxter.  Basically, I begged him to save my bacon.

Todd found some time and asked if I had any ideas for the shot.  I thought of this photo which I’d seen online a few weeks earlier…

Something about this legion of mini-snowment made me laugh.  So I attached this sketch and sent them to Todd…

Todd jumped right into the concept.  Unfortunately, just as we shot last week, the three feet of snow piled on the deck behind his studio melted away during an unseasonable thaw.  Before it all disappeared, Todd found one lingering patch of icy slush down the street in a church parking lot.  His intern Ryan and studio manager Debbie packed it into ten jumbo garbage bags and lugged them back.

For the portrait, Todd sat me on some pillows covered with a white sheet on a white sweep…

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I’m thankful for Neal Stamell who loves what we do and is ever-ready to suss out new ways to do it even better…  I’m thankful for the one-woman pep squad that is Lindsay Stevens, who—as someone put it so perfectly on Facebook—has a remarkable ability to make you feel affirmed simply by agreeing with you through her trademarked “I know, right?”…  I’m thankful for the Japanimaniac Dave Straus who first with the crushingly-original Futagoyuro and now with the fantastic Gold Giant, pushes the boundaries of creativity and inspires everyone with his prodigious and singular talents…  I’m thankful for the delightful Tracy Tran who I can trust with any project and know both the client and the creative team will walk away very, very happy…  I’m thankful for Donna Tropp who just keeps getting better and better at getting things done while laughing and cracking wise…  I’m thankful for the ever-game Maria Van Etten whose smile alone improves every assignment…  I’m thankful for Jason Weinberger who can dive deep and write voluminously and well on everything from hairstyles to interest rates…  I’m thankful for my boss Brian Williams and his leadership that ensures we’ll be keeping the doors open and the lights on despite the continual upheavals in this advertising business…  I’m thankful for Josh Witherspoon who embraces new forms of creativity and pushes the boundaries of work our clients expect…  I’m thankful Ashley Wohl recently joined us to bring her new and unique design perspective to all of us…  I’m thankful for Lih Min Yuan for his broad imagination, his discriminating palate, and candidly–his durability after this Fall’s potentially-ugly car accident…  And I’m thankful for the skills and charm of Colleen Zazzetti who brightens mornings and only through getting married a few years back and giving up her “Coleman” name lands in the final position on this list…

I truly am thankful for all of these wonderful people.  I’m thankful for so many more who’ve been at Element 79 for a while before moving on to other workplaces and opportunities.

I’m also thankful for the helpful network of Chicago production–all the post houses, film houses, audio studios, design and animation and editing experts who help us turn thoughts into wonderful, shining things.  As a local community, we are truly lucky to work and partner with so much talent.  I’m also thankful for the larger production community on the coasts, in Texas and around the world.

And finally, I’m ridiculously thankful for all of our clients who make it possible to earn a living making things up for them.  That’s a truly wonderful gift.

Thank you for making 2010 better and here’s to a wonderful 2011 for all of us.

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By Dennis Ryan, CCO, Element 79

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I’m thankful for the incomparable Mary Killen who creates order out of chaos with casual aplomb…  I’m thankful for Gillian Kindel who has made herself invaluable in short order, and not just for her willingness to wear swimwear out of season…  I’m thankful for the casually gracious Monica Klasa who creates art and beauty with wondrous consistency…  I’m thankful for Rosanna Klusmeyer who has mastered the art of replacing a slow-burn with a determined smile…  I’m thankful for the redoubtable Michael Kurbejeweit who brings remarkably fresh creativity to metrics, extracting gold from mounds of informational ore…  I’m thankful for the endlessly-resilient Chris Laubach whose creative forbearance endures even incivility to serve agency and client alike…  I’m thankful for Sandy Leib who eliminates risk while only rarely eliminating fun…  I’m thankful for Cheryl Lindquist who explores far and wide for the best way to turn our thoughts into things…  I’m thankful for AJ Livsey who approaches planning like it’s a full-contact sport…  I’m thankful for the designs and artfulness of Allison Lutze (and her helpful discretion)…  I’m thankful for Jo Lyons who can explain benefits simply despite the fact that they are never simple…  I’m thankful for the skills and commitment of Tom Macek who is always willing to stretch into new areas to keep helping the agency…  I’m thankful for Ronan Marra who lives the art of modern theater while classing up the joint with his charming brogue…  I’m thankful for Megan McCann who can juggle critical details without letting any of them fall and splatter all over us…  I’m thankful Alexis Miller just joined us to help out on CDH…  I’m thankful for Elizabeth Miller, particularly for ensuring the agency enjoys a rich and rewarding social life…  I’m thankful for Gina Muffoletto who defines creativity by mastering just enough Photoshop skills to make her monthly birthday announcements eagerly anticipated works of comic art…  And I’m thankful for the peripatetic Lisa Muzik who proves everyday that producers make Herculean tasks appear stunningly routine…

It’s hard not to be thankful when you work with so many people who make the work better.  And definitely a lot more fun.

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By Dennis Ryan, CCO, Element 79

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I’m thankful for Lisa Dauderman, who is both incredibly focused and simply a hill of fun as a traveling companion…  I’m thankful for Katy Denny who keeps everything wonderful on Central DuPage Hospital even as she balances work with her wedding plans…  I’m thankful for Ali Dolan who has grown into her producer role with a gracefulness few could achieve…  I’m thankful for Amie Dowker whose prodigious intellect is matched only by her warm humanity…  I’m thankful for Stacie Dunn whose easy wit feels like a comfy old glove…  I’m thankful for Ken Fill who cares deeply for his clients with a good-hearted infectiousness that impacts the entire team…  I’m thankful for Justin Frosolone not simply because he’s a ridiculously handsome man but also because he’s a ridiculously warm and attractive person (and Sox fan)…  I’m thankful for Michael Gabriele whose knowledge of film making comes first hand and thus is hard-earned and personal in a way that is difficult to teach…  I’m thankful for Phil Gant whose prodigious experience and knowledge makes me count my blessings to have him impacting the department simply because people want to learn from him…  I’m thankful for Gus Gavino who makes movies and reminds me what it means to be dedicated to your craft not only because it’s your job but also because it is the passion that fuels your soul…  I’m thankful for Marzena Grecki whose hunger to learn the American idiom fueled her desire to work at E79 to the point that she learned English from a five year old boy as a Polish immigrant…  I’m thankful for Lisa Groot who knows much, fears little and keeps her team thinking positively whatever the workday throws her…  I’m thankful for Jess Hanebury simply because I can’t imagine a world where her biting wit didn’t exist…  I’m thankful for Konrad Hedrich who handles both the mundane and the exotic work requests with equal aplomb…  I’m thankful for Jill Hefner who in less than a year, handles Harris with a sure-footedness of a seasoned pro.  I’m thankful for the smiles of Amy Henning who remains irrepressibly positive through the most challenging times…  I’m thankful for Cindy Hicks whose diplomacy and sharp mind encourage her team’s arched eyebrow irony without veering into the sardonic…  I’m thankful for Amanda Hogg who can make anyone laugh even as she moves mountains of work…  I’m thankful for Julie Howard who in any truly accurate org chart, would be in whatever position is just above ‘Grand Royal Potentate’…  I’m thankful for the charming Rick Janusz who knows the great mysteries of computer code and translates them freely and deftly for all of us…

I truly am thankful for all of these wonderful people.  And I’m not even halfway done…

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By Dennis Ryan, CCO, Element 79

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That’s a pretty easy one; because advertising is a people business, the best part of my job are the fascinating, engaging and hilarious people I work with each and every day.  So if you’re looking for insights or commentary on advertising, you can skip the blog this week; I’m just gonna be giving thanks…

I’m thankful for ever-affable Victor Alonzo who somehow keeps my laptops from getting the best of me…  I’m thankful for the genuine Amy Anderson, whose commitment to her clients is only matched by her ready laugh with her team…  I’m thankful for Carrie Baker, who deftly meets her daily professional challenges by making her sense of humor ever more twisted…  I’m thankful for Leah Barret, whose optimism and enthusiasm brightens every room she enters…  I’m thankful for John Barry, who attacks every writing assignment with a vigor and thoroughness matched only by his keen and joyous wit…  I’m thankful for Brian Battle, who despite starting maybe two weeks ago, has already displayed a willingness to throw aside his personal dignity on behalf of the agency and our Holiday videos…  I’m thankful for Nancy Bauer, whose intellect embraces open-mindedness without countenancing naivety…  I’m thankful for Alana Beseau whose effortless ability to generate soul-shaking laughter makes it easy to miss how hard she works…  I’m thankful for the game and smiling Kira Bigwood, whose writing captures intelligence without forsaking deep and abiding empathy…  I’m thankful for Kristine Black, who jumps in with both feet to get things done, juggling the multiple perspectives of a team without losing the singular vision…  I’m thankful for Ryan Bloecker, who jumped into a stampede and somehow roped his steers into a semblance of submission without losing his ever-present Nicholsonian grin…  I’m thankful for the clever David Boensch who somehow makes stolid reliability continually fascinating and artful…  I’m thankful for Jen Burak who steadily moves mountains of work with the understatement of a kung fu master…  I’m thankful for the moments when I work with Tracey Button, who somehow acquiesced to part time instead of retirement…  I’m thankful for the MacGyver-esque Ryan Carlos who makes stuff with a casualness that belies his voluminous output and prodigious skills…  I’m thankful for Tim Cerullo who graduated from intern to full time writer this year simply because his amazing attitude and nascent skill made those who worked with him unwilling to let him go…  I’m thankful for the big-hearted Jerry Conner who best exemplifies that transcendent and magical quality of curiosity…  I’m thankful for Dan Cosgrove who assignment-by-assignment, grows his art direction chops and lays the foundation for a stellar career…  I’m thankful for Todd “ST5K” Crisman who truly is 50,000 watts of heavy action, possessing that elusive quality of making everyone around him better–or at least gigglier…  I’m thankful for Tom Cutler who jumped into a hot LZ with remarkable aplomb, organizing, analyzing and setting a path forward that restores energy and hope…

I truly am thankful for all of these wonderful people.  And I’m just getting started…

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By Dennis Ryan, CCO, Element 79

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It’s also not even remotely a testament to the talents of the Element 79 workforce, beyond say, a collective good-natured willingness to participate.

No, it is purely fun.  And joyous.  And thus, one of my favorite things of this season.  The ridiculously talented Gus Gavino shot and edited this, along with able production assistance by the redoubtable Chris Shen.  I hope you can enjoy it even half as much as I do.  Happy Friday!

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By Dennis Ryan, CCO, Element 79

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“Advertising used to be about building brands.  Increasingly, it’s about building businesses.”

Marketing plans with longterm payoffs don’t really exist anymore.  The notion of building a brand through advertising and promotion is becoming an increasingly quaint and dangerous assumption.

That’s a hard truth for those who’ve thrived in the past.  Then again, it’s a new playing field for those willing to reinvent.

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By Dennis Ryan, CCO, Element 79

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In the afternoon, we had our annual Summer Meeting, which has become rather anachronous as each year, the date falls later and later.

As part of this meeting, it is my responsibility to discuss the agency focus and direction.  I have to confess that this year, I stole my inspiration from a church sermon.

Fr. Pat McGrath is one of those charming, eloquent Jesuit priests with a gift for public speaking.  He is also the President of my daughter’s high school.  A few weeks back, Maureen and I attended a parent’s mass where Fr. Pat spoke to the teens, addressing their anxieties as they decide the course of their futures.  His main point was that asking “What do you want to do?” was the wrong question; the real issue to answer is “Who do you want to be?”

I don’t know if that point inspired any teens, but it hit me like a lightning bolt.  During these hard days of recession, where fortunes, technology and expectations seem to change hourly, I have obsessed over what to do to help our agency.  But any answer to that question would inevitably have to change again and again.  And again.  The simple truth is no matter what you want to do, in a world of constant change, you’ll soon have to do something different to keep adapting.

On the other hand, no matter how agency actions may change, the notion of what an agency should be can remain constant.  And the answer to that question is simple: as an agency, I want Element 79 to be NOTEWORTHY and VALUED.

Importantly, I don’t want to just be “noticed”–that’s the province of the fashion-whipsawed, a goal for the Lindsay Lohans.  No, I want us to aspire to the lasting notion of ‘Noteworthy,’ where your actions and efforts must have intrinsic value and demonstrate worth.  To be Noteworthy is to be differentiated, which is critical.  Best of all, in a smaller, more entrepreneurial enterprise like ours, the actions of even one person can lead to Noteworthy results.

Similarly, earning the stature of “Valued” also differentiates an agency.  It even offers some measure of security as the concept of AOR grows increasingly meaningless.  New CMO’s arrive and play the role of change agents by making the easily noticed, obvious action of switching agencies.  Or a Unilever buys an Alberto Culver, and suddenly through no fault of their own, Mullen and Arnold’s win of that smaller client’s business mere months ago becomes uncertain.

The only measure of protection any agency has today is the regard of their clients.  If an agency is Valued, it is at least marginally insulated from the dictates of whim.  If an agency finds a way to promote their own wares with even half the intensity they bring to promoting their client’s, they can create a protective sense of value that links their work with financial gain.

Noteworthy and Valued: those are the two things I wish for Element 79 going forward.  Gonna get on that right away…

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By Dennis Ryan, CCO, Element 79

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