A selection of television spots that were seen on one channel or another.
More TV and video examples are housed in my Vimeo depository:
Part of a campaign that went head-to-head with Google in an attempt to get people to reconsider their search engine choice.
Part of a multi-spot TV campaign touting Bing's exclusive feature of including info from Facebook friends in your search results.
Part of a campaign featuring slice-of-life moments that bring to mind Spirit Mountain Casino games.
Online videos – much like TV spots but requiring a click of the mouse instead of a click of the remote. Oh, and the budgets...
More video examples can be found on my Vimeo channel:
Part of a video campaign that invited people to save time with a visit to a newly renovated Phillips 66 station.
A launch video announcing a partnership between Microsoft and the Real Madrid soccer team.
1 of 2 spots (each from differing POVs) demonstrating a new Bing search feature that aggregates online deals.
During the time I was there, Razorfish was the Social AOR for the Phillips 66 brands (Phillips 66, Conoco, 76). In addition to that work, Microsoft and its various brands provided many opportunities for social thinking.
As part of Conoco's Instagram launch, a series of individual Car Confession posts (those things only your car knows about you) were made that together created a complete car when viewed in gallery mode. (Example post: Only my car knows how prepared I am for the zombie apocalypse to hit while I'm out on the road.) The campaign continued with additional social posts and a pair of Car Confession videos – one of which can be seen here.
Powered by various Microsoft technologies, this digital experience was designed to harness the passion of Real Madrid fans around the world. With every #HalaMadrid tweet, a “smart” loom at Bernabéu Stadium added another stitch to a Real Madrid/Microsoft scarf – a scarf that continued to grow until it would be unveiled at the first match of the season. Along the way, fans could track the scarf’s progress online and view the tweets connected to each individual stitch.
Unlike most driving video games, Forza Horizon games are open world racers. Rather than having to stick to the road or track, gamers can drive anywhere within the game. This online experience invited gamers to share the places they’d drive their car if real life was more like Forza Horizon, and they could #DriveItAnywhere.
1 of 2 Pacifico print ads produced during a freelance stint with Creature in Seattle.
One of many Columbia ads written while working at BPN. This was part of a Kelly Awards Finalist campaign.
Part of a small space magazine campaign for a start-up fishing flies company in Portland, OR.
Part of Bing's head-to-head campaign against Google that included TV, digital, print and outdoor.
Part of a LUCK HAPPENS campaign for an Oregon casino. This idea plays best in Oregon, where a governor once famously invited Californians to visit but not move here and drive up real estate prices.
An OBIE award winner for Columbia Sportswear.
If you're a writer and don't enjoy writing headlines, I question your writerness.
A small space newspaper ad for a St. Paddy's Day event at an Indian casino.
A headline-driven brand poster for Columbia.
One of several section interstitials from a full website redesign for Keystone Light beer.
One of the best gigs I’ve ever had was working for ESPN the Magazine. Twice a month for a little over a year, I got to write the Viewer's Guide that appeared in their magazine. The guide was made up of quippy 2-3 sentence write-ups for 8-10 upcoming sports-related events – everything from a big game to a sports-themed movie to a bass fishing tournament. The write-ups were somewhere between a TV Guide listing and a tweet.
The Communication Arts Advertising Annual has always been the "awards show" to really get me. Here are three ads that have appeared in their end-of-year ad annuals.
As a holiday mailer, BPN sent out an actual fire log with custom wrapper.
One in a series of ads/posters created for a Portland institution.
Potpourri – arguably the greatest game show category ever. But also a pretty good way to bring together creative examples not all that related to each other.
I worked with Grady Britton to help Hoffman Construction rebrand their safety program, which had become invisible to their employees. The GUTS (Get Us There Safe) program launched with a manifesto and video, and also included construction-site signage and a challenge coin, which workers carry in their pocket to remind them why safety is of the utmost importance. Look for a separate challenge coin section of my site when i get two more under my belt.
I worked with Thread Creative to help Slingshot find their story – a story that as Thread says is used “to make happier employees, better products, more loyal customers, more productive workplaces and generally a better world.” Through research and numerous employee and vendor interviews, we uncovered that kite boarding is a sport much more about exploration than competition – contrary to what almost all other companies in the category were communicating.
After a fantasy football season plagued by bugs and glitches, ESPN was looking for a way to lure fantasy players back. I worked with Opolis Design to create a fantasy football kit that was mailed out to thousands of ESPN users. The kit included fantasy tips, insights, a championship trophy for the coming season, and Relationship Saver coupons – these were designed to be given to significant others to both get them out of the house while also preemptively smoothing things over for the coming 17 weeks of neglect.
A handful of recent-ish things I’ve worked on. Some additional projects of late: NW Natural TV spot with Magneto Advertising; print ad campaigns for Bob’s Red Mill granola and granola bars with Grady Britton; a Medicare Advantage campaign for AllCare Health also with Grady Britton; and a naming/product launch project with HB Design for FinaMill Smart Kitchen Mill, a handheld electric spice grinder with interchangeable pods.
Movie Magic Budgeting (MMB) is the program used to create detailed budgets for movies, television and commercials. While there really is no competition for MMB, users had become frustrated with the lack of updates and improvements over the last decade. I worked with Liquid Agency to help Entertainment Partners announce that a significant MMB update was finally happening. Using real reviews from unhappy users, we created posters, an email campaign and videos for their social channels.
I worked with Columbia to develop hangtag copy for two upcoming Star Wars-themed jackets. Sure, it’s a pretty well-defined world to work within. But who cares, it was fun to do. Plus, it always feels good to get copy past the likes of the Disney powers-that-be.
My longtime art director partner left the world of advertising for wood working and vintage trailer restoration. He and a friend recently released The Illustrated Guide to Vintage Trailers, a field guide to help readers identify the vintage trailers they may see on the road while also providing info and history on many popular trailer models. I helped them with some quick headlines for their book promotion – a few of those are pictured here. They also promised me a small commission on any sales coming from my site. S click here to order.
I grew up in the Northwest. Graduated from University of Oregon. Then Portfolio Center in Atlanta. Seven years as a writer at Borders Perrin Norrander in Portland. Five years of freelancing. Six years as an ACD at Razorfish Portland. And now a return to the world of freelance to write, creative direct, etc. All good things to know, sure. But isn't it more interesting to learn about my lunch napkin art?
For many years, I've drawn on the napkins for my kids' lunches. If they return in good condition, I save them.
For the past 15+ years, I've been commissioner of a fantasy football league made up of ad professionals and a few college friends. LOGO CREDIT: Me
As part of a high school marketing class, I had to create an ad and then sell it to a local business. The dealership was taken enough with my words to pay me $50 for the rights to them – forever. Sort of a less-famous Nike Swoosh tale.
They say you can learn a lot from an Instagram feed - I’m sure someone has said that. So here are three relatively random images from my Instagram - @teendadagram.
I needed one more section to finish out the grid, so I’m going with this for now - kind of a more visual version of ABOUT ME. Maybe it gets replaced at some point. Maybe it stays as is. Come back to find out.