For our 5/31 Supplement saluting the 30th anniversary of the Association of Independent Commercial Producers, we contacted assorted contributors to the AICP’s storied history. Among those we could not reach at press time was Ted Goetz, who’s perhaps best known for his long tenure as executive producer at FilmFair, a company that enjoyed a 32-year run before shutting down in 1992.
Well, after the deadline had passed for our AICP 30th Anniversary edition, we finally connected with Goetz, who played an integral role in developing the AICP on the West Coast. Now retired and living in Southern California, he was one of the first people in the business I got to know when I joined this paper in the late ’70s. He devoted a tremendous amount of time to the AICP, including serving as its West Coast chapter president. His view was always positive as he successfully helped to bring about meaningful constructive dialogue with the ad agency and client communities. Goetz also was a mentor to many in the business, not only in terms of helping to develop and advance their careers, but by inspiring them to become involved in industry issues—and in the AICP in particular.
Though we weren’t able to get Goetz’s reflections on the AICP into our special issue, I thought it worthwhile to at least try to do them some justice in this column. For him, among the most treasured memories is his receiving the Jay B. Eisenstat Award in ’92. Named for the late legendary founding father of the AICP, the Eisenstat Award was instituted in ’90 to recognize outstanding contributions and service to the commercial production industry.
As related in an earlier edition of this column (6/14, p. 4), the Eisenstat Award took on even greater luster this year when it was bestowed upon 10 honorees—two New York union locals and eight equipment/support service companies—for their immediate, caring response to the 9/11 tragedy. The 10 recipients mobilized to bring people and resources—most importantly, lighting equipment—to Ground Zero, making rescue efforts possible that very first night … and night after night for months to come.
Goetz simply related that for him the Eisenstat Award was particularly gratifying. "It’s the highlight of anybody’s career when your peers recognize you," he said. "But even more than that, when I went on stage to accept the award, I felt a great sense of pride for the organization, of how so many people worked to create a consolidated, articulate voice for our industry. And that voice has helped to do a great deal of good in our business."
He observed that the AICP—like commercialmaking—is a collaborative process. "When I received the Eisenstat Award, I also felt some guilt because so many other people were responsible for my being up on stage that night: Dick Kerns, and the late Benson Green and Frank Tuttle, to name just a few. I just happened to be in the right place at the right time, and when they asked me to pitch in and help, I did."
Green, the first national president of the AICP; Kerns, who served as national president in the early ’80s; and Tuttle, the second national president in AICP history, all received Eisenstat Award over the years. For Goetz, possibly the highest honor was accepting the Eisenstat Award in ’94 on behalf of Tuttle, who had passed away several months earlier.
"That meant a lot to me," Goetz recalled. "Frank was what the AICP is all about—he was a unifying force within the production house community, and in helping to bring that community together with agencies, clients and suppliers."
