Contrary to television’s modern rewriting of history through creative license, Don Draper didn’t teach the world to sing with the iconic Coca-Cola “Hilltop” commercial as depicted in the finale of AMC’s Mad Men series. Rather the creative mind behind that landmark ad was Bill Backer who last Friday (May 13) passed away at the age of 89 in Warrenton, VA. Backer was a lauded creative at McCann-Erickson when he introduced a world in “perfect harmony” for Coca-Cola in 1971. Recently Coca-Cola released a remastered and color-corrected version of “Hilltop.”
Backer is known for his successful tenures at Y&R, McCann and the venerable Backer & Spielvogel (founded with Carl Spielvogel) which after its sale to Saatchi and merger with Ted Bates became Backer Spielvogel Bates. Backer teamed with colleagues over the years to craft such jingles and slogans as “The Real Thing” and “Things Go Better With Coke” for Coca-Cola, “Soup Is Good Food” for Campbell’s, and “Everything you ever wanted in a beer…and less” for Miller Lite. His slogans and catchlines became part of Americana, weaving brands into mainstream life. His deft creative touch over a four decade career also graced ads for such brands as Lowenbrau, Quaker Foods, Philip Morris, Wendy’s and Xerox.
Backer’s first industry foray took the form of his opening a jingles business, followed by a stint at Columbia Pictures and then finally a fortuitous move into the agency arena, including two tours of duty at McCann–the first starting out in the mailroom, the second with him serving as creative director and later adding the vice-chairman mantle.
Backer is survived by his wife Ann Backer and leaves a legacy in addition to the high-profile one in the ad industry; he served as president of the Piedmont Foundation, a land conservation advocacy group. Located at the foot of the Blue Ridge Mountains, Virginia’s Piedmont is known for its scenic beauty spanning forests, fields and wetlands.
Alec Baldwin Urges Judge To Stand By Dismissal Of Involuntary Manslaughter Case In “Rust” Shooting
Alec Baldwin urged a New Mexico judge on Friday to stand by her decision to skuttle his trial and dismiss an involuntary manslaughter charge against the actor in the fatal shooting of a cinematographer on the set of a Western movie.
State District Court Judge Mary Marlowe Sommer dismissed the case against Baldwin halfway through a trial in July based on the withholding of evidence by police and prosecutors from the defense in the 2021 shooting of cinematographer Halyna Hutchins on the set of the film "Rust."
The charge against Baldwin was dismissed with prejudice, meaning it can't be revived once any appeals of the decision are exhausted.
Special prosecutor Kari Morrissey recently asked the judge to reconsider, arguing that there were insufficient facts and that Baldwin's due process rights had not been violated.
Baldwin, the lead actor and co-producer on "Rust," was pointing a gun at cinematographer Halyna Hutchins during a rehearsal when it went off, killing her and wounding director Joel Souza. Baldwin has said he pulled back the hammer — but not the trigger — and the revolver fired.
The case-ending evidence was ammunition that was brought into the sheriff's office in March by a man who said it could be related to Hutchins' killing. Prosecutors said they deemed the ammunition unrelated and unimportant, while Baldwin's lawyers alleged that they "buried" it and filed a successful motion to dismiss the case.
In her decision to dismiss the Baldwin case, Marlowe Sommer described "egregious discovery violations constituting misconduct" by law enforcement and prosecutors, as well as false testimony about physical evidence by a witness during the trial.
Defense counsel says that prosecutors tried to establish a link... Read More