Representatives from ad agency in-house post shops throughout the country met for the second straight year during the National Association of Broadcasters (NAB) convention last month in Las Vegas, moving closer to the goal of forming a trade association with chapters on both coasts and in the Central U.S.
The new group has already adopted a name–the Association of Agency Creative Editors (AACE)–set a tentative dues structure, and is about to launch a Web site that at press time was still being tweaked (aace-usa.com).
The AACE is being developed to help represent the interests of in-house agency commercial editors, editorial producers and their facilities. The group is dedicated to raising awareness about–as well as advancing the significance and contributions of–editors and post houses that operate within an ad agency environment. Another key AACE objective is to facilitate communication among members of the in-house post community, so that they can share ideas and address issues and concerns.
The recent daylong NAB meeting at Vegas’ Riviera Hotel drew some 30 attendees, including: Michael Aaron, supervising editorial producer of The Assembly Line, the in-house edit arm of Fallon, Minneapolis; Pamela Lopacki, editorial manager of DDB Chicago’s Edit Zone; senior editor Oscar Rivas of Crispin Porter+Bogusky, Miami; David Rothenberg of DDB New York; Don Avila of J. Walter Thompson, Chicago; Dan Bootzin, Hunter Conner and Christy Pacheco of TBWA/Chiat/Day’s Venice Beach Editorial, Los Angeles; Denise Burdette of DDB Seattle; Bret McQuin of Periscope, Minneapolis; Terry Wayne Ranson of WideEye, the edit arm of Dallas-headquartered agency Moroch; Jeoff Tardif of Arnold, Boston; Rick McKinney of McCann-Erickson, New York; and Murilo Silva of Grey Advertising, New York.
According to Aaron, a prime AACE organizer, several individuals have volunteered to help manage and coordinate activities for the association’s regional chapters, including: Rivas, Tardif and Silva on the East Coast; Pacheco and Burdette on the West Coast; and McQuin and Ranson in the Central U.S. Editor Ranson would be involved in organizing the Southwest portion of the Central territory, whereas McQuin’s focus will be on the Midwest.
Aaron noted that he and his counterparts are in the process of contacting agency in-house post artisans all over the U.S. Thus far their legwork has uncovered some 85 shops in the country with post arms that would be eligible for AACE membership. Aaron related that this universe is growing, citing a number of additional agencies that are in the process of setting up post operations.
Among the areas discussed during the NAB session were: an AACE group buying plan; forming alliances with hardware and software vendors, as well as suppliers of finishing services; recruiting and retaining editorial talent; brand positioning of in-house facilities; current and potential revenue streams; facility design; emerging technologies; and the election of national officers.
