Jim Albright, a long-time advertising copywriter and one of the original “Mad Men” from the 1960s, died Saturday, June 30, in Denton, Texas. He was 77.
As a creative for Tracy Locke, Albright is best remembered for launching–along with art director Ron McQuien–the landmark Doritos campaign that ran for 12 years starting in the 1970s. It starred Avery Schreiber and helped to make Frito-Lay’s brand Doritos the number-one product in its category.
There’s not a snack lover alive who hasn’t been touched by one of Albright’s many contributions to the American pop culture landscape he loved so much. His most lasting contribution, perhaps, may be Funyuns, which he named himself. (He claimed the original name he came up with, “OnYums”, was already taken).
Before getting into advertising, Albright practiced law for two years. He was a copywriter, broadcast producer, creative chief and group head at several agencies, including Tracy Locke, Bloom in Dallas and McCann Erickson.
Dr. Albright, or “Jim” as he preferred to be called, was widely published in many publications, including articles in the Denton Record Chronicle, AdWeek, and many other industry publications. In 1993, he also wrote a textbook, Creating the Advertising Message, which he taught in his classrooms for many years.
In the early ’80s, Albright fulfilled his lifelong dream of becoming a college professor. He became an associate professor in the media department at Southern Methodist University before teaching advertising and journalism at the University of Missouri. For the past couple of decades, he had been teaching as a tenured professor at the University of North Texas.
He was highly popular among his students, many of whom considered him a beacon of idealism in a world where competition and ambition seemed to trump all else. He had a reputation for reminding everyone–students, colleagues, friends and his own children–to slow down, take it easy and, most importantly, “love what you must do.” He followed that advice for years in all his endeavors, except when it came to faculty meetings, which he absolutely hated.
Albright loved teaching, his friends, the Texas Rangers, and his family very much, but his version of heaven was sitting alone in his favorite chair at home in front of his giant television, reading a Western, petting his beloved cat Jane, while every single television and radio in the house blared at full volume.
Albright was always amused when people would tease him about his many (failed) marriages, because, after all, they produced seven children who love him very, very much and will miss him terribly.
A gathering to celebrate Jim Albright’s life will be held at DeBerry Funeral Home, 2025 W. University, Denton, TX 76201 on Friday, July 7, at 11 a.m. Pallbearers include Jim Albright Jr., Adam Albright-Hanna, Lucky Albright, Ron McQuien, Roy Busby, and Koji Off. He is survived by his sister, Cheryl Teeter, Ducky Albright, his children Jim Jr., Becca, Rachel, Naida, Kate, Adam, Lucky, and his grandchildren, Dominik, Jonas, Rachel, Walker, Sarah, Coleman, Declan, Sully and Gabriel.
Director Cassandra Brooksbank Joins Monument Content For Spots and Branded Content
Monument Content has signed director Cassandra “Cassie” Brooksbank for U.S. representation spanning commercials and branded content. She brings to her directing and storytelling the experience and skills of a writer, conceptual artist, editor and visual effects artist.
Her body of work as a director includes Pepsi’s “Selfie” featuring Lionel Messi amid a flurry of fans, Barclays madcap women’s Soccer League spot where she collaborated closely with the agency to develop the creative, ultimately winning the Grand Jury Prize at the Sports Industry Awards, and a grass-roots campaign for Fellow Coffee. The latter just didn’t brew buzz; it helped raise $1.2 million on Kickstarter.
Prior to joining Monument Content, Brooksbank had been repped in the U.S. for commercials by production house Hey Wonderful.
On the long-form front, she is repped by CAA for film and television. And on the horizon is her debut feature, My Masterpiece, produced by Sylvester Stallone’s Balboa Productions and backed by Amazon.
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