By Brett Shevack

A woman travels around the country with a washing machine in the back of a truck cleaning laundry. It was 1976 and I was given the assignment to pool-out this ‘brilliant’ P&G campaign. Having just joined Y&R as a young art director, I viewed it as some perverse form of creative hazing. However, it got me a week in LA for the shoot. I checked into the Sunset Marquis, a chic seedy hotel frequented by rock and rollers, to the sound of police sirens. My room was broken into and my American Express Travelers Cheques were stolen (remember them?). It was also the first campaign I worked on with Ed Friedman and DJM Films, whom the producer hired to edit the spots. Those forgettable ads led to a relationship of almost 40 years and thousands of spots. Many, thankfully, were a lot more interesting.

DJM (initials for David, Jeffrey and Michelle, Ed’s three children) occupied its own building on 46th Street. The second floor was rented out to a shiatsu massage parlor until the space was needed for the shipping department’s expansion. The ground floor was a Japanese restaurant. When you got off the elevator you were greeted by wonderful Arlene whose desk sat below a huge hovering sailfish. Many rooms reflected Ed’s love of boating and fishing. Some were built like the inside of a boat, portholes and all. DJM was his place. There were the aging photos of his clients on his office wall. There were the brilliant cartoons by creative director Tom Youhe. And the 3/4” cassette boxes and Moviola (remember them?).

Working with Ed was like being a member of the DJM family. There was Danny who was about 12 feet shorter than Ed but with a huge heart of gold. There was Mike who was the technology brain, and David who grew up working in a big shadow but did so with talent, persistence and grace. There was Eileen, Eddie’s wife of 35 years who headed up the traffic department. No one worked harder than she did. And then there was Ed, who was larger than life, figuratively and literally. He sold shoes before finding his way to editing, but he never stopped making sure that the customer walked out feeling comfortable. With oversized sideburns, silk Western shirts, and cowboy boots, he didn’t look like anyone else because he was an original. He built an incredible success by bringing the same talent and enthusiasm to both mediocre campaigns like “Dashmobile” and brilliant ones like “The Pepsi Generation.” But above all, DJM was one of those rare companies that cared as much about its people as it did about making money (remember them?).

Brett Shevack is founder/CEO of Brand Initiatives Group.

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