Last month’s 50th Anniversary Issue of SHOOT included assorted reflections on mentorship. Consider this column an addendum to that coverage, the bookends being the induction back in March of Mike Hughes into The One Club’s Creative Hall of Fame, and last month’s hiring of Fabio Costa, formerly a creative director at Ogilvy Paris, to serve as a senior VP/creative director at The Martin Agency in Richmond, Va.
Costa said he was drawn to his new roost in part by the chance to work with and learn from Hughes, president of The Martin Agency, and chief creative officer John Norman.
Costa is joining a long line of those who look to learn a lot from Hughes, which brings us to a college campus where a telling event took place between those two figurative bookends.
On Oct. 27, the Virginia Commonwealth University (VCU) Brandcenter building was formally named Mike Hughes Hall. Hughes has served as chairman of the VCU Brandcenter board since the inception of the school in 1995. He was instrumental in helping the school’s founder, Diane Cook-Tench, create and build a graduate program that’s now a leading advertising school.
“Without his support, leadership and dedication, the school would simply not exist,” said Rick Boyko, director of the Brandcenter. “…It is only fitting to have the building that houses the Brandcenter named in his honor.”
Dr. Michael Rau, VCU president, described Hughes as being “one of the industry’s most progressive change agents–His leadership as chairman of the VCU Brandcenter board resulted in a premier graduate advertising program. VCU is grateful for Mike’s commitment and thought leadership throughout the years, and is proud to name the building for him.”
Hughes has touched numerous lives through the Brandcenter and his daily work at The Martin Agency where he’s spent most of his career, starting there as a copywriter in 1978 and moving up the ranks.
Just prior to becoming the 47th person inducted into the Creative Hall of Fame, Hughes told SHOOT about his mentors. He first cited his predecessor at The Martin Agency, “the man who hired me–Harry Jacobs who is already in the Hall of Fame. He stands out but I’ve had so many heroes. In the 1970s, I’d look to Ed McCabe and David Abbott. In the ’80s, Lee Clow and Tom McElligott. I always kept tabs on what those people were doing. They were pure advertising people. I studied them. I could recite McCabe’s ads. I’d look through awards journals for their work.
“Later on,” continued Hughes, “I had the privilege of getting to know some of these people. From afar in Richmond, I had thought they were perfect. Now that I know them, I realize that they are just crazy. But it’s the kind of crazy that creates great work.”
As for an area in today’s evolving media landscape where a mentor could make a mark, Hughes related, “One thing I hope we can lead the way back to is craftsmanship. There isn’t as much craftsmanship in the business now as there was years ago. Things like design online, marketing in the digital space and social media haven’t been quite figured out yet. Those things haven’t had their Bernbach. This means there are opportunities for people to rise up and show how those things should be done.”
Gene Hackman Died Of Heart Disease; Hantavirus Claimed His Wife’s Life About One Week Prior
Actor Gene Hackman died of heart disease a full week after his wife died from hantavirus in their New Mexico hillside home, likely unaware that she was dead because he was in the advanced stages of Alzheimer's disease, authorities revealed Friday. Both deaths were ruled to be from natural causes, chief medical examiner Dr. Heather Jarrell said alongside state fire and health officials at a news conference. "Mr. Hackman showed evidence of advanced Alzheimer's disease," Jarrell said. "He was in a very poor state of health. He had significant heart disease, and I think ultimately that's what resulted in his death." Authorities didn't suspect foul play after the bodies of Hackman, 95, and Betsy Arakawa, 65, were discovered Feb 26. Immediate tests for carbon monoxide poisoning were negative. Investigators found that the last known communication and activity from Arakawa was Feb. 11 when she visited a pharmacy, pet store and grocery before returning to their gated neighborhood that afternoon, Santa Fe County Sheriff Adan Mendoza said Friday. Hackman's pacemaker last showed signs of activity a week later and that he had an abnormal heart rhythm Feb. 18, the day he likely died, Jarrell said. Although there was no reliable way to determine the date and time when both died, all signs point to their deaths coming a week apart, Jarrell said. "It's quite possible he was not aware she was deceased," Jarrell said. Dr. Michael Baden, a former New York City medical examiner, said he believes Hackman was severely impaired due to Alzheimer's disease and unable to deal with his wife's death in the last week of his life. "You are talking about very severe Alzheimer's disease that normal people would be in a nursing home or have a nurse, but she was taking care... Read More