While hindsight is 20/20, I wouldn’t trade it for the 32/50 vision I’ve enjoyed as a contributor to SHOOT’s coverage of the industry for 32 of the past 50 years. This publication continues to be a great perch from which to view an evolving community both in terms of art and commerce.
SHOOT helped put much of this change into perspective over the years, most recently with its “Then, Now and Looking Ahead” series. I’ve been privileged to author these pieces and they have honed my 32/50 vision with the realization that education is an ongoing process. Personally the process of educating myself about the business began when I joined SHOOT as a reporter. I recall two of my mentors being Mike Koelker and Frank Tuttle. Koelker was creative director at Foote, Cone & Belding San Francisco. He served as the lead creative on the Levi’s business during the late 1970s and remained so until his death in the mid-1990s.
Mike freely provided me with insights into the creative process, the agency side of the business and relationships with production companies. His classic Levi’s 501 Blues campaign was often imitated but never equaled.
I met Frank Tuttle when he headed The Film Tree as its exec producer; he later served as national AICP president. Tuttle, who passed away in ’94, was a big believer in the AICP and its role in opening up meaningful dialogue with agencies and advertisers. He was a unifying force within the production house community. Frank extended this inclusiveness to me and assorted others. On and off the record, he would share information about and insights into the inner workings of the business. His frankness with me was rooted in the belief that an informed press would ultimately help the industry cause. I have always appreciated–and with the benefit of hindsight today, value even more today–his forthrightness and caring about the business and its people.
Both Frank and Mike have left us a lasting legacy, which arguably provides a more crystal clear view of the future than any current visionary can offer. The qualities that Frank and Mike embodied–taste, creativity, integrity, caring, effectively communicating, valuing the talent of the artist enough to give that person creative latitude to do what he or she does best–are what’s integral to future success, whatever the form of content be it traditional or nonconventional.
We owe Mike, Frank and so many others who are remembered in this special edition of SHOOT a tremendous debt of gratitude.
Happy Anniversary.
Trump Asks Supreme Court To Delay TikTok Ban
President-elect Donald Trump asked the Supreme Court on Friday to pause the potential TikTok ban from going into effect until his administration can pursue a "political resolution" to the issue.
The request came as TikTok and the Biden administration filed opposing briefs to the court, in which the company argued the court should strike down a law that could ban the platform by Jan. 19 while the government emphasized its position that the statute is needed to eliminate a national security risk.
"President Trump takes no position on the underlying merits of this dispute. Instead, he respectfully requests that the Court consider staying the Act's deadline for divestment of January 19, 2025, while it considers the merits of this case," said Trump's amicus brief, which supported neither party in the case and was written by D. John Sauer, Trump's choice for solicitor general.
The argument submitted to the court is the latest example of Trump inserting himself in national issues before he takes office. The Republican president-elect has already begun negotiating with other countries over his plans to impose tariffs, and he intervened earlier this month in a plan to fund the federal government, calling for a bipartisan plan to be rejected and sending Republicans back to the negotiating table.
He has been holding meetings with foreign leaders and business officials at his Mar-a-Lago club in Florida while he assembles his administration, including a meeting last week with TikTok CEO Shou Chew.
Trump has reversed his position on the popular app, having tried to ban it during his first term in office over national security concerns. He joined the TikTok during his 2024 presidential campaign and his team used it to connect with younger... Read More