As the Ad Council was preparing for its 59th Annual Public Service Award Dinner, a night that pays tribute to industries and individuals who support the Ad Council and its public service advertising (PSA) campaigns, they faced a challenge. The Ad Council team wanted to make shorter, impactful reels while also recognizing and showcasing the robust, multi-format volume of work developed by the nation’s leading advertising, digital and social media agencies. In an effort to tackle these challenges, they brought on Nice Shoes as a creative partner.nnCreative Director Brian Bowman presented a simple approach inspired by a box of crayons. “The work speaks for itself, and so much of it is wonderful,” said Bowman. “The intros and outros are brief and graphic, expressing creative potential and fun with simple pleasure. Each reel is color coded to differentiate the four genres of Education, Family & Community, Health, and Safety.” nnnnAfter the look was established and approved, Art Director Lucien Yang and Motion Designer Kit Lam worked closely with Editor Tony Dolezal to figure out where and how to introduce the various elements in a creative way, while maintaining the overall message of the campaign. “Using a TV or radio spot as a base, we were able to work in print ads, websites, outdoor displays, and social media interactions to show the reach that agencies are making with these campaigns in order to achieve the most effective result,” said Dolezal. nnThe final pieces premiered at the Dinner on November 14th, which was hosted by Conan O’Brien and honored Randall Stephenson, Chairman & Chief Executive Officer, AT&T Inc. “Not only did we get to hear Conan give a shout out to Nice Shoes, but we got to be a part of showcasing the amazing work of the Ad Council and its partners” said Producer Haydee Cepin. “It’s truly an honor to be involved with an organization that has such a positive impact on people’s lives through advertising.”nn”The talented team at Nice Shoes took the challenge of condensing an extraordinary year’s work on behalf of dozens of multimedia campaigns into four powerful vignettes, perfectly showcasing the achievements of our pro bono ad agencies,” said Peggy Conlon, president and CEO of the Ad Council. “Enjoyed by more than 1,400 attendees from the media, advertising and corporate communities, the reels stood out as one of the highlights of the evening.”nnAbout Nice ShoesnNYC-based Nice Shoes is a full service, artist-driven design, animation, visual effects and color grading studio specializing in high-end commercials, web content, film, TV and music videos. Since its inception in 1996, the studio has prided itself on consistently reinvesting in its talent, technical backbone, and client experience to set the standard of excellence both creatively and technically. Key company principals include: CEO/Partner Dominic Pandolfino, Colorists/Partners Chris Ryan and Lez Rudge, VFX Artist/Partner Rich Schreck, MD Kristen Martini, CD Brian Bowman, and CIO Robert Keske.nnThe Ad CouncilnThe Ad Council is a non-profit organization with a rich history of marshalling volunteer talent from the advertising and media industries to deliver critical messages to the American public. Having produced literally thousands of PSA campaigns addressing the most pressing social issues of the day, the Ad Council has effected, and continues to effect, tremendous positive change by raising awareness, inspiring action and saving lives. To learn more about the Ad Council and its campaigns, visit www.adcouncil.org. You can also visit www.facebook.com/adcouncil or follow the Ad Council on Twitter @AdCouncil.n
Paul DeKams Nice Shoes 212-683-1704 Contact Paul via email
Contact:Lisa Cullen The Ad Council 202-331-5052 Contact Lisa via email
Who Needs Los Angeles? We Do.
One doesn't have to be a statistician to know that there are fewer commercials being shot in the U.S. today for the American market than ever before, and a dramatic decrease in L.A. in particular. In the last five years, as reported by FilmLA (the office tasked with issuing permits), L.A. commercial production has dipped 31 percent. But here’s the thing: This doesn’t mean that L.A. has lost its importance as the production center of the world. Production in L.A. is vital. It is the go-to. It’s where you can count on access to exemplary crews, a support infrastructure second to none, varied location and backlot options, a large population of on-screen talent and (fairly) predictable weather. The fact is, with overall decline and now the devastation of the fires, we’re on the brink of losing this mainstay resource. Without employment opportunities and now many without homes, talented and trained crew are bound to leave either the industry or the LA area for other opportunities, unless there are enough job opportunities to sustain a solid living. Now is the time when we ALL must support and bolster this community. Production is needed in L.A., now! Of course, advertising is a business, and marketers’ money should be spent as efficiently as possible, BUT we have to think beyond each production and know that if we lose the incredible resource of L.A. production as we know it, then marketers, agencies and the industry loses in the long run. Over the past several days, some agencies have issued directives to production companies that are unilaterally pushing upcoming production options out of L.A. The fact is L.A. is a large area, and many sections of the city and county are not directly impacted... Read More