People

Notional: "We know how to get the Web excited."

notional_logo.jpg

Last night was the launch party for Barry Diller's latest venture, Notional. You may know this young production company for their show 'Chopped' on the Food Network. The shop's lead, Ricky Van Veen, is best known for co-founding CollegeHumor.com. Ben Silverman, formerly of NBC Entertainment, will play a role as well — though what that will entail is yet to be revealed.

In an interview with PRNewser's Joe Ciarallo, Van Veen explains the platform distribution model for his company's content as well as how he hopes to market the work. "We know how to market — how to get the Web excited," said Van Veen, who is in his late 20s.

Maybe the most interesting part of the conversation came from Ciarallo's first question. Catching Van Veen somewhat off guard, Ciarallo asks the Web entrepreneur to explain his company in 10 seconds. Van Veen has said in previous interviews that if an idea can't be explained in 10 seconds or less, it won't make it on the Web. Increasingly, Web success is the overall marker for WIN, so be sure to watch and see what he said.

More: "College Humor: Exceedingly Legit"

Jimmy Dean's Sausage is Too Small for Big Man

Adland points us to a funny little audio clip on Consumerist which allegedly comes from a former Jimmy Dean customer. See, the company apparently reduced the size of its breakfast sausage without lowering the price. Sneaky!

Note: this is old. As in, two years at least. Still worth a listen.

More: "Cramer-Krasselt Takes The Sausage"

72andSunny Adds CD, PhD to Roster

72andSunny Kelly1.jpg

L.A./Amsterdam-based firm 72andSunny welcomed Kelly Schoeffel and Matt Murphy as strategy director and creative director, respectively. Both hail from W+K Portland, where Murphy served as senior AD on projects including Nike "MVP" that starred those chatty Kobe and LeBron puppets. Schoeffel, who boasts a PhD in Social Psych from Harvard, led the strategy team on Target while at W+K.

In a statement about her new digs, Schoeffel says, "72andSunny is a rare bird. The company creates elegant, surprising and culturally immersive work that gets the job done. I was immediately enamored with the partners--their creative passion, their respect for business, their genuine excitement about coming to work each day. Also, I need a tan."

More: "72andSunny Does Hockey Moms"

We Hear: Campbell Ewald, AKQA, People Changes

peoplejpg(2).jpg

We're lumping together a couple of stories here. Long and short of it is Campbell Ewald's EVP Digital Planning and Publishing Jeremy Morris has left the building. Also, AKQA's Managing Director Jason Whiting has allegedly been replaced by David Bentley.

Campbell Ewald
We've confirmed that Jeremy Morris has left, or been asked to leave. His name's no longer in the directory and one source claims he was ousted this morning. Another source wrote to tell us "Jeremy was originally the head person of publishing. In mid 2008,[the agency] also gave him the head of digital."

He was involved in an absurd situation in which he couldn't work for CE because of a delay in the paperwork for the INS, so his groups were in this bizarre holding pattern because no one seemed to want to make a decision with him completely out of the loop."

AKQA
We're awaiting confirmation of Jason Whiting's departure. Last we'd heard he was, at another point, on the fence about staying with the agency. After getting handed the NY office (he manages both DC and New York), we hear the stress added up. At one point there were talks of him leaving the shop all together for Strawberry Frog. Anyway, British MBA David Bentley is rumored to have replaced Whiting.

Image

More: "AKQA's Many Bodies"

Digitas Exec Defects for The About Group

evanminskoff1.jpg

Former Digitas VP/director of marketing Evan Minskoff (looking all business above) has joined New York Times Co. division The About Group (i.e. About.com) as VP of Marketing.

Minskoff--who led cross-channel ad efforts while at Digitas and held marketing posts at Disney prior to that--will oversee all aspects of the AG's consumer and trade marketing efforts, including market research, public relations and general brand advertising initiatives.

Having finally felt the loss of GM production by way of its Prodigious unit as well as the recent loss of a small piece of Viagra biz, we can imagine that Minskoff's departure only adds to Digitas' woes.

More: "Digitas NY Picks Up Tom Tafuto to Lead Creative Team"

The Rash of 'Stache Continues

mustachebkgndsm1.jpg

As an addendum to our post last week about Tony Rogers' catchy tune for the cancer-fighting cause Movember, we've received an update from his fellow Arc/Leo creative director Michael Starcevich, who shot the video for the song.

Starcevich tells us that not only is their effort garnering lots of donations for the Movember cause, but it's even enticed the normally 'stache-challenged female set to get into the mix. Arc AD Lauren Paat took the initiative by buying a horde of fake mustaches from a party store and has been donning a new one, 24/7, every day this month. Paat is blogging about it here and while you're at it, check out a high-quality, updated version of "Mustache Ride" here. Jay Chandrasekhar surely must be beaming at this point.

More: "Fallon's New Hire and His Mustache"

Everywhere, Mustache

Yes everyone, this month is Movember, which means Mustache-vember. Dudes and unfortunate ladies everywhere can help celebrate their upper lips and lend a hand to various cancer-killing organizations. Arc Worldwide creative Tony Rogers even put this little ditty together and, I have to admit, it's catchy. Though we should really pay homage to Jay Chandrasekhar (IMDB) for famously coining the phrase Rogers uses, in part.

Chandrasekhar says, as Officer Thorny, "Who wants a mustache ride?" Ha ha he means cunnilingus. Rogers' song pays homage to the mustache ride, though I doubt ladies will swoon at the prospect of rubbing (what amounts to) a coarse brush over their down-theres. Also, Leo Furnett (I know).

More: "Fallon's New Hire And His Mustache"

A Moment for Our Veterans

Today is Veterans Day, so if you get a second to thank someone for their service, get down and give 'em twenny. Also, Vets eat free at Applebee's today. As do active duty personnel.

(Seen any better Veteran's Day ads? Send 'em to agencyspy at mediabistro dot com)

More: "Atlanta's IQ Interactive 'Restructures'"

Atlanta's IQ Interactive "Restructures"

IQ Interactive is an Atlanta based agency known for building flash and microsites. That should help explain, in part, why the 55ish person shop let go of 8-10 employees yesterday — according to a source.

The agency serves clients like UPS and New York Life. Yesterday's layoffs were attributed to a "restructuring", we're told. The last time you heard about this shop, it was in Russian.

More: "Ad Agency Layoffs: The Twitter Feed"

Robert Harwood-Matthews Returns to TBWA Fold in UK

PHDMatthews1.jpg

Barely three months after leaving Chiat LA and joining PHD West as EVP and managing director, Robert Harwood-Matthews is back in the TBWA fold, this time as president of TBWA Group UK.

Harwood-Matthews, who was only at Chiat LA for six months as global MD for the Infiniti business, replaces Tim Lindsay. In a statement posted on Brand Republic, TBWA president Europe and COO International Perry Valkenburg says, "Robert has the true TBWA spirit. He is a doer. He thinks media neutrality and is an incredibly passionate media-artist. I am delighted to work with him in his new role. Together with all our great people in the London operation, he will make TBWA even stronger than it is today."

More: "Duncan Milner Promoted to CCO at TBWA\Media Arts Lab"

Previously

Ask AgencySpy Anything You Like, But Please Allow us to Respond

United Song Guy Still Can't Catch a Break

Submit Your Halloween Crap

Lemonade Filmmaker Soliciting Stories for Spinoff Book

Ed Han Joins Walton|Isaacson as ECD

Do Not Read This Post, Especially if You Hate This Blog

Intern Insights: Ralph Can't Get a Job (So Now He's Crying About it)

"Baked In" Theory Discussed by Samsung Marketing SVP

Typography Design Challenge of the Day: Sarcasm Font

Even "Industry Experts" Get it Wrong Sometimes

Ogilvy/DDB President James R. Heekin Jr. Dies at 82

Google Exec Joins Media6°, Replaces Joe Doran After a Year

NY Post Equates Sorrell to Napoleon

Kash Sree Lands at Pereira & O'Dell

Reader Questions: Which Hot Shop do You Most Want to Work For?

We Hear: R/GA Layoffs to Begin Today

Enfatico Loses Senior Manager to Austin Shop

Toward a Bill of Rights for Advertising

Cool: Distraxion, a Short Animated Film

We Hear: Layoffs at TBWA\Chiat\Day NY and Leo Burnett Chicago

Bogusky: Twitter is the Glue that Put Social Media Together

Jeff Goodby Says Advertising is Not Dead, Bob Garfield

Rosetta Adds Toni Hess as GCD/Partner

Martin Reidy Leaves Publicis West Modem for Pres. Spot at Meredith Corp.

Becca Weigman to CMO Post at Rapp

PSFK's Good Ideas Salon: The Video

Donny Deutsch Thinks the Texting-While-Driving PSA is Like, The Best Spot Ever

Ben Arno Joins Organic as VP, Engagement Management

Creative Director to Strut on Big Screen

Doug Speidel to SVP/CD at MRM Worldwide

This Morning We're at the PSFK Good Ideas Salon,

Help AdAge Raise Moola for Leukemia & Lymphoma Society

Barker/DZP Appoints Paul Sewards to MD

Sprint Corporate Brand Marketing VP Killed in Freak Driving Accident

Dude Gets Greatest Wedding Gift of All: Own Desk

The Gecko Waves Goodbye to Glenn Beck

OLSON Gets Former Yahoo/Team One Guy

John Hughes (RIP): From DDB to Defining a Decade

PSFK's Good Ideas Salon: Unfiltered, Unsubsidized, Unctuous

Update: Which Creative Left "The Darling Agency" for the Production Life? (CP+B's Dave Thomas)

Crispin Loses Writer to Agency With Difficult Name to Pronounce

What's Julie Roehm Doing for WPP plc?

Modernista! Loses Gareth Kay to Goodby

Kid Rock Kicks Off Inevitable Career as Beer Salesman

The Armstrong Interviews: Adweek's Exclusive is Below AdAge's Fold

The Augmented Reality Business Card

Ben & Bob

Peter DeLorenzo Thinks Bob Lutz is the Bull's Nuts (Which Maybe Isn't a Good Thing)

AdMan Cries at Delta, Has "Principles"

Dennis McClain Returns to TM Advertising

Driving That Train

A Note About Job Changes and Greg Kaplan Moves to Digitas

MLK Jr. Posthumously Sides with the GOP

Have a Listen to What This Guy Says About Your Work

Free Drinks

Bukowski's Lament: After the Barbarian Layoffs, Boston's Finest Went Drinking

We Hear: Urvashi Pitre Tenders Resignation at RMG Connect

Tuesday Odds and Ends: The Agency Hire Roundup

Steve Carbone Out at Nurun

Wongdoody Seattle Cuts Today, We're Told 17

Charles Saatchi Confesses He's an "Artoholic"

Billy Mays Dead at 50

Roehm Wasn't Rebuilt in a Day

Gary Scheiner Joins Rosetta as Chief Creative Officer

In Cannes, Who's Tweeting Too Hard?

Kiran's First Day Alone

Today on the Menu: Erotica Author Rachel Kramer Bussel

Sweet.

The Black Eyed Peas Refresh the Selling Out Debate

Think Small: George Lois v. Julian Koenig

Overheard Ad Dude Makes Ass of Self on First Date

Comment of the Day: Dale

Joe Bartolucci Rejoins Leo Burnett

Comment of the Day

Where Everybody Knows Your Name

Pause for the Cause: Introducing 2 New AgencySpies

Jen Colman Leaves Ogilvy

Support the Victims of the Abruzzo, Italy Earthquake

This Comment, That Comment

Done

Crash the CLIOS

The Race Problem: Multicultural Death Traps

Cossette Gets Toby Vann on Board

CATFOA: David Armano's Preso on The Future of The Biz

DraftFCB Chicago's Ron Lazeretti Wrote a Movie, The Merry Gentleman

Matt Spangler: Back to Work

QOTD: Liz Ross

the(un)happycorp

Agency Leadership Pic Of The Day: Louise Dengerud!

Mat Zucker to ECD at OgilvyOne

Advertising Globalization: Don't Mess With Mao, Hitler's Probably Okay

Agency Leadership Pic Of The Day: David Trim!

Ogilvy's Whistleblower: Avon, Over Billing + A Lawsuit

Omnicom: John Wren's Salary And His Track Record Of Holding It Down

Agency Leadership Pic Of The Day: Jeff Weiss!

Op-Ed: Why BDA's Need To Shut Their Pie Holes! By George Parker

And Now A Few Moments With The Unemployed...

Op-Ed: Agency Downsizing. The Silent Victims. By Steve Landsberg

FYI

Twitter Star David Armano Leaves Critical Mass

Read more on AgencySpy >

Inside Your Agency. Deep Inside
AgencySpy in Your Inbox
Mobile Version
RSS Feed
Our Blog Network

BayNewser

WebNewser

TVNewser

PRNewser

FishbowlNY

FishbowlDC

FishbowlLA

MediaJobsDaily

GalleyCat

UnBeige

MobileContentToday

AgencySpy

AgencySpy Editors
Matt Van Hoven
AIM/Twitter: agencyspy

Kiran Aditham
AIM/Twitter: PvnkFreud

Tipline:
212.547.7935

Email AgencySpy

Follow AgencySpy
Anonymous Tips


Topics

2008 Prez Election

About

About Us - Modules

Aegis

Agencies

Agency.com

AKQA

Anomaly

Arnell

Arnold Worldwide

Avenue A/Razorfish

Awards

Bartle Bogle Hegarty

BBDO

Berlin Cameron United

Blind Item

Booked

Boutique Call

Brands

Broadcast

Campaigns

Campbell Ewald

Carat

Celebrity

Comment of the Day

Conferences

Craigslist is Your Hero

Cramer-Krasselt

Crispin Porter & Bogusky

DDB

Deep Focus

Dentsu

Designing (Wo)Men

Deutsch

Digitas

Doner

DraftFCB

Droga5

Element79

Enfatico

EuroRSCG

Fallon

Gaming

GlobalHue

Go Twitter, Go

Goodby

Grey Worldwide

GroupM

GSD&M

Ha!

Hal Riney

Hot Ad (Wo)Man Of The Day

I Have Twatted

Interpublic

J. Walter Thompson

Kirshenbaum Bond

Leo Burnett

MadMen, The Musical

Martin Williams

McCann

Mcgarrybowen

MDC Partners

Media Buying

Mediabistro

MediaVest

MindShare

Mobile

Mother

Moving Pictcha

Mullen

Naked

News

No Wukkas - The Job Hunt

Ogilvy

OMD

Omnicom

Online

Op-Eds

Outdoor

Party Party!

People

PHD

Planning/Consumer Insights

Poke

Print

Publicis

R/GA

Raw and Uncut

Razorfish

Reading List

Saatchi & Saatchi

Social Media

Spot Runner

StrawberryFrog

Stupid Intern

Sustainability

TBWA/Chiat Day

Television

The Martin Agency

The Menu

The Richards Group

The Spies

The Super Bowl

Tribal DDB

We Hear...

Week in Advertising

What The...?

Wieden & Kennedy

WPP

Young & Rubicam

Links

mb News Feed
5 Blogs Before Lunch
AdAge
AdForum
AdFreak
AdLand
Adomatica
AdsOfTheWorld
AdScam
Adverganza
Advergirl
Adweek
Denver Egotist
Illegal Advertising
Mediaweek
MyOpenKimono
The Toad Stool
Please Feed the Animals
TribbleAgency

Archives

November 2009

October 2009

September 2009

August 2009

more...


Job Listings

Featured Listings

Assistant/Junior Media Buyer
Advertising Agency
New York, NY

Writer
1199SEIU Benefit & Pension Funds
New York, NY

Senior Account Lead
Publicis in the West
Seattle, WA

Senior Designer/Associate Art Director
Graphic Design Firm
New York, NY


mediabistro.com l Member Benefits l Jobs l Freelance Marketplace l Courses l Events l Forums l Content
mediabistro Blogs: Media News l TVNewser l GalleyCat l UnBeige l FishbowlNY l FishbowlLA l FishbowlDC l PRNewser l AgencySpy
MobileContentToday l WebNewser l BayNewser l MediaJobsDaily l mbToolbox
Site Map l Advertising/Sponsorships l Partners l About Us l Contact Us/Help

internet.commediabistro.comJusttechjobs.comGraphics.com

Search:

WebMediaBrands Corporate Info

Legal Notices, Licensing, Reprints, Permissions, Privacy Policy.
Advertise | Newsletters | Shopping | E-mail Offers