Is it already that time again? The folks at Atmosphere Proximity have once again joined forces with The New York Times to launch the latest installment of “The Big Ad Gig.” We’ve been told by those in the know that the parties involved wanted to make the barrier to entry “low” this time around, and so, instead of all the pomp and circumstance, Big Ad Gig version 2K12 tests reflexes. Applicants will also have 60 seconds to answer a randomly-selected interview question and only one chance to respond using their webcams.

But as usual, five up-and-coming ad pros will be selected during Advertising Week and win a 30-day paid freelance gig at participating agencies. Along with the perennial spokesman (who’s becoming Don Draper before our very eyes), the judging panel this time around includes Proximity ECD Stewart Krull, CP+B worldwide CCO Rob Reilly, CP+B alum and current Co: Collective chief content officer Tiffany Rolfe, O&M CCO Calle Sjoenell and Deutsch CEO Linda Sawyer. FYI, we should have a video posted in case you’re interested by EOD.

New Career Opportunities Daily: The best jobs in media.

-ZenithOptimedia’s latest forecast expects ads pend to grow to 4.3 percent to $502 billion by the end of 2012, a downgrade from the Publicis Groupe media company’s 4.8 percent forecast in March.

-Former Google director Michael Barrett joined Yahoo as chief revenue officer. link

-Microsoft has unveiled its Surface tablet to rival the iPad. link

-Adidas has decided to pull its shackled sneaker line. link

-Former CP+B creative Tiffany Rolfe explains her new gig at Co: Collective. link

-Speaking of CP+B, the agency picked up the Grand Prix for Promo & Activation as well as Director for its AmEx campaign (above).

New Career Opportunities Daily: The best jobs in media.

As for Tiffany, you probably know that she most recently served as VP/ECD at CP+B’s L.A. office, which was exhumed 18 months ago and services clients including Old Navy. Rolfe started as an art director at CP+B and in the ensuing decade, worked on campaigns for VW, Mini, Burger King and served as creative director on “Truth.” Regarding her new gig at Co:, Rolfe says in a statement, “A unique opportunity like this was hard for me to say no to and something I think I’m prepared for thanks to working at CP+B. I look forward to helping extend co’s business and creating meaningful content and solutions for brands. Not to mention, co’s collaboration model also means that we can work together on projects with CP+B. So we will stay close, but this endeavor represents a new exciting phase in my career.”

New Career Opportunities Daily: The best jobs in media.

It seems as though the hiring manager at Old Navy’s “Funnovations Inc.” is quite the fanatic of early 90s sitcoms. After all, Blossom star and current Big Bang Theory cast member Mayim Bialik revives her giant floral hat for a stint spent deploying “Bee Bots” on spring dresses. It’s always amazing how quickly these Old Navy spots from CP+B and prodco Brand New School turn into surreal portrayals of a dystopian society controlled by excessively cheerful celebrities who run clothing factories.

So maybe using Bootsy Collins to sell boots last winter was a bit of a stretch, but if there’s one media personality we can immortalize for bringing colorful clothing to the masses 20-some years ago, it was blossom and her outrageously bright clothing. Also, it’s kind of nice (and a little depressing) that Joey Lawrence can still make some money on the side by not wearing a shirt and saying, “Whoa.”

On that note, who’s ready for the second season of Melissa and Joey on ABC Family? Credits after the jump.

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New Career Opportunities Daily: The best jobs in media.

In October, CP+B Los Angeles and London took over AOR duties for UK-based betting/e-gaming service Paddy Power. Like our commentariat, we admittedly found this news a little dull. But, we did get to give mention to Paddy Power’s old agency, Big Al’s Creative Emporium, and all of the silly names for the different parties involved in the story were just a little too bizarre to ignore.

Well, as the above TV spot proves, the weirdness isn’t ceasing. As Paddy Power’s brand head Adam Perrin said when Crispin won the business, “We were blown away by the freshness of CP+B’s approach and their use of resource across the United States and Europe.” Was CP+B’s “fresh” idea marketing Paddy Power Bingo’s “Home Free Hotline,” as a way to make a quick escape from romantic encounters gone awry? It certainly seems that way.

So, gamblers, are you going to pick your online betting service based on its ability to blow up your mobile? Credits after the jump.

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For some, the annual Old Navy $1 flip-flop sale is a retail holiday of sorts. After all, it’s really, really cheap footwear you can get away with wearing around your house or to the beach or, if you’re disgusting, around a large city where you gross everyone out with your dirty toe nails and trash-stained smelly feet. Let’s just say if you live almost anywhere with a population over 250K, you should know better than to wear flip-flops in public.

We were wondering back in early January how CP+B LA’s advertising for Old Navy would change once eight-year Crispin veteran GCD Tiffany Rolfe and Amalgamated co-founder/former CCO Jason Gaboriau took over the reins in the City of Angels. Well, as you can see, we have a topless and toned pop singer known as “One Day Wonder Boy” dancing around to crooning his newest hit, “F-L-I-P.” We could go on and on about this spot, but we’ll leave the (presumably harsh) critiques to you, commenters.

New Career Opportunities Daily: The best jobs in media.

It looks like Tiffany Rolfe and Jason Gaboriau are getting down to business when it comes to resurrecting Crispin Porter + Bogusky’s Los Angeles office. The MDC agency has announced that it’s hired Alexandra Sann and Mike Kohlbecker as ACD’s in the City of Angels. The duo arrives from TBWA\Chiat\Day LA, where they held the same titles and worked on Activision, Visa and Energizer.

This marks a return trip to the Crispin camp for Kohlbecker, who previously served as an AD at CP+B on projects for Volkswagen, Sprite and Domino’s. Sann, meanwhile, had a stint as a copywriter at Deutsch LA before joining Chiat.

New Career Opportunities Daily: The best jobs in media.

As part of our ongoing collaboration with The Denver Egotist, the folks from the network’s Los Angeles quarters chime in with a look into the agencies scattered throughout the traffic-congested City of Angels. Let’s read on to see who’s now and who’s next, shall we?

Let’s be honest here. The first thing that comes to mind when you think of LA is Hollywood. Music and Movies. Advertising takes a back seat to all the glitz and glamour of Tinsletown. Which is where we step in: to highlight and showcase any and all creativity happening in Los Angeles. But to be honest, right now LA is suffering from a little writer’s block. We are struggling to break through the barriers of some really shitty advertising.

LA currently services some of the largest and most creative brands in the world like; Pepsi, Gatorade, Honda, Toyota, Playstation, and Apple. We have more automotive accounts here than any other city (we think). And yet, we still can’t seem to move the needle.

So, It’s our intention at the LA Egotist, to challenge the Los Angeles agencies to strive for better work that their brands, their consumers and this city deserve. Just read the comments here on Agency Spy. Damn, we are some mean ass mother fuckers and pretty damn funny ones, too. But we all are demanding better.

Here’s a breakdown of where things stand here on the LA walk of fame/shame:

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New Career Opportunities Daily: The best jobs in media.

Since joining CP+B in 2002, Rolfe has created work for MINI, ‘truth, Virgin Atlantic Airways, Burger King, Volkswagen, helped launch PINK by Victoria’s Secret, and served as creative director on American Express OPEN. In an enthusiastic statement, Gaboriau–who helped build a client roster including Coca-Cola, Svedka and Ben & Jerry’s while at Amalgamated–says, “I love the work and have always been impressed with CP+B’s culture of ‘yes.’ But what really blew me away were their capabilities outside of traditional advertising. While other agencies are trying to figure out how to incorporate the digital agencies they bought, CP+B has it already figured out. It is an amazing thing to see.”

Update: Along with Old Navy and Bolthouse, CP+B LA will also be working on Microsoft.

New Career Opportunities Daily: The best jobs in media.