History
Born in Toronto
Raised in Aurora ON
Cornell University, BSc Marketing
Career began with New York City ad agencies
Repatriated to Canada, 2014
Continuing client services
Art Director / Associate Creative Director for 20 years with a number of Madison Avenue advertising agencies (BBDO, AF&G, Partners & Shevack), servicing clients including Pepsi, HBO, Black & Decker, General Electric, Purina, Polaroid, Crayola, Lever, ARM & HAMMER, Visine, Pfizer, TWA, Enterprise, Scotts, Dutch Boy, Mead Papers, American Home Products, SmithKline, Upjohn, US Trust,…
Began next chapter as self-employed resource for former clients and new start-ups on the US east coast, utilizing Madison Avenue concept branding experience plus developed skills in illustration, hand lettering, photography, and video production / editing.
Recently returned home, Aurora ON, set up shop, continue skills education, hoping to assist the universe.
Experiences / Print
Print was a major media consideration for brands in the 1980s, 1990s. The internets were yet to be introduced to the general population as a source of information and advertising. Newspapers and magazines thrived as a standard conduit and great care and craft were dedicated to the concepts and execution that brands spent their advertising dollars on.
I was fortunate to service clients who dared take chances with messaging that was off the beaten path, supporting smart, simple, and unique approaches to express the everyday. And a budget for top-shelf photographers and illustrators. Some examples:
Experiences / Commercials
Most of my career commercial production experience in New York was pre-digital. Animation was all stop motion, whether illustrated or 3D. Film was the editing resource for live action, incorporating film compositing for special effects, or using puppets. There were technical limitations we continually challenged and reinvented. We were pioneering.
M47 / Black & Decker
A highlight from my career in NYC was at BBDO NY, for client Black & Decker, who were introducing a new line of specially-designed consumer power tools.
This execution was noted at the time with reward of two CLIOS, a Gold Lion (Cannes), and recognition by a number of additional juries including London International Advertising Awards, The Houston International Film Festival, Art Direction Magazine, and Art Directors Club.
Rotary Hammer / Black & Decker
Special effects with film compositing, matching live action takes for each segment of tool introduced.
Torture / Black & Decker
Directed by Henry Sandbank, pioneer of filmic storytelling, shot in Black & Decker Testing facility with their Professional tools.
Contac / SmithKline
Two spots produced with puppets by director Aoki, known for his boundless special effects with live film (no digital at the time); two spots directed by Adrian Biddle, Director of Photography for The Princess Bride (1987); animated spot directed by acclaimed animator/illustrator R. O. Blechman.
Cat Food / Ralston Purina
I co-Directed this spot for Kitten Chow, styled a spot for a new health-driven brand, and developed concepts for branding character through animation.
Music-driven / various brands
Black & Decker spot for car washer, shot on a Long Island beach supported with California beach music track; HBO programming promo spot, stop motion animation with 2D characters in 3D miniature sets; Crayola spot for erasable crayons on a life-size drawing.
Goya Foods
Close-up food shots driven by ethnic beat music tracks to support specific products’ versatility and simplicity for this dedicated and loyal market, produced for beans.
Somebody had to do it…
How to promote interest in fundamental product categories: Introduction of Motrin over-the-counter with a breaking news tone; dandruff shampoo sales pitch with celebrity football coach Jimmy Johnson, known for his hair style.
Sveiki