Delayed in updating, but somehow between working on this short film and prepping for camp, I've been able to get through a few more fun summer reads - all colorful in their own ways.
#15 - I'm With the Band: Confessions of a Groupie Pamela Des Barres
A chronicle of a big-eyed rock chick who probably broke a thousand hearts on her way to bedding a who's who of 1960s and 70s musical legends. "Ms. Pamela", as she was referred to by Led Zeppelin (among others), articulates well both the devoted idolatry and physical lust that accompanied her (and her fellow proto-Groupies, The GTOs) through the drug and alcohol addled free love days before overdose and disease started ending the good times. Aside from overtly and subconsciously dissecting the subculture of rock fandom, Des Barres manages to draw a path between the sweet Elvis-loving teenie-bopper and the glittering maternal den mother of Zappa's psychedelic love troupe. That the author lived this transformation is incredible enough; that she was able to put it in words without making it feel like a PSA for substance abuse is entirely different, and a credit to her skills as a writer. Definitely a must-read for fans of the era and hunters of the cool.
#16 - DC: The New Frontier Darwyn Cooke
The origins of the Justice League, as re-imagined in the Kennedy-era. Designed with a retro eye, and written with the attention to poetic justice and nostalgia that hindsight offers, this super-hero tale benefits from well-drawn out characters, each with a clear personality and motivation, that happen to have special abilities or work for certain organizations. The characterization is the strength of the piece (as well as the delightful artwork). The setting is a cool what-if scenario that would have gotten stale without the chops of Mr. Cooke fleshing it out. For fans of the Justice League, US history and Mad Men. The book receives special marks for a small, but excellent, Adam Strange cameo.
#17 - All-Star Superman (Vol 1 & 2) Grant Morrison & Frank Quitely
Yet another epic Superman reboot, but this time done with particular vision by Mr. Morrison, both a mind-bending conceptualist and also devoted fan of the super-hero genre. His sensibility allows this story to become more than another boring reboot and instead asks an answers some fun questions about the Man of Steel that we didn't know would make for a good story. He's able to keep the heart of the man grounded with Lois and the Daily Planet, while simultaneously introducing the cosmic back into Superman's world without losing the reader's attention or emotional involvement. Things like the Fortress of Solicitude and the Bottle City of Kandor are rejuvenated by Morrison's story-telling and perspective. Penciler Frank Quitely continues his expert work on Superman, being one of a few artists who can make Superman and Clark Kent look sufficiently different, but exactly the same. He doesn't scrimp on scale (Supes is always the largest in the room) but can also depict stature and body language without overdoing it. Another recommendation for Superman fans, especially fans like me, who love the character but often are left cold by boring retellings of the origin.
Up, up and away.
Sunday, July 17, 2011
Friday, July 8, 2011
The Jay-Z Decoded Campaign I Scouted Got Some Cannes Love
I was thrilled to find out that the virtual/live ad campaign I location scouted for last fall ended up getting some serious attention from the ad world. It was a promotion for Jay-Z's autobiography, Decoded, with Bing.com as a partner.
We started by putting every single page of Jay-Z’s autobiography into media spaces around the world. The pages weren’t randomly placed; all 350 pages were put in locations relevant to each individual page's content. Fans around the world could actually walk Jay-Z's path, experiencing his story right where it happened.
 |
| Allow me to reintroduce myself... |
 |
| The finished product, outside Marcy Projects. |
The campaign used a variety of media. And if the media didn’t exist, we created our own. Everything from pizza boxes, plates, burger wrappers, jigsaw puzzles, t-shirts, to name a few. Fans sought out, discovered and interacted with this collection of unique small scale pieces. Even the smallest, traditionally overlooked items became precious collector’s items.
I was proud to work on this campaign because I think it represents a new and interesting way of marketing. If all creative launches had this kind of well thought-out, not condescending, involving marketing, I would certainly appreciate the constant barrage of advertising in the media more.
It was particularly exciting to location scout in a live, real-world capacity, which is VERY different from the film/TV world. It was fast-paced and really got me into the nitty gritty of Jay-Z's NYC.
 |
| This guy was a character. He was also missing a finger. |
 |
| There are less independently owned newsstands in NYC than I thought. |
The campaign won the Cannes Lions Titanium award this June.
"The Cannes Lions International Festival of Creativity is the world's biggest celebration of creativity in communications. As the most prestigious international advertising awards, more than 24,000 entries from all over the world are showcased and judged at the Festival. Winners receive the highly coveted Lion trophy, presented at four award ceremonies throughout the week." - from their website
 |
| Waterfront property. |
"The campaign won the Integrated Grand Prix and nabbed a Titanium Lion, winning over a jury that was “looking for the bravest idea.”" - www.fastcompany.com
 |
| Chelsea Guitars, these guys are awesome. |
"We loved its bravery, its boldness, its innovation," said Jury President Bob Scarpelli, chairman of DDB Worldwide. "It's immersive. It's interactive. It's creating conversations with customers. It gave millions a reason to use Bing. They put every page of [Jay-Z's new autobiography] out in the world every day for a month in 13 major cities in the world. Fans could walk through J-Z's life." - creativityonline.com
 |
| Hollis, Queens USA - Custom Cadillac |
Here's a dope slideshow with pics from the campaign, including my locations: http://www.fastcompany.com/pics/jay-z-decoded-32-pages-revealed
 |
| I scouted over 30 independent record stores for this project. It was a great job. |
 |
| Hard to find a non-corporate run jukebox in the city now, but when you do, cherish the jockey's choices. |
- Jay-Z’s Facebook fans grew by one million during the campaign launch.
- Decoded went straight to the New York Times Best Seller list at #2 its first week
- Bing.com saw an 11.7% increase in visits the month of the campaign
- Bing.com entered the top ten most visited sites in the US.
- Bing earned 1.1 billion global media impressions.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)