Month: September 2010

Public Service: a service that is performed for the benefit of the public or its institutions. That’s what SERVE was all about. It highlighted the need for us, as professionals, to give back to the community that we live in. That’s exactly what Ad 2 Orlando has done.

Last year, a group of eight young professionals spent countless hours of their free time, sacrificing any hope at a social life, to give back in a huge way. We’re talking about a complete campaign valued at over $1.7 million. Not too shabby, if you ask me.

So what, exactly, was SERVE? It was a look at the past and a glimpse into the future, with a few jokes thrown in. Last year, The Center for Great Apes was chosen as the beneficiary for the public service campaign. We were shown nine months of hard work, crammed into a one-hour presentation. We heard stories about how Linus ,one of the featured apes, loves to sit in the rain after he was trapped in a cage for 10 years, how Marco and Butch became inseparable best friends, and how Mari has adapted to life without arms.

I think just about everyone in the room that night fought back the urge to cry at some point during the presentation – whether is was from hearing the stories of how these apes survived horrible living situations or from the thought of hearing Wayne crack one more cheesy joke. I won’t even mention the 97 times he referred to his co-chair as “Sexy Pete.”

The bottom line is that SERVE had a purpose: to open our eyes to the needs of others. We’ve all heard the excuses of why people don’t give back, usually it’s because they don’t have the time or the money. I’m no exception to this rule. Right now, Pet Rescue by Judy is in desperate need of help. (Can you tell by the web site?) This organization is helping those who can’t help themselves – pets who have been abandoned and abused. Seeing Judy tear up at the thought of complete strangers pulling together, to provide her with the help she needs, warmed my heart.

SERVE definitely served its purpose – it opened my eyes to the needs of others and showed me how I could help.  After all, I do love animals, so I signed up for the new volunteer initiative. It’s just a small way of giving back and, in return, gaining a cleverly designed T-shirt titled “glAD 2 help”.

Amber Bloom

New Ad 2 Orlando Member and Public Service Advocate

Chapter 1: Welcome, Please Leave.

Our night at the 2010 Ad 2 Media Auction began like any other.  Apparently there were multiple events occurring simultaneously, one of which had a strict no-jeans policy. I chose the door on the left, or as I call it, the blue pill. I should have mentioned that I was there for the Ad 2 event and that I was pretty sure penguin attire was not required. Door number two provided a polite hostess who directed us towards auction ecstasy.

Chapter 2: Beer Me

Once inside, I introduced myself to the drink menu. One Peroni. One Stella. Nice selection, Crave.

Chapter 3: Hey Lindsey!

“Nice to meet you Lindsey Levy, no it’s actually pronounced sis-lee, not sissy”. I cried. And I’m not a sissy. Agreed.

smoke break…

Chapter 4: Tattoos and Gunpowder

Drinking on the patio was great, but time to be social. No better icebreaker than tattoos – nice meeting you Ryan Pesch. While Ryan and I were busy discussing our personal art, Jon had the opportunity to meet with Tiffany Ryan of Orlampa/Acropolis. Jon was quick to discuss his recently acquired golf package at Alaqua (seriously reaching for street cred) while Tiffany was quick to discuss her successful marriage and recent appointment to President-Elect, congrats!

Chapter 5: Well, MY odds are good.

Raffle? Apparently this excited Jon, who decided to purchase three tickets in a shady back-alley deal. This immediately sent him into his past raffle winnings in the form of a montage flashback, which drops in December. Before exiting the building to place his prized package safely inside his truck, he attempted handing me the raffle tickets. I gracefully declined touching them. Agreed smoke break…

Chapter 6: Connect Four, I don’t count Jon.

After safely storing the meal ticket for our presence, Jon ran into Patrick Davidson of Nitesol, Inc. They have recently done some joint custom print work and played kickball together. !SUDDENLY!, Kristina Doyle from Purple, Rock, Scissors and Lawrie Talansky from Acropolis began relentlessly flirting with us (it was actually the other way around). Sidebar: Purple, Rock, Scissors is responsible for brand discovery and design for the Downtown Orlando Development Board, a campaign which coincidentally, Jon has done print work for. It’s a small restaurant.

Chapter 7: “Keep This Coupon” 732574

Free Willy? Whatever, you had to be there. At this point, we’re two tabs deep when Kristen Zucks declares Jon a winner of the raffle, awarding him a $25 gift certificate to Brio and thus stroking his already-massive ego with yet another miraculous bingo-style win. Jon’s currently in intense training to become a competitive raffler. (And he goes to Rachel’s a lot. There, I said it. Call them car shows, I don’t believe you.)

Chapter 8: Sliders (delicious).

While most of the members decided to call it an evening, a few of us stayed back to grab a table and have what I would call a very uppity meal choice – cheeseburger sliders.  You know it’s a good time when your second tab arrives, which we totally paid after an extensive manhunt.

Chapter 9: For Serious

Our first official Ad 2 experience was an absolute pleasure. We were thankful to be a part of this event and look forward to being active members in this fun and professional environment. We would also like to take this time to personally thank

Crave Restaurant for their generous hospitality and fantastic beverage selection. Thanks for having us, Ad 2!

Justin Sisley

Creative Director

Sign and Drive Marketing