Oz Magazine March/April 2010

MARCH/APRIL 2010 - W W W. O Z O N L I N E . T V

Maximize your budget with our 30% tax credit.

We know what keeps you up at night. That’s why in Georgia you won’t have to worry about a thing. Our deep crew base, diverse & unique locations, and production service suppliers will support your project every step of the way.

All you need to bring is your suitcase…

To learn more, call the Georgia Film, Music & Digital Entertainment Office at 404.962.4052 or visit www.georgia.org/entertainment

Oh, and did we mention 30%

OZ contributors & contents Jon Lee Andersen is an Atlanta area attorney who focuses his practice providing advice and assistance for advertising copy, sweepstakes, contests, promotions, labeling, endorsements, testimonial, copyright, trademark and licensing issues. His clients include advertising agencies, marketing firms, e-commerce businesses and freelance professionals. www.advertisinglawfirm.com.

Column, page 15

Contributors & CONTENTS

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Ozcetera

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a guide for the interactive ad highway 15

By Jon Andersen

voices - going from good to great: the georgia film industry

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By Gabe Wardell and Paula Martinez Suzanne Oliver is an Atlanta-based freelancer, writing regularly for Atlanta Magazine. She previously served as managing editor of Points North, a lifestyle publication serving the northern suburbs, as well as senior editor of Atlanta Magazine’s Home, specializing in interior design, retail, and real estate. Oliver is also on the board of directors for the Magazine Association of the Southeast.

Feature story, page 22

Bobby Hickman is a freelance journalist who writes mostly about business and travel. He is also a copywriter and former president of The Freelance Forum. Bobby is currently ghostwriting the autobiography of a Celtic shaman in North Carolina. He is also developing a book on great Southern honky tonks, enabling him to hang out at bars and claim his drink tab as a business deduction. blhickman@bellsouth.net.

Cover story, page 18

Gabe Wardell is Executive Director, Atlanta Film Festival 365 From Slamdance to Atlanta, Gabe has accumulated over 10,000 hours of film festival experience over the course of 15 years. In December 2008, at the International Film Festival Summit, Gabe was honored as Best Festival Director for a National Film Festival.

Voices, page 16

Paula Martinez is Managing Director of the Atlanta Film Festival, Paula Martinez has brought a business focus to Atlanta Film Festival, recognizing its potential to become not only an iconic event in the region, but also a driver of economic development. She holds an MBA from Mercer University and a B.A. from Oglethorpe University. As a lover of the arts, Paula enjoys combining her business acumen with her passion for film.

Voices, page 16

Christina Wills is a painter, graphic designer, and coffee enthusiast. Christina is an old friend, and former Art Director for Oz who recently returned from a three year hiatus in sunny Florida. Now back in Atlanta, Christina is available for freelance gigs. christinalwills@gmail.com

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A Lack of Tradition

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By Bobby L. Hickman

a sale & merger rouse fortune, not fear

By Suzanne Oliver

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OZscene

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ADDYÂŽ Best of show

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Let Me Give You My Card

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DISTRIBUTION PARTNERS

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O Z M A G A Z INE ST A F F Publishers: Tia Powell, Group Publisher

Gary Wayne Powell, Publisher

Kime Harless, Assistant Publisher Editorial:

Kime Harless, Ozcetera Editor Sales:

Kime Harless, Sales Consultant Tiana Fernandez, Sales Consultant

Megan Wilbourn, Sales Consultant Design:

Mikel Hutchings, Production Manager Christina Wills, Designer Ted Fabella, Logo Design

Oz Magazine is published bi-monthly by Oz Publishing Inc, 2566 Shallowford Road, #302, Suite 104, Atlanta GA 30345, (404) 633-1779.

Copyright 2010 by Oz Publishing Incorporated, all rights reserved.

Reproductions in whole or in part without express written permission of the publisher is strictly prohibited.

This magazine is printed on recyclable paper. Visit us on the web at www.ozonline.tv.

OZ cetERA Not Since You Premieres Photo Credit Vincenza Salandra

From left to right: Director of Photography Helge Gerull, Director/Writer Jeff Stephenson, Executive Producer Ashley Epting, and Producer/Writer Jane Kelly Kosek.

The actors of “Not Since You” from left to right: Victoria Leigh, Christian Kane, Kathleen Robertson, Desmond Harrington, Sara Rue, Elden Henson, Sunny Mabrey, Will Estes, and Jon Abrahams.

Athens is Georgia’s “classic city.” It is also the inspiration and setting for the upcoming movie “Not Since You.” Variously called “The Hill” and “The Ride of Nine” while being shot in the summer of 2007, it recently premiered at the Hollywood Film Festival and will begin its theatrical run at Ciné in Athens this spring.

The romantic drama follows a group of New York University alumni who awkwardly reunite nine years later at a friend’s wedding in Athens. The original script was set in the Hamptons, but when Ashley Epting, executive producer of the film, flew in producer Jane Kosek, director Jeff Stephenson, and writer Brent Laffoon, all agreed that the scenery, community support and tax incentives merited a rewrite of the script and a change of setting to Athens.

The filmmakers were able to sell their nearly $110,000 worth of tax credits for almost $90,000, which helped fund the completion of the movie.

Momentum on the project began while meeting casting director Mike Fenton at the Osborne Classic Film Festival at The Classic Center in Athens. Later, while taking the Fur Bus Tour during the Atlanta Film Festival, they were introduced to companies such as PC&E and CineFilm. “We also heard [Rainforest Films producer] Will Packer speak during the festival, and this inspiration has stayed with us as we begin our self distribution of the movie,” said Epting.

Epting combined a liberal arts curriculum in the Gallatin School with film, writing and television classes at the Tisch School of the Arts to graduate from New York University. As the CEO of Epting Events, Epting has plans of continuing to produce while growing the film production catering arm of the company, as well as collaborating on Georgia promotional events at festivals such as Sundance and SXSW.

Novatus Chooses Arketi Arketi Group will work with Novatus, Inc., a contract and compliance management software provider, to help the company refine its corporate positioning and messaging, as well as provide digital marketing services.

Novatus delivers contract and compliance management software using either on-demand SaaS delivery or on-premises installation.

In other news, Arketi principal Mike Neumeier, APR, was the featured speaker at Georgia Tech Savannah Advanced Technology Development Center’s (ATDC) “Entrepreneur Food For Thought” event held in January. During his presentation, Neumeier emphasized the importance of employing a contentdriven lead nurturing strategy to engage prospects through extended sales cycles. Additionally, Neumeier shed light on the role of marketing automation solutions in facilitating an effective lead nurturing initiative.

Whited Makes Dean’s List The College of Visual Arts, Theatre and Dance (CVATD) of Florida State University (FSU) named Chuck Whited to the Dean’s Advisory Board. Whited is president of C & M Backdrops and The Church Zone.

The Dean’s Advisory Board serves as a sounding board for new ideas.

They also work to liaison within their industries, communicating the aspirations, visions and goals of the college to their professional community, and in turn, bring information back to the college, to foster an ongoing mutually beneficial dialogue.

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Kirksey Joins Partners + Napier

Greg Kirksey, account director, Partners + Napier.

Greg Kirksey joins Partners + Napier as an account director for the Kodak and UPS accounts. Kirksey, who has nearly 15 years of marketing experience, comes to the agency from Sony Electronics. Previously, Kirksey also worked at VitroRobertson, Barber Martin Advertising, Capital One and Circuit City.

Award Winning High Rise

Chuck White, of C & M Backdrops is named to FSU Dean’s Advisory Board.

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“High Rise,” a drama filmed in Atlanta, just won an Indie Soap Award in the category of Best Business Model. The judging panel at the Indie Soap Awards was impressed with the way sponsors were incorporated through product placement, contesting and inclusion in the marketing strategy. The episodes follow the lives of seven diverse neighbors living in an Atlanta high rise. “High Rise” pulls no punches as it explores the political, romantic, economic and racial diversity to be found in the hot and happening city of Atlanta.

The first season of “High Rise” was twenty, 5 - 7 minute episodes that aired exclusively on Comcast’s Video On Demand and featured Grammy nominated artist, Shawn Mullins and former 99X morning radio personality, Steve Barnes. The second season of “High Rise” will be 30-minute HD episodes airing on Fox 5.

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OZ cetERA 16toads Racks Up

Superlux Work at Slamdance

16toads Design’s, TheVilePlutocrat.com took home a Silver ADDY in the category of Interactive Web Design, HTML at the 2010 Atlanta ADDY Awards.

TheVilePlutocrat.com was also honored with 2009 International Davey Silver Awards in the categories of Blog Design and Political Site Design, a 2009 International Academy of Visual Arts and the W3 Gold Award for Outstanding Political Blog and two 2009 International Academy of Visual Arts and the W3 Silver Awards for Visual Appeal and Online Newspaper.

Herodontics.com, another major 16toads Design project during the past year, has also received a great deal of recognition in the form of three Silver 2009 International Davey Awards for the categories of Social/Networking, Promotional Branding and Display Advertising B-to-C and two 2009 American Graphic Design Awards for Web Site Design and Logo Design.

Over the past year, 16toads Design also completed a large expression engine development project for eChalk. 16toads welcomes the National Association of Social Workers - Illinois Chapter as a new client for a complete website overhaul.

“General Orders No. 9,” a film by Decatur-based director Robert Persons, screened at the 2010 Slamdance Festival in Park City, Utah, where it was recognized with a Kodak Vision Award for Best Cinematography. Superlux worked with Persons for five years, creating sequences of cartographic animation and helping to develop the look and feel of the production.

Persons says, “I contacted Mark Falls about creating some animations for the film, and we met a few times and talked it over. Those meetings were wild curations of references where we reviewed everything from the films of Harry Smith to 17th century copper plate engravings. Mark was engaged from the beginning, and there began five years of work during which I learned to be more precise in my direction, and Mark and Superlux created a remarkable progression of styles that, in effect, became a laboratory where we discovered what was right for the film.”

“General Orders No. 9” (the title is borrowed from Robert E. Lee’s farewell to the Army of Northern Virginia) was one of eight documentary features chosen for Slamdance 2010 from a field of 5,000. It was written, directed and produced by Persons, edited and co-produced by Phil Walker and narrated by William Davidson, with an original score by Chris Hoke. Falls’ role in the production evolved from designer and animator to art director and “chief interpreter” for the Superlux team. The later stage designs and final animation are largely the work of Superlux designer Eric Carros.

Wenzell Lands at 22squared Marty Wenzell joined 22squared as EVP/director of brand development. Wenzell will market the 22squared story, including coordinating new business strategy, lead generation, industry presence and public relations for the agency.

Wenzell’s career began at Chiat Day New York, and included 18 years at Goodby/Silverstein and Partners. He’s worked closely with some of the best creative minds in the advertising business, including: Marty Wenzell, EVP/ Jay Chiat, Lee Clow, Hal Riney, Jeff director of brand development, Goodby and Rich Silverstein. He has 22squared. also served as the senior account leader on brands like Budweiser, Apple, Cellular One, Subway Restaurants, Major League Baseball, The NBA, Finlandia Vodka, BV Wines and Honda Motorcars.

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Primed for Life PRIME for Life tapped Encyclomedia to edit a series of videos. PRIME is an alcohol and drug program that has been around since the 1980s. PRIME asked Encyclomedia to craft a series of videos entitled “Treasures Lost.” The series conveys the experiences of people who have made high-risk choices and are now dealing with the painful consequences. Encyclomedia examined over 80 hours of interview footage to identify the story for each interviewee. From DUI manslaughter to felony drug manufacturing to broken relationships, the interviews show that awful things can happen to good people when they make high-risk decisions.

Encyclomedia traveled to Florida and California to shoot abstract footage for the project using the Canon 5D Mark II. They then wove together the b-roll with the interview footage to convey the PRIME message.

LBi Makes Moves

Steve Stasinos, lead technical project manager, LBi Atlanta.

Corey Brackins joins the LBi Atlanta team.

LBi Atlanta has promoted Steve Stasinos to lead technical project manager and hired Corey Brackins, PMP, as technical project manager. Stasinos is an expert in project management, process improvements and Microsoft technologies. He also works on several of the agencies key clients including Bayer CropScience. Brackins is an expert in application development and will be working on two of the agencies key clients, Bayer and Dymo. Before joining LBi Atlanta, he worked at Sage Software as a senior technical project manager. Stasinos is an active member of the Atlanta iPhone Developers group. He is a certified Project Management Professional (PMP), certified Scrum Master, and holds a computer programming degree from NSCC of Massachusetts.

Brackins has more than 10 years experience in software engineering in a range of areas, including government, retail, finance and legal. For many of LBi Atlanta’s clients, Brackins will be managing the development of business solutions including integrations of customer relationship marketing (CRM) and e-commerce systems to operate more efficiently and effectively. Before joining LBi Atlanta, he worked in software development and project management positions at the Georgia Department of Revenue, Fleet Finance, AIG, Atlanta law firm King & Spalding and Macy’s.

Horst Stays Busy Working with Peggy Still, Eddie Horst composed an arrangement for the short art film “Requiem for Herstory.” Directed by Minji Kang, with other music by Peggy Still, Horst’s arrangement of “Pie Jesu” provides an emotional backdrop for the film’s main character, a child named Yuri.

Shadowlight Pictures’ feature film “Good Intentions” is set to be released this March. This film features Horst’s music, including a kooky slide trombone piece, and stars Leann Rimes, Luke Perry, Garry Grubbs, Elaine Hendrix and Jon Gries.

In other project news, Horst composed a gothic chorus version of the current theme of Adult Swim’s “Metalocalypse” for a promo. Horst also composed the music for another installment in the public television series, “Great Museums.”

Horst composed the music for a :30 promo for The Weather Channel’s new show, “Wake Up With Al.” The spot featured show host Al Roker as well as morning and late night TV greats like Meredith Vieira, Brian Williams and Jimmy Fallon.

Working with LBi, Horst composed music for three online videos for The Association of Boarding Schools (TABS) website.

Nitro at Elevation Elevation recently worked with TNT Latin America on “Nitro,” a 2010 redesign for one of their biggest franchises. The idea for “Nitro” was to create a super intense space, using live action sequences to spark electrical flow through power lines. The energy generated pulls together meta fragments that solidify into the “Nitro” logo. Elevation had a studio full of gladiators, cat burglars and bad guys over green screen, tons of 3D models and animated environments.

Final comps were done in 3D and After Effects, and each sequence was then given sound design.

In other news, Elevation created three new graphic IDs for the Disney Channel. Elevation was responsible for the concept, design, shooting, editing, compositing and animation. Each ID takes the viewer from a major city to a beautiful, untouched landscape. The actors were shot at Wall Crawler Climbing Gym in Atlanta. The compositing started after some intense camera tracking and rotoscope work. Elevation’s 3D artist Brian Davis worked on creating believable rock faces and vegetation to integrate into each shot.

Brett Rakestraw composed original music for the project.

SEARCH ENGINE

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EXPERT www.miechiels.com/oz 877.304.6854

One Thing Leads to Another Soapbox Studios Design creative director Jay Wilson and designer Chase Curry wrapped up the annual JG Blackbook of Travel. The catalog showcases some of the most prestigious hotels, resorts and ports of call found anywhere.

Wilson and Curry also lent their expertise to Here To Serve Restaurants in Atlanta. The company approached Soapbox in mid-2009 for an overhaul of their web presence. The design team delivered a cohesive browsing experience with nine distinctly branded sections for each of H2S’s unique eateries.

In post news, Soapbox editor Andrew Swinney recently worked with Red Bull to create a two and a half minute piece for internal presentations.

Soapbox director of audio post, JC Richardson, sweetened Deena Lombardi’s short film “Off Season.” The film is making its rounds through the film festival circuit. Nikos Mavrommatis finalized several weeks of audio production for “12 FL OZ,” an independent film brought to Soapbox by Dalton Harpe of Standoff Studios.

When CNN had an idea for their Sunday Lineup promo they looked to Soapbox compositor Brian Simmons to give this piece a distinctive edge.

Writer/producer Margaret Anthony worked with Simmons on the :30 promo that is currently airing within CNN. In other news, Soapbox executive producer Chris Schulte worked with Scout Marketing. Soapbox’s production arm set up the shoot at Dad’s Garage. The footage came to life with the help of director of visual effects Larry Williams, and was sweetened by audio engineer Don Schmid.

Wilson and Williams created 3D elements for TNTLA’s presentation of the American Music Awards. Williams worked with writer/producer Gabriela Guerrero to create graphics that would be used throughout the promos and packaging.

All Soapbox divisions pulled together to assist HLN with their “One Thing Leads to Another” campaign. HLN held a shoot in New York with Nancy Grace, Joy Behar, Jane Velez-Mitchell and AJ Hammer. Williams, senior compositor Kevin Thomas and Simmons created some magic in post. Soapbox’s music division, headed by Josh Houghkirk, created a variation of the Fixx’s “One Thing Leads to Another.” The spots were passed to Richardson for final sweetening.

Becky Shurts produced the spots and Jenny Specker oversaw design.

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OZ cetERA Cool Stuff for Tweet Design

WIFTA Announces New Leaders

Tweet Design recently completed all new branding for Sandy Springs’ most eclectic CD, DVD, LP and game store, Tall Stax d/b/a CD Warehouse. Said Tweet’s Buffi Aguero, “Working amidst the beautiful chaos of ‘Kiss’ figurines and Pat Boone posters was a real challenge. What I really wanted to do was spend the day digging around in all the cool stuff.” Tweet partners Aguero and Tracy Wagner designed a complete package of logos, business cards, banners, store signage and promo flyers for the store.

Leading Women in Film and Television Atlanta’s 2010 board is newly elected President Dana Serby, who stated upon taking the position: “In the recent three years that I have been a part of the board one thing has remained the same… a commitment to providing members with quality programs and professional resources. Top initiatives for this year include establishing added opportunities for members to become more involved in this professional organization and help grow their business and networks.”

Joining Serby are continuing board members, Vice President of Professional Development Shani Harris Peterson, Member Emeritus Melissa Randle, Treasurer Lisa Wright, Public Relations Director Patricia Taylor, Sponsorship Director LaKeisha Fleming, Programs Director Zoana Price and Jobs & Opportunities Director Monique McGlockton.

New to the board this year are several Atlanta television and film industry professionals. They include Vice President of Communications Darija Pichanick, Marketing Director Alice Stephens, Vice President of Membership Jeanette Gregory, Secretary Dellis Caden Noble, Workshops Director Sherri Daye Scott, Member-at-Large Erica Lemmons, Special Events Director Beatrice Allen, Grants Director Cynthia Brooks and Student Ambassador Lydia Sue-Ellen Chitunya.

StreetLevel Sound in Afterlife The upcoming theatrical release of the movie “Afterlife,” starring Liam Neeson and Christina Ricci, features music composed and produced

by StreetLevel Sound’s Greg Shearer. The story centers on a young girl (Ricci) caught between life and death and an undertaker (Neeson) who seems to have the power of transitioning the dead. The film debuted at the AFI Fest. “Afterlife” marks Shearer’s first foray into films for theatrical release.

PC&E Adds Goodies PC&E added to its camera and lens inventory. The Optimo 28-76 lens is a lightweight zoom with an extremely fast speed of T2.6. It has no ramping and no breathing and features 320-degree focus rotation with over 25 witness marks. The 28-76 is perfect for handheld and steadicam work and is a perfect complement to PC&E’s Optimo 15-40, 17-80 and 24-290 lenses.

The Panasonic AJ -HPM200 is a powerful 10-bit, 4:2:2 HD field recorder with enhanced editing capabilities that can be used with virtually any camera.

It records AVC-Intra 100/50, DVCPRO HD/50/25, AVCHD and DV. It has USB 2.0, E-Sata and Giga-bit ethernet interfaces.

PC&E’s new “George” ring light from Gekko Technology is ideal where an on axis fill is required from a controllable source and larger diameter zooms or primes are being used. A lightweight dedicated power supply powers the unit. The controller provides flicker free power and allows individual switching of four-quarter-sub-sets, top, bottom, left and right and dimming from 100% to 5% without altering color temperature.

PC&E now has Anton Bauer CINE VCLX batteries. These nickel metal hydride batteries feature a RealTime™ display for accurate remaining runtime and a visual LED indicator at 15 minutes remaining time. Finally, PC&E added The Ringo Head, allowing an operator to easily mount their camera at a right angle and operate with existing tripod heads and jibs while keeping the camera’s center of gravity and lens aligned over the center of a tripod head.

New Faces at IMAGES IMAGES USA has hired a couple of new faces and two in-house staff members have been promoted. Ricki Fairley-Brown and John Lockyer were promoted to chief marketing officer and chief operating officer, respectively. Both partners in the agency, Fairley-Brown previously held the position of senior vice president of strategy and planning, and Lockyer was executive vice president of finance and business management.

New hires were Kristy Wright, public relations manager, and Hank Koppelman, director, business development. Wright comes from New York City, where she was director of marketing and public relations for the Madison Square Boys & Girls Club (MSBGC). Prior to MSBGC, Wright was a senior account executive at Ketchum New York on the FedEx account. Koppelman has over 40 years of marketing and sales, product management and operations experience with such industry leaders as Budget Rent-A-Car, American Express, AirTran Airways, Amtrak and Outrigger Hotels and Resorts.

Tube on Ice

Tube’s target practice for The Weather Channel.

The Weather Channel (TWC) recently came to Tube to create a :30 spot promoting their new Sunday night line-up featuring two new shows: “Cantore Stories” and “Weather Proof.” Tube’s owner and creative director, Chris Downs, teamed with TWC producer Stephen Clark and freelance art director and motion graphics designer, Scott Schroeder, to beat and bang at sheets of real ice. Shooting in 1080i HD, Downs and Schroeder took aim with a BB-gun and hammer, filming the ice as they demolished it. The spot aired across 11 major networks.

CPP Goes to MELT Mode Creative Presence Partners (CPP) is now MELT, an acronym for marketing, entertainment, lifestyle and trends. CPP has been representing major consumer brands and corporations including The Coca-Cola Company, Fox Sports, Six Flags and The Southeastern Conference since 2001. MELT has expanded their core competencies to include original content development, digital and social media. Talent from HBO Sports, Turner Broadcasting, Velocity, BET and NFL Networks bolsters new MELT service offerings. In addition to becoming a more truly integrated marketing agency, MELT will focus on cause marketing initiatives. Every employee will spend a percentage of his or her time on pro bono work to better the community and the world.

GPP Announces New Leadership Three Squared Solid The Georgia Production Partnership (GPP) has elected a new slate of for Woodruff officers and executive board members. Co-Presidents are Steve Mensch of Turner Studios and Bill VanDerKloot of VanDerKloot Film and Television.

Other GPP officers include: Vice President Sheryl Myers of Comotion Films; Treasurer Tim McCabe of Talent Paymaster; Secretary Wilbur Fitzgerald of Fitzgerald Productions and actor; Immediate Past Co-President Fran Burst Terranella, independent film producer; and Immediate Past Co-President Craig Miller of Craig Miller Productions. New executive board members for GPP include: Membership Chair Mark Wynns, Government Affairs Shay BentleyGriffin, Communications and Fundraising Tia Powell and Internal Governance Brennen Dicker.

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three squared is honored to be a Woodruff Arts Center Employee of the Arts donor for the 2009-2010 season. This year, three squared made a donation in support of the Woodruff Arts Center Annual Corporate Campaign. This fund will bring some of the most well renowned artists of all trades to Atlanta and bring programming to Georgia children in 52 counties. Since its inception, the Woodruff Arts Center has grown into the most dynamic center for the visual and performing arts in the South and is among the top such centers in the nation. Today the Woodruff Arts Center includes the Alliance Theatre, High Museum of Art, Young Audiences, 14th Street Playhouse and the Atlanta Symphony Orchestra.

New Board and Officers for PRSA

PRSA’s 2010 officers include: (clockwise from top left) President Timothy L. Hussey, President-elect Karla G. Harvill, Secretary Alicia Renee Thompson and Treasurer Julie Turner Davis.

The Georgia Chapter of the Public Relations Society of America (PRSA|GA) has elected its officers for 2010.

Elected to the board are President Timothy L. Hussey, APR, senior director of marketing and communications, Emory Law; President-Elect Karla G. Harvill, APR, director-internal communications, Pilgrim’s Pride Corporation; Secretary Alicia Renee Thompson, APR, vice president, communications and public relations, Popeyes Louisiana Kitchen; and Treasurer Julie Turner Davis, senior manager-business unit communications, Georgia-Pacific Corporation.

The directors at large for 2010 include: Stephen M. Brown; Ray A. Crockett, APR, Fellow PRSA; Neil Hirsch, APR; Alison Ilg; Kent Landers, APR; Carol Galbreath; Shira Miller; J. Michael Neumeier, APR; Jacqueline Petty; and Erin Steele.

The assembly delegates for 2010 include: Judi Borgo, APR; Mark Dvorak, APR; Kim Englehardt, APR; Jennifer Lane Grizzle, APR; Ellen Hartman, APR, Fellow PRSA; Mike Manning, APR; Gary McKillips, APR, Fellow PRSA; Lynne Sallot, APR, Fellow PRSA; and Sherry Treco-Jones, APR, Fellow PRSA. In other news, Morgan Sapp, communication manager for the Georgia Association of REALTORS®, has been awarded the Georgia Chapter’s Chapter Champion award in recognition of her outstanding volunteer work.

The Chapter Champion award was created to recognize a member who has significantly contributed to the Chapter’s success. At the Georgia Association of REALTORS®, she is responsible for the preparation, design and distribution of all marketing materials and manages the association’s social network efforts. Sapp has been a member of the Real World Collegiate Conference committee for three years and has served as the logistics team lead for the past two years. She also volunteered on the Awards Celebration’s silent auction committee in 2008 and served as the logistics team captain for the Chapter’s Annual Conference in 2009. Additionally, she has been instrumental in securing a printing sponsor for materials used for several major Chapter events.

Caryn Anderson, Therese Minella and Stephanie Stinn have earned their APR certification.

Anderson is the internal communication manager at the City of Atlanta’s Department of Watershed Management. Minella, most recently, was the community relations director for Broadway Across America but has stayed active with project work, and Stinn is currently a member of the Lockheed Martin Communications and Community Relations team.

OZ cetERA Dynami Group Gains Wattage dynami group has hired Wade Watts as their new event marketing director. Before joining dynami, Watts served as the national account director of corporate accounts for Freeman, a provider of integrated services for faceto-face marketing and brand building events headquartered in Dallas, Texas.

His previous position included managing contractual agreements, creating strategic marketing plans, providing cost/benefit analysis and managing account teams. In his tenure there, Watts won four complete program management accounts with revenues of nearly $4 million following a complete show and event cycle.

A graduate of the University of South Carolina, Watts spent much of the past decade amassing a wealth of experience in the event and production arena with a variety of instrumental account executive and project manager positions at such notable companies as Czarnowski Display Services, Nth Degree and Shepard Conventions Services.

Wade Watts joins dynami group as event marketing director.

Pogo is Active Director/DP Steve Colby completed a shoot for Monsanto with St. Louis-based agency Osborn & Barr. The three :60 spots profile the American farmer and his or her role in the agricultural industry.

The eight day shoot took place in five states across the Midwest and Southeastern United States, utilizing a 2nd Unit that allowed for capturing a diverse amount of footage. Helicopter shots, cranes and custom rigging techniques allowed Colby to capture the dynamic imagery. The spots are airing nationwide and online.

In other news, Pogo Interactive is now Pogo Active. Pogo Active specializes in creating and producing interactive web content. Joining Pogo Active to head up the business development team is Linda Powledge, formerly executive producer of Freestyle Collective in New York.

Pogo Pictures’ Director/DP Steve Colby.

Increase your advertising strength with OZ! Send all your business news to Ozcetera editor, KIME HARLESS at ozcetera@ozonline.tv.

NO FAXES OR HARDCOPIES, PLEASE. All news should be submitted via email.

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SKS Markets Beautiful Box

print

and get what you expect.

Susan Solomon, principal and creative director of SKS Creative.

SKS Creative will develop the marketing strategy as well as produce creative for the 2010 national launch of The Beautiful Box Company. J. William Hill created one-of-a-kind stencils on his gift boxes to make his work available to a larger audience. SKS Creative will develop the sales/marketing strategy as well as creative direction across different media platforms. For Valentine’s Day, they worked together to create an amazing line of very special gift boxes. Sizes come as small as two inches by two inches all the way up to large boxes for coats and more. Boxes are sold with or without candies and soaps in them.

The complete online web product launch began in February. The flagship store is located at the Art Collective in Inman Park.

Master Ad Specialist Sonya Beam of The POP Shop recently received the Master Advertising Specialist (MAS) designation. MAS is the highest certification in the promotional product industry, requiring 250 hours of education credits, over 10 years experience, industry service and two certification examinations administered by Promotional Products Association International. Individuals with MAS certification designation are recognized as industry leaders who have attained a superior standard of professionalism, knowledge and experience.

MAS can only be achieved by first obtaining a CAS (Certified Advertising Specialist) designation, which Beam achieved in February 2008. Only 1,800 industry professionals hold a CAS or MAS designation.

Geiger, The POP Shop’s parent company, claims approximately 10% of the CAS/MAS designations through their associates and independent sales partners. This is the most of any one company in the industry.

Sonya Beam receives her MAS designation.

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OZ COLUMN

A Guide for the Interactive

by Jon Andersen

Ad Highway

It appears from all indicators, that internet advertising and marketing will continue to garner a larger and larger share of advertising dollars. Internet spending in the Unites States in 2009 was around $24.5 billion, and it is estimated that this figure will grow to $26.8 billion in 2010. As magazines and newspaper advertising decreases, the internet seems to be soaking up the redirected dollars. An industry approaching $30 billion is sure to attract a lot of attention, and in the advertising and marketing world, interactive is hot.

The Federal Trade Commission (FTC) has just revised its Guides for Endorsements and Testimonials. Since the Guides apply to all advertising mediums, I thought it might be interesting to look at some of these revisions and the examples cited by the FTC to see how they will apply to internet and social media advertising. First, we have to define an advertising endorsement or testimonial. The FTC treats them identically. The Guides define an endorsement as “any advertising message … that consumers are likely to believe reflects the opinions, beliefs, findings, or experiences of a party other than the sponsoring advertiser.”

If an advertising message is an endorsement, here are some of the key requirements: 1. It has to reflect the honest opinions, findings, beliefs or experiences of the endorser, and it cannot convey or imply any representations that would be deceptive if made by the advertiser directly.

2. It can be used by the advertiser only so long as the advertiser has good reason to believe that the endorser still subscribes to the views presented.

3. If the endorsement represents that an endorser uses the product or service, then he or she must be a bona fide user at the time of the endorsement.

4. Any material connections between the advertiser and the endorser which might materially affect the weight or credibility of the endorsement (unless it is a relationship reasonably expected by the audience) must be fully disclosed.

5. Advertisers are and endorsers may be liable for false or unsubstantiated claims or statements made through endorsements.

Here are some examples of how it all works and ties together: In a case where a consumer buys a new, more expensive brand of dog food and then writes in her personal blog about how it improved her dog’s coat, this posting would not be an endorsement under the above definition. Now assume that the blogger is part of a network marketing program, and she received a free bag of the dog food. Here, a favorable review on her blog would be considered an endorsement, and subject to all of the considerations listed above.

A different and more serious example is found in the following situation.

A skin care advertiser who participates in a blog advertising service requests that a blogger try its new body lotion, which it provides her free of charge, and asks her to write a review of the product on her personal blog. The advertiser makes no claims about the lotions ability to cure skin conditions, but the blogger writes that the lotion cures eczema and recommends the product to her readers who suffer from this condition. Here, the advertiser will be liable for a misleading and unsubstantiated claim. The blogger is also at risk because of the claim. It is important to note that in the FTC’s view, it is the advertiser who has the responsibility to ensure that any advertising service provides training and guidance to its bloggers about the truthfulness of their statements.

Advertisers also need to monitor its bloggers to stop the continued distribution of any deceptive representations.

Here are a couple of examples from the social media arena. A tennis player touts the results of her Lasik eye surgery. She mentions the clinic that performed the surgery by name on a social networking site that allows fans to read in real time. Even though she does not appear in commercials for the clinic, she has a contractual relationship with it, which pays her to speak publicly about the surgery and the clinic whenever she has the opportunity.

In this instance, without a disclosure of this relationship that might affect the weight a consumer would give to the endorsement, the endorsement would be considered deceptive.

A similar situation concerning disclosure arises for a word-of-mouth program, which awards points to participants for talking to friends about a particular advertiser’s product. Under the program, the participants get to exchange their accumulated points for prizes. These incentives, if known, would clearly affect the credibility of the participant’s endorsement and should be conspicuously disclosed.

A significant change in FTC policy promulgated in the revised Guides involves testimonials of one or more consumers, where the results or experiences of those consumers will be interpreted as the experience or results purchasers will generally achieve. Under the old FTC requirements, if the results the typical consumer would achieve would not match that of the person offering the testimonial, it was sufficient to add a disclaimer to the ad such as “results not typical.” The FTC no longer thinks such disclaimers are effective. More explanation is needed. The examples on this issue in the revised Guides require that the ads clearly and conspicuously state what results the typical consumer can expect to achieve and that the advertiser have sufficient substantiation for these typical results.

The track star who won all his meets Laid success to the food brand he eats But in truth he was paid For each accolade When he mentioned the brand in his tweets

© 2010 Jon Lee Andersen www.ozonline.tv OZ MAGAZINE 15

OZ VOICES

Going from

good to Great:

The

Georgia Film

Paula Martinez

Industry

by Gabe Wardell, Executive Director, Atlanta Film Festival 365; Paula Martinez, Managing Director, Atlanta Film Festival

W

hen Governor Sonny Perdue signed HB1100, the Georgia Entertainment Industry Investment Act, into law, everyone believed the tide had turned in favor of the Georgia entertainment industry. Yet few of us could have anticipated just how impactful this legislation would be on the regional economy.

According to a recent report from the Incentives Office, direct production expenditures in Georgia totaled $591 million for fiscal year ending June 30, 2009, with 26 feature films produced, plus 93 television episodes, one-offs, TV movies and TV specials, 250 commercials, 36 music videos and 41 video games benefiting from the incentives, the state estimates economic impact of over $1 billion dollars supporting approximately 25,000 entertainment industry jobs in Georgia. For the current fiscal year, estimated production expenditure through the end of December 2009 exceeds $350 million; well on pace to smash FY2009’s total.

In a 2008 study, “Promoting Film and Media to Enhance State Economic Development” conducted by the National Governor’s Association, five key strategies were named that “make it easy to create, produce and distribute film and other media productions from start to finish.”

• Financial Incentives—

The Georgia industry is thriving as a result of HB110. Simply put, the incentives set the foundation for attracting production to Georgia.

• ProfessionalTraining Programs—

The Georgia Production Partnership (GPP) and Atlanta Film Festival 365 (ATL365) partner on “The PA Academy” to foster up and coming production assistants. PC&E’s Basic Grip course, and Film Finish’s “Film Editing for the Assistant Editor” are a few of the other programs with technical career training as the ultimate goal. Periodically, ATL365 hosts professional development clinics, like the RED Camera Workflow demonstration, to help working professionals enhance their skills. The region’s talent pool is further enriched by strong industry ties at university-based programs like SCAD-Atlanta, Georgia State University, Art Institute of Atlanta and Clark Atlanta University. A generation ago, working for free on indie films was the best way to gain experience. Now, complexities of a 21st century production require a knowledge base best fostered by professionals at accredited institutions.

• Marketing—

On a tight state budget, representatives from the Georgia Office of Film, Music & Digital Entertainment face the sizeable challenge of educating the public and industry about the merits of shooting in Georgia. Marketing support is needed to sustain Georgia’s prominence as a production destination. As a high-profile event that unites press, industry, professionals, emerging artists and the general public, the Atlanta Film Festival is ideally suited to assist in this endeavor. We should all serve as ambassadors for the Georgia film industry whenever we travel or work elsewhere. Word of mouth remains the single most effective marketing tool in this industry. In addition, the Atlanta Convention & Visitor’s Bureau and surrounding chambers of commerce should increase their roles in marketing Georgia as a destination for production and production-related tourism.

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• Production Guides & Scouting Programs—

The Georgia Film, Video & Digital Entertainment SourceBook effectively promotes and markets Georgia’s film, video and digital entertainment resources. The GPP’s Fast Forward Initiative and ATL365’s Location Scouting Workshop endeavor to assist producers in identifying the state’s plentiful and diverse inventory of ideal shooting locations.

Gabe Wardell

• Film Festivals—

For four decades, ATL365 has worked year-round to develop film lovers and filmmakers of the future through screenings, events, social networking and supporting other events that engage the community. Key to this end, we produce the Atlanta Film Festival, an event that brings an international pool of talented producers, actors, writers and directors to Atlanta. Recent festival circuit regulars like Jason Reitman (“Up in the Air”), Christopher Nolan (“The Dark Knight”) and Mark Webb (just tapped for the upcoming Spider-Man reboot) show that film festivals are the proving ground for tomorrow’s blockbuster superstars.

As a whole, Georgia’s production industry is thriving. While the competitive tax incentives opened the floodgates, tax breaks alone will not sustain the industry. Georgia has what it takes to keep production thriving: from world-class airport infrastructure to a deep, talented, disciplined crew base.

Pundits speculate about a “race to the bottom” with regard to the shifting competitive balance in tax incentive programs from state to state.

In the not-so-distant distant future, others will pass incentives that will outshine Georgia’s. How can we prepare to compete when the fickle competitive balance shifts?

To ensure sustained health and growth, it is critical that we follow the formula for success as distilled by Jim Collins in “Good to Great: Preserve the Core/Stimulate Progress.” By supporting ALL FIVE core strategies listed above, we acknowledge the symbiotic relationship between the various players in this industry, and we build on our intrinsic strengths. Failure to recognize the five strategies jeopardizes the long-term success of our Georgia-based industry.

Of the five key strategies, ask yourself: How many are you and your company actively involved in supporting and promoting?

A Lack of Tradition

In a tough economy, digital and interactive focused companies are busy and growing.

By Bobby L. Hickman

The advertising world is changing at a pace never before seen. Digital and interactive companies are overshadowing traditional agencies. Social media and new technologies are transforming the way companies, brands and consumers interact and the way ad agencies do their business.

Atlanta’s interactive and digital agencies are no exception, facing an evolve-or-flounder challenge in an environment of rapidly shifting demands and expectations.

We talked with five interactive companies about their business models; creative and technical trends; their staffing needs and practices; and their outlook as the economy slowly stumbles to its feet. And while there is general consensus that the old ways of marketing, advertising and PR are gone, none of the five are approaching the future in quite the same way.

Definition 6

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One company that plans to grow through acquisition is Definition 6. Last summer, Navigation Capital Partners, an Atlanta-based middle market public equity firm, said it will invest up to $15 million in Definition 6 to support organic growth and the strategic acquisition of other interactive firms across the United States.

Chris Thornton, chief marketing officer for Definition 6, said the company acquired two agencies in New York late last year. “We’re looking to expand through some additional acquisitions, as well as organic growth in some new markets,” Thornton said. Definition 6 is looking at the Top 10 U.S. markets, with an emphasis on Dallas, and wants to add a multicultural marketing group.

Thornton said that as the industry has evolved, the company concluded agencies “that have grown up on the digital side are in a much stronger position and have a much better understanding of where the future of advertising is going to be.” He said Chris Thornton the company is “moving away from being a digital agency to just being an agency.” Thus, Definition 6 is “adding a lot of additional services to the fold, while still leading with that digital mindset and strategic approach.” One of agencies the company acquired has full video capabilities, while the other is a public relations agency. “We think PR is important because the discipline is good at understanding how to craft and control a message,” he explained.

Convergence of various media remains important, Thornton continued. “You have to be an integrated interactive agency,” he said. “The traditional advertising model is basically dead. You can’t just push a message to customers and expect them to buy into it.” The current approach combines multiple disciplines to “create a much more immersive experience” that surrounds customers and finds ways to provide value at every touch point. Traditional agencies will say they can do those things, he added, “but they work very much alone. The digital group doesn’t really talk to the brand group, which doesn’t talk to the TV group, doesn’t talk to the PR group, and so on. So what you have is a series of tactics that don’t necessarily work together.”

One of the hottest trends right now remains social media, Thornton said, “and it’s going to be for a long time.

It becomes an integral component to how advertising and marketing are going to be successful in the future.” Another key factor is analytics: “understanding the real business impact of the marketing dollars that are being spent,” he said. “I think that goes back to the recession: people can’t afford to not know where their ROI is coming from.” He added the digital world has “always thought that way. It’s taken a long time for traditional agencies to catch up with that thinking.” The demand for multicultural marketing varies by client, Thornton said. “We definitely see that as a longterm area of growth.”

The skills Definition 6 seeks in the work force are technical expertise in new media and being able to provide insight to clients. Employees need “the ability to understand our clients’ audience first, as we build our campaigns and strategies starting with the audience.” He said the company relies mostly on employees and supplements them with freelance contractors. “We also have a pretty significant offshore development capability on a number of different continents for our heavy IT types of projects,” he added.

Thornton said 2009 was a “pretty good year” for Definition 6 and the agency is already seeing increased demand. He said the company has benefitted as clients “leave that traditional advertising model” and look for a different approach, “which is why we think digital is going to take the lead in coming years.”

Razorfish

In mid-2009, Microsoft sold Razorfish to Publicis Group, the stock market-listed French global advertising and communications firm. Shannon Denton, general manager of the Atlanta office, said not much has changed since then.

“One of reasons Publicis wanted Razorfish was our clients; another is that we’re pretty innovative.” He said Razorfish has generally kept its same business model and team. “We are seeing more opportunities to partner with other Publicis agencies on some big clients, but otherwise it’s been business as usual,” he added.

Denton said online business “has come back strong” since last fall. “We’re having explosive growth,” he said. “In terms of demand, this is the best I’ve seen, compared to any uptick over the last five or six years.” He noted Razorfish was not surprised, as the company expected a strong rebound when there was “any sign the economy was coming back.

We knew the internet and digital in general would be where they would spend their money. And that’s coming true across the board – we’re winning new clients and our current clients’ budgets are increasing.”

Razorfish is hiring rapidly at all offices, Denton said, and is interviewing to fill up to 15 positions in Atlanta.

Razorfish is “always looking for smart strategists that can help guide our clients on all these things that can target digital.” The hottest technical skills: social media and multitouch. “We’re looking for people who are experienced in social influence marketing,” he said. The company needs employees “who can help our clients put in place programs so they can understand what people are saying about their brand and how they can influence that with social media.”

Another emerging area is multi-touch media, as seen in devices like Apple’s iPad and iPhone, Amazon’s Kindle and visual in-store technology. Multi-touch devices (which are driven by finger and hand gestures rather than a mouse and keyboard) bring “different types of experience metaphors,” Denton said. “We’re looking for people who can design those experience metaphors of the future. It’s a little bit different than the traditional web metaphor of the mouse and the browser.” The technology needed to build those types of interfaces changes the skill sets required, he continued. “So we need designers who are accustomed to designing motion-type experiences, as well as technologists with that different skill set.”

Over the past several years, the big trend has been designing for motion and the integration of animation and video, Denton said. Most clients want their designs to involve a lot of motion, “so we rely on animators and storyboarding.

It’s not a flat serial design process where you lay out a form and put the pixels to it.

Now it’s a process where you think about the actual visual movements, so it’s really changed the game for the digital agency.”

Razorfish is also seeing more internet prototyping. “When we design for digital, we like to integrate creative with technology -- we design and build things as we go. We don’t have Shannon Denton this handoff process of

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creative giving something to development and they build it.

It’s more of an iterative, integrated approach.”

Those trends are more mature with the high-tech clients or consumer packaged goods, he said. Two years ago, probably 10-20% of projects involved motion experiences . . . “now it’s more like 60-70%. It’s reached that tipping point where we’ve fundamentally changed the way we approach things and the skills we need to be successful.”

luckyfish

One Atlanta-based creative digital agency that has evolved business models with the times is luckyfish.

Partner Christopher Woods said the firm began eight years ago and grew organically.

“We started out not Chris Woods really having an idea of where we fit into the landscape or the size we wanted to grow to,” he said. As the company’s reputation and business grew, it added more staff and moved to larger and larger offices. “We defined ourselves by the work that was coming in,” he said. “There was this fear that, if we didn’t take the work, the clients would go away.”

When the economy crashed in 2008, “it really hurt,” Woods said. Large key clients cut retainers by 70% and project-to-project clients froze their budgets. “So we pulled back. The offices are gone; lots of employees are gone. We really hunkered down.” Now the company is mostly virtual and has lower overhead. The recession also brought some strategic planning. Woods said the partners “spent some time refining our message. We thought about which things don’t make sense for us to do. What things are good margins for us and add good value to the client?” The company “didn’t get crushed” by the economy but has evolved, he added

In 2007 and 2008, Woods said luckyfish had been thinking ahead to new approaches beyond project work.

“We’d been working a lot of original concepts, planting seeds in our clients’ minds about some new and different things they could be doing.” The economic slowdown put those ideas on hold for a while. But now the concepts luckyfish had pitched earlier are now the “kinds of concepts they want to do,” he said. “A lot of seeds we had been planting eight or so months before started sprouting. Now we have the best work we’ve ever had and plenty of it.”

Most of the firm’s clients are Atlanta-based companies, with others scattered around the country.

“Atlanta has an unreal amount of large brands and companies situated here,” Woods said, providing opportunities to work with agencies and offices in other parts of the world.

While luckyfish is not hiring fulltime employees, the agency is using freelancers or partnering with other agencies on various projects. Woods said the company is always looking for Flash programmers and animators. For larger projects, the company will often bring on a project manager who has expertise in a certain area, such as social media.

He said the market is “flooded” with designers and creatives, yet “it seems like I have to spend a lot of time looking for folks. I get a lot of editor and animation reels, but for art directors, I have to search for those.”

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Woods added, “In my opinion this is a great town to freelance. It seems like people got discouraged and stopped putting their stuff out there. They should be circulating stuff around right now – things are picking up like crazy. There’s a ton of work and it’s just a proving ground right now.”

The main industry trend today is being able to work across multiple platforms, both in applications and social media, Woods said. As people learn what works and what doesn’t, he said, “They’re using social media to get a longer message out, or using that plus other platforms.” He said he prefers the latter approach and counsels his clients to follow that path.

Woods said luckyfish’s smaller size has not hindered its ability to work with larger clients. “The edge we’ve got is that there are a lot of cool new things, and a lot of corporations are looking to smaller, or at least more nimble and more astute, creative agencies that can pull them off.”

Moxie Interactive

Full service digital advertising firm Moxie Interactive is building “the agency of the future,” according to CEO Joel Lunenfeld. Moxie is a part of Zenith Media. “One of the advantages in living inside a large media agency is that we can help direct traditional spending of more traditional clients into more interactive media.”

Lunenfeld said Moxie is “all over the digital spectrum,” including mobile phones, custom video games and digital signage. Technology has changed the ways people and brands talk to each other, with applications like Twitter and Facebook putting everyone on an equal playing field.

“Because that environment has changed, advertising needs to change,” he said. “It needs to be more about sparking conversations and actions. We do that by fusing media, technology and creative to deliver platform solutions for our clients.”

He added Moxie is “an advertising agency first and foremost, but one that isn’t quite happy with where advertising is today. We really want to help change it.”

Social media, social marketing and participant marketing, “facilitating conversations between people and brands,” remains the biggest trend in the industry, he said.

Clients need to understand how to listen to conversations, “using the internet and digital channels as a live focus group.

Social media is really replacing the traditional model of focus groups.” The next step is responding to those conversations: similar to the traditional PR role but in shorter formats that are “more brand-to-consumer direct PR.” A third consideration is building messages, creative content and applications that members of social networks will “pass along to one another.”

The second biggest trend is migrating from television to video across all platforms, Lunenfeld said. “Where we used to do television planning, now we’re moving to a video model where you plan against people’s habits.

Some parts of an audience today don’t watch television nearly as much as other parts of an audience.

So you plan for the channels that they watch and Joel Lunenfeld interact with.”

Over the next few years, the top focus is going to be better integrated analytics, Lunenfeld said. “Analytics is as important as your pricing, the value of your ideas – really as any service that you can provide.” He said clients in all sectors want to know that their media budgets are being spent properly.

To stay a step ahead of the future, Moxie has an incubator group inside the agency that looks for emerging trends in technology, media and society as a whole. “We never want to be a victim of our size,” he said. “We have to adopt a really flexible strategy.”

Moxie manages its projects with as much internal staff as possible, Lunenfeld said. They bring in contractors and freelancers as needed, as well as certain specialists.

Agencies also need to “work with partners in a nonthreatening way,” he added. “It’s the age of collaboration.

If you can’t do that, you’re not going to survive.”

Lunenfeld noted these changes are occurring “in a world where everyone has to do more with less,” a trend driven by technology and the global economy. “The most important thing we strive for is to embrace commoditization and increase our value in thought leadership and ideas.

At the end of the day, that’s what brings business.”

three squared

CEO Shane King said three squared is an integrated media agency that has shown growth in each of its 11 years – even in 2009, when it slightly edged out the prior year with a couple of “mega-months” after a slow summer. The company is a partnership that has “grown slowly, organically,” he noted.

“We have a corporate culture we like. If we doubled in size, the culture would change.”

King said the firm has been Shane King building its technical and creative team for the last five years. Most of the agency’s work is in marketing and advertising, but “we’re also working on some significant technical projects as well,” he said. “We’re a creative agency. That’s how we lead. But at the end of the day, we need a solid technical core.” And when a client is not ready to pursue a creative project, three squared turns to technical pursuits, such as a new e-commerce site for the Woodruff Arts Center.

King’s main focus in 2010 is building out the strategy end of the business. “Today, clients need a guide dog more than ever, so the strategy piece needs to be there,” he said.

“And they need to balance true integration.” He said clients tell them, “We just stopped doing print and we’ve stopped TV because we want to focus on digital.” King said, “We have to remind them that you can’t just stop doing print and TV. Maybe you need to do it in moderation, but you need an integrated approach to everything.”

Video, social media and marketing, and analytics are major trends, King said. Video is “a big piece of our business

that is still emerging.” Social media involves the technical aspects plus coming up with true strategies to help clients understand and use social media. He added, “I don’t have a meeting where a client doesn’t want to talk about social media.”

Analytics are also still important.

“If you’re a digital agency, you’re not going to keep a client very long if you can’t run analytics and show ROI for the concept,” King said. “Again, that’s serving as a guide dog.” Sitting down with a client and understanding their business is never going to change, he said. While a client initially “recognizes you do high-quality visual work,” King added, “the next thing we tell them is that we need to talk about how you’re going to define ROI.”

King said more work is coming in-house where three squared has a core team with a technical lead and two creative directors. Team members bring in the subcontractors or outside resources and manage them. “The main reason for this approach is that we want to be lean and mean,” he said. “Whether you’re a $100 million agency or a $10 million agency, you want diversity in all your talent.”

He said three squared is constantly looking for good designers. “With all the different avenues and channels, one designer is not enough,” he explained. “They’re all good in their own right.” For technical skills like Flash, Flex and .NET, “you’re not necessarily looking for someone who is superspecialized in one area,” King said. “You’re looking for someone who’s been exposed to an agnostic approach so they’re not tied to one technology.”

King said three squared plans to do more marketing in 2010 but the year is already off to a good start. Last year’s momentum has “rolled over a little” this winter and “we’re starting to see the purse strings loosen a little. People aren’t afraid of the word ‘strategy’ this year.”

Websites: Definition 6: www.definition6.com luckyfish: www.luckyfish.tv Moxie Interactive: www.moxieinteractive.com Razorfish: www.razorfish.com three squared: www.threesquared.com

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A Sale

& Merger RousE

Fortune Not fear ••••••

,

BY SUZANNE OLIVER

Crawford Communications sells its satellite division to Broadcast Facilities, Inc. Jesse Crawford retains media management and post production house.

These days, a company’s sale prompts fear in its employees, and rightfully so. Sales and mergers usually lead to layoffs. Then again, there are exceptions, when all the stars seem to align. When Jesse Crawford, owner and founder of Crawford Communications, sold a sizeable chunk of his 29-year-old namesake on January 15, his nearly 400 employees were not only safe and sans pink slip, they were re-energized. Fifty or so staff members would stay with Jesse Crawford and his new company, Crawford Media Services, Inc. About 335 will work for a new company, all without even having to pack up and switch offices. The end result is two complementary businesses with no overlap or tense competition, says Steve Davis, vice president of media management for the newly formed Crawford Media Services. So far, a success story for both parties!

Building An Atlanta Icon

“Having Jesse at the helm [of the new Crawford Media Services] is a huge morale boost for everyone in the company,” Davis went on to say. “Jesse, if he’s nothing else, is an entrepreneur who loves to build something new. He’s well-known for that.”

Armed with that entrepreneurial spirit, Crawford started his company in 1981 with a singular focus on post production. The company’s website mentions Crawford’s dream of working on music videos, although he admittedly cut his teeth on Jazzercise clips to get things rolling.

The small post house quickly gained notoriety thanks to high-profile projects such as the editing of R.E.M.’s “It’s the End of the World as We Know It (And I Feel Fine)” video. “In those days in particular [’80s and ’90s], there was a lot of demand in this area for post production work,” Davis said. Crawford offered everything from original editorial and music to color correction and sound design. It still does.

“We’ve worked with all the major advertising agencies in the area on pretty much all of their national accounts,” Davis added, citing the US Marine Corps, Orkin and Coca-Cola as specific examples. “We do a range of everything, and we’re lucky to have the capacity and the talent in house to do the whole bit from advertising and documentaries to music videos and commercials,” added Kathleen Fitch, vice president of post production.

Eight or nine years after the initial launch, Davis said, Crawford started a teleport service doing uplinks and downlinks. That eventually blossomed into a multifaceted satellite operation featuring network origination and a fleet of mobile satellite trucks. Popular networks such as the Discovery Channel, TLC, Travel Channel, Outdoor Life Network and Country Music Television originated right inside Crawford’s 110,000-square-foot studio in Atlanta. Remember when Don Keough, president of Coca-Cola in 1985, introduced New Coke live on air? “That whole launch was done out of our facility,” Davis said. “Keough came to our facility, top secret, and we actually broadcast [the commercial] live to the networks . . . as well as his retraction about a week later,” he laughed. And when Geraldo Rivera opened Al Capone’s alleged vault to reveal dust and a few broken bottles? That piece of TV history was also a Crawford claim to fame.

Their list of clients has spanned every major network plus sports channels, Latin American networks, government agencies such as the CDC and NASA, and even The Weather Channel for disaster recovery. They also do dailies and dialogue replacement for Hollywood movies and hit TV series such as “The Vampire Diaries.”

“One of the things we’re known for is the wide range of services [we offer] and clients we’ve worked for,” Davis said.

Still, many of Crawford’s satellite customers are smaller in scope. “While there are a few Turners, Discoveries and NBCs out there, for most of the cable channels you see today, it’s beyond their technical expertise . . . to have their own network operations capability,” Davis said. “They created a very good niche for our company. They powered the growth of our network origination.”

Consequently, the satellite services division really took off, and as of 2009, accounted for about 75 percent of Crawford Communications’ total economic base, Davis said. They had evolved into a satellite services behemoth, easily becoming one of the largest broadcast facilities in the nation, added Vince Matherne, vice president of sales and marketing. And that tremendous success is exactly why Matherne has a new boss signing his paychecks today.

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•••••• Why would Crawford decide to sell roughly three-fourths of his thriving business? “To be quite honest, I don’t think Jesse was actually looking to sell,” Fitch said. “In fact, I know he wasn’t. But he was approached, and as he likes to say, ‘the business isn’t for sale, but you can buy it.’”

•••••• Selling The Lion’s Share

Why would Crawford decide to sell roughly three-fourths of his thriving business? “To be quite honest, I don’t think Jesse was actually looking to sell,” Fitch said. “In fact, I know he wasn’t. But he was approached, and as he likes to say, ‘the business isn’t for sale, but you can buy it.’” Broadcast Facilities, Inc. (BFI) “basically made him an offer he couldn’t refuse,” she said. (Naturally, no one would divulge any financial details of the deal, not even how long the two parties were in talks. But the “New York Post” and “The New York Times DealBook” both reported in January that the investment was more than $100 million.) In a press release, Bill Tillson, the president and COO of BFI, said he founded his Los Angeles-based corporation in 2008 “with the idea of eventually acquiring the Crawford facility in Atlanta.” BFI’s first acquisition was the Andrita

Steve Davis - VP of Media Services Media Center, the largest independent network origination, production, post production and digital media facility on the West Coast. Andrita originates an impressive roster of networks including the Hallmark Channel and the Game Show Network. Does this firm sound familiar?

A bit like Crawford, only smaller. With their eye on Crawford’s satellite services division, BFI loved the idea of combining resources and making their mark on both the West and East coasts.

In the sale, BFI acquired all of Crawford’s television network origination business, which currently uplinks some 70 cable networks. Teleport, a fleet of satellite uplink trucks, as well as Crawford’s internet, production and government services divisions were also included. The 335 satellite experts under Crawford Communications are now working for BFI; only there was never a need to pack up their personal belongings. They’re working from their same Crawford offices here in Atlanta.

“We see this as one operating unit that has two geographically diverse locations,” Matherne said, pointing to the Los Angeles and Atlanta offices. Working closely together on a daily basis, the two branches will combine resources and talent while streamlining

••••••

“When the acquisition happened, it gave Jesse an opportunity to really think about what kind of company he would like to build,” said Fitch on the post production side. “It’s really two businesses that are tied together at their core, making a very attractive new model for the industry.”

Kathleen Fitch - Post Production 24

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••••••

Bfi Satellite Services

procedures and providing an expanding client list with more comprehensive services. For example, the Los Angeles division is an expert on video on demand, Matherne said, so they will share those skills with Atlanta, while Atlanta shares their trucks and knowledge on teleport services with Los Angeles.

“The way the industry has unfolded, especially in the last three to five years, there’s beensome consolidation within to help clients with more seamless turnkey services,” Matherne added. This acquisition just made sense, he added. “Frankly, we’ve been looking for creative ways to establish an additional location for several years.” Continued Matherne, “So this was great, seeing that it’s another location that does very similar services to what we do and provides us with geographical diversity in the hotbed of where content is produced: Los Angeles. Our first thoughts [upon hearing of the sale] were of excitement and opportunity.”

Moving Forward

BFI is allowed to operate under the name Crawford Satellite Services for one year, at which time they will unveil a new identity incorporating both the Atlanta and Andrita divisions. “The reason BFI was formed was to create the preeminent global leader in the services that we provide, which are network origination, central casting, video on demand, uplink services, etc.,” Matherne said. With a presence on the East Coast, they plan to access transatlantic markets, he said, eventually establishing a global ring with expansion into Europe, Asia and beyond.

So where does this leave the Crawford employees that stayed with Jesse Crawford’s new venture? Apparently focused and eager to offer the latest in digital archiving. Under the helm of its original owner, the newly formed Crawford Media Services will combine the previous post production house with a media management division.

“When the acquisition happened, it gave Jesse an opportunity to really think about what kind of company he would like to build,” said Fitch on the post production side. “It’s really two businesses that are tied together at their core, making a very attractive new model for the industry.”

“When the offer to buy came along, Jesse specifically wanted to hang on to these two businesses,” said Davis on the media management side. “Basically, our plan is to take this shared infrastructure, the video infrastructure of the post house and the archive/asset/digitizing infrastructure of my part and offer a whole new set of services to clients that’s going to make their lives easier with digital media workflows.”

The media management portion “helps people deal with the fact that all of their content is logged on old analog media, or linear media, like tape and film,” Davis said. The act of storing, retrieving and reusing data from these old mediums is a nightmare. “We do mass digitization, archival storage and asset management,” Davis added, “so that people can have a window into the content that’s stored in their archives.”

Sure enough, Crawford Media Services was also exited about the sale and merger. “We’re all really looking forward to the focus you get from not having so many services and so many people,” Davis said.

Sounds like a pretty harmonious transition, which is rare in this economic climate. No competition.

No hard feelings. No severance packages. Just two complementary companies working in the same building.

•••••• C r aw f o r d Media Services, Inc.

3845 Pleasantdale Road Atlanta, GA 30340 404-876-0333 www.crawfordpost.com (Current) www.crawfordmediaservices.com (Under Construction)

BROADCAST Facilities, Inc.

3845 Pleasantdale Road Atlanta, GA 30340 323-344-4500 www.andrita.com

••••••

Houghton Talent & Actors Celebrate their 20th Anniversary Photos courtesy of Tom Jenkins

Hannah Wilkinson, film agent Chase Paris, Dax Griffin, agent Vince Pisani and Jason Stackhouse Owner Gail Houghton with actor and voice talent Roy McCrerey

Back row left to right, all of Houghton Talent: Sally Neal, Mystie Buice, Gail Houghton, Deborah Owensby and Chase Paris Front row, left to right: Maynita Davis (Houghton Talent), Megan Wilbourn (Oz Publishing), Kime Harless (Oz Publishing), Tiana Fernandez (Oz Publishing) and Vince Pisani (Houghton Talent)

Agency director Mystie Buice with Deena and Michael Beasley

Voiceover agent Sally Neal and bookkeeper Maynita Davis

Clockwise from left: Owner Gail Houghton, Claire Bronson, Googie Uterhardt and Cheri Christian

Matt Cornwell and Brooke Taylor

Clockwise from left: Bethany Lind, Eric Mendenhall, Rose Bianco, Cara Mantella, Bill Murphey and Shayne Kohout

Ann Roth and Chaital Naidu

Mark Wilson, film agent Chase Paris and Cynthia Evans

Clockwise from left: commercial agent Deborah Owensby, bookkeeper Maynita Davis, Danielito and Gabriella Garcia

The Atlanta Ad Club's

2010 Atlanta

ADDYAWARDS ®

All photos courtesy of David Batley, David Batley Photography & Design.

ADDY Awards co-chairs: Ginger Raymond of Ames Scullin O’Haire and Rich Fabritius of Brunner.

Atlanta Ad Club El Presidente, Patrick Scullin of Ames Scullin O’Haire, getting ready to gallop into the sunset.

Everyone wants one!

Happy winners show off their spikes.

Every emcee’s dream: A drink in one hand, microphone in the other.

Richard Warner, What’s Up Interactive.

ADDY® winner’s rule!

The fine folks at APG give good party!

best of show mixed/multiple media

The Atlanta Ad Club's

2010 Atlanta

ADDYAWARDS ®

®

BEST OF SHOW & Gold ADDY

Entrant: Hauser Group Advertiser: Cheerwine Title: Mixed Media Campaign Derrick Ogilvie: VP/Creative Director Mike Powell: Associate Creative Director Emily Lloyd: Art Director Andy Corbett: Copywriter

For a complete list of ADDY® Award winners, please visit the Atlanta Ad Club – www.atlantaadclub.com

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OZ Publishing, Inc. www.ozonline.tv 404.633.1779 404.636.5919 800.705.1121 800.276.3713

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DISTRIBUTION PARTNERS The Art Institute of Atlanta p. 800 275 4242 www.aia.aii.edu

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ASSOCIATION PARTNERS Advertising Photographers of America Atlanta Chapter (APA/A) www.atlanta.apanational.com American Institute of Graphic Arts (AIGA) Atlanta www.aiga.org American Marketing Association Atlanta Chapter www.ama-atlanta.com American Society of Media Photographers (ASMP) www.asmatlanta.org Atlanta Interactive Marketing Association (AIMA) www.atlantaima.org Atlanta Macintosh Users Group (AMUG) www.amugonline.com

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Media Communications Association International Atlanta (MCAI) www.mcaiatlanta.org

Public Relations Society of America-Georgia Chapter www.prsageorgia.org

Business Marketing Association Atlanta Chapter www.bmaatlanta.com

Society for Technical Communication (STC) Atlanta Chapter www.stcatlanta.org

The Direct Marketing Association (DMA Atlanta) www.dma-atlanta.com

Women In Film/Atlanta www.wifa.org

The Freelance Forum www.freelanceforum.org Georgia Production Partnership www.georgiaproduction.org The Interactive Media Alliance (TIMA) www.tima.org The National Academy of Television Arts & Sciences (NATAS) Atlanta Chapter www.natassoutheast.tv

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11:11 Teahouse p. 404 521 1911 753 Edgewood Ave NE Thinking Man’s Tavern p. 404 370 1717 www.thinkingmantavern.com Utrecht Art Supplies p. 404 347 3113 www.utrechtart.com/stores Winter Properties p. 404 223 5015 www.winterconst.com

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