The author toasting health, wealth and happiness in 2012. Off to a pretty good start so far.
Certainly no secret in the realm of men’s fashion, Brooks Brothers (famously established in 1818) was always a store I equated with the Randolph and Mortimer’s of the world but with the salt starting to overtake the pepper up top my shopping habits have inevitably started to change. I had no idea what to expect when I walked into their Flatiron store recently but I was pleasantly surprised by some of the best service in New York City. Salespeople that actually provide friendly, helpful service? Practically unheard of. While the majority of their styles are not in line with my taste I was able to find some really nice pieces at surprisingly affordable prices (with some help from their generous post-Xmas sales). There is a reassuring gentleman’s club air of grown up quality to the store but what made really me a return customer is their knowledgable staff who provide quality service without being intrusive. An increasingly rare find these days.
Amazing cover shot by Glynis Selina Arban, which Editor-In-Chief Noah Callahan-Bever claims is courtesy of a skillful lighting set up and not Photoshop. The accompanying article sheds some light on the mysterious Lana Del Rey. Like many people, I was blown away by the audio visual combination of her timeless voice and sexy pout with home movies/found footage that made “Video Games” an internet sensation (and in my mind an instant classic). When “Blue Jeans” popped up a month or so later building on the same formula and adding an epic chorus and some hip-hop swagger I was sold. But with two singles that big, crafting a whole album from the same blueprint can be tricky. So while I’m not in love with every track on her debut Born to Die I think her talent is undeniable and the highlights are good enough to make me quickly forget the missteps.
Very cool NFL rebranding project from Gridiron League (via Team Epiphany). Returns a bit of subtlety and class to these franchise logos.
Another show I’ve gotten into lately is Anthony Bourdain’s The Layover on Travel Channel. It’s less obnoxious than No Reservations and basically just follows Bourdain around as he eats amazing food and consumes massive quantities of alcohol with his chef buddies from around the world. It’s an easy win for anyone who likes food + drink + travel and will likely send you to Kayak to see just how expensive a flight + hotel combo to Montreal is.
In case you missed the US premiere on Saturday, everyone’s favorite round-headed genius savant Karl Pilkington is being (tortured) sent around the world again by pals Ricky Gervais and Stephen Merchant in An Idiot Abroad 2: The Bucket List. There are few people in the world that make me laugh more than Karl and one of them might be Ricky so this is a win/win in my book.
We thought we were the only ones fascinated (read: obsessed) by this Golden God roaming the 49ers sideline during the incredible NFC Championship Game on Sunday but apparently we were just being narcissists (and did NOT wake up to a bowl of lobster bisque (c) Rick Ross) as apparently there has been a worldwide search to uncover his identity since the Niners beat the Saints. We were convinced he was the long lost cousin of a certain Fantasy Football expert but were told in no uncertain terms that this claim was false. That didn’t stop us from naming this mystery man Chad and pausing the game to put screen shots on Instagram (and take another shot of Espolon tequila) every time we spotted his amazing mustache/mullet combo.
Great video clip for Foals’ “Blue Blood” via UK photographer Lucy Bridger’s excellent new Tumblr.
As a screenwriter and film critic I always have my issue with the Oscars, which just seem to overlook so many quality films and award movies based on some kind of Hollywood fraternity. This year might be the worst batch of nominees I can remember and Bill Crystal hosting basically guarantees I won’t be tuning in. Maybe I’ll watch Drive again in protest. I’m not even going to waste time outlining all my grudges with this year’s list individually, I’ll just say – Thank God for the Muriel’s!!!
A friend I was meeting with to talk over some career advice mentioned the ad agency Victors & Spoils. Strangely enough their office is about a 5 minute walk from my first apartment in Boulder, Colorado on Pearl Street. V&S have a very unique approach to their creative and production work. While they have a fairly typical agency framework within their home office, when it comes to generating concepts for new client work they turn to their extensive digital community and boldly offer the opportunity to virtually anyone who signs up on their site to pitch ideas. They create a tight framework so they’re not spending months sorting through each pitch but also enjoy the benefit of casting a very wide net in the search for original thinking, which can be especially valuable when working on established brands.
As I started to look into V&S further I was particularly impressed with their approach to Harley-Davidson who had let their longtime agency go and were looking for someone new to represent their brand. At that point Victors & Spoils CEO John Winsor sent a tweet to Harley’s CEO Keith Wandell letting him know that they were going to take on the challenge using their online creative community. It’s unclear whether Wandell had even heard of V&S before this but he was clearly impressed by their confidence and added them to the official pitch process. After meeting in Milwaukee with Harley’s management Victors & Spoils came away with the business in a huge industry coup.
Inspired by their story and looking for a challenge myself I decided to participate in their open pitch for Harley-Davidson. I know a bit about the thinking of a typical Harley rider as my brother (pictured above) has ridden their bikes for years with his motorcycle crews. I bribed him with beer, whiskey and snacks and he rode over to do a photo shoot on the railroad tracks near our place in Bushwick. My concept was called Ride Your Own Map and used this tagline, “Riding a Harley-Davidson motorcycle gives you the freedom to create an authentic, personal experience every day as you carve your own path across the roads of the world.”
My idea advanced me past the first round but didn’t make the final cut. I came up with some interesting execution ideas and you can read some of those after the jump. I ended up really enjoying this process and look forward to trying my hand at whatever their next project is. Read more…
