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Makes us all think back to the time when we made these campaigns in Boulder, CO. For 3 months we lived together in a ridiculously nice but cheap house. Tours at micro-breweries, Call of Duty, shit ton of food (including Five Guys Burgers and our weekly dinner where we’d invite all our friends over), hiking, Pearl Street, o yea and CP+B of course – very productive and fun 3 months. FUCK YEA for Boulder! Solid proof, GOOD TIME = GOOD WORK.

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Because Clios, I got to fly into NY again.

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This is Jen Speath, she won a silver that night for a campaign she did with fellow-MPLSianChris Bluma. She started MAS at the same time I did, but we’ve never crossed way until that weekend. Thanks to her I didn’t have to drink alone at the show.

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Pharrell was the special guest of the Clios, he was there to promote his new CD. One day, I’ll be in N.E.R.D.

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Recognize this guy? He was the host of the show that night. It’s Rob Riggle (I had to google him) – captain of the booze cruise on The Office, and I forgot who he was on Arrested Development, funny guy.

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This was taken before I heard they served Black Label at the open bar…

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And of course, I would never be able to have a part in this without my Boulder team. (the statue just came through the mail last week, and I’ve been wanting to post this, now it’s 3am and I just had to put on a shirt to do this before I head to bed)

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So that was the Clios, aside from that I got to hang out with Michelle, Vanessa, Zach…and many more people, good time, sadly forgot to bring or buy a camera. BUT one thing that’s really worth mentioning is…Michelle and I went out to eat at her friend’s restaurant BOKA which is on St. Marks. Absolutely amazing Korean food, nice environment, and also cause they hooked us up.

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CHICAGO – I had 2 disposable cameras: 1 with decent pictures from when I went to the Art Institute of Chicago which I lost, now I’m left with pictures from the 2nd camera of just us getting sloppy.

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Tupac and I. This is from Chicago, and Katie’s moved from there to San Fran and back to the midwest already, says how long I waited to post these pictures.

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Brittany (new friend from San Fran), Lydia, and Tessa of course.

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And Erin, fellow Canadian, was pretty excited to see her.

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NEW YORK – Ah shit, I just remembered, the pictures below are from the SECOND LAST time I went to NY in APRIL. Anyway it was insanely fun, I got to see a lot of people who I have seen since Miami. Plus, Zachary took me around to a few delicious spots, including MOMOFUKU – amazing.

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I believe I was in NY for 4 days that time, and I have no clue in what order these pictures go anymore, it was a good weekend.

On one of the night, we rallied everyone at one of the 6000 indian restaurants in East Village, forgot the name of the place, saw lots of people, wicked fun.

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Alyssa, and Caro (who was also visiting NY from Germany that same weekend)

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Aiden (Also was visiting NY from HK, going to see him in August), Stefan (talklikestefan.com), Tom (who created Talk Like Stefan.com)

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Zachary and I. One year ago.

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With Michelle, Cordovi, and Brooklyn. The two ladies on the left are Michelle’s co-workers from D&G.

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@ Beauty Bar with Zach, Christina, and RICK FOX!

Zach and Christina were interning in NY when this picture was taken, now they’re a team working full-time, good job high five!

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@ Beauty Bar

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@ Cherry Tavern – one reason I would die to live in NY.

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Nastiest girl in the world!

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And then we went to Karaoke…

Anyway, more to come about what’s happened since I last wrote here. Lot of cool things – pictures from Chicago, NY, and about 2 Clio nominations!

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Here’s the solid list:

- Go to Chicago

- Go to NY

- Go to LA

- Go to Spain

- Get my own place

- Start on my own art project

- Learn how to/save for a sailboat

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In January, it seemed like way too much, but it’s March now, and I think I can do it all. I went to Chicago already, tomorrow I’m booking a ticket to be in NY from April 2nd til the 5th. And since I just got a job, I’m already looking at a few potential places I can move into in April (maybe even mid March). As to LA, I think it’ll happen in July, and I’m definitely looking taking 2 weeks off work to go to Spain in the beginning of September. After I come back from Spain, I’ll stop traveling for a couple months to save up for a sailboat and start on my own art projects on the side.

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By sailboat I mean one of those dinghy sailboats. I’m going to learn how to sail this summer, and by next summer I’ll be able to have my own. This is the new addition to the new years resolution. Off of the Toronto shore is Lake Ontario, in the summer it’s absolutely beautiful, sailing out to the middle of the lake would be a great getaway from everything when I need it.

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As for art projects, I have some ideas already. Lots of mixed medium stuff like photography with painting, some typography, and definitely going to try some things with furniture. But overall I’d like to have all of these project serve towards something. Right now, I have 2 things in mind that I’d like this to go towards. 1 – a shot towards getting into Weiden + Kennedy. 2 – I can’t tell.

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Oh yea, going to Minneapolis in end of May as well, stoked. All in all, new years resolution way to live seem to be working out so far, shit’s getting better.

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Fun culture, young people, the office is cool, a good size agency – just big enough with cool clients and not so big it takes away from the creative – the place and people reminds me of Carmichael Lynch. Anyway, Matt really appreciated the work in my book and thinks I’d be a perfect fit to the agency. Nimy’s been in the business for 2 3 years, is hungry for great work, and definitely feels like a guy I can work well with. And its perfect timing as my internship is coming to the end of its 3 months.

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By Friday night I’ve decided and told Katie, Tessa, and Lydia (who I was visiting in Chicago that weekend), this was it, I’m going to take the offer, and by Monday I signed the papers and am officially one of the “People from COSSETTE”. I start on the 8th meaning the coming week will be my last at Ogilvy. (Nonetheless, Ogilvy’s been great, it was a real ass kicking to ultimate busy agency life, and meeting with Nancy Vonk was a treat every time – learnt so much.)

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So much more to mention, and about my trip to Chicago (once I get the pictures processed).

Would I take a full-time offer there? Maybe. Ogilvy’s great, the work’s great, but the more I work there, the more I realize how much I don’t know about the market. For instance, CP+B had a much bigger and younger culture in the creative department, and Ogilvy has a surprisingly much smaller creative department and the culture there is much more corporate and older. Yet, the smaller department and huge briefs gives more chances for ideas. Anyway, I still have time to explore Ogilvy, study if we’re a fit, and study other agencies out there.

Aside from work, not much has happened in the last 2 weeks. I looked more into moving out of the ‘rents place in April, and this area called The Annex seems to be the winner to where I’ll be moving into. I was considering Liberty Village but it might be too expensive. The Annex is a cool area, I would say similar to Uptown in Minneapolis or the Design District in Miami (except not as rundown and full of bums). It’s just north of the UofT campus, so a lot of student and post-grad youngsters are there. That area is full of bars, restaurants, and small cafes; just like Uptown; as well as the Bloor Cinema – a theater with 2 floors and shows all sorts of movies (indie, classics, and a weird place for Twilight,…). I’m really looking forward to move to there as soon as April.

Another thing I’m hoping the move and this new job will get me is meeting new people. It would be cool to be in the Annex and meet a new group who have the same values on things (Markham’s nice, but I’ve definitely out grown it).

So this is the plan, mid-end of February, I’m going to Chicago, to visit that crazy Katie Rogers, Lydia, and Tessa. I haven’t gotten a ticket yet, but it’s decided. It really hasn’t been that long (last September), but I’m definitely stoked to see them. Another place I want visit is LA. LA to visit Kevo and Mai (new creative team at Deutsch there), and I’m really gonna try to make this trip happen before mid-march so I can also see Nikki and Jordan before they leave Laguna Beach, I’d be super stoked if I saved up enough money to see them. Oh, and visit New York again at some point of course.

Get my own place, Chicago, LA, NY. I’ve got 1 out of 4 right now, it’ll happen.

I interviewed at a couple agencies in Toronto, saw a couple really cool offices and met a bunch of people from the industry here. Saatchi Toronto was an interesting one, my interview was on the day after their christmas party, so when I showed up, the receptionist told me I was expected and to go down to the Jack Astors downstairs. Nonetheless the interview became a recovery happy hour where I got to meet Basil (Art Director who I had the appointment with, nice guy, he’s got really cool work, interned at Ogilvy several years ago), Brett Channer (the ECD), and possibly half the creative department. Not what I expected for an interview but it was a good time, definitely cool culture in the creative department. Plus, it was nice to finally have some ad people to drink a few beers with and shoot the shit.

(on a side note, I also bumped into Ciara who waited our table. Ciara and I use to lend each notes and answers for an online class at York)

Another place I was super excited to talk to was Ogilvy Toronto. And I was lucky enough to even get an interview with Janet Kestin and Nancy Vonk – JANCY of I Have An Idea’s “Ask Jancy”, also a Clio judge, One Show judge, list goes on. More importantly, they were the ones who made this little viral video, and the whole campaign that followed. Anyway, I got unusually nervous for the interview, probably cause its JANCY, and cause it’s almost been a month since I’ve interviewed in NY. Hence I was mediocre, but they liked my book, so they offered me an internship (like many other agencies I’ve seen, because they can’t hire right now). And this is it, I’m on board. Just seems like Ogilvy has the most to offer in opportunities for creative work, and it’s a huge network which might help me transition to another city a couple years down the road. Last last year, Ogilvy Toronto had an intern by the name of Hunter Somerville, he’s pretty good, he’s at DDB London now, just read a little about him and you’ll get what I mean, I’m hoping I can do the same. So, yes, starting January 4th 2010. Hello Mr. David Ogilvy.

Aside from advertising, I got to think and figure out a lot of things over the weeks. I realized I’m going to be having some sort of stability in life, therefore I’m going to get a chance to really explore some of the “I want to”’s I couldn’t do for the last 2 years. This will be a sort of a new years resolution I guess:

1) Produced my own art exhibit (or at least get a start) – it’ll be a collection of everything I found to like over the last 2 years (photography, type, painting,…) – might just a site where I scan in all my work, might be a small studio/gallery space.

2) Go to Spain – I want to see Barcelona especially – my friend Maialen is working in Madrid, and I’m hoping she can bring me to visit her home town San Sebastian and the Basque country.

3) Get money/my own place – it just makes sense to do so.

4) See LA – this won’t be hard, party.

5) Learn the Toronto city – since I lived in the heart of Miami and Minneapolis, I see cities in a more proactive light now, I want to figure out where the Toronto hipsters are.

6) Find microbrews - breweries here or places that import from other places.

maybe 7) Get an IPhone, it’s a maybe cause I don’t have to, but I want to be cool and Tweetpic/Four Square shit. (I realized I can do this one and the one before anywhere, whatever, I’m gonna get it done this year)
 

actual 7) See more shows – really hoping Broken Social Scene or Metric would come back and play at Toronto again.

Ok cool, that’s it, happy holidays. Cooking Christmas dinner this year, pictures to come.

Since I was back from NY, I’ve been busy scrambling to get a TN visa to work. However, after driving several times to the border at Niagara Falls, and a lot of urgent calls and emails to get the right papers to apply for that visa, I still got denied. Main reason was because I didn’t have the right diploma to qualify.

To get a TN visa, I have to apply under the NAFTA job category of graphic designer. And according to the rules I need to have a bachelor or an academic diploma within the field of graphic design. So I brought my Miami Ad School diploma and thought it would work to qualify for the visa, it wasn’t. Customs dude told me a MAS diploma (Art Director program is ok, but…) is an occupational education diploma, not an academic diploma. And my bachelor of Anthro. is not in the field of graphic design. So I’m fucked, I got denied, after many tries.

Nonetheless I don’t blame Miami Ad School and don’t regret spending two years there, it’s given me more than anything I can ask for. There really isn’t anybody to blame but myself, to not know better about the rules for a TN visa 4 year ago – before I even went to get my bachelor. This just shows how everything can happen and there’s no control to it.

Shitty situation, but I couldn’t dwell on this. There are two directions I could go at this point: go back to school and get a diploma, or work in Toronto.

I’ve pretty much decided that I would go back to school, a college here and get a diploma, because this problem of not having the right diploma is always gonna be an issue, even in the future when I’ve got a couple years of experience under my belt and need to transition to lets say NY.

So this monday I went to several colleges to look at which school’s diploma I can get, in the shortest amount of time with transfer credits. One of my stop was Seneca college, I went to the head of the creative advertising program, Anthony Kalamut’s office. He wasn’t there, so all I did was write my number of my last giveaway book, slipped it under his door. Soon after I got a call and we met on tuesday. He loved my book, we talked, and he says he’ll do as much as he can to get me the most transfer credits in the program. Anthony is still working on it, and we’re hoping I only need to do the last semester of the program and have the diploma by April of next year. If I need to do the 2nd last semester as well, I’ll be out in August 2010 (which is when I’ll need to reconsider if I want to go to school or work in Toronto). How long I’ll need to be at this program is still in talks, I’m hearing back soon.

Aside from trying to get me in this program, Anthony also invited me to a guest speaker at Seneca the next day. The speaker is Heidi Ehlers from Camp Black Bag. No joke, her presentation has been the most inspirational speak since many of the last speakers I’ve seen. Brilliant women. I was introduced to her by Anthony after her speak, gave her my card. We talked on thursday, she also loved my work and told me what Anthony also said – you’re ready to work, don’t need to go to school, just get a job here – but after discussing my situation, we concluded that the best solution in the long run is to quickly get the diploma and get over the visa issue. Anyway, Heidi Ehlers is awesome, I’m convinced she’s someone I can trust in my career.

And lastly, Anthony invited me to the ADCC (Advertising/Design Club of Canada) award show on thursday night. It was nice, I went by myself, and at first I didn’t know anyone, but eventually, I bumped into Gerald (who also won the ADCC gold for print single) from Grey Toronto and Don from JWT Toronto. Later on, I even got to meet a bunch of students (potentially classmates) from Seneca, bunch of cool kids. They seem like they’re in the program cause they want to be in advertising, that’s good news.

All in all, Anthony Kalamut has been my savior for this week. Thanks dude.

So this has been the nightmare since I got back from NY. Right now, I’m waiting to hear back about how long I’ll need to study at Seneca, and all my other plans will be decided according to. It’s been a trip and a half, but I’m still here, trying, however hard it is.

I’ll be back GOODBY SILVERSTEIN! Cheers and thanks to friends who’ve been asking.

That night, Oliver (account planner I met at MAS last quarter, brilliant man from Switzerland) invited Nikki, Jordan, Kyle, Kate Slattery, and I over to his amazing apartment for dinner. First of all, amazing place he has, he shares a small but very cool apartment with his girlfriend. Top floor of a short building just high enough to overlook the alphabet avenue area they lived in. Secondly, a really fucking good food/wine/company/dinner overall. Oliver’s got a cooking talent. Thirdly, he invited us to an open mic his girlfriend Jen Dale was going to sing in at The Village Underground afterwards. So we went.

I’ve never been to an open mic, and this place was so cool, somewhere only cool people who live in NY would know kind of cool. And on top of that Jen was amazing on stage. $10 captain cokes, but so worth it for what a fun night it was.

Nikki, Kate, me, Jordan, Kyle, and Oliver giving a shout-out after dinner to the great Hanley (who is hilarious, check out her Twitter).

The next day I had to catch an afternoon flight back to Toronto. But before that I met up with the Albrecht for coffee (and say bye to Chris and JP who joined later – they all intern at People, Ideas, & Culture). Coffee was pleasant.

And then to the airport I went. So yes, New York part 2 was only a day, but amazing, this whole week was. I love NY, and life/people advertising got me.

*Btw, check out Jen Dale’s music if you didn’t click on her name above already. She’s got a few songs on Itune, which Oliver got me to buy the first day I met him. I felt I got conned by Oliver, but then he didn’t, cause Jen’s music didn’t suck, it was good.

Katie Riddle (aka “The Riddler”) caught me at The Show…

…and Zach, but in a much better way.

I do have to say though, Laura Anderson (Director at MiamiAdSchool) did a brilliant job organizing the whole party for The Show at Epic (a club 2 blocks from the school, right beside Carmichael Lynch). Good job Laura.

Saturday wasn’t too shabby either, went to hang out with a friend, got some amazing Cinnamon Rolls at Isle’s Bun and Coffee as well as some cupcakes at Wuollet. If you read this and you’re in Minneapolis, you def. have to go, especially Isle’s. Later that night, Zach made dinner – Cincinnati style chili. This is interesting, in Cincinnati, there’s different ways you can eat chili, Zach made what they called a “3-way” which is Chili served on top of a bed of cheese and speghetti, hence 3-way. Delicious (while we watched “Superman/Batman: Public Enemies“)

AND THEN after that, we went to the Marriot hotel couple blocks away to a party of a lawyer conference (Zach’s mom was the organizer to this conference, we were invited to go dance with the folks, really, folks, who are all lawyers). They had a Beatles cover band there who were amazing, and all the people were dancing. Totally different kind of music and party than last night at The Show, but still fun.

All in all, two days in Minneapolis was packed, but fun. Good way to end it, assuming I won’t be back for a while.