Doing stupid shit to keep my spirits up.

So I’m not the biggest fan of my job. All the non-job bits are perfectly fine. It takes me 15 mins to cycle to work. The stress levels are nonexistent. The food court is lovely. I never have to stay late. The pay is comfortable. The chair is comfortable. The thing is, however,  I work for Wolfram & Hart. It’s all beige and corporate and made of evil. The basis of deep rooted distain is the fact I’ve been spoilt by all of my jobs. Having worked as an editorial assistant in an adventure sports magazine, copywriter in an ad agency and stable girl in the horse racing yard, there was never going to be a world where a communications writer in a law firm could possibly complete. In order to prevent myself chewing the side of the table and pulling every single one of my eyelashes out, I do things to flex my poor flaccid creative muscle. Unfortunately for my friends, the focus of these little exercises tends to be directed squarely at them.


The latest stunt (and here is the background bit) was a made for a group of mates who live near me in Toronto. Like me, they are all Irish but unlike me are very, very nice people. They are so nice and such good friends that they cannot bear to be separated from one another for even a moment. They go to parties together, they leave together. They go swimming together, shopping together, and, I’m pretty sure, to the toilet together. Because they have been assimilated into almost the one person, I nicknamed them the Borg. Massive Star Trek fan I was as a child, the joke, though lost on them, was hi-larious to me. Then, realising they lived on a street named Albaney, they became the Alborg. More hilarity. A graphic designer friend once said to me, just because you can use photoshop doesn’t mean you should. Well, you're wrong because I just photoshopped yo head on the most insidious creatures in the Star Trek universe. Boo yeah.

The Irish at Cannes

It may not have been a great year for Ireland but it was for the Irish.

This year saw several Irish creatives picking up awards at the 2012 Cannes Lions.

Unfortunately, we didn’t see any Irish agencies on the podium. Nonetheless, it’s great to see Johnny Kelly, Richie Smyth, Ciaran McCarthy and Rory Gallery (an Irish art director and copywriter living and working in Sidney) and Luke Franklin getting recognised for their work.

Aside from the Lions, two other Irish directors have shown their worth. Stevie Russell and Will Armstrong both picked up awards for their work in the Young Directors Awards.

Here is awarded work below:

Gold Lion for Animation

Johnny Kelly (Director)

Chipotle – Back to the start



Bronze Lion for Direction

Richie Smyth (Director)

ISPCC – I can’t wait



Bronze Lion For Branded Content Category

Kiwi Sceptics



Bronze Lion for Best Sponsorship or Partnership Campaign

Luke Franklin (Director – Online)

Febreze – Official Sponsorship of the Azerbaijani Olympic Wrestlers



First prize in Broadcast Europe

Stevie Russell

Road Safety Authority – Loaded weapon



Second prize in Test Commerical

Will Armstrong

Jaguar – Poem

Prometheus

With it’s blend of epic action and big philosophical ideas that offer an alternative to the usual blockbuster season fare, Prometheus is one movie that has filled me with excitement. Add that fact that it has been surrounded by mystery, its definite connections to Scott’s 1979 classic ‘Alien', its impressive cast and I am on the verge of wetting myself. Plus, for those of us interested in film and advertising, the Prometheus team has pulled a blinder. I feel as if Prometheus has barely been off my online menu for the last six months. Here are some promotional work:

First, a fake TED talk:




Then an ad for the android:




Then the last of several trailers:





And the meta-website.



The idea of a future TED talk is a really clever one, as is the android ad, but the really smart thing is how well they fit with the film itself. I don’t think the same approach would work for just any movie, after all, it’s quite arch and knowing, something that would probably not suit a straightforward blockbuster, such as The Avengers or The Dark Knight Rises; nor do I feel that it would fit a smaller indie – that level of marketing power and knowhow would seem at odds with the reduced ambitions of a lower-budget movie.

The Digital Executioner

The Digital Executioner makes all your solutions all web 2.0 and stuff ...

Daft Punk Helmet in 4 Months

Daft Punk Helmet in 4 Months




Harrison Krix, a freelance props and replica artist from Atlanta, built his own, fully-working Daft Punk helmet in 4 months.

Indiana June

A typo in an airport inspired this Irish copywriter to start her own adventure. When a fat-fingered customs official mistyped her name (Diana June) as Indiana June, Diana realised the potential to bring an incredible alter ego to life.

The public decides via her new style of travel blog that invites people to vote on key decisions in her real-life adventure story. The website collates votes, and Indiana does what's asked of her, publishing stories, photos, drawings and videos along the way.

In conjunction with several supporters including my ole workplace, Outsider Magazine, Diana will start her pick a path adventure in ten days once the votes have been collaborated on it.

Having a brain fart day? Fresh outta ideas? Let the Wheel of Concept do the thinking for you.