As a director at Picture Park, I know a fair amount about the advertising community in Boston. And as such, I know quite a few people who have been laid off. I’ve gotten my share of “This is my new email” emails and joined up for a couple aftermath drinks around town. The one thing that they all had in common for me was that I never knew what to say. I had learned to treat them as the professional equivalent of the receiving line at a wake. I gave my condolences and moved quickly along. It just always seemed to me to be one of those things people would rather not discuss. I mean, who would want to relive the moments of such a horrible day?
So, when I signed on to direct Lemonade, I was a little apprehensive. There is something very intimate about interviewing people. You have to make a connection before you can expect someone to share with you, but asking them to contribute so many personal details, about a generally bad experience, goes well beyond that. It’s my job to help the subject forget the lights, camera and the crew surrounding them. I wrote dozens of questions with follow-ups, and follow-ups to the follow-ups, to help put them at ease with re-telling those painful details. And from every person I interviewed, I received a wonderful gift. Due to our subjects’ generosity, I rarely needed to go to beyond 2 or 3 questions on that topic. They were so forthcoming, that they would just move through and dispense their stories, answering my subsequent questions before I even had a chance to ask them.
I wanted to be a part of this film so that I could help my laid-off friends and people like them to recover and deal with their newfound situations. And because of the candor of our subjects, this film will do just that — better than I ever dreamed it would. I wanted to take this opportunity to give my gratitude to all of you who took part in the making of the film- the crew, the vendors and most of all, everyone who shared so fully with us the specifics of their current and ongoing life changes. Without your honest, whole-hearted participation in telling your stories, Lemonade would be a mere Q & A session, instead of the sadly beautiful and optimistically hopeful tale of taking a bad situation and making the best of it by learning how to follow your dreams. Now I finally know what to say…
Thank You.
__________________
Marc Colucci is with Picture Park in Boston, MA and was the director of Lemonade.
32 Comments
Please Thank the Animals – By Marc Colucci http://bit.ly/16LvgM
This comment was originally posted on Twitter
Check out the trailer to Lemonade on #PFTA. http://bit.ly/s8SWx
This comment was originally posted on Twitter
Inpiring message with killer “execution”. Who doesn’t love lemonade? Nicely done. Can’t wait to see it.
Looking forward to seeing the documentary-trailer is wonderful. Great work!
Documentary trailer from @eproulx and #PFTA. Brilliant! Please RT. http://tr.im/vU6h
This comment was originally posted on Twitter
Looks reasonably awesome. Makes my butt clench up in empathy (and from be reminded of my own phone call). Can’t wait to see it.
Documentary trailer from @eproulx and #PFTA. Brilliant! Please RT. http://tr.im/vU6h (via @scottperezfox…seriously folks, RT and watch)
This comment was originally posted on Twitter
Looking forward to this and possible career change.
Thanks for being easy to talk to, Marc. Can’t wait to see the finished project.
fuck art©, I’m watching lemonade.
Granted, the economy is tough and the Ad industry is seeing seismic change, but I don’t believe the outlook is all lemony.
The U.S. sees about 1 million new biz starts every year (yes, most of them are one man bands). Established businesses are still churning out thousands of new products and services every year and the middle class is exploding worldwide – China is on track to sell over 10 million vehicles this year, surpassing the U.S.
All these companies have one thing in common: they need new customers and need to keep their current customers coming back. Marketing communications (or whatever you want to call it) isn’t going away any time soon.
"Advertising" is a funny word because it describes a tactic more accurately than an industry. Will advertising as a tactic continue to decline? Maybe. Will companies still need to create awareness and stimulate/secure acquisition, adoption, adoration or advocacy? Probably more than ever.
And if not, I’m still not changing my gender.
This comment was originally posted on The Toad Stool by Alan Wolk
@Tom: I was in no way suggesting the demise of advertising. Just
pointing out its diminished position circa 2009.
Agencies have never recovered from the death of the straight 15%
commission and subsequent sales to giant holding companies.
That’s put salaries in a downward spiral.
As newer agencies find new models and prove their value, I’m thinking
salaries might actually start heading north again.
It’s pretty much what keeps me going
This comment was originally posted on The Toad Stool by Alan Wolk
Thank you Erik for the refreshing drink of ‘Lemonade The Movie’ on a hot summer day.
87% of my NYU Stern class went into banking… over half are now unemployed, but the general consensus was exactly what you described…. Marketing = No $$$$. Thing is they are 100% correct I knew 24 year olds what were hardly what I would called very talented pulling in $300k bonuses. The compensation structure needs to change or the brain drain will continue. I just jumped out of the agency rat race myself for greener pastures on the media technology side of the fence.
This comment was originally posted on The Toad Stool by Alan Wolk
I think the thing is not that advertising and marketing are failing, but the technologies and methods used are undergoing massive levels of change. It’s not surprising that there is a slump at the moment, what with the global economic situation as it is, and the advent of so many new advertising techniques – the success, or otherwise, of which is not yet known. As Tom has pointed out, communication will always be key for any business, and while this is true, marketing will still be useful.
This comment was originally posted on The Toad Stool by Alan Wolk
Guest blog post by Marc Colucci, director of Lemonade: http://bit.ly/rPFlu
This comment was originally posted on Twitter
Alan – my first time visiting your blog. I like. And any time I see Seni Thomas, I know I’m in the right place.
Glad to see this discussion of Mad Men and their diminished stature. I’ve been debating this myself as I contemplate my own position in life. [By the way, we’re in good company with both doctors and lawyers, both of whom have been replaced by hedge fund managers in terms of status. Lawyers are a dime a dozen, and doctors pay so much in school loans and insurance that medicine is no longer a the lucrative career that it once was.]
But speaking of the future of ‘advertising,’ the role of the agency remains vital. Brands will always have a need for outside consultants to bring in fresh ideas whether they be advertising, social media or otherwise. Agencies both attract and breed a different skill set and mentality. We work on multiple accounts, in multiple industries and have exposure to more diverse media opportunities. So, by nature, we tend to be more innovative, inventive and open-minded. That’s the value we bring that cannot be sourced internally. Only a handful of brands have successfully executed their own marketing communications, and they tend to be highly creative organizations in the first place.
With that said, I still wouldn’t bet on us when it comes to dating. And that may be reason enough to leave the industry.
This comment was originally posted on The Toad Stool by Alan Wolk
This looks like a great documentary. Life works in mysterious ways, and for some, that’s getting laid off to find your true calling.
For those still interested in advertising, check out http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Q5N0ge9pYdY
An ironic, but creepy take on the repetition of avertising.
Mr. Mailman!
Been too long sir. I hope you’ve been well.
This comment was originally posted on The Toad Stool by Alan Wolk
@Alex & Seni: I had no idea the two of you knew each other. Small world.
You’ll have to explain the connection at some point.
As to your respective comments:
@Seni: Even President Obama has commented on the "best minds of our generation" going into banking, a field not noted for its contributions to society or intellectual challenges (not that advertising and marketing are, but they don’t seem to be as ultimately destructive.) Congrats on your start-up and keep me posted on the progress.
@Alex: I hear you 100%. The difference between advertising and law/medicine is that 60 year old lawyers and doctors are considered wise and seasoned and trustworthy, whereas 60 year old ad execs are considered over-the-hill and pointless. Sad but true.
And I agree with you about agencies being more innovative as a result of their exposure to different industries and media types
@Sarah: Marketing will always be useful, but until agencies come up with a method of compensation that allows them to be paid for coming up with strategy, they’ll continue to be undercompensated. Plus, I don’t know if they’ll ever be able to return to the levels they reached during the days of 15% media commissions: that was like printing money. Those days may well be gone forever
This comment was originally posted on The Toad Stool by Alan Wolk
Brilliant! This was just beautiful. You can tell by the pictures how much love there is. The goat farm idea is a awsome one.
This comment was originally posted on Offbeat Bride
it IS!
This comment was originally posted on PHEEZY
AMAZING.
This comment was originally posted on Offbeat Bride
Everything looks simultaneously beautiful and delicious. Just like that honeybee cake.
Even the seats look delicious. ESPECIALLY the seats.
This comment was originally posted on Offbeat Bride
*Gasp* That dress is awesome! Love it! So beautiful.
This comment was originally posted on Offbeat Bride
oh boy! we"re planning a bay area goat farm wedding too — i"m thrilled to see that you made it work. you two look radiant.
This comment was originally posted on Offbeat Bride
Emily you look stunning! The Dark Garden dress (yay Autumn) and the Fluevogs go so beautifully together. You look like a gorgeous radiating sun flower!
This comment was originally posted on Offbeat Bride
This is so beautiful, each careful thought behind this wedding made me tear up… so much meaning, beauty, love and tradition wrapped up here. I wish I had been there – what an amazing day it must have been. Beautiful!
This comment was originally posted on Offbeat Bride
Gorgeous! Your whole wedding was just beautiful. You lucky Californians can have all sorts of lovely outdoor celebrations and hardly ever have to worry about the weather! Lucky ducks.
I especially love the wedding dress, particularly the color. I am falling in love with deep and buttery yellows, despite hating the "smiley face" hue since childhood. I also love that you chose to do a blended ceremony, instead of trying to leave out either culture in an effort to be inoffensive, as some couples often do.
Beautiful, lovely, sunshine-y, fun-looking wedding/party. Also, how jealous am I that you got to have fry bread at your wedding?
This comment was originally posted on Offbeat Bride
Great wedding!, kinda reminds me of pow-wows that I go to every year here in ohio!! The wedding dress is such a pretty color looks almost old gold color, which is very unique. I also loved the fact she wore boots with her dress, I was so thinking of doing that but at the last minute I didnt wear it, now I wished I did, it looks so good on her! Congrats to the couple!!
This comment was originally posted on Offbeat Bride
This looks about perfect
I can’t imagine a more beautiful setting.
This comment was originally posted on Offbeat Bride
Agreed. Everything looks so beautiful and sincere, and I’m honestly tearing up a little here.
This comment was originally posted on Offbeat Bride
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