Back in September of 2009, thanks to an invitation by a friend, Russell White of Pinnacle Solutions, my wife and I attended a gathering of the Charlotte Ambassadors for Maker’s Mark bourbon. On the surface, it seemed like just another promotional event: drink specials, banner stands with the Maker’s Mark brand, a delicious buffet featuring food that used Maker’s Mark as a key ingredient, even a Christmas ornament stand where a lovely assistant dipped a ceramic Christmas ornament in the bourbon maker’s trademark red wax.

(l to r) Me, my wife Sheila, Bill Samuels Jr., Russell White

A small groups of us were standing there, chatting, drinking, laughing, and a tall man in a blue sweater vest approached. He declared that “there was to be no excessive drinking going on”. We collectively smiled and replied with the wittiest comments we could muster. He stuck his hand out and introduced himself simply as Bill Samuels. What he left out of the self-introduction was that he was Bill Samuels Jr., President of Maker’s Mark.

He eventually fessed up to who he was and why he was there. Mr. Samuels was there at the event, working the crowd, thanking Ambassadors and their guests for coming out, and he was doing so in a very natural and sincere way. He was stopping to talk – and more importantly listen -  to each and every person there. More to the point, he wanted to talk about everything but Maker’s Mark. He asked us questions, listened to the answers, shared his thoughts. Indeed, it was a real conversation, not a thinly veiled marketing spiel. He never once asked me if I was an Ambassador. He simply wanted to tip back a glass or two of whiskey and chew the fat.

I should take a second here and briefly explain what the Maker’s Mark Ambassadors program is all about. Simply put, it’s a free club that anyone can join in the interest of spreading the word about the famous Kentucky bourbon. In addition to receiving free gifts (swag) from time to time, an Ambassador has their name placed on a barrel of whiskey at the Maker’s Mark distillery, suitable for bottling some seven years hence. At it’s heart, it’s a marketing vehicle, similar to the Guinness 1759 Society. It not only brings together fans of Maker’s Mark, but encourages them to spread the word.

OK, so that’s not necessarily a new idea. And the President of a company rubbing elbows with his patrons isn’t new, either. But it occurred to me about halfway through a conversation with Mr. Samuels that this was real social media. He didn’t have to be there. Without his presence, I would have attended the event and felt great about the Maker’s Mark brand. But here he was, talking to me about everything from basketball to riding motorcycles through the Kentucky hills.

When I commented on this, the fact that we weren’t talking about Maker’s Mark, he looked at me a little funny, paused, and said, “Well, that’s what we’re all really here for, isn’t it? To, you know, have a couple of drinks and enjoy each other’s company?”

I agreed, and he went on to explain that we all knew why we were there and what brought us together, so what good would it do to keep talking about it? He closed the subject by saying, “Anyway, enough of that. Tell me something about yourself.”

Now, a cynic might say that he’s clever like a fox. He’s selling the brand by not selling it. Maybe, but I don’t think so. Again, this was real, old school social media in action. The way they used to do it “back in the day”. Good, robust, sincere conversation with the purpose of connecting with other people. Today we have Twitter, Facebook, LinkedIn, and countless other social networking websites. To be sure, these are great ways to connect with other people. But without the personal interaction, without the conversation, what good does it do? If you’re using social media to promote your business, then feel free to hawk your wares, but do yourself – and your business – a big favor. Get to know the people you’re connecting with. They’ll appreciate it.

I became an Ambassador the very next day, by the way. The swag will be cool, and I’m looking forward to seeing my name on the side of a barrel nestled somewhere in the rolling hills of Kentucky. At the very least, future events will put me in the same room as like-minded Maker’s Mark fans. And believe me, I learned my lesson from Mr. Samuels. The last thing I’ll talk about is the whiskey.

We recently finished up the post-production on the music video for two-time Grammy nominated Skillet’s “Awake and Alive”, from their latest album Awake. Peter took 5 camera’s worth of footage from a show in Chattanooga, TN, along with some interview and home movie footage to cut together the final piece.

The cool thing? We just learned from the producer that Skillet has chosen this video to be the official video for the song.

The Billy Graham Evangelistic Association recently rolled out a new web-based project called Ransom.tv. They called on 1060 Creative to edit and create graphics for two interviews, one with Brian “Head” Welch (formerly of Korn), and The Almost frontman and Underoath drummer Aaron Gillespie, in which the musicians talk about their life stories and their faith.

Check ‘em out here!

Brian Head Welch

Aaron Gillespie

Anthony's 2002 Wide Glide

A few months ago, I fulfilled a promise to myself and got back out there on two wheels: I bought a motorcycle. Specifically, I bought a Harley-Davidson FXDWG (Wide Glide). Some might call it a mid-life crisis, a desperate attempt to recapture my youth, a last-ditch effort to “stay cool” – and they might be right. Rather, I like to fall back on the first reason: fulfilling a promise. Twenty-some-odd years ago, I took a nasty spill on a Honda 250 dirt bike. I didn’t get back on a bike then, but I swore to myself that one day I would. It took me a while, but I did, and I’ve been grinning ear-to-ear ever since I first let out the clutch. I ride nearly every day to the office (“if it ain’t rainin’, I’m ridin’”), and on the weekends, the wife and I are often found cruising around the back roads between Waxhaw, Monroe, and Lancaster, SC.

Now, I could wax philosophical here about how you should “stick to your dreams” or “keep your eye on the ball” or “when you fall off the horse, get back on”, but I won’t. You’ve all heard it before. You can’t turn around these days without seeing a motivational poster or Facebook post about positive thinking. I will say this, though: it’s all true. Every bit of it.

Many have asked why I had to have a Harley, and before my trip to the Harley Museum a couple of weeks ago, my answers likely sounded rather pat. The look, the sound, the history, American-owned company, that kind of thing. The saying “if I have to explain, you wouldn’t understand” comes across as a little aloof, but it does kind of sum it up. There is a certain spirit that surrounds Harleys and the Harley community. It’s a cliche, but when you buy a Harley, you are indeed buying into a family.

At any rate, when I bought my Wide Glide, I knew I was buying a bike that was made by a company with a rich history. I recently made a trip to Milwaukee, WI, and while I was there, I visited the Harley Museum. Let me tell you, it was an eye-opening experience. In addition to various displays that detail everything from Harley-Davidson’s past to the types of engines the company has produced, Harley has saved one bike from nearly every year of their 105 years of existence, and they’re all on display at the museum.

A 1928 FLH, one of 450+ bikes on display at The Harley-Davidson Museum in Milwaukee, WI

What I took away from seeing the very history of Harley-Davidson laid out before me was – in addition to a boosted sense of pride in my own motorcycle – the sheer amazement that a company had the foresight to keep around examples of their work from almost every year of their existence.

It got me thinking: Harley proudly displays the fruits of their labors from the past 100+ years. Now, while I don’t think 1060 Creative will necessarily be around in 105 years (although it might; you never know), and while we’re likely to never produce something that will evolve into an American legend, the museum did remind me that we need to take pride in everything we create. We need to work as though our projects will be on display in 100 years, and we need to do everything we can to ensure that the would-be museum director could proudly display our work as a part of 1060’s history.

1060 Creative passed it’s 5-year mark in July of this year. Even in our short history, I’ve seen Peter and myself grow as designers, business owners, and as people. I only hope that as we move forward we can continue to grow. Harley-Davidson sure did, and they can prove it. I hope that at the end of our ride – whenever that might be – we can do the same.

–Ant.

NOTE: As I write this, I’m still reeling from the news that Harley-Davidson is dropping the Buell line. When I was in Milwaukee, we attended the last Bike Night of the season at the museum. The focus of the night was Buell, who was fresh off their recent win of the AMA Pro Racing Championship. There were hundreds of bikes there, everyone was pumped up, Erik Buell’s band played…indeed, it was a celebration. The last thing anyone expected was to hear that Buell would be gone a mere month later.

It’s important to get away from the computer and re-vitalize your creativity.  GET OUTDOORS! My outlet is tennis, and I’ve been involved in tennis since I was 12.  It can be fast, challenging, and social; I love it. On all the forms of exercise to me, nothing gets me off the couch faster. Plus, it’s a game I can play until I’m in my 80s (and beyond – There was a guy at one of the clubs that was 92!).

Living in Charlotte, I can…almost…play all year.  Some days are SO HOT that they are just unplayable, however, Charlotte has alternatives – http://charlotteindoor.net/index.html Man, I played one day for 4 hours in July; it was so hot that I weighed myself before and after tennis.  I lost 5 lbs. of water weight!  Now, that’s sweatin’!

I’ve also found it’s a great way to interact with clients.  In passing I found out one of my clients – David Hains (www.TVDave.com), a local corporate video producer – plays tennis.  It was great to talk about something other than business, invoices, deadlines, etc.  

Right now, I’m a regular at Russell Tennis Center (Sardis Lane and Providence), and MatchMaker Tennis.  If you’re familiar with USTA rating system, I’m a 3.5 player.

So, get your eyes off the computer and on the ball!  If you don’t play, START.  You won’t regret it.

Leo Dowell, a Charlotte-area interior designer specializing in French and Italian design, recently called on 1060 Creative to help put together a PowerPoint presentation for a lecture at Treyburne Country Club in Raleigh. It effectively ended up as a “PowerPoint in Two Acts”. Act 1 was an introduction to Leo and his small-town roots (he’s from Mount Airy, or “Mayberry” to all ya’ll who are Andy Griffith fans). Act 2 highlighted Leo’s brilliant interior design work.

Leo has always had a penchant for theatrical presentations, and this was no different. Although it was merely a PowerPoint slide show, 1060 helped bring it to life by using video elements (produced here at 1060), photo restoration (via Photoshop), and even by creating sound cues to be rolled in at certain parts of the presentation.

Video Elements

1060 inserted the following video in the presentation. This video, featuring Leo’s work at Charlotte’s own Courance community, was produced by 1060 Creative last year. And yes, that’s Anthony as “The Movie Guy Voice”.

Photo Restoration

Below is a photo of Leo’s father working in his grocery store. The year is unknown, but the original photo is washed out and lacks a lot of detail. Using some simple Photoshop techniques, 1060 quickly brought this photo (and others) back to life.

Sound Design

To help punctuate things, we created a number of sound cues to roll at certain parts of the presentation. Here are a couple of examples. And yes, once again, that’s Anthony as the voice talent.

“Once Upon A Time” was used to introduce the show and set the stage.

“Hello, it’s Oliver” accompanied the final slide (a picture of Leo’s dog, Oliver, below). The final song, “Young At Heart”, is truncated here for purposes of brevity.

Hey, everyone! I’ve updated our corporate reel with some of the old faces, and a couple new ones.  Enjoy and keep checkin’ back!  Thanks.

1060 Creative shot a series of new product web videos for KEYper Systems.  The world is full of keys and locks, and someone has to keep track of ‘em!  They provide systems to track, and protect all these keys in one place.

Keyper Systems will unveil a new electronic device billed as an “electronically controlled steel cabinet used to store and restrict access to keys which can only be opened by wireless signal after a user is verified.”  They called on 1060 Creative to shoot some web videos.

Dennis Guessford, Keyper’s Chief Operations Officer (pictured with our talent above), explains their business as,

KEYper Systems, based in Harrisburg, NC is a global company committed to providing you  with the best solutions in key storage and key  management, padlock management for your “lock out / tag out” procedures, security guard tour monitoring systems, and asset control of equipment.

Hand Held Studio, our office-mates, installed a new dimensional logo for the lobby.  According to Craig Hand,  “The sign is 1/2″ acrylic on brushed aluminum stand-offs with 1/4″ lasercut acrylic letters, custom painted to match our PMS colors.  Our tag line is in direct applied black vinyl because it was just a little too small to cut on the laser.  I think the overall look is really clean and the drop shadows on the wall will look really cool once we get the lighting package installed.  It’s a fine example of our custom logo work and we’d love to put something like it in your lobby.  Contact us today if you want to talk about it.”

Ooh.  Since you’re already VISITING our website, it’s a shameless plug within a plug.  Suweeet.  They did an EXCELLENT job.

Sometimes when a client gives you very little direction, you come up with a lot. Darcy Grimes, AAA Carolinas’ Manager of Travel Marketing, hired 1060 Creative to create a series of :15 “bookend” commercials for the “Time To Travel Collection” promotion. The opening stayed the same for all destinations, and we created a total of 3 end spots that promoted different cities (Las Vegas shown here).

The only direction she gave me was to hand me the brochure below.  The spots turned out to be some of my best work!