Why can’t more of my assignments take me to Key West? I’m sure you’ve all asked yourselves the same thing. Turns out we found a great project for the agency that combined a few of my favorite things: beer, beaches and sun, all at the Key West Brewfest. It’s a fun way to celebrate the seasonal change, and a phenomenal place to do it.

We put together a website and advertising for the event (see one of the ads we created for them below), and they’ve been getting a ton of great press. Go ahead and Google it and see what comes up; I’ll wait. Key West has always been one of my favorite destinations, so it’s the perfect place to sample great beer and support one of America’s distinctive communities. Did you really need an excuse? Check out the website we put together for the folks at the southernmost tip of the lower 48. What better way to spend Labor Day weekend?

We’re proud to share with you two new television spots for a client close to our hearts: Mohawk Valley Heart Institute. MVHI is a successful model of a concept we love—collaboration—between area hospitals to offer some of the best cardiac services in Central New York and beyond. We shot and edited both spots in HD, something we’ve been doing on all our broadcast work.

The phenomenal results belie the challenging shoot: near record heat for the time of year (well into the 90s all day for our offsite work), a large cast, and a tight shooting schedule over two days. Spots were filmed at a local home and at the Institute’s facilities, where we were constantly on alert for emergencies, any of which would require us to vacate our “set” quickly for patients. The professionalism, organization and generosity of MVHI’s staff, which serve them so well in their work, made our jobs much easier.

It’s always rewarding when planning, preparation, hard work and great people come together to create great work. Enjoy.

Miracles, and great ideas, often come in small packages.

image courtesy of WKTV.com

As we work to inspire others, we are often inspired ourselves. We’re celebrating a local family that has taken adversity and turned it into a positive experience for others. Jason and Kristy Nole found a way to give back to a community and organization that helped their daughter in their time of need, the Children’s Miracle Network (CMN) at Faxton-St. Luke’s Healthcare in Utica. The CMN provides programs, services and life-saving equipment for children and families in Central New York. Their month-long “Dining for Miracles” event will be hosted at their family-owned restaurant, ANCORA!, and include other local restaurants as well.

“Children’s Miracle Network is an organization that positively impacts so many members of our local community,” said Jason Nole. “I wanted to give back in some way. I thought, what better way than through Dining for Miracles.” We couldn’t agree more. Read the whole news article here.

Also interesting: Jason’s newest restaurant, Simmer, was branded and named in collaboration with Romanelli Communications. We couldn’t be prouder to work with so generous a client and friend.

An ad we created for client UFCW Local 1500 in the New York City/New Jersey region was the subject of a New York Daily News article, and is sending shock waves through New York’s political circles as the battle over the Sugar Tax heats up.

View Hi-Res version – PDF

Building on strategies established last year, we hit the ground running with client First Source Federal Credit Union’s 2010 promotions, including new television spots and video blog entries. Fulfilling their mission of financial education, their first TV spot talks about why Credit Unions in general are better than banks, carefully avoiding mention of First Source in the copy.

In addition to TV, we’re making their Member experience even more personal with a new web feature: video blogs by Credit Union staff. First Source wants the video entries, which tie into TV spots, to continue conversations about topics of interest to the community. The first features Credit Union President and CEO Mike Parsons explaining in more detail what makes Credit Unions better. First Source’s growth is a strong indicator that many people are embracing his message. Check it out—you might be surprised.