“Kickstarted” documentary feature gives back

From “Kickstarted” – the first documentary film for, by and about crowdfunding – comes “Funded in 60 Seconds.” This is a special series of crowdfunding tips, insights and best practices all delivered in under a minute.

Help us keep making more content – and support “Kickstarted,” the first documentary about crowdfunding: http://bit.ly/KickKS

GDUSA: Happy 50th birthday

According to Graphic Design:USA editor and publisher Gordon Kaye, May 7 was the actual date of the venerable news magazine’s 50th anniversary: “The moment the first edition rolled off the printing press.” In a May 7 email sent to subscribers, Mr. Kaye shared this note and let us know that he and his colleagues are committed to celebrating this anniversary all year long. As part of those festivities, GDUSA is publishing the results of a series of 50th Anniversary surveys reflecting input from than 40,000 creative professionals about who and what we most respect and admire. Here are some of the results and findings:

To learn more about the surveys and fascinating results, please visit Read more

Creative Entrepreneurs: Shilo’s Jose Gomez

Over the past year, creative production company Shilo and director Jose Gomez took on the challenge of creating a great deal of stunning cinematic content for Qatar TV, as you can see in the montage featured above. After traveling to Qatar to learn more about the culture and people – and make a lot of new friends – Shilo crafted this original HD content and much more for Qatar TV’s on-air identity.

“We were asked to make each promo a metaphor for different aspirational subjects such as education, business, environment and family,” Jose explains. “The main creative challenge was to render these stories in artistic and simple ways that didn’t require further explanation or language. We focused on conveying a feeling and tone for each subject in ways that are abstract and metaphorical but still understandable.” Read more

Doug Pray: Thanks for the Documentaries

Award-winning documentary filmmaker Doug Pray‘s exuberant portraits of subcultures and maverick individuals have led him to three Sundance premieres, critical raves, numerous awards, and worldwide distribution. His feature documentaries include the Emmy Award-winning “Art & Copy,” a film about creativity and advertising, “Big Rig” a 40,000 mile road film about independent, long-haul truck drivers, “Infamy,” an intense journey into the lives and art of six notorious graffiti writers, “Scratch,” a celebration of hip-hop DJs and turntablism, his first film, “Hype!,” which told the story about the emergence and explosion of the early ’90s Seattle music scene that remains on Rolling Stone’s Top 10 list of best rock DVD’s of all time – and “Surfwise” the amazing odyssey of the Paskowitz surfing family.

Doug has directed dozens of commissioned short films and documentary-style commercials for a wide range of major clients, including Read more

Thornberg & Forester’s time

It has been almost two years since fate connected me with Elizabeth Kiehner, Scott Matz, Justin Meredith and their colleagues at the award-winning NYC-based design and digital production company Thornberg & Forester, and as time marches on, their story just keeps getting better. Most recently, they collaborated with the gentlemen behind Paris-based creative agency VERSUS for a new global campaign for Bisquit Cognac.

Two weeks to go: Adweek Project Isaac Competition

As media, marketing and technology continue to rapidly transform the world, genuine invention has become crucial to advancing brands. The Adweek Project Isaac Awards were conceived to cast a celebratory light on invention across all areas of the venerable publication’s coverage. Submissions are now open (the deadline’s in two weeks: April 8) in 35 categories across four brackets: Advertising & Marketing, Media, Digital and Best Practices. Winners will earn the right to use a custom Adweek Project Isaac seal, and will appear in an invention-themed issue of Adweek to be published on May 13, just ahead of the CLIO Awards in NYC on May 15. The judges will also select one overall “Gravity” award winner who will be revealed and honored during the CLIO ceremony’s Adweek Project Isaac presentation.

Founded in 1978 and fully relaunched and redesigned in 2010, Adweek delivers vibrant, insightful and forward-thinking content via the traditional weekly print magazine, Adweek.com and Adweek on the iPad for the advertising, media and marketing industries. For further information please visit www.isaacawards.com.

Sharing secrets: SXSW Walter Alert

Very soon, we will all begin reading about all the fun that lucky traveler/revelers in Austin, Texas, are having at the fabulous annual SXSW interactive and film (starting March 8) and music (starting March 12) festivals. I hope you’ll be there this year, and if so, please be safe and have a great time. In case you have a new tech business in the works, many prominent media outlets are abuzz about an innovative pop-up advertising agency that will be meeting with startup tech ventures at the festival between March 8 and 12 to discuss marketing program development. Reporting for Advertising Age, David Teicher writes:

There are only 25 interview slots available, so visit www.Calluswalter.com soon to request a meeting, and break a leg. Here comes SXSW 2013!

A Transparent House Seen Around the World

When the international next-generation creative studio Transparent House launched in 2004, it began as a design visualization firm, creating 3D architectural renderings and animated walkthroughs of residential and commercial buildings. That led to 3D renderings of products, and producing videos for launch events and keynotes, which led to the studio offering complete branding services to a diverse client-base, from startups to Fortune 500 companies. Firmly believing that art makes the world a more gratifying place to live, the firm’s principals continue bringing refined aesthetics to each and every studio project. They also maintain an art gallery at their San Francisco studio, which attracts visitors from all over the world. You are invited to stop by any time, and also to visit them online at www.transparenthouse.com.

Adventures in art: Art Basel 2012

Art Basel stages the world’s premier modern and contemporary art shows annually in Basel, Miami Beach and Hong Kong. Founded by gallerists in 1970, Art Basel has been a driving force in supporting the role that galleries play in the nurturing of artists, and the development and promotion of visual arts.

At Art Basel Miami Beach 2012 last December, a new piece of contemporary art was unveiled as part of the $30 million dollar renovation of the InterContinental hotel. Once the town’s top destination, the property has faced intense competition over the past 30 years. Enter the eye-popping dancing silhouette above, created through a thin strip of LED lights across six windows on 19 floors of the InterContinental… now performing nightly all the way across Biscayne Bay. According to Robert Hill, the hotel’s general manager, the display launched during Art Basel 2012 to boost InterContinental’s brand and put it back on the map, and to help propel Miami into a higher class of world destinations. Read more

Creative entrepreneurs: Lisa and Brian Sugar

Sugar Inc. is a thriving digital commerce, original content and global media company offering insider access, unparalleled editorial and video content, and unique shopping experiences to an influential generation of women 18-40. Sugar Inc. is a privately held company with a diverse portfolio of media brands that includes: POPSUGAR and POPSUGARtv, SHOPSTYLE, Circle Of Moms, Designer Apparel, My Perfect Sale, and POPSUGAR Shop. Founded in 2006 by Lisa and Brian Sugar (shown here), Sugar Inc. is backed by leading investors Sequoia Capital and Institutional Venture Partners (IVP). For more information, please visit www.sugarinc.com.