What you did for me.

You gave me a career I am proud of.
You gave my family a wonderful life.
You taught me humility.
You gave me opportunity.
You never penned me in.
You never let me get away with shit.
You never let me take myself too seriously.
You let me find my way.
You let me be me.
What else does anyone need?
To know that a person like you has my back.
I can't tell you how much that has meant to me.
How could I ever find the right words?
I miss you already.
It's a void I will never ever fill.
I am a little scared, I will admit.
But I will carry on and do my best.
I know you will always be there.
I just will miss all our conversations. So many.
I know I will continue to ask for help.
I know you will be there to listen.
Keep your ears open.
I love you
(An email I sent to Mike a few months ago.)

The most shared ad of 2013.

Guess what commercial it is? Hump day for GEICO just surpassed Dove Sketches as the most viral ad of 2013. Mike, Mike, Mike Hughes is even impressed by that. Congrats to the team and our incredible client.

And the Emmy goes to.....

Crazy to think we won an Emmy for Clouds over Cuba. Still pinching myself. I think the most gratifying thing of all is that the agency is now officially making much more than ads. I knew it was always true, but the Emmy puts the Housekeeping Stamp of Approval on it. So cool. Thanks to all, but especially my partners at the top who put their faith in us: Mike, John, Rene, Beth and Matt.

Here are all the young people.

The One Club is an amazing force in the business and I'm not just saying that because I'm on the board. Mary and Kevin and crew have at the core of their mission raising the ranks of minorities in this very white business. I was happy to join Jimmy Smith and others for a day of mentoring. As usual, I felt like the one being mentored. I met so many great kids, full of talent and optimism - extremely uplifting day. Can't wait to hire more than one of these kids.

Hue & Cry.

Exciting to see our very own in-house motion graphics capability taking off. Lead by the extremely talented Magnus Hierta, this crew has done a bad ass job on Oreo, Pizza Hut, Morgan Stanley, Exxon and is starting to get bids from all over the world.

11 Lions. Are you serious?

Still hasn't sunk in. Clouds over Cuba won 11 Lions at Cannes, including three Golds. Bummed we missed out on at least one Grand Prix because the rules bar charities from winning the Big Cat. Hmmmm. Still, a great show for the team and Martin. We also were shortlisted for Geico and were a finalist for The Grand Prix for Good. Can't say enough about our partners at Tool, especially Ben, who without question made Clouds as good as it could be. Thank you. See it all here: http://cloudsovercuba.com/casestudy/  On the carpet with Brian:

Art meets commerce.

The latest for Morgan Stanley. It's amazes me still that there are people in our business who think what we do is a science. I'm glad we believe it's just not that easy. Print: Nadav. TV: Tarsem. Great write up here: http://www.adweek.com/news/advertising-branding/spirit-1930s-new-deal-murals-lives-morgan-stanley-campaign-151067 Thank you, Darcy, Neel, Alon, the Rebeccas and Fritz. Your hard work turned out beautifully.

Forecast: Clouds giving way to sunshine.

Another big night at One Show Interactive for Martin and the JFK Clouds team. Clouds over Cuba won a gold and two silver pencils, while the agency finished 4th in the global rankings for work for BFG and the JFK Library. Congrats to Brian, Wade, Kirstin and Nicole. And special thanks to Ben and the Tool team. An all-round team effort. On to Cannes.

The first Ace winner.

Introducing Chidyaonga Shalita, the first winner of the The Ace Scholarship. The Ace is given to a male, minority graduating senior in the St. Paul School System who is headed to college to become a teacher. Y'onga is off to Macalester, one of the best liberal arts schools in the nation. We started the gift in honor of my late father Ace, a teacher and educator in St. Paul for over 40 years. (This blog is dedicated to him, too.) It was great to meet Y'onga, along with my mom Jan and my sisters, Mary and Ellen. And it will be fun to watch him grow into the great teacher I know he will become. Congrats.

Wonderful.

There's a lot to love about the new Oreo work. What I love most? It's one of our first truly global campaigns. Couldn't be prouder of the team that crafted this for almost a year, working side by side with an incredible client. Congrats, Jorge, Magnus, David, John, Heather, Steve, Matt, brig - to just name a few. I'm wonderfilled.  Here's a link to the work: http://creativity-online.com/news/oreos-new-wonderfilled-campaign-wants-to-sap-the-cynicism-out-of-your-day/241459

Simple is always the best way to go.

Too often, we get caught up in our own underwear and forget the power of a simple, truthful insight coupled with a simple, truthful execution. The new work for Colonial Williamsburg harkens back to the  good old days. Nice job, Bob, Pat and Trent.

Look out, Norman Mailer.

GEICO has been a trailblazer on so many fronts. How to buy insurance. How to sell it. How to advertise it. Basically, turning a once completely invisible product into one coveted by just about any creative in the business. Way before Mayhem, there was a Gecko turning the insurance world upside down. That little lizard has learned a lot along the way. And in keeping with the brand's zig when everyone else is zagging approach, our creative team saw an opportunity. If the Gecko can sell car insurance, certainly he can teach us about anything. Maybe he can even write about it. And so, Adam Stockton, art director, and Anne Marie Hite, copywriter, present "You're only human, a guide to life," written and illustrated by the Gecko. (With a little help from his human friends at Martin and Workman Press.) Congrats, team. Cannes? Sure. Pulitizer? Now we're talking.

The golf buddies are back.

Bubba, Hunter and Lee Westwood are back for PING in a new series of spots. A small crew spent the day cranking out four in 10 hours. And it was freezing. The guys are real pros, having fun while still delivering their lines. The acting isn't pretty but that's kinda why it works, too. See all the spots here: http://ping.com/video/videos.aspx?id=14431 Thanks for the solid: Neel, Darcy, Steve, Heather.

Good and Tough. And pretty cool.

We are famous for our ads. But what most people don't know is our staff is so much more creative than that. 500 people strong who surprise me everyday with their imagination and resourcefulness. Check out the attached post about our recent fashion show. Every idea, detail, construction, presentation - created by a Martinite. http://www.martinagency.com/blog/the_martin_fashion_show Kudos to all.

If you haven't told Mike lately....

How much you love him, here's your chance: http://wealllovemike.martinagency.com/ Thanks, Martin team, for putting this one up so fast. UX and design tweaks on the fly and coming, but a huge tribute to the big man. 

An Angry Effie finalist.

I just love this campaign for Kraft and Stove Top. Just starting to hit the award circuit. Funny idea. Funnier case study video. Nice job, Bob, Pat and Andy.

When love and hate collide with an idea.

Cool album cover design and concept for the release of Def Leppard's latest single. Came through the doors via EP John McAdorey, buddies with the band's manager. The Design Princes in the NYC office - Charles, William and Jason - nailed the winning concept. Kick-ass.

Our heart and soul.

Mike Hughes, the long time heart and soul of The Martin Agency, has been fighting lung cancer for almost a dozen years. Mike is probably the most amazing person I have ever known. An incredible leader, but more importantly, a great person. I can't even begin to list the things he's taught me. "Find joy not in the end result and the accolades but in the long, hard, messy climb getting there." Mike, you are my inspiration. You are my hero. Thank you.

Hu, Hut, Hut.

Pizza Hut has a big presence in the run-up to the Super Bowl. Andy and team created this video and it's up, calling for "hut, hut, hut" clips that, hopefully, we'll add to this and make a great UG version to run right before the big game. Henry Lu did a crack job with no money and time. And the track from Human rocks. A big step in the right direction of PH. https://www.facebook.com/PizzaHut