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January 22nd, 2010
by Linda Buchner
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Relevance

We all know the publishing industry is sucking wind right now. It has a wet, wheezing cough, one foot in the grave, whatever you want to call it. It’s sad, really.
I actually love reading ad industry pubs. I must admit though, that many of them are the cause of their own demise. There are those whose model includes the “buy an ad, and we’ll feature you on the cover.” Hard to stay truly relevant that way, wouldn’t you say?  Then there are those who write about the same agency, the same ad campaign, the same “thought leaders” over and over again. I could go for months without picking the magazine up, and feel like I’ve just gone to the bathroom during a commercial, not missing a beat.

On a recent holiday trip to Denver, I chose to bring the “Looking Back” issue of Boards magazine with me.  I read it cover to cover and learned a few things I didn’t know. I especially enjoyed reading about the new “Crowd Sourcing Agency” located in Boulder, called Victors and Spoils. Curious name – bold business model. It made me think about Boulder BCPB (before Crispin Porter Bogusky) and what it is like now. A mini “thought leader” mecca, no doubt. And, now that Colorado is a medical marijuana state, the head shops have likely been replaced by new “dispensaries” on every corner, like the Starbucks invasion of the 90s.

My point here is that whether you’re in the publishing industry – or any industry – you’ve got to be committed to being, and staying, on the cutting edge. Continually learning, adapting, growing and changing as the community around you changes. That’s called staying relevant – and in order to be successful, we all need to be relevant.

But, I digress…back to Boards Magazine. I’ve always liked their voice. Their writers make advertising fun and exciting, and video production and post production described like we’re saving lives or something. Which, of course, we are (please note: dripping sarcasm). Editor Rae Ann Fera sets the bar on writing pretty high and she always gets a smile out of me. She’s edgy, irreverent and funny and, even more impressive, wrote her column for this year-end issue sitting on the South Bank in London, eating a bowl of mussels, and typing on her iPhone. Brilliant! But, most importantly, she’s relevant. And under her leadership, Boards stays relevant, and totally dialed into the continually changing culture of the ad industry.

I guess the thing I like the most about Boards, other than its relevancy, is that reading it always provides an affirmation that our team of talented and innovative folks at T2 and Back Alley Films are doing work that is right there, on the cutting edge, right along with other major players who are regularly featured in their pages. Whether it’s motion graphics, augmented reality, crowdsourcing or anything else that we experiment with on a regular basis, those are the kinds of things that are producing results for clients and making us proud to be doing what we do on a daily basis. Ergo, we are relevant. And always striving to remain so. And when I feel that way, I know all is right with the world.

January 15th, 2010
by Teri Rogers
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Well… Hello

In what seems to be our collective and ceaseless quest to be “relevant,” we’re getting serious about our blog – this time.   The other one died a slow and somewhat “irrelevant” death when it was taken over by some rogue colleagues.  But that coup ended peacefully — or so they say.

Fortunately, in the re-birth, I’m just one of the writers. I’m hoping it won’t kill me — or, even worse, bore you. So, get ready, the T2 blog is about to get active and, hopefully, “relevant”  – at the end of what Andy Serwer of Time Magazine dubs “The Decade From Hell.” Staggering really.  No wonder we are all reeling from the psychic pain.  Will America ever be the same?  Will we?

I can tell you with complete authenticity — and some cautious excitement —  that T2, coming out of this decade, will never be the same. And I suspect we’re not the only ones.  Like most companies, we’ve used this past year and a half to reevaluate and reinvent who we are — and it’s been both scary and exhilarating.

When we started the process, we knew we were in a space that was expanding with nimble competitors on a daily basis.  T2 (Take 2) had been around a long time — and Back Alley Films was in its infancy. The Advertising business was changing at an unthinkable pace — and there wasn’t a corporation or client anywhere in sight that felt confident doing “business as usual.”

So, we really had no choice except to rebuild the “enterprise” — and, truth be told, that’s what we love doing.  So that’s what we did. And now, T2 isn’t just a post house and motion design company doing commercials and some corporate work.  These days, we’re also creating amazing content through animation and design for multiple interactive and experiential platforms.  T2 has also created and launched our brand new Experience Lab, headed up by one of our new kids on the block, Garrett Fuselier – so watch for his blogs about it.   And Back Alley Films — well they’ve grown into a curious toddler —  with a new roster of multi-talented artists/directors who create content for way more than just commercials.  In a nutshell, our business has gotten fun again — and that’s what’s better about it, for sure.

So, we’re moving into the next decade, appropriately dubbed “the teens,” with youthful optimism. We have added some amazingly talented and creative up-and-comers to the T2/Back Alley Films team, and they are complemented and tempered by the reality that comes from the experience and talent for which T2 has been known for many years. As a result, we are both wise and wide-eyed. Hopefully, that means we are looking at the world on behalf of our partners and our clients in ways that are not only more meaningful, but also more effective. And hopefully that also means more “relevant.”