Amber Schaefer was otherized at a young age, which provided her with the perspective to recognize the comedic potential in “normal” things. Her time doing sketch comedy then gave her the vocabulary to discuss what makes something funny with future creative collaborators. Amber discusses how the combination of both serves her well in her roles as director, actor, writer, and comedy person and also offers lessons from the comedy world that would serve the creative industry and the one thing she wants to see more of in 2019.
Read MorePablo Rochat's Instagram Hacks Are Works of Postmodern Art
Pablo's Instagram hacks, pranks, and disruptions are easily digestible in this age of ADHD, and easily releasable. Pablo also discusses the craft of using Instagram's guardrails to his advantage, whether he takes his pranking spirit offline, and what it's like to get paid by major brands to cause some 24-hour mayhem.
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How to Make People Give a Shit About a Napkin
WNW Member Jeff Scardino is keeping napkins cool with the latest "How Lovely" campaign for Vanity Fair napkins. As Jeff points out, it's no easy task. "No one uses napkins anymore. Especially younger people who just rip off a paper towel.
Read MoreTHE BIG HUNDRED: A GRASSROOTS PEP TALK FOR AMERICA
THE BIG HUNDRED: A GRASSROOTS PEP TALK FOR AMERICA
Interview by Mike O'Donnell
WNW Members Julia Markiewicz and Jera Mehrdad are in the midst of a social good Instagram project, co-created with comedic power couple Paul Scheer and June Diane Raphael. It's called The Big Hundred. As Julia and Jera describe it, "We like to think of this as a pep talk for America. You can barely get away from the insanity, so we really want The Big Hundred to be a nonpartisan, grassroots social media project for good. We are putting out 100 positive actions on social media during the first 100 days of the presidency. Each post is being created by a different comedian, artist, or influencer. We're all just doing this out of a labor of love. It's been our therapy since the election."
Below we interview the duo on how they came to co-found the Big Hundred, how they've gotten such big names involved, and what the project has meant to them and the project's followers. They also discuss the role of creatives in addressing political and social issues in their work. As Jera puts it, "Not to toot our own horns, but creatives are pretty much the ones to bring messages to life. Whether it’s trying to sell 200,000 cars or get people to vote. We are the people that help make others want to do something or care about something. One of the most inspiring and liberating things I’ve discovered on this journey is that we ultimately decided we needed to get more activated in what was going on."
Want to see more and find out how you can help? Follow The Big Hundred on Instagram.
Tell us a little bit about your creative backgrounds. Who are Julia and Jera and how did they get here?
Julia: I started in New York at Publicis, moved to California to work at Wongdoody LA then Saatchi LA. Since my son was born, I went freelance and started doing more personal projects - mostly funny writing for things like Scary Mommy, Huffington Post, and McSweeney’s.
Jera: I started in Las Vegas at R&R Partners, moved around a bit, moved to LA to work at TBWA\Chiat\Day. I’ve worked at Innocean and Saatchi and went freelance after my 3rd child was born. I’ve been known to take on a design project or two outside of advertising that are more for the soul.
How would you describe your creative style? Is there often a political or social edge to your work, or do you feel a certain immediacy these days?
Julia: In advertising, I like to find what’s true about a product and connect that to people. I love when there’s friction. Same goes for my personal writing - I love to mine what’s true.
Jera: I like to think I can answer a creative brief in any way that makes sense to the project. Ultimately, I like to make work that makes people feel something. I always try to do this in the most creative way possible that is also authentic and relevant. But sometimes it’s fun to just make work that’s fun. In other words, I have a range...going from silly to really meaningful.
What is The Big Hundred and what do you hope to achieve with your latest project?
We like to think of this as a pep-talk for America. You can barely get away from the insanity, so we really want The Big Hundred to be a nonpartisan, grassroots social media project for good. We are putting out 100 positive actions on social media during the first 100 days of the presidency. Each post is being created by a different comedian, artist or influencer. Follow us on Instagram!
How did you come to connect with comedic power couple and Big Hundred co-founders June Diane Raphael and Paul Scheer?
We met June in an all-women post-election meeting. We all came together to kind of grieve and then activate each other. It’s been amazing to be in a group of such engaged, strong females. We’ve all been lifting each other up. There are a lot of inspiring projects coming out of that meeting.
Since we’re in LA, there were some talented people in the meeting with social reach. As ad people, we thought we could use the talent in the room to amplify a campaign about positive change. We pitched the idea in one of the follow-up meetings of doing a social media project using influencers about one positive action every day for the first 100 days.
On the phone with Paul and June, we mentioned that if we were doing this at an agency we’d do a teaser video. They said, “Well, let’s email Funny or Die and see if we can make it happen.” And it did. Paul and June are amazing partners. They are just doers - they make stuff happen and have amazing, super smart feedback.
What have been a few of the challenges in bringing this idea to life? What have been your proudest moments so far?
There’s been a lot of back and forth with creators and non-profits so we had to build an infrastructure and team out of nothing in a short amount of time. It’s been a lot of “fix it as you go.”
Luckily, we’ve had an amazing team of people helping us and cheering us on along the way: Damara Dikeou (Social Content Strategy), Yunilda Esquivel (Production), Mitzi Young (Project Management), Mona Lipson (Nonprofit Outreach), Adrienne Fragatos (Influencer Outreach), Tana Lauritsen (Design & another WNW Member). A friend, Anna Patel, edited a manifesto video and another friend, Mark Byers, wrote the music for it. We even had the PR team at the amazing Raconteur PR come on to write a press release and pitch for us.
How do you go about getting such an impressive list of artists, comedians, and influencers involved? Or has it been a pretty easy sell?
Part of the idea is to make each positive action more sharable, so we’ve been reaching out to people who create content we think is awesome and fits with our tone.
Paul and June reached out to their Hollywood contacts. An amazing art producer friend (Deb Rosen) helped us reach out to artists who she thought might be interested. Then we just started reaching out to people whose feeds we liked.
We have had some very talented WNW people work on posts like Javier Torok, Melinda Keough, Janete Chun and Ivan Cash.
The response has been overwhelmingly positive. We never expected to have so many amazing people contributing but it’s been a labor of love from everyone working on this and also from each creator. We have been so lucky to have connected with so many talented people who are also good humans. Most of all, Paul and June, who have completely put their faith in us to pull this thing off.
The Big Hundred brings a lot of positivity to social media feeds. But it also promotes positive action. What has been your take on social media’s impact on the election and the ensuing three months?
When we started working on this it was right after the election and we were scrambling for things to do. Now it seems like every day on our newsfeeds we are being handed different action items and numbers to call. There’s definitely a sense of action fatigue. We wanted our project to have a different kind of tone - that was nonpartisan and positive. Almost like your social media respite from all the negativity swirling around the rest of our feeds. Instagram seemed like the perfect home for that.
Who is one celebrity you would love to see get involved with the Big Hundred?
Lin Manuel Miranda.
What do you see as the role of creatives in addressing these political and social issues through their work? Any advice you can share with creatives looking to do their part?
Jera: Not to toot our own horns, but creatives are pretty much the ones to bring messages to life. Whether it’s trying to sell 200,000 cars or get people to vote. We are the people that help make others want to do something or care about something. One of the most inspiring and liberating things I’ve discovered on this journey is that we ultimately decided we needed to get more activated in what was going on. We rallied some people. We got a lot of them to say yes. We’ve created stuff and we’re making it happen. So, I’d say, find a cause you care about, lend your creative self and make stuff. I think we’ve been seeing a lot of that and it’s been so amazing.
Julia: Whether you are a writer or artist or someone just good at getting people together, you can use your talents for good. Find a cause you care about and put some time aside to make that your client.
Who and what are your biggest creative influences?
Julia - Amy Poehler, Joan Didion, and my husband (WNW Member) Marcin Markiewicz.
Jera - My aunt Debbie, Caravaggio, Andy Warhol, rock-n-roll posters & album covers and Margaret Keene.
What do you do when Not Working?
We’re both moms. We’re also both very, very slow runners.
Are you a WNW Member with new work, exhibits, products, or news to share? Email us!
Meet The Comedian Who Warms Up Oliver, Colbert, & Fallon: Part II
Meet The Comedian Who Warms Up Oliver, Colbert, & Fallon: Part II
MIKE O'DONNELL / EDITOR
Last week, we caught up with WNW Member #84 Craig Baldo to discuss his double-life as a stand-up comedian and freelance copywriter. Craig shared some of his experiences serving as the warm-up act for the likes of Oliver, Colbert, Fallon, and Stewart. Below, we continue the conversation, and Craig continues to surprise us: "Fun Fact: I DJ’d Peter Dinklage’s wedding." What?!
Craig also discusses New York and its influence, how he spends his time Not Working, and advice for his fellow creatives: "Exercise your creativity out of the office. Don’t always have it pinned to a brief. I don’t trust creatives without side projects. If your creative mission in life is to sell paper towels, that’s fucked up. No disrespect to paper towels. They come in handy with spills."
How does New York influence your copywriting and your stand-up?
To me, New York is the best place in the country to do stand-up. There’s boundless material – day traders and models and little old Chinese bag ladies on one block, drag queens, police horses, Moby on the next. Every block’s different. Long, oppressive winters get you good and depressed which is GREAT for your act, as long as you don’t close shop altogether. In LA, what’s to write about? “People are SO Hollywood here, and what’s up with traffic on the 405?” If I did it over, I’d do it in NYC again. Ditto for copywriting.
“New York is the best place in the country to do stand-up. There’s boundless material – day traders and models and little old Chinese bag ladies on one block, drag queens, police horses, Moby on the next.”
What cultural and creative venues do you frequent in New York?
I go to hip bars in Williamsburg and Shazam songs, curate playlists, then throw dinner parties with my 40-something friends, blowing them away with how cool and relevant my musical tastes have remained. Is that cultural?
Seriously though, I’m loving Spotify right now (not just cuz my wife works there) but because it’s like a custom record store at your fingertips. Obviously not as romantic as crate digging through vinyl, but I don’t have time for that anymore. However I still like to stay on top of emerging music and old funk stuff, so I appreciate what Spotify offers. I used to be a mediocre DJ. Fun Fact: I DJ’d Peter Dinklage’s wedding.
And I’ve always loved going to the movies. Any excuse to eat Twizzlers. I like BAM! in Brooklyn because they put up good films and I can walk there from my home. And I like telling my friends to meet me at BAM! Where? BAM! BAM!
The New York Hall of Science in Queens is a great place to visit, even if you don’t have kids. Unless you hate science and learning. Then you wouldn’t like it.
“I like BAM! in Brooklyn because they put up good films and I can walk there from my home. And I like telling my friends to meet me at BAM! Where? BAM! BAM!”
Do you thrive off of being part of a creative community or are you more in your element as a lone wolf?
In a way, anyone doing stand-up is a lone wolf. So in that regard, yes, being solo works for me. But I really love to collaborate, which is another reason I took to copywriting. I love people and working in a team. As far as an overall community, I probably assimilate more with the weirdos of stand-up comedy. I miss it. Not to say I haven’t become friends with some beautiful weirdos in advertising, I’m just more at home among the die-hard joke tellers.
“I’m pretty good with kids and think I could really inspire them at that age. Does this all read as creepy and “pedophile”? I hope not. I just think I could make a difference as a high school teacher. I’d teach pre-algebra or French kissing. I’M KIDDING.”
If you weren’t a copywriter and comic, what do you think you’d be doing instead?
Maybe I’d be a high school teacher. I’ve always been nostalgic for high school. I feel like most people weren’t into it. My hormones were relatively balanced so I had a blast. It’s an exciting age because kids aren’t fully cynical but they’re still very sharp. I’m pretty good with kids and think I could really inspire them at that age. Does this all read as creepy and “pedophile”? I hope not. I just think I could make a difference as a high school teacher. I’d teach pre-algebra or French kissing. I’M KIDDING.
What do you do when Not Working?
Take trips. Make playlists. Hang out with the fam. Play piano. Play cribbage. Be outside. Slow-cook pork. I also look for work. I’m not right in the head when I’m not earning. It’s funny, you tell yourself freelancing is the ideal situation – I’ll work a bunch, make bank, then take off a couple months and finish writing my screenplay or building my Burning Man float or whatever. Then, DAY ONE of being jobless, you’re like, “Um. Shit.”
From time to time, I collaborate with Harry Bliss, writing captions to his cartoons (because I can’t draw). Some of our toons have been published in The New Yorker.
“I don’t trust creatives without side projects. If your creative mission in life is to sell paper towels, that’s fucked up. No disrespect to paper towels. They come in handy with spills.”
What are some things you would tell your high school or early twenties self?
I’d probably tell myself that stand-up comedy is a viable career path and to start doing it ASAP. It wasn’t until I was in my mid-twenties that I discovered regular people like me were pursuing stand-up, not just people born into TV or rogue highwaymen without families. But I really don’t regret a minute of my life, except maybe the one in Allentown, and even that made for a funny story, so it’s a win. I’ve lived every moment the way I’ve wanted. That’s also part of my problem. My long-term goals have suffered because of my in-the-moment mentality. I’m still working on that. I also might tell my early twenties self to warn people about 9/11.
What are some tips or advice you can offer to fellow creatives?
Exercise your creativity out of the office. Don’t always have it pinned to a brief. I don’t trust creatives without side projects. If your creative mission in life is to sell paper towels, that’s fucked up. No disrespect to paper towels. They come in handy with spills.
Who are some of your biggest creative idols and influences, comedic or otherwise?
Growing up, my idols were mostly comedic and musical: George Carlin, Eddie Murphy (his comedy), John Ritter, Rik Mayall, Paul Reubens, Michael Jackson, Rush, the list goes on, sadly a lot of white men. Louie CK became my North Star in ’98. I remember seeing him and being like, “I want to do what that guy does.” His ideas were so weird, but still grounded in his sharp trademark insights. Louie would have killed it in advertising.
Today, I’m inspired by even more white men: Stone/Parker, Mike Judge, Ricky Gervais, the people who say fuck you to the establishment a lot in their work. Non-white men I admire are Esperanza Spalding, tUnE yArDs, Julia Louis-Dreyfus, Tig Notaro, Tariq Trotter, Samantha Bee and José Parlá.
Any album, film, television or book recommendations for your fellow WNW members?
Love Silicon Valley, Veep and Better Call Saul. Nathan For You is genius. And of course John Oliver.
Watch the film, What We Do in the Shadows. So good.
I’ve been reading some pretty boring stuff lately, like Being Mortal by Atul Gawande, which helped me deal with some recent death stuff. Also reading The Sound of the City by Charlie Gillett, a tremendous book about the history of rock music.
I always have music recs. From my current rotation, I’d recommend Rodrigo Amarante, Jacques Dutronc and Amen Dunes. I make ongoing music and film recs on an app called Rex (created by Chris Smith, a director I worked with years ago on some Wendy’s spots). Find me there for more good stuff.
Who are some other WNW members whose work you admire, and why?
Jeff Church is a great creative and good friend who’s helped me a lot. Really creative guy. He organized what I’d call a motley-professional stickball league. He might categorize it another way, like an outdoor gentleman’s club with homemade bats.
There’s a guy, Justin Gignac, who has done some fun stuff. I’d love to meet him someday.
Dan Rollman is nothing but awesome.
Kim Schoen is a wildly talented experimental artist who never stops putting stuff out there.
I just love people who take risks and do their thing. Ya know? They just do it. That would be a good tag line. Maybe? Nah.
Anything else you’d like to add?
Really, after all that? How about a funny GIF. Please add one here for me. Thanks.
Bonus Content
Craig's tweets are on point. [Click below to zoom.]
Are you a WNW Member with new work, exhibits, products, or news to share? Email us!
Meet The Comedian Who Warms Up Oliver, Colbert, Fallon, & More
As a stand-up comedian, WNW Member Craig Baldo was a finalist on Last Comic Standing before booking Conan and landing as the warm-up act for the likes of Jon Stewart, Stephen Colbert, and currently John Oliver on each of their historic shows.
Read More
WORK: OLD SPICE BAR SOAP
WORK: OLD SPICE
BAR SOAP
More amazing ridiculousness from WNW agency Wieden + Kennedy Portland and member #854 Nathaniel Lawlor. 80's soap commercials will never be the same.
Are you a WNW member with new work to share? Email us.
MEET #30 TODD LAMB
MEET #30 TODD LAMB
Writer/Director/Creative Director • New York, NY
Worked at Google Creative Lab, Mother NY, W+K and Goodby. Created "Notes From Chris" and developed TV pilots and scripts for NBC, Adult Swim and Sundance Channel.
1. How long have you been freelancing?
Since 2007. Longer than I anticipated when I left a staff job that year. Now I see a larger shift where freelance/project basis is becoming the standard for creative people.
2. Is there a time or place that you feel most creative/have the best ideas?
Morning. I need coffee and silence to come up with ideas. Then I put on good music to grow those ideas.
3. What's your ideal Working:Not Working ratio?
70% Working on things I care about.
30% Not working.
0% Working at Halliburton with Dick Cheney.
4. Do your parents understand what you do?
I don’t strive for that. If I was looking for my parents approval, I’d be a dentist with a law degree.
5. What scene from a movie makes you laugh just thinking about it?
I’m a comedy nerd, so I’ll give you two: The scene in Woody Allen’s Broadway Danny Rose where he’s coaching a professional balloon folder. And the scene in Albert Brooks’s Lost In America where he’s begging a casino boss for his money back.
6. If you were stranded on a desert island, with your computer, what 3 websites would you take with you?
NYTimes.com (I subscribe to the paper and I read it online.)
My Google account (Google Docs, Chat and Gmail are the center of any production or project that I do.)
RobertPollard.net The man behind the band Guided By Voices. He has a thousand other musical side projects and spin-off bands. He makes his own album art with collages. He puts out like 12 albums a year, and never lets up. The guy is always making something new, and 95% of it is amazing. He’s a big inspiration to me.
7. What do you do when Not Working?
I do lots of other creative projects. I recently produced a female human being – my wife and I had a baby girl. So that’s a project I’m working on. I tend to work on it at 3:30 AM.
And I’m currently working on a web series with NYC fashion designer Rachel Comey. In April, we’ll start a livestream series featuring NYC’s best female comedians and storytellers. One performance per week will livestream on RachelComey.com. It starts on April 4th at 4pm with Starlee Kine (from NPR’s This American Life) and the next one is on April 11th at 4pm with Carrie Brownstein (Portlandia, Sleater Kinney).
8. Do you have a hidden talent?
After 13 years of meetings, I can spot the bullshit artists in two sentences or less. I call them “bad actors”. We’re all making it up as we go. But some people are better actors than others. The bad actors don’t offer much to the situation. If you’re not sure, a distinct sign is when they repeat what the guy before them said – but in vaguely different words.
9. Any tips or advice for fellow freelancers?
Don’t wear cologne. It’s nauseating.
10. What's your favorite thing on the internet this week?
Matador Records produced a music video for Kurt Vile’s upcoming album, featuring Steve ESPO Powers. It’s part music video / part documentary. The painted sign that ESPO made acts as three things: the album’s cover art, the music video, and the “commercial” for the album. I love the song and I love the idea. I’m usually only jealous of comedy, but I wish I did it.
Time lapse music video portion / Documentary portion
Notes from Chris
What started as a single note hung outside my apartment, became an online meme posted as far away as Australia. Featured frequently on Funny or Die and The Huffington Post, these are notes posted around NYC by a fictional character – a lonely man named Chris. Chris has lots of problems. He loves snacks. Visit the Pinterest board to see the gallery of notes I've created over the past four years.
Guided by Voices Music Video
A Guided By Voices video I directed for Fire Records. Featuring Jon Glaser from Delocated, Late Night With Conan O' Brian and Parks and Recreation.
Google+ Muppets
TV commercial for Google+ Hangouts. Created while at Google Creative Lab.
Are you a WNW member with new work to share? Email us.
WORK: OREO "LIFE RAFT"
WORK: OREO "LIFE RAFT"
New spot from WNW agency Wieden + Kennedy Portland and members #854 Nathaniel Lawlor and #14 Christine Gignac .
Are you a WNW member with new work to share? Email us.