Cris Vatalaro writes:
Saturday, August 11, 2007
This year we wanted it to be different. This year, we NEEDED it to be different.
This year the Ad 2 Tampa Bay vs. American Advertising Federation 4th annual Picnic and Softball game graced the town of Safety Harbor. After 3 years of losses for Ad 2’s team, we were finally getting serious. As the Ad Fed’s strolled in one by one, they were surprised to see Ad 2’s team already there and were 20 minutes into their warm up game of catch. Rib City catered the event and was Ad Fed’s way of ‘weighing’ down their competition before the big game. We didn’t let the amazing food and bags of chips mess with our concentration though! The game started off with an interesting flair. You know you’re in for some fun when the Ad Fed right fielder takes a folding chair to the outfield with him. 7 innings later we had witnessed multiple homeruns that were rocked into the trees, dozens of grounders to the infielders and the ever changing leader of the game. It wasn’t until it was 2 outs, bottom of the 7th, Ad Fed still cranking in the runs and only down by 1 when Ad 2 got a little worried. Thankfully their 3rd and last out was not one of the younger ringers they had brought. Ad 2 had finally pulled out a win and victory never tasted sweeter. The Ad Fed’s were great competitors and a ton of laughs. We ended the picnic by taking group photos then heading to the bar for some victory burgers and drinks, starting off with pitchers of water (reminiscent of the kayaking trip!) It was the perfect day. Funny stories, a victorious softball game, time in the sun, new Ad 2 baseball hats and bragging rights for the next year until we get to do it all over again!
Monday, August 13, 2007
Thursday, August 2, 2007
It was smooth sailing for Ad2 Tampa Bay during group Kayaking Trip
Cris Vatalaro writes:
A day like July 28th will go down in the history books. After the Ad 2 Tampa Bay Board Retreat, most of the board plus a few extra friends arrived at the Dunedin marina for an afternoon of crossing the intercoastal waterways. Carolina Mike was there to prep the experienced ones as well as educate the newbies on the rules of the sea. We all strapped on our life jackets (some equipped with snazzy whistles) and boarded our ships.
The sun was up, the mosquitoes were out in full force and away we went! I myself was a second-timer; with no paddling skills at all but was able to pull up the back of the pack as we paddled our fast 30 strokes across the ‘high speed zone’ while I secretly hoped we would all make it out alive! As we reached the island, the beautiful sight of dolphin fins were breaking the smooth surface of the water. The closer we got, the more breathtaking they were. After pulling up to shore, we quickly got out the refreshments and snacks and enjoyed the tiny island and each others company. Carolina Mike set up the grill and dinner was served! The sun started to set and we all climbed in our kayaks again for the ride home. We were lucky enough to see some of Florida’s creatures; including Sea Urchins, fish and even a Sea Horse. The paddle back to the marina was stunning. The sun had begun to set and most of the boats were sleeping for the night at the marina already. We beached ourselves at the marina and captured a few last group photos before the sun set. Special thanks to Carolina Mike for being a great teacher and for providing the snacks and refreshments during our Sangria Sunset paddle!
A day like July 28th will go down in the history books. After the Ad 2 Tampa Bay Board Retreat, most of the board plus a few extra friends arrived at the Dunedin marina for an afternoon of crossing the intercoastal waterways. Carolina Mike was there to prep the experienced ones as well as educate the newbies on the rules of the sea. We all strapped on our life jackets (some equipped with snazzy whistles) and boarded our ships.
The sun was up, the mosquitoes were out in full force and away we went! I myself was a second-timer; with no paddling skills at all but was able to pull up the back of the pack as we paddled our fast 30 strokes across the ‘high speed zone’ while I secretly hoped we would all make it out alive! As we reached the island, the beautiful sight of dolphin fins were breaking the smooth surface of the water. The closer we got, the more breathtaking they were. After pulling up to shore, we quickly got out the refreshments and snacks and enjoyed the tiny island and each others company. Carolina Mike set up the grill and dinner was served! The sun started to set and we all climbed in our kayaks again for the ride home. We were lucky enough to see some of Florida’s creatures; including Sea Urchins, fish and even a Sea Horse. The paddle back to the marina was stunning. The sun had begun to set and most of the boats were sleeping for the night at the marina already. We beached ourselves at the marina and captured a few last group photos before the sun set. Special thanks to Carolina Mike for being a great teacher and for providing the snacks and refreshments during our Sangria Sunset paddle!
Monday, July 30, 2007
Ad2 Tampa Bay Leadership Retreat spawns great ideas for the year ahead!
Hi All!
Ad2 Tampa Bay has a great year planned ahead and it all started to come together at our Annual Leadership Retreat. Waking up bright and early on a Saturday morning is sometimes a hard thing to do; unless ofcourse you are scheduled to meet your fellow board members in Dunedin at Sea Sea Rider’s Restaurant to talk about the future success of Ad 2 Tampa Bay that is. The newly elected board met at 10am on July 28th to discuss our plans for the year including Ad 2’s history, our relationship with the 4th District as well as our connection to the National Ad 2. We chatted over appetizers and lunch about our current search for the ’07 -’08 Public Service Campaign. We received a breakdown of the organization’s leadership responsibilities as well as an in-depth look at our events and programs for the upcoming year -- and boy do we have some exciting ideas so definitely keep a look out!
The board exchanged Ideas until 3pm about how to improve each board position as well as the organization as a whole while staying rooted to our Public Service Campaign and helping out our local community. Although it was hard to get up so early Saturday morning, it was more than worth it because of the exceptional progress our board made at the retreat, not to mention it created a stronger bond between everyone that'll prove to play a big part in what we can accomplish as a team this year!
Look out Tampa Bay -- Ad2 ready to get this year started!!
Ad2 Tampa Bay has a great year planned ahead and it all started to come together at our Annual Leadership Retreat. Waking up bright and early on a Saturday morning is sometimes a hard thing to do; unless ofcourse you are scheduled to meet your fellow board members in Dunedin at Sea Sea Rider’s Restaurant to talk about the future success of Ad 2 Tampa Bay that is. The newly elected board met at 10am on July 28th to discuss our plans for the year including Ad 2’s history, our relationship with the 4th District as well as our connection to the National Ad 2. We chatted over appetizers and lunch about our current search for the ’07 -’08 Public Service Campaign. We received a breakdown of the organization’s leadership responsibilities as well as an in-depth look at our events and programs for the upcoming year -- and boy do we have some exciting ideas so definitely keep a look out!
The board exchanged Ideas until 3pm about how to improve each board position as well as the organization as a whole while staying rooted to our Public Service Campaign and helping out our local community. Although it was hard to get up so early Saturday morning, it was more than worth it because of the exceptional progress our board made at the retreat, not to mention it created a stronger bond between everyone that'll prove to play a big part in what we can accomplish as a team this year!
Look out Tampa Bay -- Ad2 ready to get this year started!!
Wednesday, July 25, 2007
AdCast: Episode X
Big, big show on AdCast tonight. I think I was sort of floating in the surreality of it all; it was quite a lineup of big-name guests...
• Boxing champion. Movie star. Entrepreneur. Tonight, Antonio Tarver, the "Magic Man" himself, added the sought-after role of "AdCast guest" to his resume. Tarver, former light-heavyweight champion of the world and co-star of Rocky Balboa, joined us for a lengthy segment to discuss his recent accomplishments and goals both inside and outside the ring, including a possible big-name fight in Tampa Bay.
• A man with a hand in one of the most sacred events in America joined us as well tonight. Reid Sigmon is the Executive Director of the 2009 Super Bowl Tampa Bay Host Committee. Reid joined us to discuss how he got to such a great responsibility, and talked about some of the events that he will be involved in planning around the event.
• Go Rays! Darcy "D-Ray" Raymond, the man with what may be the most convenient nickname of all time, is the VP of Branding and Fan Experience for the Tampa Bay Devil Rays. Darcy spoke of the various thematic, event-based, and other marketing efforts the organization has made to "put butts in the seats" at The Trop'.
• Jimmy Mela, Owner of Vintage Wine & Cellars, also fulfills a spot on the committee of one of "the top ten beer festivals in the country." Now twelve years in the making, Mela's involvement with Lowry Park Zoo's WaZoo event brings over $125,000 to the (non-profit) zoo annually. He talked with us about how it all started, what to expect, and where to get tickets to the August 4 event.
• Mike Compton came on the show with big news. Tampa Digital Studios is moving to Centro Ybor, and he filled us in on all the details of the big move. Tampa Digital is our gracious host and collaborator in putting on AdCast, so this move is really exciting to us as hosts and as an organization. Can't wait for the new digs!
As always, thanks to everyone who helps make AdCast possible, from the sponsors to the many people in Ad 2 and TDS that make it happen. We're already busily working at putting together next month's show; this one is going to be a tough act to follow!
• Boxing champion. Movie star. Entrepreneur. Tonight, Antonio Tarver, the "Magic Man" himself, added the sought-after role of "AdCast guest" to his resume. Tarver, former light-heavyweight champion of the world and co-star of Rocky Balboa, joined us for a lengthy segment to discuss his recent accomplishments and goals both inside and outside the ring, including a possible big-name fight in Tampa Bay.
• A man with a hand in one of the most sacred events in America joined us as well tonight. Reid Sigmon is the Executive Director of the 2009 Super Bowl Tampa Bay Host Committee. Reid joined us to discuss how he got to such a great responsibility, and talked about some of the events that he will be involved in planning around the event.
• Go Rays! Darcy "D-Ray" Raymond, the man with what may be the most convenient nickname of all time, is the VP of Branding and Fan Experience for the Tampa Bay Devil Rays. Darcy spoke of the various thematic, event-based, and other marketing efforts the organization has made to "put butts in the seats" at The Trop'.
• Jimmy Mela, Owner of Vintage Wine & Cellars, also fulfills a spot on the committee of one of "the top ten beer festivals in the country." Now twelve years in the making, Mela's involvement with Lowry Park Zoo's WaZoo event brings over $125,000 to the (non-profit) zoo annually. He talked with us about how it all started, what to expect, and where to get tickets to the August 4 event.
• Mike Compton came on the show with big news. Tampa Digital Studios is moving to Centro Ybor, and he filled us in on all the details of the big move. Tampa Digital is our gracious host and collaborator in putting on AdCast, so this move is really exciting to us as hosts and as an organization. Can't wait for the new digs!
As always, thanks to everyone who helps make AdCast possible, from the sponsors to the many people in Ad 2 and TDS that make it happen. We're already busily working at putting together next month's show; this one is going to be a tough act to follow!
Wednesday, June 27, 2007
AdCast: Episode IX
We're right in the thick of summer here in Tampa, but nothing can slow down AdCast. Special guest co-host Scott Persons joined Jessica McDonald to guide us through our latest edition of Tampa Bay's favorite internet webcast (I don't need data to support that, I rely on instinct).
First off, Shani Jefferson came in from Tampa Bay's Museum of Science and Industry (MOSI). They've got a great new exhibit called "Shipwreck! Pirates and Treasure", and Shani was hear to tell us about all the great things there "arrrrrrrgh" in the exhibit.
Next up was Tim Bajkiewicz, on to talk about the University of South Florida's restructured Masters program in the School of Mass Communications. The school has made some exciting changes to the curriculum, making it an even more attractive option for young professionals in that arena.
Our fourth segment featured Travis Claytor, who was on to tell us about the Tampa Bay Convention & Visitors Bureau's advertising efforts in the community.
We wrapped things up with a little review of this year's edition of the prestigious awards show we call the ADDY's, a three-tiered competition orchestrated by the American Advertising Federation. Jessica and Scott talked about the winners and more in this month's Advertising Insight.
First off, Shani Jefferson came in from Tampa Bay's Museum of Science and Industry (MOSI). They've got a great new exhibit called "Shipwreck! Pirates and Treasure", and Shani was hear to tell us about all the great things there "arrrrrrrgh" in the exhibit.
Next up was Tim Bajkiewicz, on to talk about the University of South Florida's restructured Masters program in the School of Mass Communications. The school has made some exciting changes to the curriculum, making it an even more attractive option for young professionals in that arena.
Our fourth segment featured Travis Claytor, who was on to tell us about the Tampa Bay Convention & Visitors Bureau's advertising efforts in the community.
We wrapped things up with a little review of this year's edition of the prestigious awards show we call the ADDY's, a three-tiered competition orchestrated by the American Advertising Federation. Jessica and Scott talked about the winners and more in this month's Advertising Insight.
Wednesday, May 23, 2007
AdCast: Episode VIII
I was especially happy this evening, as the show was all about some things near and dear to my heart—art, design, and (as always) advertising. For a variety of possible reasons (as I elaborated on throughout the show) Jessica was unable to join us this time, so Vinny Tafuro filled in as guest co-host.
First to join us in the studio were a couple of our fellow Ad 2 members. Jeff Morrow was on for an update of our public service campaign, and a big Ad 2 leadership announcement came from Mai Tran... check out the show to find out what she told us!
Our next guest was a young professional who spans the spectrum of art and advertising in her various pursuits—art director, painter, and creative extraordinaire Kate Whatley of PeakBiety Branding + Advertising. We discussed all the issues a young creative in the industry tends to face, most of all how to maintain the creative spark and stay afloat in the crazy world of advertising.
If you sit around your dingy apartment saying "There's nothing to do in Tampa Bay," you obviously don't subscribe to Eric Sturm's weekly email. "Weekly Options of Tampa Bay" is just one of Eric's many pursuits aimed at informing the community. He came on to tell us about his new book "Access Tampa Bay" and more.
If you've talked with me about what I do, you've probably heard me mention Graphic Design Meetup once or twice. Tampa bay GDMU is another one of Tampa's exciting professional networks, this one (as the title would indicate) aimed specifically at graphic designers in the area. But don't take my word for it; we brought on the long-standing President of the group Brianne King to tell all our viewers why they should check it out.
Film on the internet can mean all sorts of things. Vinny and I took a look at the various types of executions floating around the web today, from viral video to internet-only movie releases.
To wrap things up, we went over all the upcoming events in Ad 2 and around Tampa Bay. Not much to say about that, but it was amusing as always.
There you have it; another grand episode of AdCast goes out to the vast matrix of the internet. I had a blast with this one. Big thanks to Vinny for filling in this month; you'd think he does this kind of stuff all the time. Thanks as well to our sponsors Tampa Digital Studios and La Casa Dolce, because they DO do this all the time.
Oh. And whatever you do, make good choices.
First to join us in the studio were a couple of our fellow Ad 2 members. Jeff Morrow was on for an update of our public service campaign, and a big Ad 2 leadership announcement came from Mai Tran... check out the show to find out what she told us!
Our next guest was a young professional who spans the spectrum of art and advertising in her various pursuits—art director, painter, and creative extraordinaire Kate Whatley of PeakBiety Branding + Advertising. We discussed all the issues a young creative in the industry tends to face, most of all how to maintain the creative spark and stay afloat in the crazy world of advertising.
If you sit around your dingy apartment saying "There's nothing to do in Tampa Bay," you obviously don't subscribe to Eric Sturm's weekly email. "Weekly Options of Tampa Bay" is just one of Eric's many pursuits aimed at informing the community. He came on to tell us about his new book "Access Tampa Bay" and more.
If you've talked with me about what I do, you've probably heard me mention Graphic Design Meetup once or twice. Tampa bay GDMU is another one of Tampa's exciting professional networks, this one (as the title would indicate) aimed specifically at graphic designers in the area. But don't take my word for it; we brought on the long-standing President of the group Brianne King to tell all our viewers why they should check it out.
Film on the internet can mean all sorts of things. Vinny and I took a look at the various types of executions floating around the web today, from viral video to internet-only movie releases.
To wrap things up, we went over all the upcoming events in Ad 2 and around Tampa Bay. Not much to say about that, but it was amusing as always.
There you have it; another grand episode of AdCast goes out to the vast matrix of the internet. I had a blast with this one. Big thanks to Vinny for filling in this month; you'd think he does this kind of stuff all the time. Thanks as well to our sponsors Tampa Digital Studios and La Casa Dolce, because they DO do this all the time.
Oh. And whatever you do, make good choices.
AdCast Links, May 23
Tonight's AdCast references a number of websites and internet movies. The links to these videos and sites are below for your viewing pleasure.
Facebook Infomercial
MySpace Movie
MyTop8: The Movie
Epic 2015
Epic 2014
Facebook Infomercial
MySpace Movie
MyTop8: The Movie
Epic 2015
Epic 2014
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