30 June, 2007

Jim Luparello III, Account Management



I am from Pittsburgh and yes, by law, that makes me a Steelers fan. If it makes you feel better, I'm also a Pirates fan - 17 years and counting!

I love advertising and hate the winter months. So far, Baltimore has been good to me. I've grown fond of Natty Boh and crab cakes but would be just as content with an Iron City and Primanti's sammich. I've been in the ad game for 5 years and everyday is just like my first - a lot of awkward pauses, indigestion, energy drinks and great creative work.

And I do my best to not end sentences in prepositions so if you catch one, please let me know - recovery is a long process.

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29 June, 2007

Gay Pinder, Director Program Development

Call me the Diva of Development. My job is to keep my finger on the pulse of American TV viewing and to dream up TV shows that are just like Dog the Bounty Hunter only different. In my spare time I like to dance. Hula and Balinese folk dancing are about the only ones I haven't tried - yet.

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Captain Awesome, Copywriter

I just passed my 2nd anniversary here at Renegade—my first as a full-time copywriter—and I thought it was time to reexamine my image. Besides, I went through all the trouble of making this awesome Simpsonized picture of myself. Don’t judge me, that movie came out less than like two years ago. Did you visit one of the temporary Kwik-E-Marts? Neither did I, but I did go to one back when it was still a 7-11.

Anyway, in my time at Renegade I’ve written commercials, posters, advertisements, short films, and long-form videos. I’ve acted, modeled (that wasn’t my idea), and performed voiceover. I've criticized both good advertising and bad. I’m sure I produced both as well. And I even donned a wig and dress for a creative department rendition of You’re the One That I Want (I was not Danny Zuko). What have I learned—I’d rather be wrong a lot and get better at this every time I'm wrong, than be right all of the time and still totally suck.

Oh, and if you want to read my old bio and see an awesome picture of me made up as Wolverine, click here.

Thanks for reading.

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M.M. McDermott, Creative Director




Let’s get one thing straight here. Just because Matt McDermott was born and raised in Baltimore does not mean he eats steamed crabs and drinks National Bohemian beer all day long.

Ok. Yes it does. Matt McDermott is a stereotype of all things Baltimore and would find few greater joys in life than the Orioles one day playing .500 baseball. A published author, ex-Baltimore City Public School teacher, former owner of a prolific dog walking business, American Advertising Federation Baltimore board member, blogger for the Baltimore Sun and senior copy stud for Renegade, he’s worn many hats—and never washed any of them.

Send comments, diatribes, and miscellaneous bitchings and moanings here.

You'll usually find him milling about in these places:























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Jason Cohen, Director of Marketing/Interactive


My two favorite things in the world are my children and my motorcycle. Through my children, I get to re-explore the world we live in, the stuff I’ve taken for granted for so long. I try to look at things from their perspective, always looking to see the inner workings and to tinker around with things I don’t understand. Oh… and to question authority and make a mess of things… both of which they do very well.

And when I need I break from my children, that’s when my motorcycle becomes my favorite thing.

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Jason Bloom, Senior Avid Editor

"Woah! Look ad that 'a crasy pigture. Yu ahr so a' free kee man!" That was lifted from a recent voicemail from an unidentified fan located somewhere deep in eastern Europe. I'm not sure why, but I've developed a large cult following amongst residents of the former Soviet Bloc. I get four and five messages a day, usually unintelligible except for the obvious tone of rapture and reverence in their voice.

Why? Got me. I'm just the senior editor here at Renegade. Sure I've been an employee for twelve years and am the third tenured at the company, but that doesn't warrant constant emails in Estonian usually translating to, "I would sell my children into slavery just for the knowledge that you deigned to read my pitiful bleating of a message." I'm not even that talented. There are at least three other people in the world more talented than I am.

I don't know. I guess it's my chiseled good looks, my legendary stamina, and my fabled use of "The Persian Butterfly" Technique. Whatever it is, I'm just humbled that so many people around the world want to be near me. It's quaint, really.

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28 June, 2007

Jason Stern, Director of Production

Hey, I'm Jason, Director of Production at Renegade. More of a video professional than a long-haired outlaw dishing out vigilante justice on a motorcycle.

Do I look familiar? You might have seen me cutting a rug at your holiday party or declaring myself the winner of the Renegade Beard-Off. But dancing and growing beards aren’t the only things I’m into.

Like all Renegades I wear many hats, only I wash mine between uses. I’ve dabbled in writing, directing, producing, acting, lighting, photography, and camera work.

Outside of the office I’m always looking out for new types of media. Like the product placement in my video games and the ads that line the boards of the SoccerDome. (Reminder: Tuesday night mens league ≠ World Cup.)

ANYWAY, it’s nice to join the contributing team of the Confessional. And don’t worry…you’ll never get a post about Mad Men from me. McDermott’s got that market cornered.

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26 June, 2007

Phillip Morris: Happy Trails, Marlboro Man


Ad Age recently ran a write-up on the Marlboro Man going MIA. In the US, Phillip Morris put the clamp on measured media spending for cigarettes, and 2006 marked the first year the stetsoned smoke hound and his trusty stud were absent from the ad range since 1955.

That in itself is of little concern when you consider the net results. While media spending has plummeted, Marlboro’s market share's climbed faster than a monkey on PCP. For some, it may be tough to wrap their head around the equation. Less add spending equals more market share? Sounds counterintuitive. But consider the fact that cigarettes were chased out of the traditional ad channels (namely TV and radio) long ago, leaving print to carry the weight. Now, it appears the sun has set on that channel, too.

The range has changed. Advertising is more about instant gratification, more sophisticated demographic targeting, and personal interaction. There’s a new sheriff in town. Actually, there’s a bunch of new sheriffs, and they’re wielding online coupons and free swag. The Internet and Point-of-Sale promotions have shaped the new frontier. They’re more immediate, more interactive. And they play perfectly to a consumer base with a contemporary attention span (read: short) that demands more. And while many consumers believe that smoking is cool, smoking while wearing the visor and t-shirt that came free with the carton ($2.00 off with online coupon) is like breaking the sound barrier of awesomeness!

With that said, I can’t help but ask: have we just made it a lot easier (and a lot less expensive) for tobacco companies to reach consumers? Traditional media buys swallow ad budgets whole while POS and interactive tactics cost a relative pittance, yet have produced some impressive results. By forcing tobacco companies out of the mass advertising venues, we've encouraged them to get a little more creative, and in the process, get a better ROI from every ad dollar they spend. They’ve adapted like those dinosaurs in Jurassic Park that found a way to breed anyway. And, well, we all saw how that ended.

So, while the cowboy has moseyed onward to the big ad Valhalla, we're left to wonder: does it really matter? The scary truth is that Phil’s doing just fine without him.

Ashes to ashes, my chain-smoking compadre.

-M.M. McDermott, Senior Copywriter

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Maggie Ross, Trainer/Recruiter

Hi, I'm Maggie, Trainer and Recruiter at Renegade. I like world news, old music, the outdoors, and Harry Potter. My professional experience in the industry is limited, having spent the past 15 years in the education system, but I'm curious about most everything and am glad to write about any of it!

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25 June, 2007

Ken Hall, Creative Director

[Bio withheld for reasons of national security]

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