Intern Sweatshop: Fired- Up Over Social Media

Everything that you do promotes the brand “You” whether or not that you are aware of it.

How you dress, the language you use, the ways in which you behave online and the things you post on social media sites all play a part in this self-branding. People today are very quick to post their most intimate feelings, rants, and gripes on Facebook and Twitter.

To me it is just common sense that you shouldn’t put everything out there, because it then becomes available for anyone to read. This of course includes employers.

You’ve probably heard some kind of story of this sort by now: Employee posts something on their Facebook page complaining about their boss or company, and then they get fired. Not the smartest thing to do, right? This issue remains up for debate after a recent federal court case.

Recently, Dawnmarie Souza, who worked at a Connecticut ambulance company, believed she was let go due to her critical comments about her boss that she posted on Facebook. Although, American Medical Response of Connecticut, Inc., claimed they fired her because of grievances about work.

She should have been more aware of how she is perceived via her Facebook page, and familiar with who was reading her posts. Employers might actually need to teach social media awareness because of the ever-fading line of our personal and professional lives.

Feeling she was unjustly fired, Souza contacted the National Labor Relations Board who filed a lawsuit her on the grounds that her comments were protected speech under federal labor laws.

When the dust settled and the unsavory Facebook updates surfaced, the matter was settled for an undisclosed amount. The Connecticut Company’s Internet and blogging policy restricted its workers from making comments about their managers or work, which was changed under the settlement with the labor board.

This case is poised to test new grounds in labor laws and companies setting legal limits on their employee’s social media usage. What exactly should be allowed? How far can free speech protect?

Freedom is speech is a powerful tool, but it can’t save you from everything.

Employers now check social media sites before hiring any employees. People judge others all of the time and a good way to get judged is to have obscene drunk pphotos, complaints, and uncouth comments on your social media site. A person could be a great employee, but still have terrible social media content. People need to get educated about social media usage.

Since this is still such a grey area, I think employers should get their staff to sign a code of conduct, instead of trying to restrict actual postings on social media sites. This case doesn’t give free-reign to writing whatever you wish on social media sites, because there can still be consequences.

If you’re not trying to get fired or go to court over your posts, then you better play it safe and stay away from referring to your boss as “Mr. Myfacesucks” unless that’s his name of course.

The bottom line is millions of people use Facebook, Twitter and other social media sites. There aren’t strict laws yet about what content is allowed on these sites about our places of employment, but this is a step in that direction.

Awareness about how you are perceived is something that is very important to examine in the workplace. Get educated about social media usage, and use some common sense.

Last time at the Intern Sweatshop, Josh Just Checked In At...

Rob Devereux, Account Services Intern/Avoiding Getting Trumped

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Intern Sweatshop: Wheat Thins > Kryspy Kreme

You’re sitting in your house watching reruns of Home Improvement when someone knocks on your door. To your surprise, a man quoting your tweet, “I love wheat thins and tuna,” drops off a pallet of snacks. That’s how Wheat Thins and their “Crunch is Calling” social media-driven campaign, brought to you by The Escape Pod, works. Kraft Foods/Nabisco’s intentions are focused on engaging a new target audience of women and men ages 25-45, an audience vastly different than their traditional consumer base of women 45 and older.



The broadcast commercials themselves are humorous and awkward for the posters/tweeters, who are ambushed by the crew. There’s also the possibility of having your picture on the box or a whole pallet of Wheat Thins--your own 30 seconds or so of fame.



Wheat Thins’ big problem was that their traditional consumers thought of them as “just a traditional cracker.” And with a different market segment for a product that had become “too familiar” another approach was necessary. Through consumer research it was found that the crunch, flavor and texture were key attractions to the new, younger audience. So in order to bring these qualities to their audience, reinforce their brand identity, and more actively engage and interact with customers, Wheat Thins turned to social media with the hope that this new campaign would stimulate comments on Facebook and Twitter and have consumers follow the brand there as well.

This reminds me of how popular Krispy Kreme donuts were back in the late 90s and early 00s. Everyone and their parents were raving about these airy donuts that were served hot and only available in the southern states. When Krispy Kreme stores opened, cars were wrapped around the outside of stores for blocks, waiting patiently for their chance to indulge. After everyone stuffed themselves, the product reached a saturation point, the hype ended and Kryspy Kreme's became just another donut. The novelty wore off. Now, I certainly enjoy donuts and milk, even though it’s been a while since I’ve had them. It’s like I forgot how awesome they are in the morning. But again, what was once a go-to morning delight is just something else to have for breakfast. And I can't say I'm not thinking about buying one while writing this, but I can’t say if that will translate into a purchase sometime soon.

Now Chick-Fil-A’s Free Breakfast Thursdays is yet another example of a company staying in touch with their customers. There was also the “I Can Handle The Heat” campaign, where just uttering those words at Chik-Fil-A would earn you a free sandwich. Then there’s the Get Spicy Chicken and Nuggets Campaign, where customers signed up online to receive a free order. Some of the campaigns included an in-store survey for direct feedback taken after the customer indulged in the free chicken delights. If you doubt the success of customer engagement, they opened 80 new restaurants in 2010 and raked in $3.5 billion in sales.

Now, merely posting on Twitter about their love of Wheat Thins may keep the brand current in customers' minds. It will be interesting to see if the campaign helps Wheat Thins remain relevant to their new target audience, or if people will still see the Wheat Thin as "just a traditional cracker." But For Twitter user 7hr33 who wrote “Leprechauns broke into my apartment stole a box of Wheat Thins I was saving for a party...is there a warranty for this?” March 17th is right around the corner. You might want to be on the lookout for a little Irish guy bearing crunchy treats. I'd want to see that commercial.

--Stephen Telljohann, Creative Department Intern with Crunch, Flavor and Texture

Last Time on the Intern Sweatshop: How Ben Found the Secret to Internet Buzz

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Conan: Successful Social Media User

How does an ex-talk show host who has a very public spat with his old network for trying to change his timeslot, rebound after a do-not-appear-on-tv buyout deal, and end up at the top of the ratings?


The Answer: Social Media

Since his falling out with NBC in 2009, Conan was prohibited from appearing on television. Without his familiar zaniness outlet, Conan turned to one of the only places left for him to connect with his audience, a Twitter account.
This was literally the first fans would hear from Conan since the gag order.

Conan continually fed the masses of hungry fans who were bitter with NBC and Jay Leno for not supporting their uniquely-haired talk show host, bringing the #TeamCoco movement to a fever pitch.

Filling a stream with personal anecdotes and making headlines by following just one random Twitter user, Conan had tapped into the pulse of what drove his show, and in essence, himself to be such big hits.

Soon after, Conan also put on a brief 30-city tour, appropriately named "The Legally Prohibited From Being Funny on Television Tour, which featured such acts as Conan and Jim Carrey dressed as Kick Ass and Superman performing Five for Fightings' "Superman (It's Not Easy.)"


Around this time he launched the appropriately named TEAMCOCO, which became the nexus for all things Conan including a special announcement in September that he would be launching a new show on TBS in November.

He followed this up with a Facebook where he would randomly take a Facebook fan's question and answer them on his Youtube channel.

After that it's a whirlwind of a live 24-hour webcam event, a mock first show called Show Zero, and of course the Team Coco blimp which featured it's own Foursquare badge if you were lucky enough for it to float over your city.

Conan O'Brien's social media experience illustrates one of the most successful uses of social marketing by a celebrity in connecting with their audience.

He had interactions and influence numbers that marketers drool over.

And what was the result of all of these social shenaningans?

When Conan's show finally premiered on TBS, the audience he had gained through his career at Late Night with Conan O'Brien and the Tonight show, the audience he had gained through Dancing Tacos, I Miss Conan videos, and exclusive Foursquare badges tuned in and put him on the ratings throne of late night television.

With his attention back toward his TV show, will the stream of content be hindered so much so that Team Coco's social presense dwindles? Or was this all merely a stop gap until he made it back to the airwaves?

Sean Sutherland, Associate Account Executive/Team Coco supporter

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Intern Sweatshop: RockMelt May Potentially Rock My Internet, Hopefully

RockMelt (yeah, it's an awful name) is a new browser based on Chrome that integrates social networking, chat and news right into your browsing.

It. Looks. Awesome.

Let's be honest, some of us have too many programs running on our computer. I, for one, am a big news/social network nut and can have five or six programs running at a time. RSS feed readers, chat clients, Twitter clients, link sharing apps, the kitchen sink: it's too much. I've tried moving it all online, using web apps for everything so I can do it all from my Internet browser. Good idea, but now I perpetually have five or six browser tabs open. This predicament is why I was very excited when RockMelt was announced yesterday.

You can check Twitter, share links and get feed updates without visiting any of those sites. It might finally be the all in one Internet workflow I have always dreamt cautious dreams about. Disclaimer: I am a bit weary of having things popping up right in my browser. With my present setup, I can ignore the tabs I have open or just close them if I need to focus. RockMelt might prove to be information overload. Techcrunch put it bluntly.

The other forseeable downside is privacy. Having all our social networks tied right into our browser could be the next step toward ol' Zuckerbug tracking literally everything we do. The implications are a bit creepy. Google and Facebook already tailor ads to your search terms and interests, respectively. Imagine if Facebook started sending you chat messages based on the sites you visited yesterday? Yeah, not cool.

Though I am a bit guarded in my excitement, I am definitely excited to try RockMelt. Downloading the browser is still invite only, so I'll have to wait for my potential social network salvation for now. Until then, check the intro video and let me know if you're as intruiged as I am.



Kyle Sacks, Future Early Adopters Anoymous Member/Intern

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From the Intern Sweatshop: Little Susie Says Buy Revlon, So You Should Totally Do It!

The basic equation for a successful Web endorsement is simple: multiply word-of-mouth marketing effects with the extensive reach of the Internet. Thank you, social media.

For the first time since 1980, the Federal Trade Commission has updated their Guides Concerning the Use of Endorsements and Testimonials, putting the actions of bloggers and vloggers in the spotlight. The main focus of the October 2009 revision is that the relationship between a marketer and blogger must be disclosed, especially if material connections exist. Basically, if a blogger is being compensated in any way (gifts, money, etc.) for the mention of a particular product, this information must be disclosed to their audience.

The new laws have left vloggers on YouTube in the center of the endorsement controversy. Cosmetics companies and clothing retailers, as well as bath and body product manufacturers have been using YouTube to tap into their younger markets with their vlogging peers. It used to work like this: a YouTube “beauty guru” would receive free products and provide a positive review without disclosing their compensation. Information about where viewers could purchase the product would then be provided in the information bar of the video. Genius.

A vlog is way more effective than a commercial to reach this audience on many levels. Young women are actively seeking out this information; it’s different from being bombarded with commercials in the middle of Gossip Girl. They are viewing a positive product review and learning how to use the product, broadcasted from the bedroom of a girl who has a lot of really trendy stuff. Some of these videos are even more than ten minutes long, forget the thirty second spot.

Perhaps the most crucial element of this marketing scheme is the perception of credibility to this audience. Credibility seems to be based on the number of subscribers rather than accreditations or experience. Some of these users currently have more than 300,000 subscribers and are partnered with YouTube, making money off advertisements in addition to companies that sponsor them. With agents, lawyers, and spreads in magazines, YouTube super users may soon even fall into the category of celebrity endorsers. But isn’t that how it works in high school? The girl with the most friends always has the most influence, right?

The FTC policy has rocked the credibility of these “gurus,” and these ladies have had to bat their eyelashes even harder to regain the trust of their viewers. Vlogs have now been accompanied by a cutesy little note to the FTC for regulation compliance. This text ensures that regardless of compensation – their opinion is honest. They go a little something like this: “Some products I bought with my own money, some were given to me at NYC fashion week, and some were sent to complete this look. NYX Cosmetics is compensating me for this video and it is my own opinion.” Or in other words, Yeah, so I got this lipstick for free. I am really raving about it because, well, I am getting paid to talk about it. Honestly, I swear!

The FTC’s current policy is that each decision regarding misleading endorsements and testimonials will be decided upon on a case-by-case basis. Well, that’s a bit blurry. Sounds like a way to scare and protect minors at the same time to me. They seem to be the majority offenders. I imagine the legalities of a retailer entering into a material relationship with a minor may become complicated beyond the limits of the FTC. However, the FTC needed to do something about this, so I guess writing up some rules that may never have consequences was the solution. Let’s be real, the FTC doesn’t have time to launch an investigation on the thousands of bloggers and vloggers supporting products and brands.

In April 2010, the FTC conducted its first investigation based on these laws when Ann Taylor Loft hosted a preview of their summer collection for bloggers. The issue: bloggers who posted coverage of the event on their blogs would be entered into a gift card drawing and given a special gift. The concern of the FTC was the lack of disclosure regarding compensation for coverage. Ultimately, action was not taken against Ann Taylor Loft. Surprise, surprise.

The entire situation speaks to the closer eye the FTC has been keeping on the blogosphere. No one can deny the dynamic social media has added to advertising. It enables marketers to reach selective audiences and is extremely personal. The draw to bloggers and vloggers is their authenticity, but authenticity is put into serious question when they are being gifted and paid for their positive opinions.

And by the way, I was not compensated for this blog post and these are my honest opinions. Renegade is the best place I have ever worked, thanks for the three credits guys ♥!

If you are interested, the text of the FTC’s Guides Concerning the Use of Endorsements and Testomonials can be viewed here. Want to check out these videos in action? Just click on the “How To & Style” tab on YouTube.com.

Ashly Oehrl, Web-wise Creative Department Intern

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How my college got me to donate

I'm the first one to talk up the power of social, much to the annoyance and/or ridicule of my agencymates. But I was reminded today why it has - and always will - have its limits.

I try to remind clients that relationships work on the same principles of physics: Energy is neither created nor destroyed. It's simply transferred. You can't expect that a low wattage effort is going to yield nuclear results. You get what you put in.

With that in mind, Towson University, my alma mater, went beyond the one-click connection we've gotten so used to online. They eschewed the relative ease of link love and Facebook fans and Twitter talk.

Instead, they actually took the time to learn about me - and do something about it. It didn't take going to my blog and leaving a comment. Or checking out my LinkedIn profile. Or hitting me up on Google chat. Those are all great and all but...

They mailed me a package with all this stuff:
Included was the latest edition of the school's literary magazine. I once worked on the staff as an editor. Good times (from what I remember).

There was also a handwritten note from the Director of the Annual Campaign Development:

Mr. McDermott,
I understand you worked on Grub Street while a student at Towson so I've enclosed the 2010 Grub Street along with an announcement about English Dept. retirements. We hope you enjoy your summer and the enclosed.
Sincerely, Meghan Colbertson

I was a little sad to learn that four of my former professors were all retiring, but it was nice to know.

As I flipped through the lit mag, I found a donation envelope stuffed between the pages. Same strategy Ralphie employs in "The Christmas Story", placing a Red Ryder BB gun ad in the pages of his mom's magazine.

Interestingly, there was nothing in the note asking for a donation. The package as a whole was all the call to action I needed.

The appeal worked on so many levels.

It was personal.
It was relatively expensive to produce.
It was hand-assembled.
It was relevant.
And, it was gloriously analog at a time when everyone's digital.

I'm going to cut them a check this weekend. It might even clear.

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To Hell with Hollywood

An old college friend of mine isn't playing by studio rules. At least for right now. Award-winning filmmaker Mike Flanagan decided to get his horror flick "Absentia" made the old fashioned indie way. By maxing out credit cards and begging anyone he'd ever met for a little scratch.

And it worked, thanks in large part to the brilliant social marketing effort he and his cast set up using a one-click funding campaign on Kickstarter. You'll also find the trailer for his film there.

Posting hilarious video appeals from cast and crew to YouTube, shucking n' jiving his Facebook network, and pulling together a pretty fine list of quid pro quo items for those who donated, Mike managed to raise over $23,000 to fund his film. By the way, his goal was $15,000.

A total of 375 people ponied up. In return, Mike and crew gave away everything from autographed screenplays to walk-on roles depending on the amount donated.

Here's Mike's first appeal:


And the rest live here:
Video 2
Video 3
Video 4
Video 5
Video 6
Video 7
Video 8

Not bad for a guy whose film came in second to mine in the 1999 Towson University Media Arts Festival. Still stings doesn't it, Flanagan?

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Intern Sweatshop: Has Social Media Gone Too Far?

Facebook, Twitter, MySpace… just to name a few. Social media is great, right? Catch up with old friends, see how everyone’s doing, and even advertise for your company. But as the saying goes, it’s all fun and games until someone gets hurt.

Have you heard of the newly popular foursquare? No, not the playground game – the social networking site. You download an application onto your cell phone, and then as you go places, you “check in” on foursquare. You are then awarded “points” and “badges” for updating your location. So, it’s an application that encourages you to explore different locations and let friends know what you’re doing. No harm in that, right?

Wrong. Consider this scenario: You go out with some friends to your favorite restaurant, and you check in via foursquare, “in New York, NY: White Castle has the best burgers!” Guess where everyone now knows you’re at… you guessed it, the White Castle in New York, NY. But what’s more important, guess where people now know you're not: your home.

foursquare seems to have just gone a bit too far. I’m sure the creators had no intention of making this dangerous, but this can cause problems with stalking because people know your location, as well as theft because people know when you aren’t home. The website pleaserobme.com was created to raise awareness about “over-sharing.” It scanned tweets from twitter and check-ins from foursquare and posted them on their website to show people who were not in their home. Recently, the site has stopped showing the tweets or check-ins but still encourages people to not share anything they don’t want everyone to know.

This link shows you how a guy figured out a woman’s age, location, profession, shopping habits, email address, and phone number in a matter of minutes from social networking sites. Quite scary to know how much someone can find out about you just by a few clicks of the mouse. Here's another link to an article about a woman who claimed to have been robbed after posting on Facebook that she would be out for the evening.

So, while social media may seem like a great thing, just be careful what you do and what you say. Whether it's a Facebook post a potential boss may find or a foursquare check-in a potential stalker may look at, once it's on the Web, it's hard to take it back.

--Tara Cammarata, Creative Department Stealth Intern

Last time on the Intern Sweatshop: Is Dove Men+Care really targeting men?

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Twitter Billboard: When Social Media Attacks

It seemed like a solid concept: A news station in Alabama decided to pipe their Twitter feed into their electronic billboard to update passersby with their latest stories of the day. Can't disagree with the intention.

After all, social media works best when it's a part of a coordinated marketing effort that includes a mix of tactics. New media and traditional go well together. Like new beer and old wine. That's good, right?

The station makes a living breaking brand-spanking news. And they figured, Twitter's great at doing that.

Unfortunately, it's also great at biting the unwitting in the ass publicly:


No one ever suspects the smiling, clean-cut, racially harmonic news anchor team next door.


Kinda reminds you of those old contextual ad horror stories (that still happen).

Other ad fails: Van Wrap F-Up; Bowling doesn't translate well.

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I hate Facebook's stupid face. Or do I?

Great article in Slate pointing out what H.L. Mencken always knew: the masses are easily cajoled into liking whatever the Illuminati/Politicati/Economati tell them to. It just takes time. Admit it or not, even the most liberal Web 2.0 evangelist is nothing more than a crotchety old man shaking his cane at the neighborhood kids from his lawn chair.


We hate change. We like things comfortable. We like things easy.

But, over time, we'll adjust. Hell, we adapted to the crappy, discombobulated Facebook interfaces of olde. And we'll adapt to this one. And this time, it'll be even easier seeing as how Facebook stole everything but the whale from Twitter.

We'll accept this version of Facebook. And the next one. And the next one.

Carry on, fellow social media succubuses.

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Twitter's Dirty Bird

Twitter works because of its simplicity. The only complex part of it is how the individual uses it - meeting people, breaking news, sharing information, or droning on about your grey, empty life and the insignificant events that comprise it.

Of course, the fact Twitter has a wellspring of 3rd party applications that are actually useful is a leg up, particularly interfaces like Tweetdeck, Twhirl, and Digsby. But I also have a roll of quarters in my pocket for the myriad of apps that exist solely for entertainment or ego's sake.

Here's a pretty sweet list of Twitter tools guaranteed to suck you in like a gaggle of geese into jet turbine of unproductivity.


From the list, my new favorite: Cursebird (actually found this first via Geo. Parker over at AdScam). Cursebird's a little Twitter search engine that scours a user's tweets for instances in which they've bandied about an expletive - from the tame to the "Queen Mother of all dirty words." Then, it ranks the user on a cuss-scale of 1-100. I was impressed that, out of 4 million-odd users, I ranked a solid 13,969 with a score of 96.

Probably my best score since finger-painting was graded.

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Friday Ad Haiku: Filchbook

You know you're on to something when Facebook wunderkind Mark Zuckerburg pilfers what makes your utility great. Twitter, as if it needed the validation, was obviously the primary inspiration for Facebook's face lift - namely the addition of a real-time friend stream and a reworking of the status window.

(Click pic=big pic)

Personally, I'm not impressed. Using Facebook is the social network equivalent of unhooking a bra on prom night: full of good stuff, but way more complicated than it should be. A parade of sketchy apps and pokes and super pokes and ultra-craptomic pokes. Sure, I still use it frequently, but it's more in spite of all the moving parts, not because of them. Unfortunately, every step Facebook takes to be more like Twitter gets it that much further from what makes it unique.

Social behemoth.
Useless apps. Still, how else would
I stalk old classmates?


Previously in the Friday 5-7-5: Responding to a-hole blog comments

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The internet is personal again.

I am no expert in social media. I know some things about Twitter, Facebook, and Linkedin, but I personally refuse to join in on the party. What good does having thousands of online friends do? "Well that's the point Jason, it's for keeping up with people you've lost touch with," my wife claims.

"I lost touch with them for a reason!" I say. "I don't care to keep in touch with them!" (Sorry to those of you out there this might apply to.)

McDermott recently attended a seminar on technology and social media, and one of the nuggets he shared really struck a chord with me. He said, "Social Media and online networking is making interaction with your clients much more personal and one on one. Gone are the days of shotgun advertising."

Wait. I always thought the rise of the internet and its effects on globalization is the reason we have lost personal connection in the first place. I mean, have you experienced customer support lately?

If I have to wait another hour to talk to "Jack" from India, only to get disconnected, I'm going to have a stroke. I yearn for the days when customer service was friendly and personal.

But, McDermott insists these new tools can bring that back. It can help us relate to clients, keep our finger on the pulse of their consumers, and even network with new potential clients.

When the internet and social media was first introduced it was a novelty (Electronic mail? Neat!). It quickly evolved into an unbridled information-attack, constantly feeding us videos of people getting hit in the privates, porn, and junk mail.

Further evolution has brought us networking tools that create a precision that was formerly non-existent when dealing with the Web. These tools enable us to track consumer opinion, react and up sell to the newest trends, and build more relationships in real time, from the comfort of our own desk. This kind of personal service and real time information gathering can pay big dividends in the ad world.

Now I'll never condone spending hours Facebook stalking (sorry Mrs. Stern) or using Facebook to help you stalk. But, maybe I will consider building my professional network online.

I mean, it can't hurt right?



--Jason Stern, Project Manager

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Mad Men's Twittergate

I got to thinking recently. For the good of mankind, this doesn't happen often.

It was about AMC's short-lived (and short-sighted) temper tantrum over the Twitter accounts that popped up featuring characters from Mad Men. If you have no idea what I'm talking about, stop reading now and click on this video of a guy falling off a ladder; you'll enjoy it more.

So, I was thinking. This could be one of the first bonafide shots across the bow of that recently launched little sailboat we like to call social media. While no one can honestly say where it's headed, we can be sure it'll sink a lot of brands if they continue to approach it like a guy playing the piano wearing catcher's mitts.

Don't get me wrong. Twitter isn't the Second Coming. Hell, 90% of the people I've spoken to have never heard of it. But it's an important piece of brand conversation, and more importantly, it's a perfect platform for consumer evangelism. With Mad Men, you've got fans so rabid for the franchise that they're willing to spend time talking about it, immersing themselves in it. So naturally, you do the logical thing: sic the lawyers on 'em (well, on Twitter anyway).

It's sad and absurd. So many brands still can't grasp the notion that, to bring in the ever-evolving consumer, they have to let the consumer take over the conversation now and then. Let out the trot line a little. Take a risk.

Part of forging any lasting relationship is conceding some control.

It's about trust. It's about caring as much about a customer's satisfaction as they do about their money. And it's what will separate their business model from that of prostitutes and pyramid schemes. Because, you know, they have business models, too.

Speaking of Mad Men: The Real (Lame-o) Sterling-Cooper; Don Draper gets me hot and bothered; Mad, black, and not gonna take it anymore.

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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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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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