HOT! HOT! HOT! Winning becomes tradition for alums at The One Show

By Jenel Stelton-Holtmeier

The image of a firewalker's encounter with Altoids cinnamon mints was part of the Gold Pencil-winning campaign by alums Andy Dao and Matt Miller for Leo Burnett.

Agency creatives who were once outstanding students at CU parlayed skills first crafted in SJMC advertising courses into top professional honors at The One Show in May.

Five of the nine alums – whose awards ranged from the first-place Gold Pencil to Merit Finalist honors — had received One Show college awards while they were at the School.

The prestigious annual awards program is sponsored by The One Club in New York City.

Associate Professor Brett Robbs said the graduates are a product of the program's philosophy to teach them to "think different, to borrow a phrase from Apple."

"It really came as a surprise," said Andy Dao ('02), whose work with Matt Miller ('03) at Leo Burnett in Chicago earned them a Gold Pencil in the category of color full page or spread campaign and a Merit award in the category of color full page or spread single ad.

"It's a lot of luck and a lot of trying, but it's rewarding," said Dao, who was the writer for the ads; Miller was the art director.

"Being able to work with Andy helps," Miller said. "We're friends who worked together before, and it made it easy to instantly go into our first job together."

Even while being recognized for their personal achievement, alumni were quick to attribute much of their success to the School's Advertising faculty. Particular credit was given to Adjunct Instructor Jonathan Schoenberg.

"He got us to think in different ways, made us become fans of advertising," Dao said.

"Schoenberg, Robbs, all of them – they understand advertising," Miller said. "They're teaching the craft, not just a class."

Brandon Sides ('02) agreed. He attributed his success in part to the School "just being what it is."

It's well designed and easy for students to take advantage of the opportunities it offers, he said. Sides took home a Merit award for his art direction on the Volkswagen "Downhill Racer/Raw Texas/Check Point" television ad campaign for Arnold Worldwide in Boston. He is now an art director at BBDO West in San Francisco.

"It's such a different program than at ad schools," Sides said. "While there are talented people at those ad schools, the schools tend to breed a lot of the same thinking."

Being in Boulder helped students think differently, said Jeremy Boland ('03).

"Boulder is interesting," he said. "It brings together a lot of people who are interesting to begin with."

Boland won a Merit award for his work as art director and photographer for the Columbia Sportswear welcome mat poster in the point-of-purchase and in-store category for Borders Perrin Norrander in Portland, Ore.

Andy Dao and Matt Miller.

"To be honest, though, I'm not enthralled with advertising; I'm enthralled with change," he said.

"Advertising takes in the change. Everything can change everyday."

The program demands the ability to continually come up with unexpected work, Robbs said.

"We just encourage their natural tendencies," he said. "They're already thinking differently."

The creative program must also keep up with the ever-changing advertising landscape, Robbs said.

For example, in addition to standard print advertising, the program now also focuses on guerrilla work, Web sites and a variety of other media platforms.

Another award winner, Jason Hoff ('00), earned a Silver Pencil in the design competition for his writing for Guinness for BBDO New York. He is now a writer for Cliff Freeman & Partners in New York.

The four other former students who won One Show awards – Todd Lamb ('98), Brian Friedrich ('96), Jake Benjamin ('96) and Jon Graham – were taking classes at the School before the Advertising sequence began participating in The One Show college-level competition.

Lamb, who works for Mother New York, received a Merit Finalist award for his print ads for 10 Cane Rum.

Friedrich, of Bartle Bogle Hegarty, won a Bronze Pencil for his writing on an outdoor campaign for Unilever's Axe male grooming product line.

Benjamin, of Saatchi & Saatchi, earned a Merit Finalist award as art director for the American Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals' outdoor campaign.

Graham, of Carmichael Lynch Thorburn in Minneapolis, received two Merit Finalist awards in the design competition; he was the writer for Fringe Festival posters.

CU Advertising students also had a solid showing at the 2006 College Competition. Five teams earned Merit Finalist awards.

The winning students were Ian Tulk ('06), Pat Donaldson ('06), Brad Phifer ('06), Zac Chester ('06), senior Will Geddes, Mike King ('05), Justin Horrigan ('05), Kait Deloof ('05), Molly Gannon ('06), Vanessa Lozano ('06) and Sheena Brown ('06). The awards were in the categories of print, TV and innovative advertising.