San Fran ad firm is Buffaloed
Alums working on top accounts at Goodby Silverstein
By Justin Crawford

Teri Fildey, Todd Lamb, Leslie Nierhaus and Steve Barry outside Goodby, Silverstein & Partners' San Francisco office.

Teri Fildey ('99) had no idea what kind of "company" she was joining when she took a job at Goodby, Silverstein & Partners, a leading advertising agency in San Francisco.

Neither did Todd Lamb ('98). Nor Leslie Nierhaus ('96).

The three were surprised to find themselves in the company of nearly a dozen fellow CU graduates working at the firm, many of them SJMC graduates.

"(Associate Professor) Brett Robbs sent my resume to GSP, and after two trips to San Francisco and dozens of interviews, I was hired," Fildey said. "It wasn't until I got here that I discovered all the Boulder alums that also worked here."

Denise Bottoms, human resources director at Goodby, Silverstein & Partners, said she wasn't sure how many CU alumni work for the 300-member firm. But Steve Barry ('98) said there are at least 11.

"When I started working, it was great to hear about all the CU grads," he said.

Many of the alumni said the local Buffs stick together, but not just because of their common alma mater.

"We're all friends, but more because we have a lot in common and like each other's company," Fildey said.

Barry, Lamb, Fildey and Nierhaus are account managers.

Just a few steps up the career ladder, John Weber ('89) is an account director for the firm's Saturn account.

John Weber

"I oversee the advertising for two vehicle lines, plus all of the regional work," he said. "It's a huge account that never sleeps."

Being without rest may be a theme among professionals in this industry. Nierhaus apologized in an e-mail for her short answers but said she was "up against it at work." She, along with several of her co-workers, was checking her office e-mail on a recent Sunday afternoon and racing against a deadline.

Most of the crew agreed the work is quite demanding.

"It takes awhile to get used to the pace and expectations," Fildey said. "To be honest, there is nothing that can prepare you for this business like a year in the trenches."

Nevertheless, all of the School alumni interviewed said their education prepared them well for the advertising field. "The J-School was great," Barry said. "I learned a lot about understanding and working toward great creative ideas."

Lamb, a writer and art director at the firm, said courses in the School "laid down the foundations for this stuff, taught me how to draw up ideas and keep ideas simple."

If Lamb's success is any indication, it's an approach that works. He was part of a team at Goodby, Silverstein & Partners that won an Emmy award in 2002 for its work on a televised public service announcement for the Marin Cancer Project. He also writes a humor column for the San Francisco Weekly. Lamb's current work includes television advertisements for the famed "Got Milk?" campaign.

Lamb isn't the only alumnus working on a high-profile account. Goodby, Silverstein & Partners has a multitude of big-name clients such as Porsche, TNT, Goodyear, Ace Hardware and E*Trade. Every one of the alumni interviewed works on a major account.

When it comes to classes and professors they consider particularly relevant to their careers, several names and courses crop up again and again: "Don Poole;" "Walt Perls;" "Copy and Layout;" "Mindy Kiger;" "Principles of Advertising." And, most frequently, "Brett Robbs."

Fildey remembered one class in particular: "Brett Robbs and 'campaigns' was a great experience. What I learned in that class comes the closest to what I have experienced in the real world of advertising. I feel like I owe Brett for getting my foot in the door here and having some amazing opportunities here at this agency on great accounts doing really cool and award-winning work."

Interestingly enough, most of the alumni working at Goodby, Silverstein & Partners did not have any CU connections in the firm when they applied. Weber, whose 12 years at the firm make him the most senior of alumni interviewed, said he was just in the right place at the right time.

And Nierhaus, whose four years make her one of the more recent additions to the firm, said she had no idea there were so many former CU students.

The college football season, however, seems to be one thing that brings alums at Goodby, Silverstein & Partners together.

"We have gotten together to watch football on some occasions," said Fildey, a former Buff soccer player. "But the way our team has been playing lately ... we don't have much to say most times."

Regardless of their mixed feelings about the Buffs, most said they miss Boulder and think of it often. Many come back for visits.

Despite the long hours and the pressure to produce, the work at Goodby, Silverstein & Partners might be one of those benefits.

Goodby, Silverstein & Partners is "a wonderful agency to work for if you want to be a part of interesting, funny, moving, dramatic and always unique work," Fildey said. "And with cool and smart people, as well. Especially cool, smart CU people."

The agency's Web site is www.goodbysilverstein.com.

• stephen_barry@gspsf.com
• teri_fildey@gspsf.com
• todd_lamb@gspsf.com
• leslie_nierhaus@gspsf.com
• john_weber@gspsf.com