Crispin Porter + Bogusky’s new Boulder, Colorado office is bandwidth-rich, to put it mildly. In the middle of a long article about the agency’s move to Mork and Mindy’s hood, Adweek reveals how the two offices plan to use technology to stay in touch.
Off to the side of the lobby, parked outside a corner office, a double-screen monitor projects the party under way. With a camera mounted on top, the unit serves to keep the agency’s two offices connected 24/7 via a private high-speed 55 megabits-per-second fractional OC3 link that can scale up to 155 megabits-per-second (the equivalent of 100 T1s) as the traffic grows. The agency will project the onscreen images life size onto one lobby wall, where staffers can meet their Miami counterparts. Two other walls will hold collapsible bleachers. “We built a town square,” says chairman Chuck Porter, animatedly describing how the technology will easily provide two-way communication between the locales and allow for the random hallway run-ins that help people feel connected and often turn into productive conversations. “I want this to feel like the second or third floor of the same building,” says Porter.
The article also reveals the Gunpark Drive location of the new office. I’m sure finding enough space on, or near, Pearl Street Mall was more than a bit challenging. Oh, Alex Bogusky is riding his bike to work now. I can’t leave that out.
In the few days since they opened their Boulder office, they’ve already won over 100 major awards, picked up the Coke and Wal Mart accounts, and solved the JonBenet Ramsey case.
Wait….I thought DraftFCB solved the JonBenet Ramsey case last week. Or was that the Emelia Airheart thing?
While I have found CP+B an easy target in posts past, I commend the agency, and Bogusky himself, for moving to Boulder. Boulder is a great American town.
We’re certainly not crying about it in Denver. It should give the agencies here and Boulder more notice. Eventually. Hopefully.
Jay,
I don’t see how CP+B’s move to Boulder will benefit you. I know you want it to (and I may want it to). But I don’t see it. I suppose in time, if CP+B staffers started to work for other local firms and those firms created outstanding work, then yes, you’d have a budding ad community of note. Right now though, it’s just one super high profile player having a good time in their new digs.
Think about Portland. While you and I both know there are other shops worth working for in that fair city, we’re the exception, not the rule. To most everyone else, Portland is Wieden’s town through and through. I see Denver-Boulder the same way. It’s Crispin’s town now. It was from the day they flew in from Miami.
Hi David.
Aside from Portland, there are plenty of other cities where the success of one agency helped give rise to other good shops.
Look at Hal Riney in San Fran. It gave birth to Goodby. Which spawned Butler Shine. And Venables.
Everyone knows about Hill Holliday in Boston. now they know about Modernista!, Mullen, Fort Franklin, and so forth.
Fallon gave Minneapolis a strong reputation. Everyone saw Carmichael, Martin Williams, Hunt Adkins, and others as well.
That is my hope for Denver. I don’t think CP+B is a saving grace, but it wouldn’t hurt if staffers joined Denver shops. TDA recently was profiled in CA. Cultivator was recently, too. Sukle has had work featured in CA. Extra Strength has won well at the Obies. Integer and Cactus has been in the One Show and Graphis recently. Pure, Barnhart, McClain, and others are making noise It’s not the same city as you left it, David. Things are on the rise. It does have a ways to go, but it’s certainly not bottom-tier. While admittedly these agencies do not come to mind immediately, I hope that attention swings to Denver. Ironically, I don’t consider Denver-Boulder CP+B’s town. I think that agency has transcended geographic boundaries. I’m hoping that their presence draws talent, clients, and energy and gives Denver agencies more strength.
Eventually. Hopefully.
Interesting theory, Jay.
However, consider that for all its storied success, Crispin hasn’t made the South Florida ad community more vibrant or vital. (Of course, it’s hardly fair to expect them to do so. The very fact that they have ascended into the stratosphere in a third-tier market makes their rise all the more remarkable.)
Yes, they have more or less taken over the Miami Ad School, but most graduates inevitably move to other markets. So, for that matter, do most of the people who eventually leave Crispin. I can’t think of any who have opened their own shop in South Florida.
Outside of Crispin, the only noteworthy creative coming out of Miami these days is from Hispanic-centric agencies such as La Communidad.
Can you name even one English language agency from that market aside from Crispin? Didn’t think so.
Anyway, as you’ve pointed out, there are already a number of shops in Denver and Boulder — as well as other markets — doing some terrific work. It’s a shame they get consistently overlooked in the trade press and most ad blogs in favor of the usual suspects like, well, Crispin.
Carl,
Can you name even one English language agency from that market aside from Crispin? Didn’t think so.
Don’t let Bruce Turkel here what you say that. He’d be quite upset.
I interviewed with him once. He said I had a good student book. Problem was, I wasn’t a student. Oh well.
He also said he wanted to hire someone with a book that could get them a job at Crispin.
Actually, David, I am very familiar with Bruce Turkel. I just don’t think most people outside of South Florida are.
His agency is typical of most in that market: They produce some terrific stuff to be sure, but their overall output is erratic to say the least — a hodgepodge of the inspired and the insipid. (And, let me hasten to add, light years better than what I myself am capable of.)
Bruce himself is extremely bright, talented and charismatic. I’ve never quite understood why his agency isn’t more successful.
Your anecdote may reveal why. It would seem he judges portfolios based not on whether he would hire someone but whether another agency would. That kind of attitude doesn’t exactly seem to lend itself to original thinking.
Sorry you didn’t get in there, by the way. They’re an OK agency, but they have the potential to be much better.
I’m not sorry. If I had a book that would get me into Crispin, why on earth would I work for Turkel?
i’m guessing bruce turkel would jump if he had a book that could get him into crispin.
Hey, Carl.
Yeah. Crispin still has its PR mojo on. Miami is in the same place at Portland. Ditto for GSD&M in Austin (although MJ is doing good stuff).
As far as Miami Ad School, CP+B will probably extract students from CU-Boulder, which as far as the four year schools go, is definitely at the top of the list for future ad pros. Remains to be seen.
Hey David-
I would really appreciate some input from you (or anyone for that matter) regarding agencies in the Denver-Boulder area.. Please let me know if you would be interested to help me out. I’m really mostly looking at who is available out there and what kind of shop they run.
thanks in advance!!
@Florida – http://thedenveregotist.com/local_resources offers some good information on the market.
jay’s comment above names all the players…Crispin, TDA, Sukle, Cultivator, McLain Finlon, Karsh, etc.