Steve Hall of Adrants feels bad for Danny Kaster, and by extension all of us ad schmucks. He writes:
“While it’s known the producers of The Apprentice get sadistic pleasure out of editing contestants into idiots, it was still embarrassing to see a fellow industry professional get chopped up and fed to the nation as another twisted, reality show moron. In last night’s season premier, Boston-based POPstick Chairman and CEO Danny Kaster was the buffoon of the episode, painted into a caricature not unlike a circus clown. Of course Kaster didn’t help matters by dressing in distracting, oh-so-cool ad-wear, leading his team in a feel-good kumbaya campfire-like moral building exercise and, worse, failing miserably at his assigned task.”
As an interesting footnote to this, both Hugh MacLeod of Gaping Void fame and decorated adguy, Ernie Schenck, in unrelated but recently made posts lament the levels to which we ad folk willingly stoop.
Let me get this straight: a CEO and Chairman of some supposedly hot creative company wants a job as an apprentice for ANYBODY?
Maybe the way he dressed wasn’t an accident.
In a perfect world, all kumbaya hipsters would be dead.
I agree to a point. As a fan of Apprentice I always try to remain aware that the show’s producers will be trying edit entertainment value into each broadcast. I love watching for the next “Sam” (see season 1) to emerge.
With that said, I really had trouble figuring out how much of what Danny did (or didn’t do) in episode 1 could have had a less damning flip-side. I think the guy was an editor’s dream this week.