posted by Cathy

Nov 09, 2011 @ 4:00pm

A Good Night’s Sleep

This is quite a special day for me. After a great morning meeting with our spectacular Greenville-based client, Goodwill Industries of the Upstate/Midlands SC, I am spending the afternoon/evening enjoying one of my favorite locales on earth: Main Street Greenville, SC. What’s more, my daughter—a college student I no longer see often enough—is driving from Clemson University to meet me for the night. We shall stroll the West End, windowshop, eat a fabulous dinner somewhere along the way (Who can say where? There are so many remarkable options along this famed route.), then enjoy Gavin DeGraw and David Cook at The Peace Center.

Later, perhaps after coffee and dessert, we’ll make our way back to the Poinsett Hotel, where we’ll talk late into the night about all the goings-on in her life, which has no doubtedly changed significantly since she made the transition from high school student to college girl this fall.

When I planned this outing, I recognized what a Life Moment it would be for me, and hopefully, for her. I intentionally chose this historic hotel, and sitting here in the room, waiting for her to arrive, it feels just right. The bellman was courteous and helpful, check-in was a breeze, and the room is Exactly What I Wanted.

doesn't it make you want to slip in and curl up?

Even the ride up the elevator was worthy of note. A sweet lady who had been working in the lobby rode up with me and offered this perspective:

Wait ’til you feel that bed. It is heaven.

Here’s what I find interesting. How many centuries did it take before the hotel industry realized a comfortable bed is a vital part of their offering?

Today there is a comfortable bed war going on between many national chains. Not only that—many, including Hampton Inn,  now sell their own branded linens, pillows and comforters. The Westin has gone so far as to brand theirs the Westin Heavenly Experience and describes 10 layers of pure comfort, 1 extraordinary sleep experience.

I think a hotel branding the bed, and the sleep experience, is a smart, smart move. And I’ll let you know if their promise holds true—assuming my Eliza and I don’t stay up all night talking.

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posted by Cathy

Oct 19, 2011 @ 3:33pm

Celebrating The GOOD Night

This is not so much a blog post as it is a love letter—a love letter to the Power of Good. To Open Hearts. To Friendships, new and well-seasoned.

Three years ago, on what would turn out to be merely the cusp of a game-changing Recession, I got a phone call from David Kunz, executive director of The Cooperative Ministry. I did not know David at the time, but I heard something in his voice that prompted me (against all sense and reason), to take the request he made of me to my business partners.

“The Cooperative Ministry serves the working poor in this community,” he said,”and the economy has dealt us a double blow.” Financial support for TCM was way down at a time when more people than ever were desperate for the kind of help they provide.

Would you be willing to develop a television spot to run during the holidays? David had delicately asked.

But there was more to the story. The Cooperative Ministry had been gifted a performance of the Hootie and the Blowfish megahit “Hold My Hand,” sung by the incredible Benedict College Gospel Choir. Perhaps the song could be a powerful soundtrack for the spot, he offered.

Interesting, I thought. But still there were a thousand reasons to graciously decline.

(1) No Production Budget DOES NOT = Powerful TV.

(2) We were already in work overload, doing our best to support clients in a crippling economic downturn.

(3) We had an event in place to support nonprofits, and we had held it just two months prior to this phone call. CreateAthon allows us to focus our pro bono efforts into one concentrated time period—and we hadn’t quite wrapped up that work yet.

And yet I felt compelled to approach my partners with the possibility of helping The Cooperative Ministry. They really need us, and right now, I said. With no hesitation, there was a unanimous partner vote. Yes, they said.

It was not an easy assignment. We were committed to creating television, yes. But we also believed there was a larger story to share about the gifting of the song. We brought in volunteer creative teams to help craft what ultimately became a movement, With A Little Love. The team built a website. Keely Saye oversaw an inbound program. Ryan Cockrell produced a phenomenal video. Mad Monkey created TV magic:

Get Adobe Flash player

Many on the team also developed a heart connection with David Kunz; his phenomenal deputy, Courtney Thomas; and the starter of this movement, Hootie and the Blowfish drummer Jim “Soni” Sonefeld.  Each of those light-filled souls gave way more than they took, and they introduced us to other heart connections that have filled these three years with so many grace-filled moments the power of Doing Good simply cannot be denied.

So it is quite the understatement to say we were humbled when CreateAthon was honored by The Cooperative Ministry at their oh-so-swell gala, The GOOD Night. We thank them from way deep down for their generosity. And we thank every volunteer who has been a part of Riggs CreateAthon since its inception in 1998, as well as the nonprofits who have supported us and cheered us on all these years. We especially thank David Kunz, Courtney Thomas, and all the folks at The Cooperative Ministry who worked so hard to make The GOOD Night sparkle so brightly.

You have, do doubt, been a gift to us.

David Kunz and Courtney Thomas, celebrating The GOOD Night

CreateAthon Crew, in part

Teresa Coles and Cathy Monetti

Kerry Fulton and Ryon Edwards

Jay Coles and George Fulton

Teresa Coles, Pam Plowden and Kevin Smith. Now what's so funny?

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posted by Apprentices

Sep 16, 2011 @ 11:30am

On allnighters.

What’s your most memorable allnighter?

(In honor of CreateAthon 2011, happening here at Riggs as you read!)

Cathy Monetti
The 1992 C.C.Rigg’s Christmas Party at my house in Greenville. It was my
first social since giving birth five weeks earlier, and I do believe Tim
Burke, Jay Coles and I were standing in the driveway when the paperboy
delivered the newspaper the next morning.

Pete Anderson
The night before my senior thesis was due. The fatigue was nothing compared
to the sense of relief I felt upon completing a semester’s-worth of work!

Kevin Archie
When I was at the design program at USC, I distinctly remember the night before portfolio review day (aka Armageddon) because it was the end of my first “trial” year as a graphic designer, and I would soon find out if I could continue studying in the program. In other words, the rest of my life hinged on my ability to mount ten pieces of paper in a book. Fortunately, after spending the entire night cutting and pasting, I turned in my portfolio on time and found out the next afternoon that I was accepted to the program and would be “allowed” many more sleepless nights to come.

Kevin Smith
Determined to use my frequent flier miles, in the Paris airport, where hotels clearly insisted that every chair have arms.

Rebecca Jacobson
If I could remember that far back, my guess is it wouldn’t be something to
write about publicly!

Teresa Coles
The all-night ADPi house party at North Myrtle Beach during “first week”
after my freshman year. I left the beach house at o-dark-thirty, snuck into
my parent’s house for a shower without being seen, and went straight to a
job interview with a local bank. Then back to the beach in time to lay out
at 11:00 am!

Kathryn White
I’ve pulled more allnighters in my life than I’d ever care for my mother or doctor to know. Most memorable: the time I did two in a row — when after staying up all night to write papers, a boy kidnapped me the next night for a spontaneous trip to a legendary 24-hour restaurant several hours away. I still think that four a.m. “dinner” was worth it.

Ryon Edwards
Probably shouldn’t answer that question. My Mom reads our blog occasionally.

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posted by Cathy

Sep 06, 2011 @ 2:26pm

Time to Shine

When you’ve spent years in the creative business, you learn that most ideas – even the best of ideas – peak. Then, in order to keep them relevant, you reinvent. But once in a great while, you develop a gem of an idea with a life bigger than its time.

Fifteen years ago, Teresa Coles and I started CreateAthon simply out of a desire to give back. We joked that we worked in an industry with no redeeming social value – so we put our industry talents to work round the clock for local nonprofits. It was a good idea. It was ahead of its time. And we couldn’t have imagined how it would grow.

Of course, the world has shifted in the last fifteen years. Pretty dramatically, I’d say. From economic downturns to natural disasters to new digital connections, there’s a new attitude of we’re all in this together. The result? The role of nonprofits is more elevated than ever before, because we recognize the need to create good in our world.  The Millennials, the most civic-minded generation America has seen in a long time, are leading the way with their passion, commitment, and willingness to volunteer.

The advertising industry has shifted, too. I’ve watched digital communication repaint the landscapes we were accustomed to, clearing the way for a new spirit of collaboration. It’s an exciting time to work in this business. It’s even more exciting as I’m getting ready to roll up my sleeves for this year’s CreateAthon.

What’s remarkable is not that our little idea grew into a national CreateAthon network providing pro bono marketing to hundreds of deserving nonprofits across the U.S. What’s remarkable is that CreateAthon has become a movement.  In a world that’s embracing powerful movements to impact our communities for good, CreateAthon stands ready to grow faster than we’ve seen yet.

It’s time to shine, baby.

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posted by Teresa

Aug 29, 2011 @ 2:44pm

CreateAthon: An idea that made it.

One of the few things in life I know for sure is this:

An idea is only worth something if it’s executed.

We’re in the idea business, where brainstorming and what-ifs reign supreme. It’s what makes this business fun, and it’s why I still love what I do. But there are two dynamics more powerful than the idea itself:

  1. Making the idea happen.
  2. Making it happen in a big way.

Consider CreateAthon. When Cathy Monetti and I came up with the idea in 1998 to pull an all-nighter for charity, we went straight to the obstacle closet and drug out every possible reason we could never make it happen. When we had beaten all the excuses we could muster into a bloody pulp, we looked at each other and said, “Let’s do it anyway.” So we decided to muscle our way through it, to invest some extra hours after work to see what might happen. To our surprise and delight, CreateAthon was born, thanks to a lot of willing souls who rallied around our crazy little idea.

the very first CreateAthon

While CreateAthon toddled happily along for several years as our firm’s branded community service project, we began to ask ourselves if we were limiting its potential. Should we share the idea with other agencies? With students?  With corporate marketers? What would happen if we (gasp) gave up some control of our idea?

But we did, and in 2002 we threw open the doors and started inviting others to join us in hosting CreateAthon events.  Almost 10 years later, we’ve seen CreateAthon land in more than 75 different agencies, universities, professional clubs, and corporate marketing departments across North America.

What if we had never invested those extra hours? What if we had kept the idea to ourselves? What if we fail to dream big dreams for CreateAthon in the future, and to act on those dreams?

The next time you have an idea, don’t sit on it. Build that idea. Then build it bigger.

 

Comment (1)
posted by Apprentices

Aug 12, 2011 @ 9:30am

On obsessions.

What is your latest obsession?

 

Pete Anderson
Authentic retro MLB batting practice jerseys

Cathy Monetti
Looking for fun. http://cathymonetti.blogspot.com/

Kathryn White
Friday Night Lights, on Netflix. Yes, I know I’m a couple years behind on this one. But this show is so much bigger than high school football. Bigger than Texas, even. And I feel quite validated to learn that literary greats like Lorrie Moore have been just as obsessed as I. Clear eyes. Full hearts.

Ryon Edwards
spotify.com

Yanti Pepper
HBO’s True Blood

Kevin Smith
I recently got a big green egg: http://www.biggreenegg.com/. So I’m all about grilling everything.

Maria Fabrizio
http://tatt.ly/

Julie Turner
Survival. http://scwordsmith.com/

Teresa Coles
Reading Ann Patchett books. Bel Canto should be on everyone’s list.

 

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posted by Apprentices

Aug 09, 2011 @ 2:24pm

Storytelling

I spent most of my weekend offline. Which was so nice.

Friday night lights.

It began with a high school football game, and moved on to lazy neighborhood strolls, impromptu jam sessions, and late night family dinners. This was a weekend fat with laughter. There was a moment at the table—our dinner plates empty but not yet cleared—when I looked around at everyone’s faces. They were fully engaged in the tale of the family’s legendary wiffle ball games, laughing, interrupting to share remembered details.

It reminded me how powerful a story is. Narrative is the engine that moves our world along. It’s what creates connection and inspires action.  We forget that sometimes, don’t we? Especially in our world of “likes” and QR codes and whatever the next batch of shiny and new turns out to be.

Consumers are hearing more messages in more places than ever before. Without a story to tell, a distinct brand voice, a rallying cry – your brand’s message will fragment and disappear in the never-ending stream of modern communication.

Just last week, Cathy Monetti handed me a Boden catalogue to look through because she guessed (accurately) that I’d like the clothing. What immediately intrigued me was the great care they took to tell their story on every page. Every instance of copy, even down to the small “please recycle” message, had been carefully considered and crafted in Boden’s distinct, light-hearted voice.

On each page, Boden listed the first name of the models and their answers to questions ranging from: What scares the pants off you? to What do you think about when you’re traveling? Such a small detail, but it resonates because it reinforces the story Boden’s been telling all along: We’re human. We make feel good clothes. We believe in delight. I sauntered over to their website where I discovered other unique brand-building elements, like instructions for building a teepee and an end of summer bucket list.

Consider your brand’s communication efforts. Is there a story? Would your fans recognize your brand’s voice? We can build award-winning apps and deploy multi-faceted social media strategies and write snazzy ads—but in the end, what people will sit around their dinner tables and talk about is a great story.

 

Comment (0)
posted by Apprentices

Aug 05, 2011 @ 9:00am

On habits.

A bad habit you can’t seem to break

& a good habit that’s part of your routine:

 

Kevin Smith
A.  Sleeping late
B.  NPR

Pete Anderson
A) Smokeless tobacco use
B) Staying up to date by always having my car radio set to NPR

Yanti Pepper
A) I am addicted to Grandma Utz potato chips.  The ingredients are potatoes
cooked in lard (that’s the key word) with salt added.  You can only buy Utz
potato chips in the mid-Atlantic region, so I make my husband bring home a
couple of bags whenever he goes on business trip up north.
B) I put sunscreen on my face every day.

Teresa Coles
A. The diet coke habit
B. Bible study before work

Maria Fabrizio
a. nail biting :(
b. getting up at 5:00am to run

Kathryn White
a. falling asleep in my mascara
b. green smoothies

Ryon Edwards
A. buying lots of weird, typically unwanted stuff (because I think it’s cool or because I think I can do or make something with it)
B. doodling, sketching and experimenting with unwanted stuff.

Julie Turner
A. Eating Cheetos.
B. Regular exercise (see A)

What are yours?

Comment (1)
posted by Apprentices

Jul 29, 2011 @ 9:00am

On pizza.

 

Tell us about the best pizza you ever had.


Ryon Edwards
Venus Pie Pizzaria, Spartanburg, SC. Ate there while on a photo shoot a few years ago. Hand tossed, New York style. Not too much sauce, thin crust, large slices. Service not great, restaurant not the cleanest. But the best pizza ever.

Kevin Smith
Taking visiting friends and family to Lombardi’s on Spring Street in New York City, the first pizzeria in the US. The best ever, especially when it’s snowy.

Pete Anderson
My choice is Moon River Pizza in my hometown of Jacksonville, FL. I liked going there with my sisters when my parents were out of town.

Julie Turner
I have eaten so much pizza it’s impossible to say.

Kathryn White
Margherita pizza, eaten at a bar in downtown Charlotte, while wearing stage make-up and tights. After a full day of dancing, I had just finished the last performance at a museum’s grand opening. I was 15, and ravenous. The balance of fresh basil and tomato, of rich mozzarella and slightly-chewy crust tasted like the best thing I’d ever eaten. I’ll always wonder if the pizza was truly that magical, or if the dancing just sharpened my hunger.

Cathy Monetti
Homemade Margherita Pizza, made by my sister-in-law Colette Rodbell. Fresh pesto, fresh tomatoes, fresh mozzarella (from Arthur Avenue) and fresh basil from Colette’s herb garden, spread on the most perfect fresh pizza dough. Grilled right there on the Rodbell’s patio, where it was served on a perfect summer night in Larchmont, NY. I have never been able to recreate Colette’s pizza (and believe me, I have tried) but I do believe it is proof that pizza can change your life.

Teresa Coles
Brick oven pizza in Castellina in Chianti, Tuscany, on a late summer evening in 2002. Cathy, Tim, Jay and I. It was so good I smoked a cigarette afterward.

Maria Fabrizio
I have always been a cheese and pepperoni kind of person. Simple. Easy. Classic. But when I moved to Richmond, VA for grad school I discovered the most heavenly of  pies. A dear friend and now relative of mine bought one for us to share with a few glasses of wine at her house. I was so skeptical, it was from a chain called “Extreme Pizza” and it was covered in vegetables. Politely, I took a slice as not to seem rude and I absolutely fell in love. The pizza is “Drag it through the Garden” and I’ve found nothing near as good. My heart and stomach now live for fresh mushrooms, green peppers, red onions, artichoke hearts, broccoli, vine ripe tomatoes, fresh basil, tomato sauce, mozzarella and cheddar

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posted by Apprentices

Jul 15, 2011 @ 9:30am

Delightful Weekend

What was delightful about last weekend?

Julie Turner
Last weekend I picked fresh cherries at an orchard in upstate New York.

Rebecca Jacobson
Staying in pajamas till 3:00 in the afternoon!!  And had a friend over
visiting while our kids played.  Pure delight!

Pete Anderson
Enjoying sunshine beyond 8:00.

Kathryn White
Rocking on a back porch on a late summer night, listening to my friend read Lorrie Moore’s latest book aloud to me.

Ryon Edwards
Spending time with my daughter, who turned 13 on Sunday. Yikes.

Cathy Monetti
I made pesto from the July bounty of basil in my garden. I hope heaven smells like fresh basil.

Kevin Smith
Fresh cut grass and grilling.

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