name: Gerard Caputo
agency & title: Creative Director, BBDO New York
bio: After graduating from Boston University in May of 1996, Gerard started working at Mullen in Wenham, Massachusetts. There he first saw a push pin and thought it would be really cool to win one someday. In the year 2000 he moved to Minneapolis to work at Fallon. Upon arrival he was excited by the chance he would have to possibly win a push pin, only to find Fallon didn’t enter the Minneapolis Show anymore. In September of 2004 Gerard (without any push pins) joined BBDO, New York. Now he has the opportunity to help other people win push pins for their shelves and moms, kids and wives. Which really doesn’t help Gerard feel better about never winning one himself. Gerard’s work has appeared in One Show, Cannes, Communication Arts, Andy’s, Clios, D&AD, AICP, Archive and Graphis. He’s also won an Emmy for Outstanding Commercial, but not a single fucking push pin.
name: Robynne Raye
agency & title: CoFounder of Modern Dog Design, Co.
bio: Since cofounding the design studio Modern Dog Design Co. in 1987, Robynne Raye has continued to do work for retail and entertainment companies—both local and national—and counts posters, packaging, and identity design as some of her favorite work. Her work has been
exhibited internationally and her posters are in the permanent collections of museums around the world, including the Louvre (Rohan Marsan wing), the Library of Congress, Bibliotheque Nationale de France, Hong Kong Heritage Museum and the Warsaw National Museum.
Robynne is an adjunct instructor at Cornish College of the Arts in Seattle where she has been teaching upper lever design courses for 8 years. In early 2008, a monograph was published by Chronicle Books documenting Modern Dog’s poster work.
name: Joe Alexander
agency & title: Creative Director, The Martin Agency
bio: I was born in St. Paul during the state high school hockey tournament. I have 5 brothers and 3 sisters and I'm number six in the order. I attended Highland Park High School and St. Cloud State, majoring in Mass Communication and playing on the hockey team. I graduated with no idea what “copywriting” was. I actually went around Minneapolis in the mid-80s at one point asking creatives "What's the difference between account management and copywriting?" (The look Bill Johnson at Chuck Ruhr gave me is forever etched in my memory.) Luckily, Terry Bremer hired me at Campbell-Mithun. (Thanks, Terry.) I moved to Clarity Coverdale in 1988 and Jac was a great mentor. (Thanks, Jac.) Worked at Chiat/Day in Toronto in 1991 and that’s where Mike Hughes at The Martin Agency rescued me. (Thanks, Mike.) I’ve been at Martin ever since. It's been a very nice home. Geico, UPS, Wal-Mart, X-Games, TLC, PING golf, The JFK Library and Museum and many other clients like it there, too. So I’ve been lucky. I guess being a scruffy Irish Catholic mutt from St. Paul, that makes sense - to be so lucky.
name: Kevin Arthur
agency & title: Executive Vice President, Firstborn
bio: Kevin oversees all of Firstborn’s new business development and client relations. Kevin began his career at Firstborn as a producer in 2000 and in just a year, he was elevated to his current position, where his responsibilities include steering the company’s strategic vision, client relationships, business affairs, resource allocation and marketing. During his eight-year tenure at Firstborn, Kevin has forged relationships and successfully collaborated with many incredible clients, including Starwood Hotels, Reebok, Victoria’s Secret and People Magazine, as well as agencies like McCann, Saatchi & Saatchi, JWT, Publicis, TBWA, Mullen, Carmichael Lynch, and Crispin Porter.
name: Piero Frescobaldi
agency & title: Creative Director, unit9
bio: Born and bred in Florence, Italy, among vineyards and with a wine making heritage, Piero built a carrier in Film production and TV commercials. In 1996 Piero co-founded unit9, to collaborate with agencies and brands alike on every aspect of online communication. He now lives in between London and Florence, with wife Susy and son Lorenzo. Alongside unit9's first success, Piero realized to have no interest in brands; least of all in delivering old advertising metaphors online. Passion really lied in the crafting of captivating and engaging experiences, for the enjoyment of online users. With this target he has focused in creating a digital production model to "direct" online user experiences on behalf of agencies. With a preference for illustration and animation, Piero believes that great communication in all media is achieved through filters that stimulate the imagination. His favorite themes revolve around human surreal environments and story telling. Awards: Cannes Lions, D&AD, The One Show, LIAA, BIMA, FWA, Campaign Digital, IAB, ADC*E, MSN Digital,IVCA, NMA.
