Archive for November, 2010

  • 30 November2010

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    Pappasitas on music

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    Much like every creative agency, music fuels the way we work around here. On any given day one is subject to a mix of completely random songs – ranging from Ying Yang twins to Justin Beber to Band of Horses and whatever obscure indie band Loren or Berg have lined up. That is unless it’s “Full Album Friday.” What is full album Friday? Well it’s a day where if you get your request in early enough, you can control a good 45 minutes of the tunes heard between our walls.

    Lucky for some there is a no hating policy, so we really are at the will of who has the request in first. On one unfortunate Friday we had to listen to a string of tweenie bopper Top 40 hits in their full cd glory. That was a rough day, so rough in fact that one of the creatives forwent happy hour due to a Taylor Swift induced headache. Which he was claims he was unable to shake until mid-day Sunday. If only someone had introduced him to unhearit.com his weekend could have been salvaged.

    On the trek home from our summer wine country outing a very serious question was posed to a handful of folks. Well, really just to the people sitting nearest to Andy (a man of many hats, but most important, the man who you must submit your full album Friday request to). Much like every “web dude” Andy is really into old punk and seeing favorite bands in small clubs with awesome sound systems. SO, Andy tasked the folks around him to answer this question:

    “If you could see any band next week at the 9:30 Club who would it be? The only stipulation is that the KEY members have to be alive”

    And here is what we learned:

    Jeremy: Radiohead, Muse, Damian Marley

    Sean W: Fugazi, Archers of Loaf, Social Distortion

    Alison Medland: Beck, Radiohead, M Ward and somewhere, The Stones trump one of these just not sure which one

    Loren: The Decemberists, Jay-Z, The Stones

    Joel: Fugazi, P’funk, Maceo Parker

    Andy: Fugazi, Hot Water Music, The Cure

    Katy: Jawbreaker, Hot Snakes, Elton John

    Linda: (hers really slips my mind, but it reminds me of the lineup to an “All Good” festival, something about Dave Matthews Band, String Cheese Incident, Blues Traveler, etc etc)

    THE man himself, Anthony Pappas: The Rolling Stones, and…..Pink.

    Feel free to request an album for Friday, we’ll even do a dedication if you’d like. In fact…I’ll be out of the office this week, so go wild with the Paul Anka requests.

  • 30 November2010

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    Letterpress Love

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    I don’t know if its my heightened awareness, or if there really is a resurgence of the art-form, but I am starting to see more and more letterpress media and attention where ever I go. Typeface the film does a wonderful job of telling the story of the dying craft and how its being kept alive, and really was a great film to watch as I begin my adventures in letterpress.

    With all this popping up on my radar, I recently got to take part in a letterpress project at nearby studio, Pyramid Atlantic. It was a chance to experiment with vintage printing techniques, meet a bunch of local designers and get my hands dirty and play!

    Pyramid Atlantic does a promotional calendar every year, and the proceeds go to funding the studio. A different artist designs and prints each month, and I got to do February. After rounds of idea editing and mockups, I chose to go with the ‘love is a battlefield’ idea, submitted art work for plates to be made. Then I spent a Saturday mixing just the right purple and grey, and rolling out 120 copies of my month. Once everyone had completed theirs, the group of us met for a letterpress happy hour / assembly line, where most of us got to meet for the first time.

    It was a great time and I can’t wait to start my next letterpress project. You can read more about Pyramid and see all the month designs on the PA blog. –And you can get your own 2011 copy here!

    February

  • 24 November2010

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    Thank you!

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    I don’t know about you, but I feel like I blinked sometime back in June and all of sudden it became Thanksgiving. I feel like I just labeled the last box and moved the office from 7900 Westpark to 671 Glebe. However, here we are, with just about 5 weeks to close out 2010. It’s at this time that we all crowd around tables with the ones we love and feast on delicious food. It’s also at this time that I’d like to share a list of things I’m thankful for:

    The city of Arlington

    Did I mention that we moved to Arlington this year? I’m very thankful for it. The view from the office (tree-lined Westover) is way better than the old view (PriceWaterHouseCooper building). Plus, see my prior posting about improved lunch options and the ability to take walks at lunch. Ok, so getting the concrete finished in the foyer was a complete PITA, but the new space is really something to be thankful for. If you haven’t stopped by to see it, you are welcome anytime!

    Great people

    I am so thankful to come to work every day and work with truly wonderful people. People who care about the work we do, and the clients we do it for. Co-workers who laugh every day and (sometimes begrudgingly) say “no problem” when I’m standing over their shoulder asking for “just one little thing” (I am looking at you Erin Brophy). Strategists and Creatives who look a challenge in the face and work diligently to figure it out. Clients who trust us with their business, and give us the reigns to do the work we do.

    Opportunity to do what we love, and get paid for it

    We wouldn’t be in the space we are in, and work with the people we do, if it weren’t for the opportunities presented to us each day. Sure, they don’t arrive in neat little baskets and sometimes they disguise themselves as challenges, but I am thankful for them. The opportunity to do what we love and get paid for it is something that not everyone gets every day. The opportunity to work with people that truly want to “push the (proverbial) envelope” and not just “slice the bread and get it out the door” is unique, and the grass is not greener on the other side (trust me, I’ve been there). Oh wait, I already mentioned people. Sorry, but it bears repeating.

    Coffee

    We get to work early(ish). We work late. We need coffee. (A special “thank you” shout out to Noorul Mahmood for keeping it flowing!)

    Days off

    The office will be closed on Thursday and Friday this week so that all of the great people we work with can enjoy the holiday with their friends and family. We’ll be back bright-eyed and bushy-tailed on Monday, ready to welcome the opportunities that another day brings!

    This is just a short list, I could go on much longer, but there are timesheets to chase down, deadlines to make sure are being achieved, and turkeys to roast. Thank you for letting me share these brief thoughts, and enjoy your Thanksgiving!

    -lk

  • 21 November2010

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    The Laramie Project

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    On Friday I went to go see The Laramie Project at the new Arena Stage. I could see the building right from the metro, it is structurally different than any other building in the area. The walls are all glass and the roof lights up to show its round shape. When you walk up the stairs you can see the roof of the old building since they built the new one around it which is pretty interesting.

    I don’t know if you any of you have seen the Laramie Project but it was unlike any play I have seen before. There are very little props, just chairs for each of the actors, tables, jackets or clothes for the actors as they move from one character to the next and perhaps one or two other items. There were only eight actors but they each played 15-20 different people by changing their posture, hair style, voice, etc. It was pretty amazing and totally believable. Some of the cast was from the original Tectonic Theater Project who went to Laramie and conducted the 200 some interviews of the people from the town and University. I was left wishing I had bought tickets for the follow up play The Laramie Project: Ten Years Later where they went back to the town to conduct interview ten years after the Matthew Shepard tragedy.

    http://www.laramieproject.org/

  • 19 November2010

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    A revolution.

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  • 18 November2010

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    Stay tuned…

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  • 17 November2010

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    Delivering Pappas Access

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    Three months ago, Kate Lysaught wrote about her experience getting hooked up to the Pappas IV.  Not to be taken lightly, the Pappas IV has been known to cause frequent caffeine cravings and uncontrollable outbursts of creativity with new Pappasites sometimes needing weeks to develop a proper tolerance.  Nevertheless, we’ve witnessed its incredible benefits when taken with a ready mind, so we’re providing more Pappas access (or Pappaccess) than ever before.

    The Pappas Twitter now offers daily links and laughs while this very blog will be updated with more musings and mumblings directly from the Pappas team.  The Pappas Newsletter has evolved into a monthly serving of news and notes and the Pappas Group Facebook page is your destination for photos and commentary.  For press releases, appearances, award announcements and Anthony’s most recent Washington Business Journal column, visit the Pappas News section of our website.

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  • 09 November2010

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    Punch, Karate Chop, Poke in the Eyes?

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    A while back, we had an internal “contest” to decide what we should call our three conference rooms. The winning names turned out to be Rock, Paper and Scissors. A few weeks later and we now have signage for each room, made of icons (fun!) instead of the usual words (so over-used). They are frosted vinyl stickers, and I think they look pretty sharp. Meet me in Rock. \m/