Living the Dream

So it turns out that Gino Bona, the guy who won the NFL's "write your own Super Bowl spot" contest is a failed copywriter. Okay, that might be too harsh. Maybe "reformed copywriter" is more accurate.

Regardless, he's living the ultimate revenge fantasy of every guy who's been told "your stuff isn't really right for us." Or "there were a few interesting things in there. Come back when you've got some new stuff in your book."

Because now he's got a Pytka-directed Super Bowl spot and you don't.

At the ToadStool, we've long believed that luck and a degree from Portfolio Center were often the only things that separated creatives at hot shops from the ones toiling away at the DMB&Bs of the world. We remember the first time we freelanced at one of those shops, armed with our awards and our attitude and expecting to be met by a gaggle of hacks. But we weren't.

We were in fact, surprised, at the quality of the creative and the drive of the people we met, who seemed genuinely concerned with doing good work and frustrated by the CDs, accountniks and clients who held them back. (Well a bunch of them, anyway. Clearly not the whole agency.)

Why didn't they flee? Well, it turned out most of them had tried, but to no avail. It seemed just seeing the name of the hack agency on their resume made them lethal to the recruiters at most of the good shops. And, not having gone to Miami Adfolio Circus Center, they didn't have any contacts at those top shops to vouch for them.

So here's to you Gino Bona, for extracting the Revenge of the Ad Nerds.