2018 – End of Year Recap

Icon Awards and Silver Medal Winner

As this year drew its close to the AdFed season, colleagues, family and friends gathered at Johnny Martin’s Car Central May 31st to honor each other through the 2017 Icon Awards and Silver Medal Award. We had over 27 nominations submitted, championing the best graphic designers, media strategists, copywriters, media vendors and more. Thank you so much to those who participated, either as a nominator or one who attended the event in support of someone they knew and was excited to see take the stage.

Congratulations to this year’s winners:

Account Planner of the Year, Sam Minneti, Design Rangers Media Strategist of the Year, Ralitsa Carter, Twelve Legs Marketing Advertising Vendor of the Year, Boyd Struble, Boyd’s Neon News Writer of the Year, John Hazlehurst, CSBJ Media Sales Person of the Year, Renee Maisel, KOAA News First 5 Producer of the Year, Jason Carter, Twelve Legs Marketing Copywriter of the Year, Jim Melzer, Melzer Advertising Media General Manager of the Year, Karen Hazlehurst, Colorado Fun Guide Designer of the Year, Troy DeRose, Fixer Creative Next Generation Award, Laura Tiller, Neon Pig Creative That evening also ushered in 2017’s Silver Medial Recipient, Chris Schell, owner of the Design Rangers.

In March of this year, AAFCOS hosted the Local American Advertising Awards show and competition at Studio Bee, showcasing 177 entries from 35 professionals and 30 students. 
 Then in April, AAF Tucson hosted the Regional Awards judging where all Gold entries from our competition went up against markets like LA, Las Vegas, Hawaii, and Washington just to name a few. From there, winners of the Gold at Regional went on to the National Advertising awards that took place last weekend in Chicago where we celebrated not just the winning advertisements but also another year of amazing work from everyone all over the country. Congratulations to our own Design Rangers and Dibbleland Studios both of whom won gold in our competition and were forwarded to this next stage where they won Silver at the Regional level! One of the honors and benefits for serving on the leadership team for your local chapter is the opportunity to attend Admerica. Its because of the generosity of sponsors and the public service project that we as a club are able to afford the conference admission, travel and lodging for the President and Vice President. This year, myself and Laura Tiller, our Vice President, attended the 4-day conference in Chicago. This year was much like those in the past, a jam-packed week of educational classes and keynotes, celebrating club achievements and individual achievements within AdFed nationally and of course, the big evening on Friday viewing work of those who placed Gold and received a National Award. In the same banquet hall, the nation’s largest agencies such as BBDO, Whiskey Design, Venables Bell & Partners, Goodby Silverstein & Partners took the stage to accept awards for their work on P&G, GE, Chipotle, Stacy’s Pita Chips and Doritos just to name a few. The complete list of winners can be found here. Laura and myself attended classes ranging in topics from harnessing the power of live events and corporate sponsorships, how data and AI are changing the advertising landscape in outdoor media, advertising for those with disabilities and communicating to a more diverse audience, how aligning with an artist or musician can benefit or backfire on your campaign, and how to shape a resourceful office to retain talent and grow the individuals who make your company great. We also attended many club-management classes geared to helping grow our local chapter and increase member benefits. Local Colorado Springs celebrities were also in attendance including our District’s Governor and Past AdFed President Erica Rockenstein, 1st Lt. Governor Sandy Arizmendis, and Dawn Dawson, District Board Member.

Passing The Torch

To end this year, I would like to thank the 2017 board for their countless volunteer hours and spirit they put into this year’s programs. Without their dedication and execution, we wouldn’t have a strong community of advertising that we do. They say to take life one day at a time but with the challenge of planning out a full year of programs and collaboration, sometimes you have to take one to several months at a time and I could not have asked for a better group of people to help me do it. I also want to thank your members and everyone who attended our events this year. Taking the time out of a busy week to still engage in networking, educational and professional development can be tough, especially in this city where we are pulled in many directions for activities to do and clients to support. It is my pleasure and honor to pass the torch of leadership to your next President, Laura Tiller, and Vice President, Gina Pietramale. I’ve been very lucky to have operated this year with their support and I look forward to being able to offer that support back as board chair this next year. Both Laura and Gina share the right ingredients to make a thriving club; a love for the advertising industry and having fun. One of their first duties is to shape the board for the upcoming year and that process starts today. Interviews will be conducted to fill in the 2018 board of directors and we are open to accepting nominations for board candidates. If you or anyone you know who may be a great fit for our club management, please contact aafcoloradosprings@gmail.com for more information. In this next year our board looks forward to continuing the traditions of the American Advertising awards, hosting educational discussion panels and brining out community closer together through passions we all share for Advertising. Thank you for another exciting and fulfilling year.   – Michael O’Cana