El Gaffney

Do Day: Jew-day

I make it a point to steer clear of agency-specific posts. For one, the risk-reward ratio just isn’t in my favor. (If that’s not clear, what I’m saying is amusing the small number of people who visit this is not worth losing my job because I violated some policy I didn’t know about or something was misconstrued and…you get the point.) For two, this blog often serves as a way to disconnect or escape from work. It is usually a place for me to establish my non-office identity. (Yet, the more W+K Facebook friends I tally up, the more obvious it is that there’s just one me out there.) For three, I’m still relatively new (4 months) and want to make sure I “get” the place before I start writing about it. (Being an informed writer matters to me!?! I learn something new every day.)

But—and you knew that was coming—sometimes I just can’t help myself. (Yes, the holiday sweater party was a prime example.) And—once again, no suspense created—today is one of those times. Because yesterday was Founder’s Day and 1. Some video footage is already on YouTube so I’m less scared about being fired; 2. This was the most unwork company function of which I’ve even been a part; and 3. It was so outrageous, yet so authentic to W+K NY.

As our offices across the globe celebrated the 26th birthday of Wieden + Kennedy, our New York office also turned 13. By the subject of this post, you know what that means. It was time to have our Bar Mitzvah (B’nai probably)…well, time to go out to Charisma Ballroom in Queens and have a Bar Mitzvah party. The theme…Ninjas. And that’s really all I have to say about that. (Still think some things should be left to the people inside these walls.) Except maybe that Coke and Pepsi was played, so the following picture makes some sense.

So forgive me for not doing much today other than recounting the day and night (which you’ve now gotten a glimpse into) with coworkers, looking at pictures, eating, and learning the words to Jay-Z’s verse in Beyonce’s “Crazy in Love” (which I butchered at the after Bar Mitzvah bar). Okay, one more picture that must have been taken right after I shouted “the best fur – Chinchilla” into the mic and thought I was going to exit on a high note…only to realize I was just half-way through…

Oh yeah, and the other reason this is titled so broadly yet pointedly is that I just found out that an article I was asked to write (theme – post-Birthright experience) for Contact (a quarterly journal of the Steinhardt Foundation for Jewish life) was just published. Check it out by clicking on and downloading the PDF of Winter 2008. (Pages 13-14)

That’s all for now. Shalom. Ying-yang. Hov!

Tags: jewish, nyc, party, wk

Sold Out In New York

Nope, it’s not just 30 Rock Live that’s already sold out tonight in NYC. The second show of Birthright Israel Monologues is also completely booked. I wrote pre- first one here.

Now, I don’t want to give anything away about my actual performance (you gotta wait for the DVD to go on sale as a stocking stuffe…eh, and/or make one crazy night a little bit crazier), but I will give you a little behind-the-scenes/in-the-bathroom look at my pre-show ritual. The first 30-seconds is about right.

Tags: birthright, jewish, nyc

Kinda In The Halloween Spirit

Deutsch recently created a new site for the Bronx Zoo that allows you to “build your wild self”. It’s really cool and educational. Given that many children will be dressing up as lions and tigers and bears and Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles, I figured the connection was strong enough to post. Plus, I just signed up for the beta version of Mixaloo, a site that “makes the mix tape digital” and decided to make my first mix Zoo-inspired. The cover art is my Wild Thing and the songs are about animals in some form or another. I don’t think I’ll be making much money (getting many points) from people purchasing it, but that wasn’t the point of doing it anyway. (It’s all about objectives, right? I’m saying that way too often lately.) They make it really easy to share and that’s smart.

Oh, and on the subject of music, something else interesting is that Paste Magazine has recently taken Radiohead’s pricing-power-to-the-people approach. Limited time offer, so cheapos get on it quickly.

Tags: deutsch, nyc, zoo

Improv of Immaturity

No that’s not a typo. Replacing the normal shenanigans is this, may I say awesome, prank by the group Improv Everywhere.

No words will do this justice. I’m just here to make sure you get to bask in the glory that is 111 shirtless dudes punking my favorite brand as a 16 year old, Abercrombie & Fitch. Look out for the single this winter, “I like boys that wear…” And then the rebuttal No Pigeons – oh wait, mixing up references. Anyway, check it out as reported by Gothamist.

Tags: a&f, improveverywhere, ioi, nyc

Friday, Two Months Ago

Oh, where does the time go? This should paint a fairly accurate picture of what moving looks like for GenGuYs post-college, pre-living with significant other…

You stop keeping track about a 3/5 of the way through.
Yes, that is a basketball hoop – I had a bit more room in my Minnesota apt.
No, books are not strategically placed and I may or may not have stolen Michael Porter’s Competitive Strategy from school. (I read it before going to bed every night.) Shhh.

Tags: apt, bball, mn, moving, nyc