Howdy folks. Kent “Snake Eyes” Brockwell here, once again manning the Weekly Report duties while Dave “Double Down” Saunders and his amazing wife Sue are off enjoying another fabulous vacation. Today and for most of next week, Dave will be sending us non-stop, mostly inappropriate texts while living the life of Ace Rothstein in fabulous Las Vegas — maybe longer if Dave doesn’t get caught with his “special dice” at the craps table. #NotBitterJustJealous
While Dave is out there playing the odds in Sin City, the rest of the Madison+Main-iacs are also gambling back here in RVA. Sort of. You see, over the past weeks and months, we’ve been furiously handicapping, researching past performances, and touring the collegiate paddocks to see what the talent pool has to offer.
Yes, the fall semester has begun and it’s intern season again. After a strenuous selection process, we placed our bets and we gathered at the starting line. On Monday, the gates opened and our new class of interns for the Fall 2018 semester was off and running.
Selecting new interns each semester is always a gamble, but it’s one of my favorite parts of the job. While many people on the hiring end of the working world anguish over the entire internship process like it’s a root canal, I absolutely love it.
Maybe it’s because I’m a former rugby coach and I love teaching practical skills. Maybe it’s because I’m almost 40 and I daydream of being 20 and living the college life again. Maybe it’s because I’m a degenerate gambler and I just want to pick a sure thing. Whatever it is, I love the internship game.
Interning is tough and I have a lot of respect for these kids (and they most certainly are kids.) With nothing more than a lot of ambition, a very light portfolio of painfully obvious spec work, and little to no interview experience, they go out into the world and beg like Tiny Tim Cratchit (sometimes literally) for an unpaid 14-week job.
While some do it just to check a box for their graduation requirements, others are truly eager to learn and are willing to kill for actual experience in their majors. And that’s the gamble.
At M+M, we put in the time to find the latter (minus the murder-for-hire part) and then we give them exactly what they are seeking — real world experience. And you should, too.
Unfortunately at some companies, as SOP, interns are used and abused with the truly crappy office tasks: Fetching Starbucks, sweating over a Xerox all day, slumming in the mail room, washing the boss’s car (BTW, these are all real examples I heard in intern interviews this summer.) What good could that ever achieve?
If the whole point of an internship is to gain valuable real-world experience, let’s give it to them. Just remember what President George W. Bush so eloquently said in 2007: “Childrens do learn when standards are high and results are measured.”
Monday, August 27 – Intern Madness
As I long-windedly mentioned in the intro, on Monday, we opened our doors to a new crop of impressionable young minds, which we hope to guide wisely towards rewarding careers in marketing, advertising, and branding. Introducing Madison+Main’s Intern Class of Fall 2018:
Nathalie Kinsbursky (University or Richmond) and Abegail Anderson (VCU) will be assisting our Account Management team, Jenna Farley (VCU) will be elbow deep in design projects for the Creative team, and Laketch “Lucky” Hale (VCU) and Isabelle Tobe (VCU) will be honing their copywriting and PR skills.
Tuesday, August 28 – There’s Been A Mugging
We got mugged. Don’t call the cops. Everyone is OK. The mugging I speak of took the better part of 12 years to happen — and it’s all your fault, faithful Weekly Report readers! At multiple points in recent history, Dave has talked about his favorite funny coffee mugs in this newsletter, and some of you fine folks took it upon yourselves to add to his collection. Little did we know that our mug “collection” would fester to invade every flat space in every cupboard in our communal office kitchen.
Out of fear that the Hoarders crew would show up one day to shame us on national television, we held an intervention this week. We are now 21,500 (est.) coffee mugs lighter and some dude at a Goodwill loading dock is loudly (and understandably) cursing our existence.
We released a new instructional video for FC Richmond this week. Check it out!
Wednesday, August 29 – Meetings and Sour Mash
On Wednesday, I traveled with Account Executive Haleigh Lader down Chesterfield way to discuss website improvements and new marketing initiatives with our friends at Lucy Corr. Meanwhile, Dave had a lunch meeting with Ed Barlow, who is president and CEO of Atlantic Corrugated Box Co. and one of Dave’s fellow members of the VA Council of CEOs. According to the brown mustard stain and pastrami flecks on Dave’s shirt when he got back, they had lunch at Perly’s.
After work, I met Dave, Account Manager Leanne Ferry, and Business Manager Brandy Seay at the Virginia Craft Spirits Roadshow at the Virginia Museum of Fine Arts. According to a crumbled, whisky-soaked press release I found in my pocket the next morning, there were more than 20 Virginia distilleries at the event showing off their boozey goods. And according to multiple Instagram accounts, a $35 Taco Bell charge on my credit card, and my Über driver, we/I had a great time.
This is what I, Leanne, Dave, and Brandy look like after a “meeting” with gin, brandy, and the Bowman Brothers.
Thursday, August 30 – Gone Country on Friday Junior
On Thursday, I traveled with Leanne and videographer extraordinaire Mitchell Bradley out to Jetersville, Virginia. We are working on a driver safety video about slow moving vehicles for our friends at DRIVE SMART Virginia and we interviewed Wallick Harding of Hard Acres Farm. I’ve interviewed a lot of people and without a doubt Mr. Harding will be in my Top 3 for life. In early 2018, he was rear-ended on his tractor and almost died. He’s still recovering from the crash, but it was a true pleasure to meet him and record his amazing story.
After work, we hosted a communications committee meeting for Housing Families First here at the office and presented Executive Director Beth Vann-Turnbull with some pro bono logo options Senior Graphic Designer Carissa Ghaffari created for their big fundraiser gala in January.
We launched a new landing page for Girl Scouts of the Commonwealth of Virginia this week. If you have a girl in your life, check it out at PowerofGirlsVA.org
Calendar!
NASCAR Race Weekend, Presented by WhosYourDriver.org
Richmond Raceway
September 21-22
Boogity, boogity, boogity! The fall NASCAR races at Richmond Raceway are right around the turn and we can’t wait! This year’s September race weekend is being presented by our client Who’s Your Driver? and race fans will finally get to see and experience the new $30 million infield improvements at the track. Tickets are still available.
Madison+Main’s 13th Anniversary
Virginia State Fair
Wednesday, October 3
The Madison+Main-iacs will be eating giant smoked turkey legs and deep-friend Oreos on the afternoon of Wednesday, October 3. We’ll be closing the office early and heading to the Virginia State Fair to celebrate our 13th birthday. How cool is that? If you’d like to join us, email brandys@madisonmain.com.
Richmond Home Show
Richmond Raceway Complex
October 12-14
This year’s Richmond Home Show will feature 250+ vendors, presentations by “The House Counselor” Laurie March (HGTV and DIY Network), an event-filled Senior Day, new products showcase, an upcycle challenge & more! Get your tickets today!
Friday, August 31 – Labor Day Weekend of Labor
While Labor Day is a oxymoron for most people, I’m taking it literally — but not by choice. In Bon Air, my neighbor’s massive oak tree lost a bet with Zeus during last night’s lightning storm and my side fence paid the vig. So did my front fence. And the raised flower beds.
Silver lining: I get free firewood for the winter and my 6-year-old daughter/genetic intern Bonnie Sue will get to play Tetris all weekend. At least that’s what I’ll tell her the “game” at the woodpile is called.
Have a great weekend. #Pray4Dave
“Without gambling, I would not exist.”
– Hunter S. Thompson