Category: Stuff

Each and every year we extend thanks to our members and celebrate all that was accomplished. On Wednesday, July 27, we visited our (new) favorite spot, Flint Kitchen + Bar, where members were able to catch up with one another while enjoying cocktails and toasting to another successful year.

Did we mention that AAF Buffalo was also named Club of the Year for the fourth year in a row?

Thank you again to our members, we wouldn’t have been able to do this without your support and dedication to the Buffalo community.

That’s a wrap on this year! We’ll see you next time.

In the monotony of the everyday grind (especially post-pandemic) it can be extremely easy to feel uninspired, lost, or a little unsure of what move to make next in your career. From those starting out to those who’ve been there for a while, it’s common to question your path and lose your way towards your passion. But luckily for us, we were able to snag our personal bit of inspiration, straight in from Cleveland.

On Wednesday, June 22, we had the honor of hosting Jordan Wong (WONGFACE) an artist who specializes in large scale installation pieces as a spotlight speaker at Hallwalls Cinema in downtown Buffalo. Jordan presented his journey through college and the struggle of entering the workforce – only to find that it wasn’t what he wanted or expected once he got there. After being fired from his first job, he brought us on the journey to how he made the decision to become his own boss and fight for his passion of creating his own art. Clearly, the fight was won and Jordan has since created his own personal style as an artist pulling from his culture, childhood, and experiences, that has now been showcased larger than life in multiple museums and throughout Cleveland.

Jordan’s challenges through his own career path felt very familiar and relatable to say the least, but his go-getter attitude (and fantastic visual aids) made you feel ready to go out and make a change for yourself. By the end of his talk, his lessons learned from his own journey had seemed to have inspired the audience to question their passions as well and figure out how to make them happen. (And judging by the line queuing up to see him at the end of his talk, it clearly hit home.)

Between the amazing space provided by Hallwalls and Jordan Wong himself, we cannot wait to see what Jordan does next and are excited to see any passions that reveal themselves after this talk from the other attendees.

Did you know the NASDAQ stock symbol for SouthWest Airlines is LUV? Yeah, neither did we.

AAF Buffalo kicked-off the first yearly AdTrivia where agencies gathered at Flint Kitchen + Bar to compete and answer questions around advertising, pop culture and beyond. The eight teams definitely brought the heat, but only one team came out on top – Crowley Webb’s very own ‘The Answer Prancers’  – congrats! It’s safe to say that attendees left with a whole new bank of knowledge, enjoying an evening filled with fun facts, great food and lots of laughs.

We look forward to making this a yearly tradition, bringing advertising professionals together to let loose, network and partake in some healthy competition.

A huge thank you to everyone who attended or participated in any of this year’s events! For more info on all of our programming for the club year, check out AAFBuffalo.com/events.

Not a member? No worries! You can get access to member-exclusive events and special discounts by becoming a member today.

We continue to crank out exceptional advertising here in the Western New York area. To celebrate all that you do, this year’s American Advertising Awards brought some 1920s flair to 2020 with a speakeasy themed show that honored our industry and our local talent.

Our AAF Buffalo board of directors partnered with FARM for this year’s creative with fearless direction from president Josh Gumulak, co-chairs Lauren Carmer and Maura Noonan, and FARM’s Matt Cascarino, as well as major support and contributions from chair-elect, Katie Hazel, and special volunteer, Shannon Silva.

In our largest show to date, 455 attendees rocked out at Town Ballroom. Creatives came together to enjoy a preview of the winning work during cocktail hour and a presentation on the main stage. If you missed any the good stuff, check out the 2020 ADDY Awards YouTube playlist here.

Now, let’s get into the top dogs, the big cheeses, and the cat’s pajamas. Take a look at the night’s big winners.  

Professional Winners

Judges from Baltimore, Nashville, Kansas City, and Boston came to Buffalo in January to score more than 460 professional entries. 

Among many extraordinary advertising pieces, Crowley Webb brought home a total of 34 awards (12 gold, 22 silver); The Martin Group received a total of 29 awards (12 gold, 16 silver, 1 local award); White Bicycle took away 14 awards (5 gold, 8 silver, 1 local award); Mr. Smith Agency was honored with 7 awards (2 gold, 4 silver, 1 local award); and dPost rounded out the top five with 6 awards (2 gold, 4 silver). A total of 25 companies took home at least one gold or silver award.

Best of Show

The big winner of the night was dPost, picking up the Best of Show Award for their “Bring Home the Dome” computer-generated imagery.

Special Awards

In addition to each company’s entries, we recognize three outstanding individuals for their contributions and accomplishments in the Buffalo creative community. The 2020 special award recipients were:

The Levy-Osborn Award for Excellence in Communications went to Julie Zack of Villa Maria College.

The Joe Crowley Award for Service went to Dan Nesselbush, former vice president of AAF Buffalo.

The Future Star Award went to AAF Buffalo board member and Invest Buffalo Niagara’s Greg Pokriki.

Local Awards

White Bicycle took home The Creative Use of Paper Award for their 2019 Art Auction & Gala Invitation.

The CommUNITY Award for Inclusive Advertising recognizes advertising that addresses issues experienced by under-represented communities and gives voice to groups that have been stereotyped or ignored in media and by society, increasing perceptions and understanding of multicultural communities. This year’s award went to The Martin Group for their ADDYs Saints & Sinners Poster Campaign.

Mr. Smith was also recognized for the Best Show Book Ad Award.

Student Winners

Our own local judges, Matt Low, Tim Staszak, and April Brown, judged more than 60 entries from our area’s college students in January.

A total of 20 awards went to undergraduates from Daemen College, Villa Maria College and Buffalo State College. Francesca Bubb from Villa Maria College took home the Student Best of Show Award for her Calle Rica Food Truck.

Thank You to Our Sponsors

Our sponsors are the bee’s knees. Thank you to presenting sponsor, FARM, as well as our other ADDYs sponsors: dPost, HMN Resources, Evans Bank, Dixon Schwabl, and VSP Graphic Group.

A special thank you to sponsor Oxford Pennant for this year’s high-quality pennant awards.

Congratulations to all of this year’s winners! And cheers to all of the bims and birds who entered work and attended the ADDYs Speakeasy 2020 show. For one last creative fix, flip through the digital show book.

The gold and silver winners in both professional and student categories will have the opportunity to compete in the AAF District 2 American Advertising Awards. Check back on our blog to see those results, coming soon.

Last week, Buffalo flexed its creative muscles, displaying entries to this year’s American Advertising Awards at our annual Preview Night.

Overall, there were 526 entries to this year’s ADDYs, with each sprawled across Big Ditch Brewing’s space to receive the recognition it deserves.

Our club also broke a record this year for student entries, with 59 total. The increased student engagement is, as always, encouraging for our future pipeline of industry talent. 

Along with the viewing of our region’s top work from the year, industry professionals were able to network with colleagues and between agencies, showing the camaraderie of our community.

A big thank you to the team at FARM, as well as Shannon Silva, for their help in coordinating the night’s events.

The ADDY Awards will be held on March 6. Make sure to get your tickets here.