On Thursday, April 25th, AAF Buffalo sat down at FARM—with Andy Donovan, President at dPost, Jeff Pappalardo, Post Partner/Chief Creative Officer at Crowley Webb, Jenna Hutzler, Director of Project Management at Riveter, and Josh Gumulak, Account Director at FARM—to discuss what advertising is like in Buffalo.
For those not intimately familiar with the advertising industry, it can often be a puzzle. What exactly does a project manager or an account manager do? And what’s the role of an account executive? The creative department, with its myriad of titles, can be equally perplexing. For instance, what does a creative director even do anyway? In our panel discussion, the experts shed light on these roles and their day-to-day activities. But they didn’t stop there. They delved into various topics, from Buffalo’s unique advertising culture to Delaware Blue Hens (you had to be there).
Panelists agreed that advertising in Buffalo differs from advertising in New York City and other larger markets. Jeff, a former city dweller, noted his decision to move back to Buffalo after working there for some time, partly stemmed from the city’s cutthroat nature. Even though he felt competition could sometimes strengthen work, he shared that the best work of his career was created here in Buffalo. Andy agreed, sharing that many of dPosts clients are also picking up on this, citing that many have mentioned loving the friendly-collaborative nature of Buffalo’s advertising scene. Josh, heavily involved with AAF Buffalo’s District 2 operations, which cover New York City’s market, also noted that Buffalo’s quality of work is on par with our down-state relatives, remarking that he’s continually impressed with what our smaller, more nimble, agencies. Jenna also shared this sentiment, noting that the connected nature of Buffalo allows Riveter to tap talent perfect for the situation at hand with ease.
Outside these topics, the panelists discussed:
- Imposter syndrome, burnout, and other aspects of mental health in the advertising industry.
- How do you get that 1-3, 3-5 years of experience often required on a job application?
- The future of advertising as a whole, but also in Buffalo, and how we can adapt to the turbulent changes of our industry.
Thanks to our panelists, FARM and Clarksburg Cider, for bringing this discussion to life.
Before we get into the whole “camp” of it all, we just gotta say: the dedication and passion from everyone who put this show together was nothing short of inspiring. Oftentimes in our industry, things can get cliquey and competitive, politics get in the way of partnerships… it’s a thing. We get it. It happens. And yes, 
Crowley Webb
(and it’s worth mentioning again… this show would not have happened without the massive support and guidance from 
The 2023-2024 club year is in full force and this year’s Annual Meeting was held at one of our favorite locations, Big Ditch Brewing. 
By the end of the night we raised $3,800! All of the tips went directly to the AAF Buffalo scholarship fund and will be used to support high school and college students interested in continuing their studies in advertising.
Huge shout out to the participating companies for lending their bartending talents for the night and adding their own personal touches to the open bar.
Buffalo Prep Day kicked off Wednesday, 8/9 with 13 students from Buffalo Prep touring local agencies. The Martin Group was the first stop on the list, where the students enjoyed some breakfast and got to know some members of the agency. They heard from TMG’s creative director who spoke to them about a PUMA x Footlocker campaign that the agency worked on a while back. The students were filled with curiosity of what it’s like to work at an agency and had a variety of insightful questions.
Next stop, just on the other side of Shea’s, dPost welcomed the kids from Buff Prep and took them on a tour of the post facilities and our studio spaces. They were engaged, asked all the right questions and champed at the bit to dive into the workshops we set up. They sprinkled shredded paper in slow motion, dressed a set, and talked gear before heading to our green room to break down some of our favorite projects. They were hungry for lunch but even hungrier to learn. Still, we know better than to get between teenagers and pizza so onto Crowley Webb for a lunch ‘n learn!
To end the journey, Crowley Webb was thrilled to welcome Buffalo Prep students, providing an overview of Crowley Webb, showcasing some of the recent work, and highlighting ways to get involved in the advertising industry no matter what your passions are. We finished the afternoon with pizza and a tour of our agency, including our latest video addition, CW Studios!
