welcome to optimism

are we vulgar?

By day, Colette Thurlow mans the controls of Wieden + Kennedy's reception desk. By night, she straps on a guitar and fronts rock'nroll beat combo Vulgarians. Here's how she describes them:

We're essentially a punk band.
Finally back in action after a prolonged hiatus earlier in the year. (Freelance work and degrees getting in the way, the usual). The band consists of my sister Hannah (Lead guitar), Woody (Drums) and Jim (Bass).

We've played support slots with unstoppable tour de force The xx and Vice magazine favourites The Shitty Limits. We've been described as an 'anti-fashion pack of raging bulls' by blog star and i-D magazine contributor Milly McMahon. I quite like this. We love Patti, Polly, The Wipers, Husker Du, Queens of the Stone Age.

E.P out in the new year.

www.myspace.com/areyouvulgar

 

"Move me, dude!"

Just came across this, though it seems to be a year or so old. Dan the man, on brands, ideas and telling stories round the campfire.

spherical minced beef balls

Andy Kay (above left) and Stu Harkness have fun with Dutch snacks.

In honour of Stu's (Stu is CD on Nike at W+K London) visit to Amsterdam, Andy (ex of W+KLondon, now working on Coke at W_+K Amsterdam) dug out his best t-shirt and made sure that it was enjoyed with some of Amsterdam's finest 'Bitterballenen'.

Described on Wikipedia as Bitterballen (plural of 'bitterbal') [are] a savoury Dutch meat-based snack, typically containing a mixture of beef (minced or chopped), beef broth, flour and butter for thickening, parsley, salt and pepper. Or as we Brits know them, a spherical minced beef Findus crispy pancake.

Freddie P was seen last stumbling towards the red light district.

Back in no time

Planner Richard Summers is back from a 2 month stint over in W+K Shanghai. Here's a short video of his experience:

 

Farewell then, "Chadsy" Chads

On Friday we said goodnight and good luck to producer extraordinaire Jon Chads, who has been lured away to the dark side by BMB. He's done some terrific work with us and we'll miss him.

 

If you know Jon, you can send him messages of congratulations / commiserations or just take the piss at the Facebook page we set up for him here.

Grey London

It's Monday morning. And we're rebranding.

Even more for your money...

lisa p

Planner extraordinaire Lisa Prince is on maternity leave but she popped in today to catch up on a new project she's developing for us.

kim is fifty

We had a surprise celebration in the agency this evening for ancient and venerable Exec Creative Director Kim Papworth, who just turned fifty. We gave him a lovely chair that is as old as him. Because he likes chairs.

Kim's partner Tony paid tribute to 'the nicest man you'll ever meet in advertising' and we had a 'NICE' birthday cake. (Insert obligatory joke about huge number of candles constituting fire risk here.)

Kim attempts to blow out raging inferno.

 

Thinks: ""if only I hadn't teamed up with bloody Davidson all those years ago, just think what I could have achieved".

Does this milestone mean we can now officially stop being thought of as a trendy 'yoof' agency?

the stirk has storked part 2*

It's been a while since the Stork last visited W+K towers but it brought a heavy load this weekend. Noah Michael Stirk came in at a sizeable 8lb 13 oz (oof!), courtesy of Andrew and Maggie Stirk.

In other news, our former Planning Director Stuart Smith, now at Google Lab New York, also had a daughter this weekend, named Rosalie Dorothy and another bouncing baby at 8lb 3 oz. We breed them big here.

* I didn't make up this phrase, Stuart did for Andrew's first child. No plagiarism here. No sirree.

News From The Himalayas

Its been ten days since we've heard news of Neil.  Then two emails in quick succession:

'I have aligned my chakras and cleansed my aura.  When I get back its all reiki and chanting, all day for everyone.

Go in peace.'

'Sabbatical great.  I'm sitting in a filthy shed in Ladakh trying not to catch cholera.  I've had blazing heat, torrential monsoon, and now frigging cold!  But I'm on a journey....'