Here’s your chance to be on stage.

On May 31st, the Milwaukee Rep will be putting on one heckuva party.

It’s their annual Gala dinner and auction. The theme is “Unforgettable” and that’s what it looks to be. For the occasion, The Rep’s Powerhouse Theatre stage is being expanded and converted into a 50’s style cabaret. Popular vocalist Jimi Ray Malary, who has delighted audiences in the roles of Nat King Cole and Duke Ellington in previous appearances at the Stackner Cabaret, will return to Milwaukee for a performance at the Gala.

Putting on a party for 400 is quite a task. This year The Rep is fortunate to have Wendy Blumenthal and Ed Hashek as Co-chairs of the Gala. Wendy and Ed, in turn, have the support of dozens of staffers and board volunteers to get the job done.

This year looks to be the best Gala ever. Right now, everyone is hard at work bringing in silent auction items. The list already includes weekends in Door County, Colorado and New York plus airline tickets, Brewers and Admirals tickets and dozens of other fun items. And oh, yes, the folks at Great Lakes Distillery are donating some of their award-winning Rehorst gin and vodka for special signature martinis.

To add to the fun, attendees will be able to use hand held remotes to monitor the current status of all items and to make their bids.

The Gala is the one big fund raising for The Rep. This is an organization that’s not just a source of great theater, it’s a real civic treasure for Milwaukee. Tickets are still available (I think – they were going pretty quickly as I write this). To get in on the festivities – and have dinner on stage – contact Lindsay Rocamora at 224-1764 (lrocamora@milwaukeerep.com).

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Creativity, Wisconsin-style.

Recently, an article appeared in ADWEEK, one of the trade publications our agency subscribes to. It was written by Alex Bogusky, a very highly regarded Creative Director. Mr. Bogusky is co-chairman of Crispin Porter + Bogusky. The agency is located in Miami, but in 2006, they opened an office in Boulder, Colorado.

Anyone who is in politics or business of any kind here in Wisconsin ought to read it. It’s in the Art & Commerce section of the March 17th issue.

In the article, Mr. Bogusky tells of a meeting the mayor’s office invited him to when they decided to move. (I was impressed already). At the meeting, Mr. Bogusky was told, “Boulder isn’t looking for any new business.” It seems they only allow 1 percent growth per year and that they manage that growth very carefully.

“But,” said the Boulder folks, “yours is a creative company working in the field of creativity and employing creative individuals, and that is exactly what we want to invite more of into our community.”

Mr. Bogousky’s reaction was simple. “Oh, baby. I was home.”

I was born and raised here. I worked here for a number of years. Then I spent the majority of my career elsewhere, having returned in 2006. I love Milwaukee. And I believe that we have a tremendous future.

If we can manage to change our thinking.

When I was a boy, the machine shops and the breweries were going pretty much full blast. Life was good. But we were insulated from a lot of things. We didn’t really need to think creatively. All we needed to do was to keep the second and third shifts going.

Today, we’re a community divided. There are some folks out there who have seen the future and know that doing more of the same doesn’t cut it anymore. They are the ones who talk about connecting Chicago, Madison and Milwaukee. They are the ones who know that growing U.W.M. is vital.

But maybe too many of us have a home in the ‘burbs with two cars in the garage. Our interest goes about as far as our last property tax bill. So we vote for the guys who tell us they’ll build a wall to keep people out, the ones who define anything new only in terms of cost instead of value.

There are too many people here who have a vested interest in well, frankly, not doing anything. When I was in high school, the first thing I learned on the debate team was to try to take the negative side – of anything. It’s a lot easier to find the weak link in any argument. You only have to find one. It’s easier to ridicule and use sarcasm on anything and anyone who might have a creative solution. Want an example? Take a listen to some of our local radio yokels.

Here in town there’s an outfit called Strive Media Institute. They train inner city youth to work in the media industry. They have shelves full of awards for their work. They have graduates who have gone on to college (with scholarships) and have gotten high level, meaningful positions they might never have even known existed.

Last month, Matthew Johnson, the director of Strive, decided that he just could no longer make a go of it here. He’s moving his headquarters to Chicago.

Creativity. It’s finding new solutions to old problems. It’s trying and failing and trying again. It’s what the future is all about. As Alex Bogusky said, “It’s not the job. It’s how you do it. Creativity and excellence are synonymous.”

Creativity. It solves problems. In education. In government. In business.

But it doesn’t thrive unless it’s welcome.

Is it welcome here?

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Raise the Colors – Blue Horse has a new Client.

This entry is courtesy of Bill Sheahan, partner/director of client services at Blue Horse.

Ever wonder who could make a flag as large as the one that flies on the flagpole at Acuity Insurance, just off I-43 near Sheboygan, WI? Ever wonder who creates all those neat costumes for the likes of Ronald McDonald, Bucky Badger, The Milwaukee Brewers Racing Sausages, The Pittsburgh Pirates Racing Pierogies and Kellogg’s Tony the Tiger? Well, the answers to those two questions are the same as the name of the Blue’s newest client — Olympus Flag and Banner.

Milwaukee-based Olympus has been making flags, banners and pennants for a long time – in fact since there were 44 stars on the ole Stars and Stripes. That would be since 1893. (I bet that got you thinking. Most of us can probably come up with a couple or three of the states that joined the Union after 1893 but can you name all six? I’ll list them at the end of this blog.).

Olympus is also one the nation’s leading mascot costume design and manufacturing companies. The company has produced more than 8,000 mascot costumes for customers around the world.

In addition to being a leading manufacturer of flags, banners, and mascot costumes, Olympus is also a leading printer of custom point-of-purchase signs, banners and other material.

Blue Horse will handle a range of marketing communications activities for Olympus. Our first project was to help the company promote its custom printed POP signs and banners for the McDonald’s Corporation. To do so, Blue Horse created a custom-printed brochure with inserts bound with Chicago Screws. A sample of the brochure can be viewed in the “work” section of our Web site (after April 19, 2008). The brochure and other materials were presented recently at McDonald’s own worldwide trade show in Florida.

Did you come up with the correct names for the states having joined the Union after 1893? Here they are. Keep these in mind in case you ever end up on Jeopardy.

Utah, January 4, 1896
Oklahoma, November 16, 1907
New Mexico, January 6, 1912
Arizona, February 14, 1912
Alaska, January 3, 1959
Hawaii, August 21, 1959

For more information about Olympus Flag & Banner — or to find out what the colors in the U.S. flag mean — visit their Web site at: www.olympus-flag.com

McDonald’s and the Ronald McDonald name are trademarks of McDonald’s Corporation and its affiliates. Tony the Tiger is a registered trademark of the Kellogg’s Corporation.

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