AD/PR AGENCIES
A.C. Nielsen Co
Anomoly .
Arnold Worldwide
BBDO NY
Bravo Group
Brodeur Porter Novelli
Brandimensions
Bumble Ward & Associates
Burston Marsteller
Campbell Ewald
Carat USA
Chicago Creative
Cimarron Group
The Conference Board
Cramer Krasselt
Creative Media
Crispin Porter & Bogusky
Dai Worldwide
D'arcy Masius Benton Bowles
David & Goliath
DDB Needham
Deutsch, Inc.
Designory
Draft Worldwide
Euro/Halvas North America
Fallon
Fleishman Hilliard
Foote, Cone & Belding
Fusion P.R.
Goodby,Silverstein
Grey Advertising
GSD&M
Hal Riney & Partners
Harte-Hanks
Hill & Knowlton
Hill, Holiday
Interpublic Group
J. Walter Thompson USA.
Infinity Marketing Solutions
Jager Di Paola
Kemp
Jordan Case McGrath
Landor Associates
Leo Burnett USA
Leverage
Lowe Lintas
The Martin Agency
The MacManus Group
Masterminds Adv.
McCann-Erickson
McKinney & Silver
MetroDetroit Signs
The McManus MGroup
McKinsey & Co
Mediacom
Media Log
Mindshare
Modem Media
Modernista
Mullen Advertising
Noble &
Associates
Ogilvy & Mather
Organic Online
Omnicom Group
One Club For Art & Copy
P&F Communications
Partnership
Patriot Media and MCommunications
Publicis
Rives Carlberg,
The Romann Group
Saatchi and Saatchi
Schlesinger Assoc
SevenTwentyFour
The Sponsorship Co.
Sullivan, Higdon & Sink
TBWA Chiat/Day
True North
US Web
US Web Pittsburgh
Valentine McCormick Ligibel
Wong Doody
WPP Group
Western Media
Weiden & Kennedy
Young & Rubicam
Zentropy
Zyman Group

PUBLICATIONS
Adrants
Adweek
American Busines Media
American City Business Journal
Bloomberg Financial
Brandweek
C|Net
Chicago Tribune
CMP Publications,
Corbis Corp.
Cox Newspapers
Crain Communications
Dow Jones
DowJones-
Telerate
Forbes, Inc.
Getty Images
Hachette Filipacchi
Harper Collins
Houghton Miffin Co.
Knight-Ridder
Las Vegas Review Journal
Lexis-Nexis
Los Angeles Times
Medialink Worldwide
Meridith Corporation
Monster Worldwide
Network
New York Magazine
New York Observer
New York Times
News Corp.
Playboy
Public Interest Network
Random House,
Reuters Information
Screenvision Cinema
The Mcgraw-Hill MCos.
The Providence Journal
The Economist
TV Guide
United

FINANCIAL FIRMS
Assurant, Inc.
American Express
American Family Insurance
Automatic Data
Bank Of America
Bank One
Banque Paribus
Bear Sterns MSecurity
Booze Allen Hamilton
Central Life Insurance
Charles Schwab & Co.
Citicorp Global Information Network
Chase Manhatten Bank
Commonwealth
Dean Witter
Debartolo Properties
Deutsche Bank
Dorland Sweeny Jones
Discover Financial Services
Ernst & Young
Fannie Mae
Farmers Insurance
First American Title
Guardian Life Insurance
Greenwich Capital Markets
Harris Trust & MSavings
Icon International
Indymac Bancorp
Investors Bank & Trust
John Hancock Insurance
Johnson & Higgins
Kiwi Partners, Inc
KMPG LP
Kmpg/Peat Marwick
Lehman Brothers
Lazard Freres
Massachussetts MMutual
Mckinsey & Company
Merril Lynch
Met Life
Mutual Life Of Canada
Mutual Of Omaha
Morgan Stanley MGroup
Nations Bank
New York Life
Oliver Wyman, Inc
PanAsian Venture
Capital .
Paine Webber
Price Waterhouse
Principal Financial Group
Progressive Insurance
Regent Business Centers
Reliastar Financial
Royal Bank of Canada
Salomon Inc
State Farm Mutual
Sun America
Swift Ventures
VeriSign
United Title
Wachovia
Wells Fargo
World Bank Group

GOVERNMENT/NGO
42nd Communications Squadron, Maxwell AFB
Admin Office of U.S. Courts
Air Force Logistics Command.
American Heart Assn.
Autism Partnership
The Art Institute International
American Red Cross
Cal Dept. of Social Services
Canadian Wheat Board
City Of Philadelphia
City of Los Angeles
City of New York
Commonwealth of Kentucky
Communicom Services, Alabama
Development Prog.
DOD Network
Eastern Band of Cherokee Indians
Federal Reserve Board
Hadassah Corporation
Harvard University
Institute For Advanced Study
Internal Revenue Service
John D & Cathrine T. McArthur Foundation
Leukemia & Lymphomia Fund
LosAngeles Unified
School District
NASA
Navy Network Information Center
NJ Dept. of Treasury
N.J. Transit
New York Police Dept.
Office of Mgmt. and Budget
Port Authority Of NY NJ
State of Idaho
State Of Ohio Network
State of Tennessee
Dept. of Education
Stanford University
y St. Francis House
St. Luke's Shawnee Mission
The Freedom Forum
The Hay Group
U.S. Army Research
U.S. Dept. of Commerce
U.S. Dept. of State
U.S. Dept. of Housing and Urban Development
Utah Educational Network
U.S. Environmental Protection Agency
United Nations
United Space Alliance
U.S. Geological Survey
United Federation of
Teachers Welfare Fund
Virginia Economic Development
Western Cancer Center

TECHNOLOGY
Accelovation
AG Technologies
Allied Signal, Inc.
Altavista Company
Apple Computer
Adobe Systems
AT&T Corp.
Bell Laboratories
Boeing
Cisco Systems
Coca-Cola
Computer Sciences Corp.
Compass Communications
Computerwise, Inc.
Cornerstone Research
Cybernostic Group
Cyveillance, Inc.
Danger.com
Dell Computer Corp.
Diebold
Digitas
Energy Group Networks
E. D. S.
Edaptivity.com
Electronic Arts
Equinix, Inc.
Evocative, Inc
GHI Technologies
GTech, Corp.
Genentech, Inc
General Electric Plastics
GoDaddy Software
Hewlett-Packard Co.
Hollywood Interactive
Honeywell, Inc.
Hughes Network
IBM Corporation
Knology Holdings
Intel Corporation
Layered MTechnologies
Macromedia, Inc.
MediaLog, Inc.
Metrored SA
Microsoft Corp
Microsoft Hotmail
Mobilnetics, Corp.
MindShare
NKH&W Fon
National Center for Supercomputing
NTT America
Netscape
NetVision, Ltd.
New Dream Network
Network Solutions
Northrop Grumman
Nynex Science & Technology
Oracle Datenbanksystem GmbH
Pulitzer Technologies
PlayStar Music Corp.
PiloSoft, Inc.
Ricoh
Reuters Information
Rackspace.com, Ltd.
Tech
Salk Institute
Savvis
SAP America
Sciworth, Inc.
Scripps Research Institute
Sonic Walls
Sun Microsystems
Supercomputing
Secure Computing
Symantec
MSystems
UAL Loyalty Services
Union DataCom
VeriSign
Virtual Compute
Corp.
Wynne D City Power
Web M.D.
Xerox Palo Alto Research Center
Yahoo!
Yipes Communications

ENTERTAINMENT
19 Entertainment
20th Century Fox
Agency for MPerforming Arts
Ask Jeeves, Inc.
Barnes & Noble
CAA
CBS Studio Center
CBS, Inc.
CineWorks
Clear Channel
Courtroom TV Network
DIC Entertainment
DirecTV
Disney Worldwide Services
Electric Lightwave
Emeril’s Homebase Exxon Mobile Corp.
ESPN
Fandango
Franklin Weinrib Rudell
Golf TV
GE/NBC
Harpo Productions
Hollywood Gower
International Creative Mgmt
Metropolitan Museum of Art
MCA Inc.
NHL Enterprises
Paramount Pictures
Public BroadcastingMCo.
Screenvision
Sirius Satellite Radio
Sony Pictures Entertainment
Steinway & Sons
The Broder Kurland Agency
The Gersh Agency
The New York Jets
Ticketmaster
Universal Studios
Universal Music Group
United Talent Agency
Vasallo, PC
Viacom International
Videotron Telecom
Visable World, Inc.
Webb Uffnar Agency

CONSUMER PRODUCTS
Abbott Laboratories
Affiliated Foods
Air Canada
Allegiance
American Airlines, Inc.
Healthcare
Amazon.com
Allied Signal, Inc.
Amaco Corporation
Anheuser Busch
Apple Computer
Berretta, USA
Bausch & Lomb
Bayer Corp.
Borders, Inc.
Calvin Klein Cosmetics
Canadian Mental
Christian & Timbers
Company
Colgate Palmolive
Conrail
Cooper Oil Tool Div.
Corp. Edison Group
Delta Air Lines
Dr Pepper/Seven Up
Eli Lilly & Company
Estee Lauder
Ethan Allen
Federal Express Corp.
First Health Growth
Health Assn
H.J. Heinz Co.
Heinz Service Company
Hilton Hospitality
Hotjobs.com
The Home Depot
HQ Global Workplaces
Humana
Ikea NA Services
International Paper
Johanna Foods Inc.
Johns Hopkins
Johns Manville
Johnson & Johnson
Joseph E. Seagram
Kaiser Permianente
Kinkos, Inc
Masonic Homes
Mead Corp.
Merck & Co.
McKesson
National Gypsum
Norfolk&Southern Railway
Nike
Office Max
Oliver Peoples
Pepsi-Cola
Pfizer
Phillip Morris
Procter & Gamble
RCN Corporation
The Ritz Carlton
S.C. Johnson Wax
Scripps Health
Schering-Plough .
Sharper Image
Sony North America
Starbucks Coffee Co
Starwood Hotels
The Limited, Inc.
Tiffany & Co.
Tishman Speyer
Trek Bicycles
Tyco Electronics
Under Armour
Wellpoint Health
Networks
Wm. Wrigley Gunderson
Yum! Brands, Inc.

+New This Month

Caesar had his Mark Antony. Albert Einstein had his first wife Mileva. Mickey had his Donald Duck. Greatness is sometimes born in the meeting of great minds. As is madness.

One of the great-unsung institutions of our sometimes-brilliant business is the relationship between writers and their art directors, producers and their directors, account guys and their clients.

In fact, as I see it, there is perhaps no deeper, more personal, more demanding, less forgiving human interaction than a creative collaboration.

Sibling relationships are foisted upon you by fate and the chance meeting of chromosomes. You don't get to choose the members of your family. You get to endure them. In my life my, creative collaborators have been far more closer than any family member could ever be.

My creative partners have been a witness to the best I have to offer and the worst I have to inflict. I have put them on pedestals and buried them alive. They have given me a reason to continue breathing and sucked all the air out of my lungs.

Engaging in a creative collaboration is certainly not something for the weak of heart or stomach. These engagements can be worse than the most dysfunctional liaisons and better than sex on New Years Eve.

Your guard is always down because you need to be open to serve the bitch goddess of innovative thought. Once your guard is down, all your weaknesses and flaws are open for your other half to recognize and catalogue. You must trust your creative collaborator with your life and they must do the same for you. Trust among consenting adults is not a pretty thing. I highly recommend it be avoided at all cost.

There is no greater pain than a collaboration gone bad. I have had the misfortune to bear witness to many such relationships at the point they have burst into flame. Advertising legends Helmut Krone (Avis. We Try Harder) and Gene Case (Alka Seltzer. Plop, Plop, Fizz, Fizz) joined forces to create Case & Krone and created an amazing body of work, before flaming out. "Why would I bother to come to work with a person I hate?" was the way I overheard Helmut growl it, as he stormed out of the office for the very last time. And they were giants of their craft with millions hanging in the balance. Why indeed?

The last days of the partnership between Otis Williams and Melvin Franklin (aka the Temptations) were no less volatile. After dozens and dozens of gold records the two surviving members of the legendary singing group,( who had been like brothers for 20 years) let their manager split them in half. An event that lead to the death of the greatest bass singer the world had ever known.

My own collaborations have been anything but smooth sailing. But the work that has been the result, has withstood the test of time.

My collaboration with Dan Cracchiolo (The Matrix) resulted in the best screenplay of my life. "You have to bleed for the work to bring it to life," was how Dan would justify our all night screaming matches that would result in the Beverly Hills cops visiting his penthouse at least once a week for months. Their last visit saw him taken off in irons for threatening to jump from the 12 th floor garden unless I gave in on a plot point he was convinced was misplaced. (As it turned out he was right.)

Which lead me to understand the secret of longevity in great creative collaborations. If your partner throws himself or herself on the ground, clutches their arms around their body in convulsions and holds their breath until they turn blue, you must give in to their point of view. Collaborations are only as strong as your dedication to the better judgement of your partner.

I have had partners whose "voice of reason" has saved me from certain and absolute career self-destruction and made me want to take my own life. I have also had partners I would have shot in the head and gladly done the time for, (or so I believed at certain moments in the relationship) and yet traveled hundreds of miles for, just to be in the same room. Go figure.

Although I celebrate the idea of creative collaboration, I am not a good collaborator. I am far too opinionated for the average person to tolerate. Also, I have been known to stoop to sub-human levels to get my point across.

The first rule of any productive partnership or collaboration is to be dedicated enough to the relationship to commit to always playing fair. Me? I play to win. And as a result I have lost some of the greatest partners a person could ever hope to have. I say this with a certain amount of regret because as time goes on I find myself less and less inclined to ever again open myself fully to engage in future acts of bilateral creativity.

My current creative relationships, though strained at times, have learned to tolerate my shortcomings and gain whatever benefits the work might demand. To those brave souls I thank you with all my heart for your tolerance and your fortitude. I will strive to do better.

To my former partners in crime, I hereby make public apology for my random acts of duplicity and unkindness. I meant you no harm. I just don't know any better. But I sincerely hope that in time you will gain some benefit for your pain and suffering.  

Finally, to those potential future collaborators who might be reading this as part of their due diligence homework, consider yourself forewarned. Nothing easy this way comes.

Stay tuned.