Robb Shoots Olson Advertisings BRICKMAN for their Big News!!!!!!!

I was approached a while back by the Art Buyer of Olson to shoot their mascot known as the BRICKMAN for big news they had on acquiring DIG a pr firm in Chicago. This was a great project to work on with Olson cause not only was the concept great but I got to head out to Chicago for some upside down pizza at Gino's East!!!!! This was so much fun and really tough because we only had a few minutes to shoot this project cause of the extreme weather conditions. The night we arrived it was 70 degrees out with rain and thunderstorms all day and night. We wanted the nice morning light the day of the shoot so when we headed out at 6am it was 15 degrees out with a bone chilling wind coming off the lake that made things a bit rough. We found the best location to view the beautiful Chicago skyline was next to the aquarium and planetarium...we pulled up in our trusty rental car full of camera gear and the Brickman costume which filled the car from floor to ceiling and decided to get ready. The poor guy wearing the costume which is nearly impossible to put on by oneself had to stand outside with no shoes on holding himself up by my shoulder while I put the legs and shoes on. It reminded me of the little boy in the Christmas Story when his mother bundles him up so much he can't put his arms down well this poor guy couldn't even move his arms so I had to put the head of the costume on for him. This wasn't pleasant either for him cause I had to literally smash this thing down on top of his head, hahaha. By the time we got this costume on we were both freezing, I could barely muster the strength to press the shutter button on my camera it was so cold. I had to guide him over to the spot where we took the picture cause he couldn't see anything, had no balance and was being blown around from all the wind hitting against the giant costume. After a few minutes I knew we had the shot and he was ready to get outta that costume and into the warm car. As we were dismantling this monster of a costume a Chicago Police Officer pulled up and asked "Should I be worried about a bomb or anything?, What in the world are you guys up too?" After we all laughed together and we explained he and the city of Chicago had nothing to worry about we were finally on our way!!!!!! Here is the Press Release on the whole deal.

News

OLSON and Dig Communications Join Forces

Mon Dec 6 2010
OLSON, the Minneapolis brand connection agency, is acquiring Dig Communications, the Chicago-based public relations agency. Together, OLSON and Dig will broaden existing public relations services, delivering enhanced thinking, creativity and capabilities to clients. Dig’s founder Peter Marino will serve as president of the newly combined Dig and OLSON PR practices.
With the addition of Dig, nearly 20 percent of OLSON’s revenue will now be driven by PR, securing the agency’s position as one of the top 10 independent, full-service marketing agencies in the United States.
“The borders between different agency disciplines continue to blur, and that’s why we have been building a cross-disciplinary agency that will thrive as that dynamic accelerates,” says Kevin DiLorenzo, president and CEO, OLSON. “Clients may come in through any number of doors at OLSON, but all will have a broad, deep set of capabilities at the ready to help them grow their business. Combining Dig with our current PR capabilities creates a next-generation PR firm to enhance our agency model.”
OLSON, a privately held agency, was named earlier this year to Ad Age’s “Agencies to Watch” list for its “out-of-the-box thinking.” Dig Communications, founded in 2004 by PR veteran Peter Marino, was named by PR Week in 2009 as that publication’s small agency of the year, and by Inc. magazine as one of the nation’s 5,000 fastest-growing private companies. For more on Dig, and to link to its new blog, follow @think_room on Twitter.
“We have been fortunate to grow with great clients and great employees who believe in the increasingly critical role that PR plays,” said Peter Marino, founder and president, Dig Communications. “OLSON is the perfect partner. We think alike and are both highly motivated to move our clients’ brands forward.”
Ultimately, Dig will transition to become OLSON PR. All Dig employees will remain in their office locations in Chicago, New York, Los Angeles, San Francisco and Milwaukee, and OLSON PR will remain in Minneapolis. Earlier this year OLSON closed a deal with Denali Marketing, which added brand loyalty, one-to-one marketing and analytics to the agency’s offerings.
OLSON’s expanded PR discipline serves some of the largest brands in the world including MillerCoors, Wm. Wrigley Jr. Company, Southwest Airlines and Harley-Davidson. These will be combined with OLSON’s existing PR clients, including General Mills, Country Inns & Suites By Carlson and PepsiCo brands Izze Sparkling Juice and Naked Juice.
“Dig’s capabilities will truly augment our services. It’s a great match in the way we both think and serve clients—making this deal feel right from the get go,” adds DiLorenzo. “And Dig’s already thinking, like OLSON, in innovative, holistic ways. This year, it brought home four gold Effies, the top marketing effectiveness award in the world—quite unusual for a PR firm. Add that to OLSON’s 18, and together we’ve hauled 22 Effies home in the last nine years.”

Rodeo

A Photographic Series by Robb Long

This was so much fun.  I watched a bit of the action when the guys came outta the gates but wanted to see what happens behind the scenes. I started talking with the riders that were in a fenced in area with all their saddles, boots, hats, rope and extra pairs of dirt stained jeans sitting around. I started shooting my photos, mainly from the hip so I got some real good decisive moments. While most photographers were out capturing peak action of the guys actually riding, while I was behind the scenes capturing what these guys are all about, the rituals they go through before saddling up, the ups and downs from a good or bad ride and the bond they all share with one another as riders.