On Wednesday, April 29, spring sprang to life as business managers from 11 global advertising agencies gathered at Napoleon’s Flatiron headquarters for the first-ever Business Manager Spring Soirée, a chance for business managers from across the industry to socialize, explore Napoleon’s spectacular studio and celebrate the arrival of spring in style.
Business managers from Arnold NYC, BBDO, BBH, DDB Worldwide, FCB, Grey Worldwide, J. Walter Thompson, Lowe Campbell Ewald, McCann, McGarry-Bowen, Ogilvy & Mather enjoyed cocktails, sushi and hors d’oeuvres with colleagues from Napoleon that included President Doug Miller, VP/Sales Jane Carter, VP/Business Manager Annabel Salmon, Director of Business Development/Executive Producer Paul Johnson, Senior Account Executive/Sales Nikki Boscarino Roma, Sales Representative Craig Schoenbaum, VP/Senior Creative Director Ken Kresge, Head of Production Perry Morton, Creative Director Matt Gendron, Art Studio Manager Scott Stein and Art Studio Technical Director Norm Morales.
Surrounded by fresh-cut flowers and mason jars of moonlights and serenaded by a soundtrack that ranged from Sinatra and Dusty Springfield to Springsteen and the Stones, guests were treated to a tantalizing spread of NYC favorites: hors d’oeuvres from Kitchen Provance, sushi from Abeca and chocolate-covered bite-size cupcakes from Baked by Melissa in addition to a selection of artisanal cheeses, craft beer, wine and the evening’s signature cocktail, the Frenchie, made from pear vodka, cranberry and pineapple juice.
Napoleon VP/Sales Jane Carter, who sponsored the event, chose the winner of a pair of tickets to Broadway’s newest smash musical, “An American in Paris,” from a bowl of Post-it notes with the names of attendees. The lucky recipient? Theresa Maranzano from Grey Worldwide.
“Thank you for celebrating the business managers in advertising!” says Toni Velez-Lucarelli of Lowe-Campbell-Ewald. “It was a lovely event. Your space is great, and how wonderful to see some of the ladies I used to work with.”
DDB’s Marie Sawicki agrees. “It was great to see all of the folks from Napoleon and all the business managers. I saw some old friends and made some new ones.”
Napoleon’s Jane Carter says the inspiration for the event was to honor the unsung heroes of the advertising industry.
“Over the years, business managers have worked with us to finalize budgets, get us POs, follow up on overages and basically do a lot of the grunt paperwork. We felt it was time to finally meet the voices on the phone and email-senders. We wanted to show off all that Napoleon has to offer in our beautiful new facility as well as our ‘pipeline process’ so they can understand more of what we can offer as a turnkey solution. A great time was had by all!”
About Napoleon
A previz powerhouse since 1985, Napoleon (http://napoleongroup.com/) has not only endured, we’ve expanded, using our previz prowess as a springboard to a full portfolio of products and services that now includes art, audio, broadcast and digital/content. Thanks to a trait programmed into our DNA from the very beginning—the ability to adapt to meet advertising’s ever-changing needs—our longevity is unrivaled, our talent untouchable, our client list unparalleled and our facility incomparable.
Nothing sets Napoleon apart more than our New York City headquarters. In 2013, at a time when much of the industry was downsizing, Napoleon seized an opportunity for growth and, after 15 years in midtown Manhattan, moved to a custom-built facility in the city’s new nexus of creativity and technology, the vibrant Flatiron District. Gutting Kate Spade’s former offices, Napoleon created a one-of-a-kind, bi-level 14,450-square-foot contemporary office and production studio that makes our diverse capabilities clear.
The new project-centric space features a 12-camera Vicon Bonita motion-capture system, a spacious green-screen stage, stylishly efficient edit and audio suites and a sleekly modern kitchen that allows our peerless client services to shine, all seamlessly tied together with a state-of-the-art infrastructure. The studio boasts an open-air workspace for 50-plus creative directors, animators, editors, designers, illustrators, modelers, compositors, scripters, character artists, motion-graphics artists and producers, expressly designed to foster creative collaboration among staff and clients alike.
Savvy agencies and brands seeking peerless experience and expertise know there’s only one place to turn: Napoleon (http://napoleongroup.com).
