Hey folks,

It’s Friday the 13th and there will be a full moon tonight. I’m feeling as unlucky as the U.S. Soccer team, who drew global futbol powerhouses Ghana, Germany, and Portugal in Group G for the 2014 World Cup. Better luck next time!

We tried to ward off the evil spirits this week by keeping our heads down and our noses clean. We also bought a rabbits foot and searched for four leaf clovers at Lewis Ginter Botanical Gardens. As a reminder, Butterflies Live runs all summer. Click here for tickets.

I’m normally an optimist, you know, a glass-is-half-full kinda guy, but we seem to have more bad luck than good luck this week. Oh well, there was good stuff too. (And you don’t want to hear about the bad stuff, do ya? Nah, I didn’t think so.)

Monday (6/9) – On Monday we soft-launched our new website, madisonmain.com. Big thanks to our spectacular design team Geoff “GOOOOOAL” Glisson, Colleen “Count” Festa,Kaity “Seabass” Byrum, and programmer “Jammin'” Jeff Johnson. Take a look and let us know what you think…but just remember it’s “A SOFT LAUNCH,” which means the website “IS NOT FINISHED,” so don’t tease us if you “FIND A MISTAKE.”

Also on Monday Sarah Murphy took a late lunch. I don’t know why I felt the need to tell you that, but it was on my calendar. Early reports indicated she had a salad with Green Goddess dressing.

On Monday night I surprised my fellow board members at the Midlothian Rotary Club by actually showing up a Board Meeting. I managed to line up an impressive array of July speakers, including Debra Marlow, Community Relations Director at Lucy Corr Village;Christine Holland, Learning Institute Coordinator for Commonwealth Autism Services; Jay Stegmaier, Chesterfield County Administrator; Bill Foster, CEO of Village Bank.

Green Top GM and fellow Rotarian Jimmy Hyman checks his iPhone at the “Bored” Meeting

Tuesday (6/10) – On Tuesday my bad luck streak continued when I showed up atStonehenge Country Club prepared to speak to the Southport Business Association—and learned that the meeting had been postponed one week. The empty banquet hall was my first clue.

But I bounced back and we participated in a pre-proposal conference for the Virginia Department of Health,and packed the afternoon with internal Creative Concept sessions.

Wednesday (6/11) – On Wednesday I had a very productive meeting with my fellow members of the Virginia Council of CEOs and we had a chance to chat with Stephanie Ford andScott Warren from Warren Whitney one of the premier management consulting firms in Richmond. Stephanie and Scott had great information and were nice enough to share it with our group.

We hosted the lovely and talented Lauryn Adams from Village Bank Wednesday afternoon and worked through a dozen items on our big ‘to do list.’ The bank has invited me to help unveil their new marketing campaign, their brand new TV ad, next Tuesday night at the Cultural Arts Center in Glen Allen. I love those guys they treat us like Rock Stars.

I saw this Ad for my friend and Allstate Agent Gin Brockwell this week. 
I’ve never put my face on a bench ad…too afraid the wrong person will sit on it.

Thursday (6/12) – On Thursday morning I presided over a meeting of the Lucy Corr Foundation. I am on a lot of non-profit boards, but I am only chairman of one. Perhaps it’s because I have no idea how Roberts Rules of Order work. It’s been a good year for LCF and we’ve raised money and awareness of this great organization. We are looking for two dynamic professionals, who care about the elderly and their access to continuing care, retirement housing and services. Contributions to the foundation help offset the more than $2 million worth of benevolent care Lucy Corr Village provides each year.  Contact me if you are interested in helping the foundation or visit lucycorrvillage.com/foundation.

At lunch on Thursday we were treated to a special performance by country music star Julie Roberts. Julie was our keynote speaker at the National MS Society’s Women on the Move Luncheon. The event recognized CJW COO Tracy Kemp Stallings as the 2014 Woman on the Move and raised a big chunk of change to help those living with MS. Madison+Main and our client CowanGates were both gold sponsors of the event.

Country Star Julie Roberts reminded me that
I was country, when country wasn’t cool

On Thursday night the new brand we created for the Chesterfield Chamber was approved unanimously and ta-da here it is!

FYI: save the date for September 13th, because the Chesterfield Chamber will host a mega craft beer festival at Westchester Commons and I know how much you people love your beer. 🙂

Friday (6/13) – My luck has been so bad recently I only worked half a day, but thanks to technology and the fast flying fingers of Kaity “Seabass” Byrum I was able to dispatch my weekly email to you as I drove south to OBX.

But before I left, we had a great meeting with the team at Embrace Richmond. Special thanks to friend Don Reich who made the introduction. Embrace Richmond is making our city a better place, one neighborhood at a time and I encourage you to check them out atembracerichmond.org.

I just checked the weather forecast in the Outer Banks and there is a 30% chance of thunderstorms, which means there is a 70% chance I am going to get wet, with my luck. Ironically, we launched a national public service announcement (PSA) today for our friends at the Lightning Protection Institute. Click here to see the link.

When thunder roars, go indoors,

David Saunders
President & Chief Idea Officer
Madison+Main

PS: My prediction for Monday night: USA 2, Ghana 1. #Murica

Hey folks,

Our theme this week at Madison+Main was “As Seen on TV,” coming off a big weekend at Vintage Virginia and through a week where new TV spots, PSAs and new TV production opportunities dominated conversation at the corner of 1st and Cary.

We’ll be showcasing a lot of this new TV work at our June Media Mixer on Wednesday the 18th atCasa del Barco. Be sure to RSVP for this month’s media mixer by clicking  HERE.

Or you can simply email LindseyD@madisonmain.com to be added to our Media Mixer email invite list.

It was a busy, yet productive, week at Madison+Main and it seemed “all hands were on deck.”

Monday (6/2) – On Monday we were joined by George Mason University Junior Erin White who shadowed Marketing Communications Executive Sarah Dawes Murphy. At our Monday morning meeting, we were wowed by four stellar intern nickname presentations. I am pleased to announce that the team has picked winning nicknames for this summer’s gang:

Kaity “Seabass” Byrum
Riley “Bro Shea” O’Shea
Elizabeth “Shrimp Toast” Samardge
Sam “The Sweetest Kid” Edwards 

On Monday afternoon we jumped over to SkyZone Richmond to shoot their latest TV and web ad. It was a long production day (1pm to 9pm), but we were happy that Seabass, Bro Shea,Shrimp Toast, and The Sweetest Kid were able to help out on the shoot. Special thanks, as always, to Noah, Hal, and Nick from Broadscope Media for producing an excellent spot. Also thanks to all the kids who did a great job in the SkyZone shoot; my son Jack, Danny and Griffin “Cutest Boys in the World” Moon, Alyssa Taylor, Alyssia and Sophia Jimenez, Braedon Moats, Brayden Taylor, Amy and Christopher Amitrano, my neighbors Emily, Sydney and Jenna Lopez, Gavin Barfield, Jordan and Tyler Benesek, Kyle Price, Isabella and Nick Vafiadis, Kendall Reed, and of course the star of the show, Darius Reed. And wouldn’t have been a TV commercial at all unless Jovan Coker, my brother from another mother, had not showed up to play “The Dad.”

Two of the biggest kids you’ll ever meet, Noah and Hal, in the foam pit at SkyZone

Tuesday (6/3) – On Tuesday Morning, I was honored to speak to Chesterfield County Chamber members at “Coffee Talk” about the marketing and business development advantages of LinkedIn. I learned a lot from my panel colleagues Peter Larsen from Cobb Technologies, Anne Moss Rogers from Impression Marketing, and Joe Elias at LittleBig. I am told that video highlights will be on the Chesterfield Chamber’s YouTube channel very soon.

On Tuesday afternoon we worked on finishing up our first TV spot for Village Bank and will have it ready to debut later this month. Trust me, it’s worth the wait.

Wednesday (6/4) – Wednesday I started my day at Whitten Brothers Jeep, getting “THE BEAST” inspected and a tail light fixed, but thanks to their lightning-fast service department I was back at work and only 30 minutes late.

On Wednesday afternoon Sarah, Art Director Geoff Glisson and Bro Shea were on set atChesterfield County Fire Station #16 filming a public service announcement (PSA) for our clients at the Lightning Protection Institute. Preliminary reports indicate the TV spot will be “spot on.”

Michael and Victor from NBC12 Productions working on the LPI PSA PDQ

Thursday (6/5) – Following a rambunctious Insiders Club meeting at the Commonwealth Club Thursday morning, I jumped in the car and high tailed it to Virginia Beach to meet with old friend — and new client — Taylor Malbon, Marketing Director at The Yacht Club at Marina Shores. It was good to see T and we are very excited about the TV spots we’ll be producing for them.

On the way back I was delayed more than an hour, which meant I had to phone in to a meeting with our friends at Village Bank. Normally I get very angry in traffic, but yesterday I was quite calm, since my delay was caused by a slow procession of over 1,500 law enforcement officers who were memorializing slain Norfolk police officer Brian Jones. I am always amazed and humbled by the brotherhood of those who work in law enforcement.

Friday (6/6) – I am also humbled by those who serve our nation. Today I am thinking about those who marched onto French beaches 70 years ago, including my great uncle Wade Saunders. Wade was a 2nd Lieutenant who drove his small M3 Stuart Tank onto the beaches at Normandy, across France, across the Rhine, and into Berlin 330 days later. The war ended a week later.

This morning we worked on some new concepts for our friends at Howell’s Heating and Air and Lindsey uploaded First Bank‘s latest TV spot entitled “Retirement Planning.”

Click on the image above to watch our new spot for First Bank

Special thanks to my friend and photographer Dawn Hobbs of OH Shoot! Photography who snapped some great pictures of Jack this week. The only problem is that he looks so grown up. Speaking of which, I just realized that my daughter Hattie is half way through high school today and I cannot afford the colleges she is currently looking at.

This weekend marks the 2nd Annual Bacon Festival which will be held at 17th Street Farmer’s Market on Sunday. The forecast? Mostly sunny, 93 degrees and a 60% chance of heart disease. Bon appetit.

Never let them see you sweat,

David Saunders
President & Chief Idea Officer
Madison+Main

PS: I am often asked “how do you manage to write this email every week?”

My answer? “I have a secret weapon; Sarah Dawes Murphy.”

Hey folks,

With a Monday holiday, the week at Madison+Main was short and sweet; just like Sammy Yatco, our superstar Account Manager who was on vacation in OBX this week. And boy, did we miss her.

This week’s email is going to be short and sweet as well, because there’s too much to do today and not enough hours. You’ve heard that before, right? #Davejavu

Monday (5/26) – On Memorial Day morning, I woke up early in the Hidden Valley Recreational Area sore, but smiling. After four straight days of fishing, camp fires and sleeping on the ground, Jack and I were ready to come home. As a special treat, Sue decided that we should eat hamburgers and hot dogs for Memorial Day. The EXACT same thing we’d been eating for the last four days. But hey, at least I caught a 4.5lb trout.

 My son Jack holding the big brown trout I caught last weekend in Bath County

Tuesday (5/27) – On Tuesday morning I was back at work, and back in the studio recording a new radio spot for our friends at Vera’s Fine Jewelers. It hits RVA airwaves next week on Rock 96.5. Click here for a sneak peak.

Wednesday (5/28) – Wednesday was busy and productive, and we’re happy to announce thatCommonwealth Autism Services has just signed Madison+Main to develop its new brand and a subsequent marketing and PR campaign. They are super nice folks and we’re happy to help support their mission.

During our pre-production meeting with the brains and brawn behind Broadscope Media(Noah and Hal), we were happy to welcome Will Phillips from SkyZone Richmond. We’re shooting a video Monday at their Midlothian location, complete with two dozen of the luckiest kids in Richmond. We’re very excited about the concept.

In the nightcap, Jr. Designer Kaity Byrum and I were hosted and toasted at the Flying Squirrels game by Katie Bonner and the crew at Clear Channel radio. The game got rained out, but Kaity got a picture with Nutzy and I snapped a selfie with the king of Richmond radio and the voice of the Flying Squirrels, Jimmy Barrett.

Thursday (5/29) – On Thursday morning I participated in an early morning MS Societyconference call, which reminded me to let you know the MS Society’s Bay to Blue Ridge ride is this weekend and RVA’s Bike MS, slated for the weekend of September 6th. Click here to register for one of the bike events and let’s raise some money for MS.

Thursday turned into “Thirsty Thursday” as we hosted our friends from Village Bank in the afternoon with mojitos and attended a VIP reception at Rock Bottom Brewery in the evening. Special thanks to Brian Chandler at Commonwealth PR for inviting all of the Madison+Main-iacs. We’re glad that Maryann Hartzell of CowanGates and her husband Rob were able to join us, too.

Friday (5/30) – Instead of playing golf this afternoon at the Federal Club with our friends fromNBC12, I was at NBC12 studios working on Village Bank’s latest TV ads with the talented duo of Michael Park and Victor Nash. It was a tough call. I love golf, but I love work more. #DoWhatYouLove

t’s a busy weekend for yours truly; the kids are raising funds at Swim-a-thon tonight, and I am coaching at the Alberta Smith Shark’s football camp Saturday. Sue and I will celebrate our 17th wedding anniversary Saturday night, but I haven’t made reservations yet. Hopefully AnnMarie orAcree (both avid readers of the Weekly Report) can save me a table at Morton’s.

On Saturday, Lindsey Durfee will drag a few coworkers with her to celebrate her birthday — a quarter of a century — at Vintage Virginia, and I am traveling up Sunday to attend the wine festival, but purely for professional reasons. VIP tickets are sold out, but you can still get a general admission ticket here.

We will sell no wine before it’s time,

David Saunders

President & Chief Idea Officer

Madison+Main

Hey folks,

I am dialing in this week’s Report from the beautiful Bath County, Virginia, and more specifically, holding my iPhone at a 45 degree angle towards a cell repeating station somewhere South/Southwest of Warm Spring, Virginia on top of a peak in the George Washington National Forest. Thank goodness I have Verizon. If I still had AT&T I would have thrown myself off this cliff.

Yes, I am M.I.A., AKA “Missing in Action.” I left town in the wee morning hours to do a little fishing and camping with Jack and a few friends. M.I.A. might be the theme this week, as Lindsey was frolicking in Aruba, Kara was soaking up the sun in South Carolina and Sarah was applying the 50 block in America’s sunniest city, St. Petersburg, Florida, which gets an average of 361 days of sunshine each year. 362 on leap years.

Despite having so many talented team members M.I.A. “Down South,” we were able to bang out a lot of projects and welcome some new clients.

Monday (5/19) – I worked really hard Monday morning…for a couple of hours. Designer Kaity Byrum and I left at lunchtime to join our friends at the Village Bank Charity Golf Tournament at Brandermill. I am proud to say Madison+Main was a sponsor of the tournament and we raised a nice chunk of change for FeedMore. (Summertime is a tough time for kids in Central Virginia, especially when kids in need do not get regular school lunches in their diet. Your donation to FeedMore can really make a difference this summer.) Special thanks to Jared Crowder, Vice President at Techport Thirteen — a brand new Madison+Main client — and Bill “Long and” Foster, CEO of Village Bank who filled in as “ringers” for Team Madison+Main.

Jared, Bill and yours truly had fun at the Village Bank Charity Golf Tournament. Thanks to Kaity for taking this photo.

Tuesday (5/20) – On Tuesday, I worked with AM Kelley Miller on editing the new Village Bank TV spot. We have enough footage to make a 19 minute ad, and somehow I have to cut it down to 30 seconds. #toughjob

We were pleased to announce on Tuesday that Riverside Turf has just signed Madison+Main for some branding and marketing initiatives. The Charles City, Virginia-based company grows turf for some of the finest golf courses and collegiate and pro athletic fields in the Mid-Atlantic.

Scott Hawthorne and Tad Davis from ESPN Sports Radio 910 dropped by on Tuesday afternoon to give us all the details regarding Redskins Training Camp and other sponsorship opportunities on RVA’s top sports station. My wife Sue is British and has no idea how the game of American football is played, but even she knows the New England Patriots’ Tom Brady will be in RVA this summer and is already hounding me for tickets.

I guess I couldn’t stay away from coaching. As many of you know, Jack is not playing baseball for the first time in seven years (since he was five) and I have missed being out there. I was stopped at Martin’s last weekend by a mom of a kid I used to coach and it really sunk in when she asked me, “What time is practice this week?” and I told her, “I’m not coaching this year.” But, I’m happy to tell you that Sue talked Jack into playing for Richmond Lions Rugby, 13-U, and yours truly is back to coaching. Too bad, I don’t know how to coach rugby.

Wednesday (5/21) – The highlight of my Wednesday was seeing Jonathan and Melissa Ballof Ball Office Products. Thanks to Melissa for introducing me to Greek Grill Cafe; we had a great and productive lunch and look forward to providing more services for Ball Office Products. By the way, who do you buy your office supplies from? Staples? Quill? Why send your money to Massachusetts or Illinois? Buy local from Ball. Better stuff, better service and the price is the same. Besides, your dollars stay in RVA and Melissa gives you free cookies with every order. 🙂

Thursday (5/22) – On Thursday morning I dropped by CanCan and had coffee with my new friend Katie Lackey of The Frontier Project, and I enjoyed learning about all of the wonderful things happening in their world. I left our meeting impressed, but with two lingering questions: 1) why aren’t we working with Frontier Project, and 2) why don’t I have coffee at CanCan every morning?

In the afternoon we worked on some kick butt TV concepts for a new client down in Virginia Beach. We’ve known the Marketing Director for years, but we can’t announce who the client is just yet. #staytuned How do we get so much work done at Madison+Main? We hire elves.

Graphic Designer Colleen Festa always listens carefully to client feedback 

Friday (5/23) – This morning we left Art Director Geoff Glisson in charge because he was the only one left in the building. #justkidding Even though I skipped town early for a looong Memorial Day Weekend, the guys and gals back at work were busy. Or at least that’s what they told me.

By now you already have plans for this weekend, and I hope you have an excellent Memorial Day. Next weekend, the Madison+Main-iacs will be in Centreville for the Commonwealth’s mega wine festival, Vintage Virginia. Most of the crew is going up Saturday and I need a designated driver for Sunday…any takers? Get your tickets here and click here to see the TV ad we produced for them. (By the way, pre-sale tickets are up 300% from last year. #humblebrag)

This afternoon Sammy and Colleen sent me some photos from Virginia Women’s Center’s new experiential marketing project at Chesterfield Towne Center. Everything looks great. VWC is moving to Midlothian and we’re taking over the area’s biggest mall all summer to spread the good word about these good docs. If you drop by the mall, take a look and let me know what you think of the campaign.

A shopper doing exercises from Virginia Women’s Center’s floor graphics

Virginia Women’s Center is taking over Chesterfield Towne Center

Virginia is for lovers…of wine,

David Saunders

President & Chief Idea Officer

Madison+Main

Hey folks,

“I never meant to cause you any sorrow
I never meant to cause you any pain
I only wanted to one time to see you laughing
I only wanted to see you
Laughing in the Purple Rain”

It feels a lot like 1994. I was living in Los Angeles at the time, and everyone was talking about El Nino. It rained a lot. Kurt Cobain had just died but I was still stuck in the 80s.

Fast forward 20 years, and we’re in another El Nino. The rain stopped and I’m taking the entire crew out to The National tonight to see the Legwarmers, an 80s tribute band.

I call it Dave jà vu. Déjà vu means “that you’ve experienced this before.” Dave jà vu means “that you’ve experienced this with Dave before.”

The week that was…..was AWESOME.

Monday (5/12) – The week began, as it always does, with lots of meetings, but this week we were excited to have four visitors at the MMMMM (Madison+Main Monday Morning Meeting) — a fresh new batch of interns. We’ll be properly introducing them to you next week, but we welcome Elizabeth and Riley from the University of Virginia, Kaity from Longwood (Go Lancers!) and Sam from VCU (Go Rams!)

Tuesday (5/13) – After Rotary on Tuesday morning, Account Manager Kelley Miller and I joined a bunch of Village Bank customers at NBC12 to shoot the bank’s latest TV ad. Special thanks to Valerie, Michael and Victor for their hospitality and professionalism. We know the spot is going to be “spot on.”

Backstage with “Banks,” star of Village Bank’s new ad

Wednesday (5/14) – Digital Marketing Manager Dorsey McFadden returned from a week of vacation, only to find a mountain of emails, actions and spreadsheets. She disappeared into her office and we haven’t seen her all week. #SaveDorsey

We dropped by to see Lynn and Greg at Davis & Green Electrical on Wednesday and presented our latest concepts for their new TV commercial. They liked them! #winning. As soon as we figure out which of the three they like best, we’ll get started on producing it. #staytuned

Thursday (5/15) – Thursday started early with an Insiders meeting at Hearth & Home Shoppe in Mechanicsville, where host and friend Mark “the man with two first names” James entertained our merry band of business-types. As it turns out, summer is a great time buy a fireplace. Who knew? Visit their website to get a great deal on a stove, fireplace or outdoor grill… but don’t mention my name if you want a good deal.

It was our spring intern Kristen’s last day on Thursday, which made us a wee bit sad, but she’s promised to keep in touch…and keep her nickname “Cheeeetah.”

Dorsey and Account Manager Sammy Yatco rep’ed us at the AMA luncheon at UR’s Jepson Alumni Center, where they heard guest speaker John Thornton, Digital Marketing Guru at Google talk about…what else….Google.

Thursday night was a treat, as I got to have dinner with two very special women in my life; my wife Sue, and my work wife, Molly. Thanks to Sean, Acree and the crew at Morton’s for a spectacular evening. Sean, RVA’s best bartender, is now on Twitter: @seanatthebar

Friday (5/16) – I noticed that something was horribly wrong when I walked into the building this morning. Lindsey Durfee wasn’t at her desk. We reluctantly let Durf go to Aruba for a much-needed vacation. I hope she has fun, and stays safe. We need her….already. (Durf, if you read this on your iPhone in Aruba, please call the office). #justkidding

Thanks to Jennifer “Life Size Barbie” Barbin, our super-rep at NBC12, who treated our account team to a delicious lunch at Stella’s earlier today. I learned lots about NBC12’s offerings for our clients. I also earned that Jen likes to drink at lunch. And I learned that Keftedes means meatballs, in Greek.

Jennifer Barbin celebrates Free Vodka Friday at Stella’s

A few weeks ago, we received a nice letter from the Greater Richmond Chamber Impact Award committee, notifying us that someone had nominated Madison+Main again for an Impact Award…for the 6th straight year. We dropped off the application this afternoon, M+M style: the application was delivered by an intern dressed up like Banana.

Mike Leonard Executive Deirector of the SBDC at the GRCC takes a selfie with intern Kaity.

We’ve never won an Impact award, so let’s hope the 6th time’s the charm. #WeAreTheSusanLucciOfChamberAwards

Everyone is getting their 80s groove on, and thank God for “Best of the 80s Reloaded” on Pandora. VP of Operations Molly Quarles has been dancing non-stop.

 Molly says let’s get physical, physical.

What would you do for a Klondike Bar? (1983)

David Saunders

President & Chief Idea Officer

Madison+Main

Read More →