Awesome, for his age.

Derek Slayton, a Principal here at Trampoline has been named to the Post Star's 20 Under 40 list.

Co-founding a creative agency that has grown by leaps and bounds in each of its 7 years, producing campaign work that has won 17 Nori Awards from the Albany Ad Club, contributing well over $100,000 in volunteer time, in-kind donations, and financial contributions (just last year) and providing new jobs for young professionals in the middle of a recession is a lot to do.

Dude ain't even 40 yet.

We'd also like to congratulate a few of our friends and clients who also made the list: Christine Dawson, Director of Development at the Hyde Collection, Michael Murray, Vice President of Commercial Lending at Adirondack Trust, and Likling Khoo, Owner of Baker's Dream and creator of incredible deliciousness.

Congrats to all the deserving professionals who made the list!

BlogHer 2010 Recap

There are few events, outings or days, even, that pass in the life of a Tramp that don't produce a colorful story. BlogHer 2010 in New York City was no disappointment.

We endured preternaturally bright mornings with otherworldly beings.

"Never miss an opportunity to communicate." We tried to shut it off for the weekend, but creative never sleeps.

When we weren't mouthing off, we were scoping Martha Stewart's rooftop digs.

There was nightlife that allowed for partying with the youngin's,  a 12 year old to be exact.

A highlight of the weekend was seeing Amy's work displayed at the Kirtsy + BlogHer Voices of the Year Auction and Gala.

There was even the requisite celebrity siting a mere 2 minutes after stepping off the train at Penn Station.

Between the conference sessions bridging social media and worthwhile content, networking soirees with influencers, powerhouses and straight-up fun people and contemplative pow wows in the marathon elevator rides, we discovered that at the end of the day, big city or small town, a beautiful sunset, a kind word and a pair of comfortable shoes are things we can all agree make the world a better place.

Little Tramp

No sense gilding the lily. Jake became a Tramp this summer and this fall he'll officially become a dad, with the little slice of perfection you see above growing into another Sox fan even as we speak. Our congratulations to The Haddens!

Judging Amy

Stacey Mattison, Campaign Communications Manager at Skidmore College, asked Amy to sit on a panel for the Case District II – Council for Advancement and Support of Education judging how photography is used in college marketing materials. The other judges on the panel were Meg Marshall from FingerPaint Marketing and Tom Myott, a South Glens Falls art teacher and owner of Tom Myott Art and the Corner Gallery.

The panel worked together to narrow the entrants to the final 3, relying in the final stretch on the evaluation forms to declare the winner.

Stay tuned, though Amy knows who the winners are now- she won't tell us, they'll be announced in Mid-January. 

Not About Winning

We like to think of ourselves as nice, but the truth is, we're pretty competitive. Sometimes it's just challenging ourselves to be better, or it's competing within the studio and other times it's against other agencies. Recently we entered into our first New York State bid project. 

It was a monumental undertaking for us, but felt as if something we should do. The entire Tramp team came together and worked in the most literal sense as a team, pushing, supporting, combining and executing things in a way that had the full strength of 8 different skill sets and talents. 

It was intense, exciting and ultimately the single-greatest act of team-building that we have ever experienced. We are stronger, bolder and more aware of the value of each player than ever before.

All that said, we didn't get it, which kind of sucks. However, at the risk of sounding like an also-ran, the truth is, it was awesome just to compete. We can look back, feel damn proud of the creative and genuinely say, "We gave it our all."

Last Friday everyone got a little something as a way of rewarding their willingness to go above and beyond what was expected of them. Upon recounting the story to a nephew, one Tramp shared this:

So when I got home Friday Jacob said, "so how was work" in an annoying teenager tone, 'cause whenever I see him I ask him how's school. I said it was great and that actually we got a little bonus for our hard work on the state bid. Even though we didn't get it, the work and effort didn't go unnoticed. I said that it was such a nice gesture and how appreciative I was.

His response: "wait a minute, you got extra money for NOT getting a job? That's like sports teams, they lose the game but they still get paid. Not fair Aunt Amy."

We may not have a state gig, but the state of affairs here at Trampoline is this: Our team kicks ass and we are grateful for that every day.

Fresh

Time for a mid-year sit-down. Three websites are going live in the next week, an annual report press check just completed this morning, a pending rebrand launch, not to mention 3 new blogs have kept us busy. We'll be setting up camp at a little known place some of like to call home.

Fresh salsa.

Build-your-own-sandwiches.

And time.

Here's to setting off for a summer with fresh ideas, hot creative and satisfying work. Thanks to our wonderful clients for a great first half of the year. We look forward to shaping what the next 6 months hold.