It's ALIVE!!!!

This just in: The official Ping Pong Club site is now live on the interwebs.

Check it out, campers, at http://www.thepingpongclub.org/

Bwahahahahaaaa!!!!

An art intern sounds off

By Tyler Smith, Art Director Intern

It’s week 10 or so of my Square Tomato internship, and I've been holed up in south Pioneer Square, forced to walk up the stairs to the forth-story offices of the agency’s universal headquarters, two—sometimes three—times a day. (Some nonsense about the freight elevator being for, um, freight.)

They’ve tasked me with making coffee every morning, even if it’s hot and sunny outside. I've even had to grind the coffee beans myself with nothing but a spoon and my tears.

I spend most of the hours of my day drawing and designing layouts. My fingers are worn thin for the constant typing and mouse waving. One print ad seems like a simple chore, but then the mighty Creative Director cracks his whip. One turns into twenty... then thirty ... then a hundred... When will it stop? When, I say???

Fresh blood needed for Ping Pong Club

That's right, we've worn out our current team of interns. Beat them into the ground with grinding deadlines, real-world (read: unnecessarily harsh) critiques, and laborious menial chores. In return for our genuine guidance in building their portfolios, and learning real world technical skills, we ask for undaunted commitment and loyalty. I know the Ping Pong Club LOOKS like fun (see photo), but that's just a snare. It's horrible (just like a real agency job). Anyway, as the chief mentor around here, I am praying for applicants with the following traits, which means I won't have to spend as much time lording over them with (often contradictory) directions, and snatching the mouse out of their hands to "demonstrate" the "correct way" (aka my way) to do stuff.
-Know where your career is going, and have your goals planned out. We don't want dabblers.
-If you haven't read "Hey Whipple squeeze this" you'd better read it fast before you apply, then claim you've read it several times over the years.
-Do you really understand the concepting process? You'll have to prove it with your portfolio and with the entry assignment (see below).
-I'm the only one here who isn't a nice person. We really want social, collaborative, fun, kind, positive people with generally calm demeanors.

Have I talked you out of it? Good. It's a PIA to plow through all the applicants. If you insist on continuing, here's the application:
www.sqtomato.com/internbrief.pdf

THE WEEK(s) IN REVIEW: JUNE 1-12--AND, A FAREWELL TO SURYN LONGBOTHAM

We'll admit: The Ping Pong Club is having a moment... just a bit emotional... pay no mind... just give us a minute.

[Glenn Martin is holding a lace hankie up to his nose ring as I type this; Becka Wilson is rocking back and forth inconsolably; I'm brushing away a salty tear; and Tyler Smith is back on the sauce.]

Our beloved teammate Suryn Longbotham has left the building. And tomorrow, she leaves the country, for a three-month internship in London.

@#$@#dammit!

(It's also possible we're a wee bit jealous.)

That's been the Big Event of the Week(s). That, and, working on a campaign for a local steakhouse, reviewing concepts for our pro-bono project, and refining the PPC Web site.

Stay tuned for more...

Actor On The Rise

Could this be Glenn's break-through commercial?

THE WEEK(s) IN REVIEW: MAY 25 - 29

By Susan Wilson

The week started off with a bang—and a meeting on the progress of the PPC Web site. (Getting closer, campers. Getting closer.) At present, Tyler Smith is art directing the dickens out of that bad boy (see a sample image from the site, at left). He and Web wizard Glenn Martin should have it up and smokin' by early next week. There will be photos! A showcase of our ad work! Links to Facebook! The blog! And Twitter! (Naturally, we are beside our hot selves with excitment.)

Suryn Longbotham also presented a rough cut of her documentary on the making of our official PPC poster (appearing on this blog soon). In a word, it rocked. Hollywood agents should be calling any moment.... I fully expect we'll all be chased by paparazzi on the way home tonight.

Also on the agenda this week: Our highly regarded Headmasters presented our work to the potential client for Assignment 2 (the popular sex-toy shop). Just when you get used to all the vibrator art on the walls, it's time to take it down and move on to the next project...

Until next week, kids....

The Ping Pong Club is...Superfly!

By Becka Wilson

Wow! What an experience. From photo shoots to recording voice-overs, client meetings to group collaboration, I have to say this has been an awesome team to be a part of. We have not lacked on having a bit of fun while we are here, as evidenced by the ridiculously hilarious poster that came out of the photo shoot. I mean, come on..who gets to dress up in garb like that and jump around in a studio for 3 hours and call it "working"?! It makes a Mamma proud, to say the least. But fun and games goes so far, and then hard work and tedious hours spent laboring over your computer takes up the rest of it. With guidance from the Boss-Man (Frank Clark), I feel we have succeeded in our mission to produce great work for our portfolios. Hoorah!