Funky Town Fun

My name is Julie and I recently graduated from TCU with a degree in advertising/public relations with minors in business and Spanish.

Unlike many of my friends and fellow graduates, I am not backpacking through Europe, vacationing in Australia or studying Spanish in a South American country.  I am in Fort Worth.  And while I do love the “Fort,” I find myself embarrassingly jealous of the many adventures that I’m not on.  So instead of shamelessly trying to live vicariously through my friends by constantly stalking their newest Facebook albums, I decided to use their travels as inspiration to find fun and exciting things to do here in Fort Worth.

1. Stars under the Stars:
Sundance Square’s outdoor movie series called “Stars under the Stars” is the perfect date night activity or just a fun get-together for friends.  You can bring blankets or chairs and it’s free!  Unfortunately, today’s July 1 showing of Star Trek will be the last until next year, so while I’m so excited to go, my only regret is that I didn’t find out about this sooner.

2. Concerts in the Garden Summer Music Festival:
Called “Fort Worth’s best seasonal outing,” Concerts in the Garden features a wide variety of music at the Fort Worth Botanic Garden.  So break out your picnic basket and gather up all your friends to come enjoy music under the stars.  Concerts run through July 5 and performances begin at 8 p.m., but the gates open at 6:30 and all performances end with a fireworks display!

3. Adonis Rose at Scat Jazz Lounge:
If you’re like me and you didn’t get your fill of Bourbon Street this past Mardi Gras, you may be as excited as I am about New Orleans Nights with Adonis Rose.  The New Orleans native, who now resides in Fort Worth, performs with his Krewe of Swing to bring you a taste of “N’awlins” every Wednesday at the Scat Jazz Lounge.

4. The Kimball Art Museum:
While not as massive as the Louvre, the Kimball is one of the finest museums in the world as it houses a noteworthy collection of artwork and regularly hosts traveling art exhibitions.  Right now, Michelangelo’s first known painting, “The Torment of Saint Anthony,” is now on display in the permanent collection.  People travel from all over to visit this museum, so it would be crazy for me not to enjoy this amazing exhibit located right around the corner.

5. Omni IMAX Theater:
Located inside the Museum of Science and History, the old-fashioned IMAX dome is one of the largest in the US. And a plus for all you Shark Week fans out there, from June 30 – August 31, the theatre is showing Sharks, Up Close and Personal.

My first rodeo experience

It was off to the rodeo for me last night, and man was it fun! It was my first time there, and I was impressed. When I first walked in to the stands at Will Rogers Coliseum, it was dark, but loud, with the sound of the MC echoing throughout. It was a major production – there were lights, fireworks and even a woman from Canada doing a handstand on her horse as it trotted along.

I immediately wondered – where do they get the money to put on this show? Granted, our seats were $22 a piece, but then I realized sponsor logos were all over the place. XTO Energy, Lone Star Ag Credit (a GCG client), Justin Boots and Harris Methodist seemed to be the primary sponsors for the night. So, of course, I had to weigh the pros and cons of this marketing strategy, and I decided to share them with you.

1. Awareness, awareness, awareness! The amount of people that see and hear each company’s name is remarkable (I’m assuming the sponsors remain for the entire rodeo.)

2.  Targeted marketing – this one can be a pro and con because on one hand you’re able to reach your target market all in one place (i.e. Justin Boots and Lone Star Ag Credit), but on the other hand you could be spending a lot of money simply to be reaching one of your target markets (i.e. XTO Energy and Harris Methodist).

3. There is a lack of messaging for each company. Thankfully these four companies are Fort Worth-based or so widely known that key messaging isn’t really needed, but if another company were to come in and sponsor, people may not recognize it.

Those are just a few things I noticed from the rodeo last night. If you haven’t gone yet or just want to go again, go online and see the schedule of events at www.fwssr.com. Have fun!

Printerrific!

Being a successful graphic designer means knowing all facets of the industry: PMS colors, contrast, repetition, alignment, proximity, software, product packaging and more.

But one area most amateur designers do not take into consideration when creating their work is the printer.

In a world consumed with computer screens and 1080ppi, people are progressively losing the love and admiration they once had in holding a well-designed printed piece in their hands.

The printer is a graphic designer’s best friend – they can make your work look terrific or terrible –  and I thought I’d introduce myself: Alex and I were off to Curry Printing Inc. for a press check and a mini tour.

Below are my top three experiences at Curry, in no particular order:

1. The Smell. As you walk into the front office, you are greeted by intense smells of ink, oil and glue. You have to get used to it, but it lets you know what you’re getting yourself into.
2. The Eyes. I consider myself to have a pretty good eye until I met Cody Curry. He is the owner/president of Curry Printing, and he put my attention to detail to shame. While we were conducting our press check, Cody pointed out spots and blemishes (what he called hickies) that were the size of a grain of salt – no exaggeration.
3. The Hands. Everyone at Curry Printing is so nice. We are greeted with smiles and firm handshakes – it definitely put me and Alex at ease at our first press check. Quality, precision, and customer service are what Cody said sets Curry Printing apart from the rest.

One thing is certain, printing is serious business that could make or break your hard work.

Zag Recess: We met Tim Love!

To work at a marketing agency, you need to be ready for anything. Quick changes, deadlines, last minute meetings; it’s a stressful world we live in, but it’s a world in which we thrive.

However, sometimes we just need to kick off our shoes, get out of the office and have fun as a team. These outings have become known around the office as “Zag Recess.”

Today for recess, we went to the grand opening of The Love Shack in the new So7 development.

First off, may I suggest to anybody reading this blog that you should go ASAP. The food was delicious and original (which is kind of hard to do with a burger).

The most exciting part though had to be when we met celebrity chef Tim Love. For those who don’t know, Chef Love is the owner and executive chef of The Lonesome Dove Western Bistro in Fort Worth. He has also competed on Iron Chef America (which he won) and Top Chef Masters, so to steal from, Ron Burgundy he’s kind of a big deal.

Chef Love was nice enough to chat and take a picture with us. I’m pretty sure Alex, the office chef, was about to pass out from excitement like one of those girls who saw The Backstreet Boys for the first time (just kidding Alex).

All in all, great outing, but we’re already looking forward to next week – G.I. Joe Friday here we come!

Also, the blog Fort Worth Renaissance was kind enough to feature Alex’s post about The Love Shack (like I said, Backstreet Boys fan. Last time Alex, I promise) on their Friday web links. Thanks guys.

Gimme some lovin’

With the entire office scrambling to get work done this week, I decided a trip to The Love Shack was in order.

For the hungry Fort Worthian, the second Love Shack is set to open in the new So7 development across from Montgomery Plaza. The original, which opened two years ago, still stands in the Stockyards.

The last couple days this week have consisted of soft opening lunch services – to work the kinks out. The official grand opening for the So7 Love Shack is this Friday, July 31.

I recently visited to see how things were working out. Expecting utter chaos – that’s what soft openings are for after all – I was instead greeted with controlled chaos. Everybody was scrambling to get something done, but things were moving smoothly, and of course, the food was spectacular.

The Love Shack is the project of celebrity chef, and native Texan, Tim Love. He is also known for his upscale Lonesome Dove Western Bistro and White Elephant Saloon in the Stockyards. Love was also a contestant on Bravo’s Top Chef Masters and a winner on Iron Chef America.

This chef-driven burger is easily my favorite bite in Fort Worth.

If you don’t trust me, recent accolades for The Love Shack include spots in Texas Monthly’s “50 Best Burgers in Texas” and renown publisher Conde Nast’s “Top 105 New Restaurants in the World.” A Star-Telegram review said the signature Dirty Love Burger was “quite possibly the most perfect burger on the planet.”

Is your stomach growling yet? Stop reading this and go get yourself some Lovin’!

Some Love Shack photos (some old, some new)