By Michael Mark, Creative Director/CEO @NYCA  In this world you got to use what you got.  He thumped and whomped his two suitcases – a Samsonite floorbase and a tom-tom that had long lost its logo. His drumsticks worked every inch of a snare drum made from a transmission oil can with thick strips of black tape in the pattern of a Union Jack.  “Yeah, well, we’re Americans. Americans,” he spoke with the syncopation of a drummer who hears the beat even when he sleeps. He was jamming on a Sunday ... Read Full Story

By Michael Mark, Creative Director & CEO @ NYCA The first question I ask all NYCA candidates in all departments is this question, right after what they are passionate about. Makes for a good conversation and lets them know two things: that they are responsible for being creative and the answer “something cool” will get them a job next door. Not here. For us the answer is simple. Not easy mind you. It’s what the agency is built on. We create growth in the marketplace. So any idea or execut... Read Full Story

By Michael Mark, Creative Director & CEO @NYCA  I had my doubts but I’ve come to believe I am a good businessman.  I have no formal business education, no MBA.  I haven’t endured a single course in accounting or management.  I have trouble with spreadsheets; actually they bore me. Math and I are allergic to each other.  I have the title CEO but I don’t pore over the stock pages.  I feel less than at ease with the corporate set when I try to be one of them.  I don’t care about the cost per... Read Full Story

By Michael Mark, Creative Director & CEO @nyca What does a Creative Director do?  I know Director isn’t Dictator but it’s my experience that one can misinterpret that title. It can become all about you. I like a title that is more appropriate for the job.  Like Creative Conduit. A Creative Conduit uses his or her talents, sensibilities and experience as a bridge. Between words and pictures. Between strategy and execution. Between good ideas and great ones. Between consumer and brand. Betw... Read Full Story

By Michael Mark, creative director & CEO @ nyca I notice that when I take my glasses off I see more clearly.  Due to my 200/250 vision, without the lenses I need to get much closer to the object in question and  use my other senses to decipher the contents. I will touch it not just to hold it but to receive it through feel, giving me a new perspective, enriching my understanding. And then, when I lean nearer, I will take in the smell, more information, deeper learning.  Lenses, it seems, ... Read Full Story

by Michelle Edelman, President  @ nyca.com NYCA is absolutely abuzz right now with work. For new clients and old, and a slew of new prospects. Not surprising, the best work in the agency is for products that are easy to believe in. Why do people believe in brands or products? Market leadership, killer features, fresh consumer insights, inspiring design – I’m sure you can think of more. These are the reasons NYCAers get excited about their clients as well. But there’s somethi... Read Full Story

By Michael Mark, creative director/ceo @nyca  Something happy and simple – catchy and upbeat. One that drives you crazy ‘cause it stays in your step after you’ve put your tired feet up. The world needs hope in the face of reality, and jingles are sweet and sticky and mindless enough to melt the rigid walls of this moment to let us see possibility. Because on the outside they are silly, sunny and self-admittedly stupid. But beneath the sugar coating — if it’s a good, hard-working jingle ... Read Full Story

For Immediate Release: Innovative interactive feature equips users for some of the world’s toughest courses. Reflecting adidasGolf’s unique philosophy that golfers are athletes, as well as its mission to create equipment for the body, NYCA has created a website for the performance-focused company that gives users the opportunity to interact with the footwear and apparel, be inspired by a fitness regime specially designed for golfers and enhance their own golf game. The site, www.adidasgolf.c... Read Full Story

By Michael Mark, creative director & CEO @ NYCA I believe this is the first headline I wrote for any client at NYCA, some seven years ago. It was for a company called HNC that four months later got bought by Fair Isaacs. And it is one of my favorite lines because it is true and I’ve used it to help run our company. Doubt causes second-guessing, fear, discontent and slowness and that is death for a company. We have to be brave to be creative. We have to believe that we are going to make no... Read Full Story

By Michael Mark, creative director & CEO @NYCA Golf Pros — and these are the best in the world, physically and mentally — score better on Thursday than on Sunday. The average score at a PGA event on Thursday is always lower than on Sunday. Why the difference, why is higher? It’s the same course, the same equipment, the same competition. The players themselves are the ones who change and obviously not for the better. It’s because the players are thinking differently on Sunday. ... Read Full Story