If you happened to hear cracks of gunfire and booming cannons in the central Arkansas area earlier this month, there’s no need to be alarmed. A full-scale Civil War re-enactment of the Battle of Reed’s Bridge took place on September 11 and 12 in Jacksonville.
On August 27, 1863, Union soldiers clashed with Confederates as they marched toward Little Rock. Today, nearly two years of restoration work have helped make it look as it would have at that time. Recent updates include a new information stand, two Civil War era cannons and a walking trail. The largest addition is a small 19th century homestead, consisting of a barn, family cabin and a kitchen cabin and garden. The Reed’s Bridge battlefield is on the National Register of Historic Places and is considered the best-preserved Civil War site in Arkansas.
Visitors were able to explore the camp and battlefield and learn from re-enactors what it was like to live as a Civil War solider. Demonstrations of military drills and musket training were given, and examples of everyday life, such as cooking and crafts, were provided throughout the weekend.
This year’s battle was a great success and the event received some notable media coverage in Little Rock. The event was featured on both KTHV’s “Amazed by Arkansas” and on KARK Channel 4. Two stories on Reed’s Bridge also ran in the Arkansas Democrat-Gazette. The Reed’s Bridge Battlefield is located on Highway 161 South in Jacksonville. It is open and free to the public to visit, so if you missed the battle this year, be sure to check it out soon!
Friday, September 24, 2010
Wednesday, September 15, 2010
See Fayetteville in Stop-Motion
We just completed a new TV spot for Fayetteville and it involves some pretty eye-popping special effects. Using a stop-motion effect and computer-generated background, the focus is on a woman ready to get away. Through the magic of hand-drawn construction paper illustrations, live action and still photography, she takes a journey through Fayetteville. By the end, she experiences cycling, water skiing, dancing and pretty much everything else you can do in the city.
Production included a very long day for Terry Gilchrist, who spent about 10 hours lying on a green screen contorting herself into various poses. The wizards at Rizon Films made all the magic happen and Laura Kuykendall served as both broadcast producer and art director. Watch it for yourself. Better yet, watch it several times to see what you missed the first time.
Production included a very long day for Terry Gilchrist, who spent about 10 hours lying on a green screen contorting herself into various poses. The wizards at Rizon Films made all the magic happen and Laura Kuykendall served as both broadcast producer and art director. Watch it for yourself. Better yet, watch it several times to see what you missed the first time.
Friday, August 27, 2010
All Aboard the Welcome Wagon
The Sells Agency has recently welcomed several new faces to our rapidly expanding team. As we told you in our last post, one of our summer interns will be making her time with us permanent. Sarah Kurrus, a very bright and talented recent graduate of Vanderbilt University, has taken on a new position as Public Relations Account Coordinator and will assist our clients with their diverse PR needs.
Because the additional help over the summer was such a relief, we realized that it’s time to open our doors to even more staff. Two new associates – Suzanne Hill, who joins our media department, and Kati Wessinger, an in-house freelance artist – are quickly settling in.
Suzanne is a recent graduate of the University of Arkansas at Fayetteville and has just completed a summer internship at another local agency. She will be a key part in the media planning and buying process. As a journalism major, Suzanne was very involved in campus leadership through the advertising club, student ambassadors and other organizations. She also has experience in leading large groups of spirited high school students as a head instructor for Universal Cheerleaders Association. We could always use the help corralling some of the more spirited characters around this office.
Kati will assist the art directors for the next few months, helping them tackle an increasingly busy workload. She, too, is a recent graduate from the U of A and is multi-talented in that not only does she excel at her agency projects, but she moonlights as a very talented baker, cake decorator and blogger. We promise, that the latter skill set had no influence on our decision to bring her on board, but those cupcakes she made last week were delicious!
Needless to say, we’re thrilled to have such an exceptional group of new employees. And we have a feeling we’ll be welcoming more soon.
Because the additional help over the summer was such a relief, we realized that it’s time to open our doors to even more staff. Two new associates – Suzanne Hill, who joins our media department, and Kati Wessinger, an in-house freelance artist – are quickly settling in.
Suzanne is a recent graduate of the University of Arkansas at Fayetteville and has just completed a summer internship at another local agency. She will be a key part in the media planning and buying process. As a journalism major, Suzanne was very involved in campus leadership through the advertising club, student ambassadors and other organizations. She also has experience in leading large groups of spirited high school students as a head instructor for Universal Cheerleaders Association. We could always use the help corralling some of the more spirited characters around this office.
Kati will assist the art directors for the next few months, helping them tackle an increasingly busy workload. She, too, is a recent graduate from the U of A and is multi-talented in that not only does she excel at her agency projects, but she moonlights as a very talented baker, cake decorator and blogger. We promise, that the latter skill set had no influence on our decision to bring her on board, but those cupcakes she made last week were delicious!
Needless to say, we’re thrilled to have such an exceptional group of new employees. And we have a feeling we’ll be welcoming more soon.
Friday, August 13, 2010
A send-off for our interns
It is with both a sad heart and a sense of pride that we say 'good-bye' to our summer interns. While we're not happy to see the Class of 2010 leave, we are also very proud of what they have accomplished this summer.
They've broadened their knowledge of the advertising industry, not only seeing first-hand how an ad agency works, but also touring vendors. From television production to printers, Lauren has coordinated trips that exposed them to the many facets of our industry. If we have only proven to them that life is not exactly 'Mad Men' then we have done our jobs.
The interns have been involved with campaigns for almost all of our clients, but their primary project has been for Safe Places. This non-profit organization has been mentioned in an earlier blog entry and we'll show you the fruits of their labor in a week or two, but we've seen a peek at what they've done…and it's impressive.
Thanks to Robert Haynes and John Cater. They'll be returning to their schools (UCA and UALR, respectively) for their final semester before graduating. We hope to see them here at the Sells Agency sometime in the future. Sarah Kurrus, however, won't be leaving us. She is now working for us, full-time, as a Public Relations Account Coordinator. Congratulations to Sarah on proving herself this summer and showing us how foolish we'd be to let her get away.
To celebrate their last day, we'll be chowing down on pizza at lunch. That's one thing we know they've learned – we at the Sells Agency like to eat. Almost as much as we've liked having the interns here for the summer!
Tuesday, July 27, 2010
Taking Flight with Holland SheltAir Aviation Group
So far 2010 has kept us on our toes, and we’re excited to say that it doesn’t seem to be slowing down. Here at the Sells Agency, we are thrilled to begin working with Holland SheltAir Aviation Group, based in Fort Lauderdale, Florida. Founded in the 1960s as Holland Builders Inc., it wasn’t long before the general aviation development and contracting company started to expand.
Today, Holland SheltAir provides a variety of aircraft services to the aviation community through its network of fixed-base operations located in Florida, New York and Georgia. The group also encompasses aviation design-build and leasing subsidiaries Holland Builders Inc. and SheltAir Aviation Facilities. With Holland Builders Inc., SheltAir Aviation Facilities and SheltAir Aviation Services being under the umbrella of the Holland SheltAir Aviation Group, they are able to incorporate a unique combination of skills related to the development, management and operation of properties in commercial and general aviation.
As we begin working on a strategic marketing program for SheltAir, one of the primary goals in our work will be to streamline the marketing efforts of the three different Holland SheltAir operations. We’ll be sure to keep you updated as our partnership with SheltAir takes off.
Today, Holland SheltAir provides a variety of aircraft services to the aviation community through its network of fixed-base operations located in Florida, New York and Georgia. The group also encompasses aviation design-build and leasing subsidiaries Holland Builders Inc. and SheltAir Aviation Facilities. With Holland Builders Inc., SheltAir Aviation Facilities and SheltAir Aviation Services being under the umbrella of the Holland SheltAir Aviation Group, they are able to incorporate a unique combination of skills related to the development, management and operation of properties in commercial and general aviation.
As we begin working on a strategic marketing program for SheltAir, one of the primary goals in our work will be to streamline the marketing efforts of the three different Holland SheltAir operations. We’ll be sure to keep you updated as our partnership with SheltAir takes off.
Tuesday, July 13, 2010
Learning our ABC
We’ve had our hands full throughout the first half of this year helping ABC Financial Services, Inc. with a full rebranding effort. We’re excited to finally announce our partnership with this new client. Over the past 30 years, ABC has experienced tremendous growth. They were founded in 1981 as a simple billing company, but they have gradually evolved to provide full-service software, marketing and EFT solutions to fitness clubs across the country. This huge growth called for rebranding of equal proportion.
Among the efforts, ABC wanted the central focus of their ad campaign to be on their outstanding customer service and client relationships. We’ve illustrated this in various media, most prominently on their website. As well as updating the site with a new look, new functions and easier navigation, we took quotes from actual clients about their experiences and put them front and center. Nothing gets the point across like hearing results straight from the source.
We also updated ABC’s logo to give it a more modern feel. A curved line now swoops through the name, representing the company’s forward momentum. Check out their new look and all the progress we’ve made at ABC’s new website, www.abcfinancial.com.
Among the efforts, ABC wanted the central focus of their ad campaign to be on their outstanding customer service and client relationships. We’ve illustrated this in various media, most prominently on their website. As well as updating the site with a new look, new functions and easier navigation, we took quotes from actual clients about their experiences and put them front and center. Nothing gets the point across like hearing results straight from the source.
We also updated ABC’s logo to give it a more modern feel. A curved line now swoops through the name, representing the company’s forward momentum. Check out their new look and all the progress we’ve made at ABC’s new website, www.abcfinancial.com.
Wednesday, June 9, 2010
Getting Safe Places out of Harm’s Way
Our interns met with local non-profit Safe Places last week and got a look at what the organization does for our community. It was an introductory meeting more than anything else, but it showed us that Safe Places is in desperate need of donations.
If you aren’t familiar with the organization, it is an advocacy group that provides a number of services to the area, like anger management classes, interventions for youth who have been exposed to violence or abuse, and trauma counseling, among many other things. It even houses Pulaski County’s rape crisis hotline.
Safe Places doesn’t get much funding from the government despite being a non-profit organization. The grants they receive provide some support, but never-ending operating expenses mean Safe Places is still short by an intimidating amount. Private donations are welcomed, but they are consistently few in number. Though police, hospitals and other local agencies rely on Safe Places to aid in some of their responsibilities, monetary compensation for their services is rarely offered.
That’s where we come in. Our interns will be helping Safe Places revise their marketing strategies, making them effective enough to get the donations they so urgently need. This includes an overhaul of their website, brochures, press releases and newsletters.
If any organization deserves recognition in the minds of our community members, it’s Safe Places. The valuable services they provide are offered nowhere else, so it’s important that we find them the support they need. We’ll be sure to report back as our interns make more progress throughout the summer.
If you aren’t familiar with the organization, it is an advocacy group that provides a number of services to the area, like anger management classes, interventions for youth who have been exposed to violence or abuse, and trauma counseling, among many other things. It even houses Pulaski County’s rape crisis hotline.
Safe Places doesn’t get much funding from the government despite being a non-profit organization. The grants they receive provide some support, but never-ending operating expenses mean Safe Places is still short by an intimidating amount. Private donations are welcomed, but they are consistently few in number. Though police, hospitals and other local agencies rely on Safe Places to aid in some of their responsibilities, monetary compensation for their services is rarely offered.
That’s where we come in. Our interns will be helping Safe Places revise their marketing strategies, making them effective enough to get the donations they so urgently need. This includes an overhaul of their website, brochures, press releases and newsletters.
If any organization deserves recognition in the minds of our community members, it’s Safe Places. The valuable services they provide are offered nowhere else, so it’s important that we find them the support they need. We’ll be sure to report back as our interns make more progress throughout the summer.
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