To put it mildly, life. Is. A. Lot. And it rarely lets up. From the time you wake up and until you go to sleep, there’s a lot of stuff on your shoulders: jobs, school and babies. Meals that need to be cooked, served and eaten. Laundry that needs laundering and Instagram feeds that need scrolling. How are we supposed to do it all?

I donno, I’m not here to solve all your troubles. But I do know at least one responsibility you can turn over to someone else, and that’s your commute. Instead of stressing out about driving, traffic, parking, or whatever— just kick back and let Sound Transit take you there.

And with routes and rails connecting the region, including a few newly opened stops, people can rely on Sound Transit to give ’em a lift to wherever they’re going. So we decided to take that promise literally.

We created a character: the embodiment of Sound Transit’s entire transportation system, who happens to be in a cool bespoke suit. As he treks around the Sound, riders can hop on and take the burden of the trip off their shoulders. Bing-bong!

We found a great production partner in the Docter Twins and Thinking Machine who really helped to solidify our plans to carry humans around on top of other humans, and they didn’t even bat an eye. This was a perfect situation where everyone had to come to the table with a problem-solvers mindset everyday, and it showed in the end result. And it was also a ton of fun. A number of us, including your’s truly, were even able to climb aboard our human Sound Transit during the shoot. See if you can spot us!

CLIENT: Sound Transit | ACD/AD: Andy Westbrock | CW: Karina Zack & Danielle Janota | 3D: Josh Lieske | ECD: Vince Soliven | CCO: Mike Hayward | PROD: Jen Allen | AGENCY: Copacino Fujikado | DIR: Docter Twins | PROD CO: Thinking Machine | EDIT: Docter Twins | COLOR: Derek Hansen at AFX Creative | PHOTO: Angela Kohler

As the 2022 Seattle Mariners take the field in Minute Made Park, I can't help but think back to February 2020 when we filmed five of the Seattle Mariners promising young Minor Leaguers during Spring Training. Who were those five players, you ask? Logan Gilbert, Cal Raleigh, Jarred Kelenic, George Kirby, and an 18 year old Julio Rodriguez, all of whom had even played above Double-A at the time. And it was just a quick add-on to our day after shooting the Major Leaguers, strictly as a look toward the future of the team. And don’t look now, but all five are part of the M's postseason journey and on the ALDS 26-man roster—Logan Gilbert as the Game 1 starting pitcher.

GoMs!

Breakfast ✅
Coffee ✅
Mariners 2022 ALDS roster ✅ pic.twitter.com/vxHYKZgQLG

— Seattle Mariners (@Mariners) October 11, 2022

Three new stops on Sound Transit’s Link light rail bring neighborhoods throughout the region closer together. ​​​​​​​With stations opening in the Roosevelt, U District, and Northgate neighborhoods, Sound Transit needs to let riders know when the new stations open, and entice them to explore everything each newly-accessible neighborhood on the route has to offer. So who—and what—better to spread the news than the local neighborhood legends themselves?

CLIENT: Sound Transit | AD: Andy Westbrock | CW: Theo Henry | GCD: Vince Soliven | ECD: Mike Hayward | AGENCY: Copacino Fujikado | DIR: PJ Richardson | PROD: Laundry | SOUND: Bad Animals

To celebrate Earth Day, Seattle Goodwill teamed up with KEXP to put on a concert with local bands Ivan & Alyosha and Lemolo to help raise awareness about how donating to Goodwill can help keep more clothing, books and other household items out of landfills.

Research showed the average person throws away 70 lbs. of clothing every year. So along with the Sustainable Sounds concert, we also partnered with local Seattle influencers to promote #Give1Pound to help reduce clothing waste in landfills—so we asked them to just Give1Pound of donations to Goodwill.

Last week, the new Mariners player commercials made their debut, and they turned out as fun as it was to help make them. We found out that Nelson Cruz has his own side-hustle (which seems pretty conveniently tied to his main-hustle), as well as discover a new image for Kyle Seager, one of the leagues most consistent, hardworking veteran players. Plus, we get see some new players getting to know the personal details of King Felix Hernandez, and reveal that Robinson Canó bares a striking resemblance to another Mariner great.

Check them out and vote for your favorite here, as well as watch the out-takes.

Client: Seattle Mariners Agency: Copacino+Fujikado Art Director/Copywriter: Andy Westbrock Copywriter: Andrew Gall Creative Director: Mike Hayward Executive Creative Director: Jim Copacino Prod Co: Blue Goose Productions Director: Ron Gross Ex. Producer: Bill Hoare Editor: Troy Murison, Dubs Inc.

Client: Seattle Mariners Agency: Copacino+Fujikado Art Director: Andy Westbrock Copywriter: Andrew Gall Creative Director: Mike Hayward Executive Creative Director: Jim Copacino Prod Co: Blue Goose Productions Director: Ron Gross Ex. Producer: Bill Hoare Editor: Troy Murison, Dubs Inc.

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I hope this is the first of many in my new series aptly titled, "Fat Cats on Door Mats." If I find more over-weight felines lounging in front of doors, I will surely post them here. Check back often. You may choose to just keep this tab open and refresh it every few minutes or so.

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I was going through some old photos recently, and came across this one I had always liked. It was from the first roll I ever shot through my old 1950s Toyocaflex TLR 120 camera while I was out walking around in the fall of 2011 to give it a test. I was down in SoDo near the port, and happened to be walking past an old favorite dive bar near where I used to work called Hooverville. So I pretended to take a shot of the glowing neon sign while this (probably) tough biker guy enjoyed himself a cigarette. Although, he didn’t seem to care one way or the other.

Another side project I’ve tasked myself with this year is to update a few things around my apartment, starting with the art on my walls. Obviously it needed a good ol’ fashioned cleaning too, but it doesn’t hurt to have nice things to look at and distract you from whatever crazy mess might be going on around it.

So over one weekend I finally mustered up the courage to put a bunch of holes in my 85 year old apartment walls, and hang up the signage type I bought recently. It also worked out to be a nice home for a few of my vintage cameras. I’m not sure how old the letters are, although I did get them all from the Pacific Gallery Antique Mall in SoDo Seattle, but I’m pretty sure the “E” is from a Blockbuster Video. Which isn’t very antique-ish. At least not yet, anyway.

Seattle is one of the few cities lucky enough to now have a Carhartt Store in its limits. Because of this, Wexley School for Girls and I were lucky enough for the opportunity to design a few t-shirts for this new store, one of which was picked to be given away during the Grand Opening held back on 3/22/12. And if that wasn’t awesome enough, they even invited me down to sign each and every shirt during the event.

It’s already quite an honor to work on and wrap your head around a great and historic brand like Carhartt as it is. But then for the opportunity be at the Grand Opening of only their fifth retail store, representing both the brand and myself as a local artist, was unbelievable. I still almost don’t believe it actually happened. Everyone who came through the door was directed toward a table with a big pile of black t-shirts, and me with a silver Sharpie in hand. And the coolest part was how happy everyone was about the shirt and to have my signature on it. I was sure people wouldn’t give two shits about me and my signature, but was I wrong. People were taking pictures of me, and with me. One with someone’s daughter holding up my shirt. Everyone had great things to say (a nice woman even complemented me on my dimples). People actually wanted me to sign it. And of the 120 total shirts, I’m positive I signed at least 116 of them (unfortunately a few people grabbed a shirt and immediately wandered off into the crowd).

Anyway, the experience was amazing to say the least, and I’m really happy with how the shirts turned out. And I hope everyone who received a shirt at the Grand Opening gets many happy years out of their new Carhartt Seattle shirts. You should also stop by to see the store in person. It’s beautifully decorated like an old logging camp, and the attention to detail is impeccable.

If you weren’t able to be there for the Grand Opening, here’s a quick video to encapsulate things a little. And in perfect Carhartt fashion, the ribbon cutting was replaced by a section of drywall that was busted up with sledgehammers by baseball legend Edgar Martinez and Carhartt CEO Mark Valade. And if you watch closely, you can even see me pop up a few times when the camera pans to the left during the ribbon cutting, and in the store signing the t-shirts.

Carhartt has their grand opening downtown Seattle and Danny Bonaduce welcomes them. Ribbon cutting is done by Edgar Martinez, Carhartt syle.

Since we’re in the thick of winter, I thought I’d dig up a little something from summer. This is Mr. Alex Smith, producer extraordinaire, showing off another one of his talents out on Lake Washington during Seattle’s Seafair. Unfortunately moments after swimming out of frame, poor Alex was hit by one of the hydroplane raceboats. This one to be exact.

I’m a little bummed out I wasn’t able to use a tripod (or have been a little steadier) to keep the loop a little smoother, but what the hell. It’s just for fun.

Back in November, we got to help Ford promote and run an awesome event they were doing in conjunction with the Seattle Auto Show. The plan was to let people test drive the new Ford Focus around the warning track of Safeco Field (which is across the street from the Auto Show) that uses all these fancy cameras and sensors to track you as you drive the course. Then after people do the drive, they get a video sent to them showing the whole experience as if it’s a video game. It’s very cool. So cool in fact, that’s it’s almost one of those “build it and they will come” situations. So our job was fairly easy.

It should be added that getting to walk and drive around one of the most beautiful stadiums in the country is a pretty awesome feeling. It’s sort of magical with a side of, “I’m not supposed to be here.” Which makes it all the more impressive that Ford was willing to do such a thing, and do it for free. You can even check out my drive around the bases right here:

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It’s funny thinking about having to get to know a piece of equipment, but I’ve found myself having to do just that with an old camera of mine. People obviously have quirks and moods, but apparently inanimate objects can too. So a while back some friends and I made a trip over to Harbor Island in the Port of Seattle to do just that with my Toyocaflex TLR.

Being that it’s over a half a century old, it sort of behaves like an old man. The viewfinder is a little dark and cloudy, sometimes the shutter sticks at low speeds and it’s a bit heavy. It also has a bladder-control problem and eats dinner by 5:30pm. But I still love it, and I enjoy learning new things about how it behaves every time I take it out.

Fashion photography isn’t something I’ve done a lot of in the past, but it’s always fun whenever I get the chance. So a few weeks ago when I was asked to do a photoshoot with my good friend, the lovely Miss Laura Haithcock, I had to take her up on it.

Laura operates Birdie Royale Adornments and a corresponding blog of all the cool stuff she makes and thinks. And it was because of all this, she being featured on the Seattle fashion blog, FreshJess, thus needing some nice new photography of three outfits she wanted to showcase. That’s where I came in. So we set out across Queen Anne and Pioneer Square dodging wind, rain and random bits of sunshine to capture said photographs. It all seemed to turn out pretty nicely, too. Although, it definitely helps having a good model to work with like Laura.

She also gave a nice interview on her style, influences and thoughts on the Seattle fashion scene. So be sure to check out all the photos and the end result right here.

Last week our team at Wexley School for Girls launched our very first campaign for Taco Del Mar. We’ve been working super hard over the past few month on this, and it’s extremely rewarding to finally see this stuff out in the real world. And basically, here’s the idea behind it all:

AHHH...Tommy what happened? Can you fall into a giant burrito at TACO DEL MAR®? Of Course, Of Course!

Does Taco Del Mar have the biggest burritos on the planet? Of course. Does Taco Del Mar have the greatest Fish Tacos on earth? Of Course. Does Taco Del Mar make your food exactly like you want it with the most tantalizing ingredients? Of course. Does Taco Del Mar make your food fast? Of course. Is it filling and satisfying? Of course. And when your friend calls and asks, “Hey man, want to go grab some Taco Del Mar?” you’ll love it so much the answer isn’t just a single “Of course.” It’s an emphatic, “¡Of Course! ¡Of Course!”

Is this gorila eating a Mondo Burrito??? "Of course, Of course!"

It’s not often that one of your favorite pieces from a campaign happens to be a billboard, but it’s hard to see the “Cougar Fight” billboard and not smile. It still gets me, even though I’ve looked at it a thousand times. And as we roll out more work in the next few weeks for the campaign I’ll be sure to keep adding in the new stuff. So be on the look out for it. The whole campaign is going to be super fun and stupid in a good way.

Agency: Wexley School for Girls Art Director: Andy Westbrock Copywriter: Matt Kappler Creative Director: Ian Cohen Developer: LitFuse

Ever wish you could have a super-awesome date with super-awesome professional soccer players? Of course you do. You’re only human and the need for love and soccer are part of our basic human necessities. Luckily, there are now things in place to help you with this very thing.

Recently, we launched Make a Date with a Sounder. There you have a chance to get to know the guys of the Seattle Sounders FC , learn their likes and dislikes, and obviously, make a date with a Sounder (along with 36,000 other fans). If all that doesn’t satisfy your basic human needs, I don’t know what will. You’re probably a lost cause and dead inside.

So if you’re in the Seattle area, hopefully you’ll see the full campaign running (billboards, TV, print, charity eBay auctions). I’ll post the rest later, but for now check out everything that’s going on at datewithasounder.com and don’t forget to actually make a date.

Note: Last night the Sounders broke the MLS attendance record with 46,505 wild, screaming fans. I like to think we sold a good share of those tickets. They’ve also added over 30k new fans on Facebook in just four weeks since the campaign has launched.

CLIENT: Seattle Sounders FC | AD: Andy Westbrock | CW: Matt Kappler | CD: Ian Cohen | AGENCY: Wexley School for Girls | DEV: LitFuse

For over three and a half years now, I’ve been living just a few blocks from the world famous Space Needle (if you point the webcam to -45º you can see my apartment just left of center). Everyday I’m lucky enough to see something that symbolizes the great city of Seattle, and also one of the most iconic structures in the entire country.

So with that being said, I thought I’d dig up some Holgas I’ve taken over the recent past of this needle of space, as a reminder to myself to not take this beautiful thing for granted. Because I’m sure I have. My eyes have probably passed over some bit of its 605 feet and not a thought ran through my head about how incredible it is, or how lucky I am to view such a massive piece of art day in and day out. Here’s to being lucky.

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After weeks of nervously waiting by the mailbox, the envelope I sent off to the Lil’ Happy Invisible Creature S.A.S.E. Club finally arrived. It had left empty, but this time it came back filled with the printed bounty of the fine folks at Invisible Creature. There were stickers and cards and bookmarks and all kinds of goodies for a full visual splendor. My rods and cones were pushed to their limits.

A big thanks and much appreciation goes out to the guys at Invisible Creature. I can’t think of a better use of a few envelopes, stamps and our mighty United States Postal Service. Hopefully this won’t be the last we’ll see of the Lil’ Happy Invisible Creature S.A.S.E. Club.

One of the best things about advertising is when you can put your efforts into actually helping a good cause. Working with good clients on good brands is always nice, but it’s extra rewarding when it’s something you can actually see making a difference in the world.

So for their 15th annual fundraising event, Powerful Voices, a non-profit organization that serves at risk girls and helps them find their voice through writing and poetry, asked us to create a video to help raise donations. From there we got to meet a handful of the PV girls and were able to collaborate using a mash-up of their own poetry and prose. They even made for some wonderful first-time models. Then last month during the event held at the Seattle Art Museum, we got to debut “You & Me” in front of a packed house. And the icing on the cake is they not only met their fundraising goal, they exceeded it.  Nothing beats that.

"You & Me" was created to help raise donations during the 15th annual fundraising event for Powerful Voices, an organization that serves at risk girls and helps them find their voices through writing and poetry. CW/AD: Angeline Oey, Christy Jasionkowski & Andy Westbrock CD: Eric Gutierrez Director/Animator: David Llama Audio: Justin Braegelmann Agency: Hey, Client: Powerful Voices

And be sure to donate yourself if you want to help a cause that actually makes a positive impact on tons of young girls in the Seattle area.

CW/AD: Forrest Healy, Zach Hitner & Andy Westbrock Ad Agency: Frank Unlimited Production Company: Loaded Pictures Director/DP: Matthew J. Clark Producers: Brian Homman, Chris Borden Line Producer: Mark Campbell Editor: Michael Southworth, Editville Original Music: Matthew Hutchinson Sound Design & Mix: Scott Weiss, Pure Audio

Advertising is one of those great creative pursuits where you never do anything completely on your own. It’s always a team effort. And that was definitely the case for this project for the 15th annual Seattle Lesbian & Gay Film Festival. So to create this years trailer, the guys at Frank Unlimited teamed up with me, who, with Loaded Pictures and Pure Audio, were all teamed up with the fine folks over at the Three Dollar Bill Cinema, who do all the hard work to actually put on the SLGFF. Plus, all the actors and other talent who ran through the mean streets of Seattle to allow this whole thing come together.

CLIENT: Seattle Lesbian & Gay Film Festival
CW/AD: Forrest Healy, Zach Hitner & Andy Westbrock
AD AGENCY: Frank Unlimited
DIRECTOR: Matthew J. Clark
PROD: Loaded Pictures
SOUND: Scott Weiss, Pure Audio

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For the past two and a half months I’ve been working with the great folks at Hey, one of the newest agencies to spring up in the Pacific Northwest. They’ve been around for about a year now, and since they’re still in the process of laying their foundation, it’s a fantastic experience to help them with that process. I love that sorta stuff.

Probably the best thing about Hey, is that they’re quite aware of the normal ad agency pitfalls, and are doing their best to avoid them. Luckily, they have a few things going for them. First of all, they have two good guys behind the steering wheel, Eric Gutierrez and Chris Lloyd, both former DDB Seattle guys. Another thing working in their favor is they’re small, and taking time to grow. They’re not chasing money from bad clients, and are actually pretty selective with the projects they take on. They also have zero interest in just being another soul sucking ad factory that churns out the same crap that makes people hate advertising (you know who you are).

So anyway, this concludes my ass kissing for the day. I do feel pretty lucky to be working there with good people and on fun stuff and I really think they represent a positive movement in advertising. Same goes for a lot of the cool, small shops that have been popping up over the past few years. We need more of it.