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Fred/Alan buys the New York Times.
Fred/Alan didn’t do too much advertising for itself (it was expensive), so we tried to make every one count.
The New York Times was, by far, the most influential publication in advertising. In the 1980s Phil Dougherty had a repuation as the most honest, authoritative columnist in the business, and any ad in the Times would guarantee sales for your client. Well, why shouldn’t we be our own client, and use the Times to generate new business leads? We could buy remnant space at will for less than half price, our current clients would feel like they were with a pretty together agency, and businesses outside New York would take notice and call. Did it work? You bet.
0 comments Tagged: New York Times, self promotion, ad, print, newspaper,. -
The movies we never made.
We originally started Fred/Alan to make TV shows and movies. Finally around 1985, somewhat stable as a business, we tried ‘getting into the movies’ with something other than a ticket. We’d always liked quickie teen movies and there was a popular spate of them happening right then so we took a flyer and somehow succeeded (we really had no idea what we were doing) in optioning the rights to one of the most popular (and strangely controversial) songs of the rock era, “Louie, Louie.” A script was written by Alan, Albie Hecht (pre-Nickelodeon fame), and our director, Tommy Schlamme (pre-fame as the executive producer of The West Wing).This ad was put together for the back cover of the 1985 MTV Video Music Awards program, figuring that something might happen. We got of a lot of attention in Hollywood and subsequently optioned two other garage band classics, “Wooly Bully” and “Wipeout,” wrote a couple more scripts, and…nothing. We were busy with the agency, and ultimately, we probably just didn’t want it enough yet.
0 comments Tagged: movies, music, self promotion, ad, print,.
- Photography by Elena Seibert
- Hand coloring by Candy Kugel
- Self Promotion
- Press
- Chauncey Street Productions
- The Real Fred Allen
- Comedy Central
- HA! TV Comedy Network
- Lifetime
- Mosaic Records
- MTV: Music Television
- Myers's Rum
- Nickelodeon
- Nick-at-Nite
- PBS/Thirteen
- Swatch
- Tommy Boy Records
- TV Heaven 41
- VH-1: Video Hits One
Clients
CHRONOLOGY
1983
Alan Goodman
& Fred Seibert
open a production and consulting company in New York City.
1988
Re-invented as America’s first advertising agency specializing in people under 35. Nominations and wins of every creative advertising award.
1989
Fred/Alan opens
Chauncey Street Productions with producer Albie Hecht.
1992
Fred/Alan Closes.
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The Fred/Alan Archive is updated sporadically. It's mostly written by Fred Seibert, unless otherwise noted. Please blame him for all inaccuracies or embarrassments.
