10 jaar MediaMonks: 'Het is fokking ongelofelijk'

Column
lee Feldman was in 2002 de eerste klant die op MediaMonks afstapte voor digitaal
productiewerk. In deze column blikt hij terug.
Never remove your hat
lee Feldman
Founder and CCO of
Blast radius
as relative newcomers to the amsterdam
digital scene in 2002/2003, we were just
starting to win big clients and make a name
for ourselves. Though we’d been successful
players in Canada and the uS for many
years, amsterdam, and by extension Europe afforded
vast opportunities to win new clients and stretch our
expertise and creative output.
We had just started to engage with some well-known
Dutch brands like Heineken and Philips and, though we
were able to deliver some of the work with our own
teams, and some by working remotely with our north
american teams, our ambition was to grow. and being
entrepreneurs, we didn’t say no to new business. So
with additional work to deliver and no internal teams we
looked for an ideal production and delivery partner to
help us. Enter, the MediaMonks.
More specifically, enter Wes and Gin. They were
instantly likeable, and really lived the MediaMonks
ethos. Wes the friendly, down to earth sweet talker, Gin
the quiet contemplative creative who never removed his
hat. in ways they reminded me of the early days of Blast
radius. So optimistic, energetic and eager to get things
done (and i also never removed my hat!). We completed
many successful projects with them and feel proud and
honored to have been their very first client.
i remember vividly that, in thanks for the business
we brought them, Wes and Gin crafted a beautiful pink
marble based combo Buddha statue/ trophy thing with
a ‘thank you’ engraving. We thought it so perfectly
represented that sweet combination of warmth and
sense of humour that they embodied.
We thought that the only fitting way to do justice to
the honorable Buddha statue was to put it near the
entrance to the toilet. it might sound like an insult,
but in Canada this is the highest form of flattery
and tribute. Much of our finest literature, arts and
achievements have come from or is consumed in that
most venerated of rooms. The fusion of our culture and
the warmth and humour of the Monks lives on in spirit,
and the Buddha statue acts as a constant reminder
of our admiration and thanks to them for the great
collaborations we shared.
EMERcE
jan 2011 21