Deja Vu - Addy Style

Our babies recently saw their daddy in a tux for the first time - boy was he handsome! We attended the black-tie Addy awards banquet on Friday. I hadn't attended since 2003, but it felt like I was walking into a high school reunion. We met up with people from my very first copywriting job from when I was still in college, as well as tons of colleagues with whom I've collaborated with along the path to where I am today.

It was strange to receive hugs and hellos from so many people whom I hadn't seen in several years - they acted like we were best old pals. Most didn't realize that I'd gotten married and had kids since our last encounters. I know that our industry is sometimes known for the "act," but it was almost overwhelming on Friday. While I received a lot of fake friendliness, I also watched as some others went out of their way to avoid certain people. I know of a lot of history in our business in the past decade, and it was very obvious to me that not a lot has changed as far as who talks to whom and who has created enemies.

On the other hand, our local business climate has drastically changed since I last attended our local Addys. The dynamics are totally different now - the big dogs are now the little dogs. A couple of outcasts blew the house away. And a former "moderate" agency has become the new local powerhouse.

As the awards were given, I enjoyed watching three of the former big players. As the night wore on, one progressively drank more wine and got snarky about the work on screen that wasn't done by her group. Another drank more wine and left to smoke much more frequently. And the other - a local ad icon for the last several decades - slunk lower and lower in his chair.

There was a lot of competition in the air - and even a little irritation with others' success. There were a couple other prominent faces that I watched - as former employees of theirs won awards and received accolades. It makes me wonder if others were as interested in the drama happening in the seats as seeing the artwork repeat up on stage. Through the whole evening, I kept thinking back to some words of advice my mom shared with me when I was still in college and wanted to quit my part-time job because they wouldn't let me off work for Easter Sunday. She warned me to always be polite and professional: "Never burn your bridges." Friday's experience was a great reminder to thank my mom. Even though I haven't always had the most rewarding job experiences, as I looked around on Addy night, it felt good to know that I didn't have a single enemy in the place.

On a side note, two other moms from my Mothers of Multiples group were there - looking fantastic - looking happy. It was fun to see them outside of our monthly meeting.