The sweetness of lemons

Great post, Edward. Since I couldn't make the trip up from NYC to see it myself, it's great to have you rendering the emotional landscape of the evening for the rest of us. As one of the grateful 16 who was lucky enough to be in the film, I can't wait to see the final product. And once again hats off to the indomitable Erik Proulx for wresting perhaps the finest moment of his career from the abyss of unemployment, and for being a beacon of inspiration to all of us. Looking forward to the NYC screening! -Mark

Edward, great summation of what was clearly an amazing evening. Thanks. For what it's worth, to me, this entire project is a wonderful testament to the staggering determination, character & unbound (blog title pun intended) creativity of the people -- not the TV campaigns, viral videos, One Show pencils or client billings, but the PEOPLE -- who power this business and offer their blood, sweat, tears, love & passion to advertising every single day (despite knowing, as we've all found out in some form recently, that advertising doesn't always reciprocate; it's a dysfunctional relationship, clearly, in an Ike-and-Tina kinda way). So, to all the folks behind, and featured in, LEMONADE, I ask you to do something completely atypical right now: step back, think ONLY of yourselves for a second, and enjoy a tasty, self-gratifying, congratulatory moment. A tall order for selfless people, sure, but go ahead. Bask. Gloat. Give each other awkward high-fives and chest-bumps. You've earned it. Erik, been incredible to watch, both from right around the corner and, now, from 2,000 miles away, the awesome evolution from layoff to PFTA to Lemonade. You're doing a lot of people a lot of good, and this is only the beginning. So from the faraway, non-clam chowder-filled land known as the Rockies (cough, schedule a Boulder screening NOW, cough), just wanted to say congrats to you & everyone involved. The world's a better place than it was before this film, and your efforts, existed. Cheers, Mark

Thanks for an inspiring post. Lemonade's cause works so well for me because it's about the most basic promise of advertising: life will get better if you make it so. You take what you have and you make the most of it. If you can't believe in this, then you can't make ads. And for consumers, every ad is the promise of being able to change your destiny, how the world perceives you, how you interact with the greater universe. We don't just sell hope, we sell control. This is also the most important promise that advertising makes to its practitioners: if you have the big idea and the dream, everything will follow. Unfortunately for me, I had the dream, but tickets sold out before I could get mine. I've written to Erik Proulx about a screening at BU. I hope that works out.

In an industry plagued with whiners and moaners, the story of the Lemonade team is truly awesome and inspirational. I hope the industry takes a leaf out of this...or is it asking for too much. .-= Subbu´s last blog ..Why is there a joy in the obvious? =-.

Thank you for capturing last night so wonderfully Edward. I was lucky enough to be at the Premier and have to commend Erik for creating such a moving piece of film. I went to give support to a friend who was laid off at the same time I was by the same company who went out on a limb and made a movie. What I never expected were all the things I took away from the event. I now have... ~The 45 minutes that I cried with, and laughed with and became inspired by the 16 people that made lemonade out of the lemons we were all served. ~A true belief that Erik spoke the truth when he said afterwards that something has changed- we really are now a community that roots for each other. The room was filled with so many amazing people that I would gladly help, or give a job lead to or team up with because they are not compitition. They are friends. ~The conviction that I am still a Creative. Hook, line and sinker. And I have, today, pulled out a project that I set aside for some freelance and gave myself a deadline to finish it.

Passion and compassion. That's perfect.

Edward, You nailed it. And Erik certainly nailed it. I have been lucky enough to be surrounded by amazing people in this business for years. Passionate. Talented. Creative. Dedicated. Interesting. Crazy. With these people anything is possible. Lemonade certainly proved that. Last night, when Erik got his standing ovation, it brought tears to my eyes. All these amazing people I have been blessed to know in one place. And everyone was happy. My thanks go out to Erik and the many, many people who gave so much to this film. Great post, Edward. I am so glad we all felt how lucky we were to be in that room last night. Amy .-= Amy Flanagan´s last blog ..I have learned that carrying a car seat into a car dealership drastically reduces your negotiating power. =-.

Wonderful post. This is an unforgiving business; we all are on the verge of rejection every day. Nice to see the spirit of rising from the ashes, which is the only way any of us in advertising can stay sane, captured. .-= Ben Kunz´s last blog ..Facebook takes down the walled gardens =-.

Fantastic! I regret not being in the area to catch the screening. .-= Seth Simonds´s last blog ..On Negativity =-.

Wow, what an inspirational story. I lost my job about three years ago because of a brain injury and for me, as well, the aftermath has been revelatory. In adland I no time for anything but ads, ads, and more ads (my fault, not the industry's), but after my subdural hematoma, I had time galore. True, I slept for a good part of it and when I was awake in those early days I often had a migraine and puked regularly (something to do with brain PH), but as I felt a little better, I played my guitar more, if for no other reason than to pass the time. And songs started emerging. Long story short, three years later I am about ready to release my first album. If you're interested in hearing a few tunes, they are posted at http://jeffshattuck.bandcamp.com/ You can also visit my blog at www.cerebellumblues.com Any feedback would be hugely welcome, even negative. I just want to know someone is listening! Jeff .-= Jeff Shatuck´s last blog ..The myth of the lone inventor. =-.

The movie goes beyond advertising to the notion of re-creation. Can't wait to se the finished product. The movie is headed next to Detroit and soon with the help of Jeanne Schad, who is featured in the film, to Los Angeles. Anyone else want to help with the LA screening? Contact me. .-= Mark Harmel´s last blog ..how twitter led me to Lemonade =-.