Yup, losing 7.33% of my body weight, I won the weight loss challenge this year. No second place six years in a row for me.

We also held a weekly challenge, and Beau “Beauhemian” Faulkner was this week’s winner with 2.9% lost from the last time he weighed in. As a 15-participant group, we lost an astonishing 60.8 pounds over 40 days.

As the HR person at Pavone, people often ask me what makes Pavone different from other agencies. Well, there’s been good old-fashioned jokes and fun during this year’s challenge, and that’s what makes Pavone great. Culture is one of those things that’s hard to define. But damnit, you know good culture when you see it, and I see it daily at Pavone. For example, close to the end of the challenge, my day was made when it started raining chocolate. I sit on the first floor right by the steps, so it’s easy for the restless natives to make it seem as though chocolate goodness is coming straight down from the heavens. It was a failed tactic from the sense that I didn’t eat the chocolate, but even more important than that, it made me smile. Good people are hard to come by, but Pavone sure has plenty of them.

And who brought in the sticky buns on Thursday? Thanks! The day before the weigh out is a great time to bring in gooey yumminess. Then again, that’s a sure sign of good people. Home baked goods are a regular occurrence at Pavone. Maybe that’s why we need the weight loss challenge every year. Anyway, it’s nice to know that there are regulars who bring in good food just to brighten up everyone’s day.

So, for now, we’ll have to say goodbye to the weight loss challenge…until next spring! But rest assured, the jokes will still go on and the fun will continue throughout the year. And yes, I did wear elastic-waisted pants at the Webb family Easter dinner table.

i a litttle big alredy but i biger now beecuz i on big bannur on side of pavone aguncy (i drew arrow incase youu kant c me). peeple say i lookk meen in pitcher. i do look little meen but i not reely meen if you no mee. neway it is nicce too be ofishuly teh biggest bulldogg in central pa. sort ov.

Greg Harrison was working as global creative director for Cheil Worldwide, South Korea’s largest advertising agency, when he got a call from Pavone’s executive creative director, Mark Richwine, about an opening at the thinkbank. Mark knew Greg’s work well because the pair had worked together for three years at Kelly Michener Advertising in Lancaster, Pa. Soon afterward, Pavone offered Harrison a position as the thinkbank’s creative director and the 24-year ad vet immediately accepted.

While at Cheil Worldwide, Harrison served as the agency’s global creative director, working on a client roster that included Samsung Electronics and Hankook Tire. Other stops in Harrison’s two-and-a-half decade advertising career include Eisner Communications in Baltimore and the Los Angeles offices of Ogilvy & Mather and Saatchi & Saatchi. Along the way, he’s worked with brands like U.S. Airways, Jaguar, Miller Lite, Toyota, Capitol Records, Converse Sneakers and Ocean Spray.

We recently sat down with Greg for a rare one-on-one interview, and this is what he had to say:

NAME: Greg Harrison

TITLE: Creative director

ARCHIMAGE: I’ll go with Creator and Jester. Maybe a dash of The Sage, add a hint of Explorer, and a hint of regular guy.

THINK IT SO BLOG: Thanks for clearing a few minutes out of your schedule to talk with us. We know you must be very busy.

GREG HARRISON: No problem at all. Thanks for having me.

TISB: What drew you to a career in advertising?

GH: There are only three things I ever talked about doing, even as a kid. The first was flying helicopters for the Army, which I tried to do. They politely asked if I really thought they should entrust a $50 million piece of hardware to a guy who couldn’t even read the large letter “E” at the very top of the eye chart. They then inquired if I’d be content with a rifle instead. Didn’t quite feel the same to me.  The second was to be an animator for Walt Disney. But alas, Walt died. The third was advertising. Which seems to have worked out OK, since it was my third choice.

TISB: What’s the most memorable campaign you’ve worked on?

GH: It would probably be the work we did for Toyota Motorsports, mainly because of my own interest in motor racing. It was a Samsung campaign featuring Chelsea striker, Didier Drogba that allowed us to be in South Africa for two weeks, which was a very memorable location.

Most recently, our latest campaign for Turkey Hill Dairy stands out. We had such a great collaboration between us, Jerry and Greg Pope the (director and producer). Our client was behind us all the way, and we got to work with a cast of 30 elementary school kids from Pittsburgh.

I also remember almost getting on a plane to shoot a commercial in France for SAP, which would have made me miss the birth of my youngest son, who arrived a month early. That’s memorable for what I didn’t do. The spot turned out great without me. Probably better without me.

TISB: Why did you decide to leave South Korea and return to Central Pennsylvania?

GH: Our first contract had finished. The second one was offered, but our family decided it would be the best thing for us to return home, so we did. No regrets. No looking back. But what a wonderful adventure.

TISB: Say something in Korean.

GH: Bali!Bali! (“Faster! Faster!” in English)

Actually, my two boys could give you a lesson in what they learned on the playground of their international school. They still won’t tell me what some of the phrases mean.

TISB: What do you see as your role here at Pavone and what you hope to accomplish at the thinkbank?

GH: Help bring some of my experiences on global brands to Pavone and our clients.

TISB: What’s the worst job you’ve ever held?

GH: Chicken catcher.

TISB: Were you any good at it?

GH: Very.

TISB: On a more lucrative note, you’ve just inherited $1,000,000. What are you doing with it?

GH: Smoothie stand in St. Thomas.

TISB: Who inspires you?

GH: Chuck Close.

TISB: So, you worked with Capitol Records. Did you get to meet some cool musicians?

GH: No, but I heard Captain & Tennille were leaving the parking lot once as we were heading in.

TISB: Speaking of music, what are you currently listening to?

GH: “Whole Wide World” by the Proclaimers

TISB: What’s one thing most people don’t know about you that might surprise them?

GH: Clowns freak me out.

TISB: Thanks for chatting with us, Greg. This has actually been mildly entertaining!

GH: The pleasure was mine.

“It’s a bit of a maze – that’s why I’m escorting you.”
“Yeah, I never would have found this!”

That’s a snippet of conversation Jan had with a visitor just a day after I told Shoff that I’d like to do my next blog entry on our building maze. How’s that for serendipity?

You can’t really get lost upstairs, where I work, because it’s a big open square. Overhead is a massive skylight – maybe 20 feet by 30 feet – comprised of 81 glass panes. We can see everyone except for Mark, whose office is behind a wall covered with weird pieces of art. It has something to do with thinking… or feeling… or some wild creative process based on Zen and feng shui. Under the skylight is the Hole, where we peer down at our coworkers.

The Hole is the only safe place on the first floor. (Well, it’s safe if no one is throwing stuff down at you from upstairs.) From there, it’s a straight shot out the front door. Everywhere else, you can get lost. Even people who’ve been here for two years use a GPS to navigate.

Here’s an example of how hard it is to get from point A to point B: You need to go from the front lobby to our bank vault-turned-copier/mailroom, where you’ll also find various office supplies. You have to turn left, go past Derek and John’s offices, turn left again (past Emily and Darby), make a sharp right, then turn left again and continue on until you see a wall in front of you, then turn right into the Vault.

Now, with all that walking, you need to use a restroom. You’re in luck! All you have to do is exit the Vault, turn left, turn left again, then take the second right. If you take the first right, you wind up in the kitchen. If you continue straight, you can go talk to Steph and Barb in the accounting department.

Suppose you have to go to the conference room? That’s easy! Just head toward Al’s office, turn right, go all the way back toward the Vault and instead of going back in there, turn left and go straight. Stop and say hi to Becky, Ian, Ami and Blair. If you keep your eyes open, you’ll see a big glass conference table on your left. If you keep going, however, you will enter another dimension (Jennie and Jan’s office) and must fast for three days if you wish to leave there to get to the lobby, where comfy chairs beckon.

Even with a building map, it’s still easy to get lost here. The squirrel that visited us the other day wasn’t shoved out – it was fleeing in terror. After all, mazes are for mice.

Each year, the thinkbank members who reside in centrally-located area affectionately known as “The Hole” open up their workspace and share their yuletide spirit with the rest of the agency during a lunch hour Hole-iday Party. This year’s bash featured eight pizzas, some Diet Coke, a few bag of Doritos and about 30 people in a really small space.

We also gave away our annual Holee Awards. Some were good, like the “Honorary Hole Member” and “Distinguished Hole Alumni” award (given to someone who used to work in the Hole, but escaped long ago). Some aren’t so good, like the “Most Likely To Cut Through the Hole” award and the “Hole Hater” award.

Either way, fun was had by all. Here’s a shot of some of the action. Below that is close up of someone who decided to spoil the photo with a juvenile act. That’s right, Becky, you’re being called out here on the Think It So blog for all to see. It should be noted that she got no awards at this year’s Hole-iday Party.