Alan Segal/Creative Direction & Communication Strategy

Alan Segal is an experienced and level-headed creative director and communication strategist, producer and one-man production team (art director/writer, information architect, illustrator and photographer). For over 20 years -- with agencies from New York to New Zealand, and on his own -- Alan has been applying creative vision, logic, and business problem-solving skills to the development of effective branding and marketing programs. The clients, industries and media he's worked with run wide and deep -- from technology and telecom to retail, durable goods and finance, both b2b and b2c, in direct media, email/web, print, video and more.

His career began at Saks Fifth Avenue in New York, art-directing video, print, catalogs, and the first interactive shopping tests in America (1984). This experience led him to early database-driven direct marketing efforts for Nissan, AT&T Sheraton, and others while at Chiat/Day (in both New York and Los Angeles).

Alan became the first creative group head for interactive media at Saatchi & Saatchi Los Angeles in 1995. There he designed, co-wrote, and creative-directed Toyota.com from its inception through 1999. Under Alan, Saatchi's interactive creative team grew from one to sixteen, collecting a few awards for out-of-the-box "new media" along the way (from Communication Arts, Graphis, and Advertising Age, among others). Most important, the work opened wide new channels of direct marketing for Toyota.

Saatchi's senior management tapped Alan to seed interactive capabilities in their New Zealand offices in 1997; he helped build a department in Wellington, and personally contributed to a revised web strategy for Telecom New Zealand (the largest corporation in the country). After this tour of duty down under, Alan returned to L.A. and was promoted to Director of New Media Strategies.

More recently, Alan was Senior Creative Director at USWeb/CKS, then Director of New Media at Pedersen Media Group (both San Francisco). He supervised projects from large-scale ecommerce sites to banners and promotions for Time Warner, Kinko's, and JCPenney. In 2000, he produced a worldwide webcast of Sun's JavaOne conference (the largest developers conference in the world), as well as Qwest Communications' 2000 annual report (both online and in print).

With this combined strategic/creative background, in both interactive and more traditional marketing, Alan is now working with clients on the integration of their direct marketing efforts with general brand messaging, primarily via mail, print, and e-media.

Husband to Margot Tanner, and the father of twins, Alan is committed to sharing his passion for what he does beyond his professional work; he teaches advertising at the Art Institute of California and also lends his talents to a few non-profits across the country, primarily in the arts and recreation (including ArtSFest Inc., San Francisco Parks Trust, and the Classical Recording Foundation).

ALAN SEGAL
6 Wildflower Drive, Corte Madera, CA 94925
415.595.6522 alan@offswitch.com

PROFESSIONAL EXPERIENCE
Creative Director/Producer/Communication Strategist
The Offswitch, July '01-Present.
Principal of “virtual agency”, assembling teams as needed to produce integrated marketing/direct response programs via email, web/multimedia, mail, print, and other media, both B2B and B2C. Sub-contracted by agencies and/or directly by clients including Charles Schwab, MarketBridge (corporate site and clients HP, MasterCard, Capgemini, SkillSoft), Wells Fargo, eBay, Mitsubishi Motors, IFP/New York, mFoundry, 360 Group (Chela Financial, Universal Studios, Cricket Wireless), Doremus (Autodesk, Brio), D4 Creative Group (AT&T, Comcast, Philadelphia Marketing & Tourism), ArtSFest Inc., Classical Recording Foundation, San Francisco Parks Trust, Thor Hanson Custom Woodworking, Ditech Communications, Dura Chemicals, Tornado Editions, Norwood Financial Group, Kearny Capital Partners, Lakeland Ophthalmology, Aperion Audio, and Nice Advertising (Bell Carter Foods).

Director, New Media/Creative & Strategy
Pedersen Media Group, San Francisco, February '00-July '01.
Directed the convergence of the web, streaming video, and interactivity with larger brand initiatives and marketing programs, such as live events, product launches and direct marketing campaigns. Responsible for new media and integrated marketing business development, partnerships and alliances. Led strategy, creative direction and content development. Clients included Sun Microsystems, Qwest Communications, Roche Pharmaceuticals, Intershop, and Electronics for Imaging.

- Produced Webcasts of Sun's JavaOne conference, with distribution of content to AltaVista
- Creative-directed Qwest's 2000 annual report in print and online versions, as well as other corporate communications
- Partnered with Roche and managed care marketing specialists to develop a web-based, database-driven clearinghouse for diabetes information
- Developed and executed intranet-based, multimedia training programs for Sun's sales force
- Creative-directed multilingual demo CD-ROMs for EFI, with video, Flash and web integration

Senior Creative Director/Branding & Advertising
USWeb/CKS, San Francisco, March '99-February '00.
In charge of major accounts' interactive media, branding and integrated marketing. Supervised a group of eighteen in client brand message development, web site content and design, and advertising. Member of management committees including new business "greenhouse" and workflow task force. Clients included Time Warner, JCPenney, Sears, Apple, Kinko's, SFO Airport, and Esurance.

- Contributed to winning over seven million dollars of new business in Branding & Advertising area
- Launched an original, successful insurance dot com, Esurance, with an integrated online/off-line ad campaign
- Oversaw creative and managed teams on a wide variety of assignments: large-scale ecommerce sites, banners and promotions, online greetings, and "advertorial" marketing efforts

Director of New Media Strategies
Saatchi & Saatchi, Los Angeles, and Wellington, New Zealand, September '98-March '99.
Promoted to fill newly developed role combining communication strategy with creative implementation. Responsible for interactive media, integrated marketing and information strategy for Toyota, PIP Printing, SquareSoft, Telecom New Zealand, NZ Rugby, as well as for internal clients.

- Led strategic development of Toyota's online branding initiatives, including ad campaigns and "microsites" for youth marketing and environmentally-responsible vehicles
- Shared knowledge and helped staff an interactive media department in Wellington, New Zealand office (now the center for all Saatchi's new media ventures throughout the Australasian region)
- Developed web strategy, site architecture and creative concepts for Telecom New Zealand, the nation's largest telco, and the NZ national rugby team, the All Blacks

Associate Creative Director
Saatchi & Saatchi, Los Angeles, March '96-September '98
- Promoted to supervise interactive media creative staff of fifteen on evolution of Toyota.com and other client web sites, as well as Saatchi L.A.'s web site and intranet site, S'Pacifics
- Named and developed Shop@Toyota (comparative car shopping) and Owners@Toyota (post-purchase relationship marketing), Toyota's first database-driven, online applications

Senior Art Director
Saatchi & Saatchi, Los Angeles, March '95-March '96
- Named, architected, designed and co-wrote original '95 site @Toyota , home of Toyota Motor Sales USA
- As L.A. office's first dedicated interactive creative, helped build department, then supervised integrated new media campaigns, web sites and CD-ROM programs
- Earned industry awards and early recognition, while opening new direct marketing channels online

Senior Art Director
Teleflora (division of Roll International), Los Angeles, November '93-March '95.
Supervised and contributed "hands-on" to in-house creative unit providing advertising, promotion, and interactive media services for Teleflora and Sunkist Pistachios. Worked closely with top product designers and marketers, from conception through licensing and manufacture, photography, design, production, and point-of-sale merchandising. Significantly helped improve upon the "look", consistency, and effectiveness of Teleflora's marketing communications to the trade and consumers, during two very profitable years.

Senior Art Director
Chiat/Day (previously Chiat/Day Direct, and Perkins/Butler), New York, and Venice, CA, May '91-June '93.
Responsible for creative concepts and graphic design for integrated/direct marketing efforts for Nissan (USA and Canada), Infiniti, American Express, AT&T, National Car Rental and Sheraton. Supervised winning pitch for Nissan's USA direct business, then surpassed response goals via award-winning direct TV, mail, print, video, and online: Nissan's first truly integrated marketing

Freelance Art Director/Designer/Photographer
New York, January '87-May '91.
Established role as a creative consultant, designer and/or photographer for variety of high-visibility accounts such as Time Warner, Conde Nast, Hearst, Saks Fifth Avenue, Showtime, and MTV Networks. Worked independently as well as through agencies including Deutsch and Chiat/Day.

Art Director
Wyse Advertising, New York, January '86-January '87.
Handled print and TV advertising creative assignments for Maidenform, Smucker's and Celanese.

Art Director
McCann-Erickson, New York, May '85-January '86.
Innovated on promotions, logo gear and direct marketing efforts for RJR/Nabisco brands.

Art Director
Saks Fifth Avenue, New York, September '81-May '85.
Gained broad experience in dynamic, in-house creative department, in multiple media: video (corporate and point-of-sale), general advertising, direct marketing, promotions, and pioneering interactive shopping tests.

EDUCATION
Art Institute of California, faculty/advertising advisory committee, San Francisco, CA, '04-Present.
Parsons School of Design, continuing education in computer graphics, New York, NY, '91.
Tyler School of Art/Temple University, Bachelor of Fine Arts, cum laude, graphic design/photography major, Philadelphia, PA, '81.
Pennsylvania State University, graphic design, liberal arts and sciences, University Park, PA, '77-'79.

AWARDS/HONORS (individually and/or as creative director)
SF Addy, Gold and Best of Show; International Advertising Awards, Cannes Bronze CyberLion; Bronze Medal, International Film & TV Festival of New York; Mobius Awards (2), Chicago Advertising Festival; Pioneer Awards (5), Direct Marketing Creative Guild West; Gold Awards (3), Magazine Publishers of America/Folio Show; John Caples International Awards (2); "Best CD-ROM-based Ad of '95", Marcom Awards/CreaTech Show; "The Best" Award, Advertising Age; Lulu Awards (5), Los Angeles Advertising Women; Silver Awards (2), International Automotive Advertising Awards; work published in Graphis New Media 1, Communication Arts Interactive Design Annual 2, Print New Media, Web Sites That Work (Adobe Press), and other publications; finalist, '97 One Show, Best Corporate Image Web Site; #1 automotive Web site, '96 and '98 (Automotive Marketing Consultants, Inc.)