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Exclusive photo from the Donny-brook!
The picture ain’t pretty, but neither is the plight of the art director, Jeison Rodriguez, who admitted to AdFreak that while he “should have been reprimanded,” being fired seemed a bit much. A 10-year Deutsch vet, Rodriguez sounded positively wistful, recalling the days when he perceived Donny as “always being able to look at himself and laugh.” Now here’s the follow-up: It seems e-mail, the very thing that got Rodriguez in hot water, is also getting him out of it—and leading to further distribution of the Donny pics. The firing incident, which actually dates back to late January, stimulated Rodriguez’s friend Mark Koelfgen to send around an e-mail to help his friend get a new job, with the offensive pics attached! Koelfgen, who also once worked at Deutsch, said of the pictures, “Hold up your hand if you didn’t go through a Billy Ray Cyrus stage.” Fortunately for Rodriguez, the e-mail campaign worked. (He now has a freelance gig.) Strangely the e-mail, having made the rounds throughout the ad industry, has tapped into not only empathy for Rodriguez, but also a weird dynamic in which at least one agency thought about riding Donny’s coattails for its own gain. Rodriguez told us that in addition to hearing from Crispin’s Bogusky and BBDO’s Eric Silver, he also got an offer from Modernista! in Boston to bankroll his job search and “put some sort of publicity thing in the trades.” Rodriguez declined; Modernista! could not be reached for comment. Below are partial contents of Koelfgen’s e-mail, though we're not vouching for this version of how the pictures got into the art director's hands. We hear he got them off the company server. It’s a poem, of sorts: Today my friend Jeison Rodriguez was abruptly fired. Jeison wasn't fired for incompetence. I worked for Donny. I can't speak for anybody else. It was probably stupid for Jeison to have done this. I'll hop off my soapbox now. And get to the point: if you need a talented freelance AD in the NYC area --or know somebody Thanks, mk! —Posted by Catharine P. Taylor |
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April 27, 2005 | Permalink |
Comments
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*reaching for sick bag* I still don't get why Donny keeps giving out pics of himself to his employees.
Posted by: caff | Apr 27, 2005 3:09:19 PM
i feel bad for the AD but you cant find embarrassing pictures of your boss at the office, surreptiously post them online from your email address (which bears your bosses name in it!) and not expect trouble. stock prices rise and fall on stupid things like this, and a ten year vet has to know better. hard to blame hr at his agency for doing something, albeit harsh. sounds like at least he landed on his feet though, which is good.
Posted by: bbbb | Apr 27, 2005 3:22:03 PM
Allegedly the press release from Modernista! Mr. Rodriguez declined:
MODERNISTA! HIRES EX-DEUTSCH
ART DIRECTOR UNTIL HE FINDS JOB IN N.Y.
BOSTON - Modernista!, Boston has offered to cover the job search expenses of Jeison Rodriguez, former Senior Art Director at Deutsch, NY. After ten years at Deutsch, Mr. Rodriguez was released Monday for inappropriate use of company e-mail. Surprised but optimistic, Mr. Rodriguez wishes to remain in the New York advertising community. “He’s a really great art director. We love his book. He’s not able to relocate to Boston, so we thought we might be able to help out another way.” said Gary Koepke, Co-Founder and Executive Creative Director of Modernista!, “Plus, photocopies are like 75 cents each now, you know?” added Lance Jensen also Co-Founder and Executive Creative Director of Modernista!. Mr. Rodriguez will be paid an undisclosed sum, until such time as he has secured full-time employment in New York City..
Posted by: Anon | Apr 27, 2005 3:36:49 PM
Mr. Deutsch may be an overbearing, overreaching publicity hog whose sphincter is even tighter than his Speedos, but that art director got exactly what he deserved. Aside from an opportunity to mock Mr. Deutsch - and really, it's not like there's any shortage of those these days - I fail to see why his plight is generating so much sympathy.
As for that picture of the so-called "industry dreamboat," one is compelled to ask: Separated at Birth - Alex Bogusky and. . . Kato Kaelin?
Posted by: guvnor | Apr 27, 2005 4:10:34 PM
jesus, just what we need, another pompous ass named donald getting press for firing people.
good luck rodriguez.
Posted by: dp | Apr 27, 2005 4:17:50 PM
i agree with guvnor. you can't stuff like this go unpunished. i know there's a big contingent out there that thinks this kid did the business a service or whatever. how so? donny deutsch has a right to his personal privacy, no matter what any of us think of him.
Posted by: cry me a river | Apr 28, 2005 8:49:00 AM
portly little hottie
Posted by: shawn | Apr 28, 2005 10:14:38 AM
Surprisingly, Donny missed out on an opportunity for some great press- everyone has pics they'd rather not have seen by the world. People can relate to this situation- the confident and thoughtful thing to do would be to embrace the hilarity, thus winning the hearts of those who would be unable to do the same.
Kill em' with kindness and a laugh, not a display of power- certainly this is day one stuff for an adman.
Posted by: Telly | Apr 28, 2005 11:23:43 AM
It's common sense not to do something as stupid as posting potentially embarassing pictures of your boss. Someone who does this cannot be trusted in important positions.
Posted by: Anonymous | Apr 28, 2005 1:39:06 PM
I have had experiences with both Modernista! and Deutsch and let me tell you, Jeison's better off! The work coming out of Modernista! kicks ass compared to the music video advertising Deutsch does on a regular basis. Donny deserves to be humiliated once in a while .. if you've ever heard how he screams and yells at his 4 personal assistants on a weekly basis and humiliates them, you'd see where I was coming from. Good luck, Jeison.
Posted by: Anonymous | Apr 28, 2005 2:01:27 PM
I must be gay. The picture of Donny doesn't seem that bad to me.
Posted by: | Apr 28, 2005 2:29:38 PM
You just don't fuck with anyones PERSONAL LIFE. It's not cool. Business credibility and personal lives are sacred things these days that should be respected and protected.
I don't want my photo showing up on the Internet unless it's attached to a white paper, I'm attached to a supermodel or it shows me rescuing a helpless animal.
If Rodriguez did it to me, I'd fire him. Then I'd have my Attorney contact him just to make sure that he keeps it under control and doesn't try to do any harm to my hard earned credibility and my business. It's no joke. It's not funny.
Dude, You got less than what you deserved.
Posted by: mepod | Apr 28, 2005 2:34:31 PM
Oh and by the way, adrants SUCKS for posting the photo.
Now we have the National Enquirer of the ad industry. Nice.
Who needs it.
Posted by: mepodmepod | Apr 28, 2005 2:39:52 PM
mepod - it was on the server. if they were "so" personal he shouldn't have left them there or had them in the office in the first place. i don't know the man personally but jeison, having been there nearly a decade, thought he was the kind of guy who would laugh at it. but he was wrong and got canned. now it's time for me to erase my embarrassing pictures off our server...
Posted by: take it lite-ly | Apr 28, 2005 2:50:34 PM
Jeison must be a shitty creative. "Donny showing off his body" is so contrived. And stupid. Come up with something original Jeison whoever you are.
Posted by: tracy | Apr 28, 2005 3:06:37 PM
I understand why he got fired you never openly make fun of the Boss. But why should this be considered an "embarrasing" photo? The guys body is a Hell of a lot better than most guys his age! Why be embarresed bout wearin a speedo hes in the friggin water, and obviously trying to even out his tan line. Americans are so stuck on speedos being bad for men, I think that is because Americans are typically over weight.
Posted by: chiboydon@aol.com | Apr 28, 2005 4:34:20 PM
"Alright guys, we're pitching the Speedo account. Let's look at the creative. This sucks. This sucks. And this sucks. I know, clients always love theater. That's why they go to ad agencies. They want to see people who demonstrate a commitment to the product. You know people who've made the product part of their lives. Hand me that grey stretchy one."
Posted by: confused | Apr 28, 2005 7:06:55 PM
hey, this really is american bullshit. talking from a european perspective: servers are public more or less (as the name says: it is a SERVER). and the pic really isnt that bad as others stated. if this guy feels humiliated, he should really see his shrink. of course the outfit is goddam cheesy - but if you are the boss, and if you really are such a big deal: get a life and have more important things to do. he really must be off on the wrong foot. and not understood any rules of the industry. now he really got people laughing at him. even across in old europe. i never knew what he looked like. and now i know for sure it is a place i would not want to work for ever either ;)
Posted by: nina | Apr 28, 2005 7:36:52 PM
Server? Intranet och Extranet? There's a huge difference - if it was on the company intranet he should have been fired twice.
Posted by: dabitch | Apr 29, 2005 6:59:26 AM
(och!? I meant or! drats!)
Posted by: Dabitch | Apr 29, 2005 7:00:10 AM
I'm confused why does mepodmepod say that "adrants sucks" here at adfreak?
Posted by: Dabitch | Apr 29, 2005 8:56:52 AM
Yea, I was in a bad mood due to some client shit. I feel better today because the budget went up and so, nobody sucks.
Mad about this business.
Posted by: mepod | Apr 29, 2005 9:55:01 AM
Good god, Donny is all over CNBC and Ad press bragging and preening. So why the hell would he get upset over this little picture? If he had any sense of self, he would just laugh and make some good publicity over it. It's hilarious. BTW, no picture is going to do more damage than Donny has done to Deutsch. Methinks his publicity hounding is what might be doing his business along with the shitty advertising that they have been doing. Thank god they lost Mitsubishi. Firing a ten year art director for just having a little fun, was over the top. If IPG had any sense, they'd buy out Donny's contract and kick his ass out.
I have no sympathy for this boob.
Posted by: Arggh!!! | Apr 29, 2005 10:31:25 AM
geez, Adweek has far scarier photos of Donny in it's files.
Posted by: Mars McKilter | Apr 29, 2005 11:22:23 AM
mepod, I was really just wondering why you called "adfreak" "adrants"... It's a bit like saying the wrong name in bed isn't it? ;) Or did you mean adrants?
Posted by: Dabitch | Apr 29, 2005 12:32:05 PM
but mepod is correct, Adrants IS the National Enquirer of the ad industry...
Posted by: Mars McKilter | Apr 29, 2005 1:54:58 PM
aye, can't argue with that.
Posted by: Dabitch | Apr 29, 2005 2:13:01 PM
If you're going to reproduce Koelfgen's email message with interspersed [sic]'s to show how learned you are, perhaps you should finish the job. My additions represented by [SIC!]. Yours in didacticism, Bronte:
Today my friend Jeison Rodriguez was abruptly fired.
He's [sic] was an art director at Deutsch for close to a decade.
Jeison wasn't fired for incompetence.
He's a damn fine art director. And a gifted designer.
He was fired for e-mailing some pictures of Donny Deutsch.
Pictures Donny had taken of himself.
I'll enclose them so you see what I mean.
I worked for Donny.
I have no axe [sic] to grind.
He payed [sic] me regular [SIC!].
But the more I think about this, the more it bothers me.
I can't speak for anybody else.
But you'll never see me squeeze my greasy carcass into a speedo.
And if I do, I'll never have a picture taken.
And if I do, I'll never keep it.
And if I do, I'll never give it to an art director with a scanner and some spare time.
And If I do, he's more than welcome to send it to whoever [SIC!] he wants.
It was probably stupid for Jeison to have done this.
But ultimately, I think he's a victim of ruthless vanity.
I'll hop off my soapbox now.
And get to the point:
if you need a talented freelance AD in the NYC area --or know somebody
who might--please have them get in touch with Jeison. You won't be
disappointed. I promise.
Thanks,
mk!
Posted by: bronte | May 3, 2005 12:51:32 PM
1) There seems to be a conflicted culture at Deutsch.
2) A great lesson was learned that will probably not be repeated unless said art director wants to leave his job and gain national publicity sometime in the future.
3) In spite of all his publicity THE DONNY seems to have an image problem that DIDN'T come from wearing a speedo in public.
4) If Trump wasn't rich would THE DONNY still be his friend?
5) Jeison will not have a tough time finding a job. The ad industry loves creative loose cannons.
Posted by: Bruce DeBoer | May 4, 2005 10:23:17 AM
I will always love this post. Forever and ever. Made me laugh as hell. Come and visit the ugly side of advertising blogs at: http://adssuck.blogspot.com/
Posted by: Me | Sep 27, 2005 1:52:23 AM
who's donny? donny osmond?
wow, the captcha image sez "9eesex"
Posted by: eh | Jan 2, 2006 5:11:41 PM
I never heard of Deutsch. What accounts do they have?
Posted by: datruth | Jan 3, 2006 3:14:52 PM
go a head with a personal trainer...
Posted by: Foster | Jun 4, 2008 5:04:10 AM
