Here’s how the program worked:

• kids briefed by WK account team
• kids workshop scripts with WK creatives
• kids presented scripts to WK CD’s
• kids presented scripts to Target clients
• 8 scripts were selected to for production with the aid of WK producers

More GFS videos can be seen here.

Last year, the fellows created spots for ESPN’s “It’s Not Crazy, It’s Sports” campaign.”

Rebecca Groff, our go-to for all things PR, and copywriter Charles Hodges sat down last week and talked all things holiday cheer.

Rebecca Groff: What’s your ‘go-to’ holiday party outfit?
Charles Hodges: You know, it’s an interesting question, and one that I’m always thinking about for any kind of festive event. I always want to be original, but in an understated, relaxed kind of way. I used to have a go to turtleneck and sweater combo. It worked great with a beard and some non-prescription glasses, but it required to much emotionally. Lots of “funny” faces in pictures, a regrettable choice overall when I really think about it. But that was during my high school years in Reno.
RG:  You went to high school in Reno?
CH:  No, I went to high school in Charlotte.

RG:  Why did you just lie?
CH:  I don’t know.

RG: Charlotte’s pretty conservative in its dress, is it not?
CH:  It depends on where you hang out. Actually no it doesn’t. Yeah, it’s pretty conservative. It’s like living in a turn of the millennium issue of Hammacher Schlemmer.

RG: The magazine that sells expensive, yet quirky gifts?
CH: Yeah.

RG: Are there people in those?
CH: Yeah, like when they are showing you a picture of the remote control doggy door there’s a person in the background smiling without a care in the world.

RG: And that’s what Charlotte is like?
CH: Pretty much. But I love Charlotte and, obviously, still dress like I am from there.

RG: Speaking of which, who (brand) are you wearing to the Holiday party?
CH: Oh jesus, where do I begin? I think I’ll be going with a white oxford shirt from J. Crew, dark jeans from J. Crew and a mohair blazer.

RG: Mohair blazer?
CH: Dillard’s, Spring 02.

RG: Is that it?
CH: I might wear a tie and some suede bucks from Cole Haan.

RG: Sounds like you might look like an English teacher.
CH: I’m comfortable with that.

RG: So no risks?
CH: That you’ll be able to see.

RG: Gross.
CH: Sorry.

RG: What are your tricks to staying fit during the holidays?
CH: Every morning I wake up, I drink a muscle milk shake. It helps get my metabolism going and sustains me through lunch. If I don’t have to work late, I’ll try to go to the gym. Sometimes I’ll run a few miles and lift some weights.

RG: Other times?
CH: I’ll just go to the gym, walk around, drink a bunch of water and just kind of think about nothing. Then I’ll come home, drink two beers and eat some frozen Sour Patch Kids while I watch something on instant Netflix.

RG: How often do you do that?
CH: More often than I do the muscle milk shake, real workout thing.

RG: Thanks for being honest that time.
CH: You’re welcome.

RG: What’s on your wish-list this holiday season?
CH: A weekend away from the office.

RG: What’s on your wish-list this holiday season that isn’t some “witty” professional response?
CH: One of those hats that has ear flaps, but not the furry kind, the kind that looks like a regular hat and then just happens to have ear flaps.

RG: Any advice for newbies tonight at the party?
CH: Yes. Don’t do anything that you would get you fired or fake fired.

RG: For example…
CH: Don’t put an executive creative director in a headlock.

No matter what you celebrate, may you get the gift equivalent of Charles’ cap with a flap.

Happy Holidays from all your friends at WK.

(Holiday party photos coming soon)

Twas the day before the holiday party and all through the office…
People were losing it because Jeff Dryer and Brandon Pracht put together this magnificent blanket as a gift for each member of the ESPN account team.
Behold the majesty and howl your jealous heart out.

[Ryan Burke]

The first few years of our lives are dedicated to it almost exclusively. There then comes a time when we’re expected, at least by the last generation, to give it up completely.

These days, things are a little different. Games are EVERYWHERE. From Warcraft to Farmville, Mortal Kombat to Wii Yoga, and every iPhone app in between (looking at you, Angry Birds-addicted grandma), what began as a hobby of basement-dwelling tinkerers in the 70s is now a truly mainstream pastime. But can games be used for more than just escapist entertainment?

Al Gore, "Gaming for Good"

Many believe that gaming in the name of social good is the next frontier for the industry. Being faced with challenges to overcome in the real world is something that often causes people a great deal of stress. But games present us with the same thing in such a way that we actually embrace the experience instead. So could “gamefying” the real world be a way of taking on greater challenges in a fun, accessible way? Many seem to think so. After all, who better to enlist in a problem-solving exercise than designers –that is, folks who create objectives, obstacles, and parameters– and gamers –the people who live to explore those parameters, overcome the obstacles, and accomplish the objectives?

Recently, in fact, a group of gamers spent 3 weeks tackling complex DNA puzzles, which eventually led to a breakthrough in an HIV research problem that had stumped scientists for a decade. Playing games is very serious business.

Last week, PSFK hosted an event with Al Gore to discuss his Climate Reality Project, where creative thought leaders were tasked with developing concepts to use “gaming for good” to raise global awareness of the effects of climate change. A team comprised of W+Kers from New York and Portland presented their idea for conveying the harsh, dramatic realities within the virtual worlds that millions of players log into every day.

“To raise awareness and drive home the true impact of climate change, we will create our own virtual climate change events in some of the most popular games in the world. By working with top publishers like EA and Rockstar, a wide range of games could be affected simultaneously, ensuring we can reach a critical mass and stimulate a conversation about climate change. on Earth Day, we will take the gaming world by surprise by introducing new mechanics that completely alter the game world and how players interact with it.

The overnight appearance of these changes changes will spur conversation about the real world implications of climate change while informing gamers of possible consequences.“

It seems simple. Rather than market an educational game about the world’s toughest problems (who wants to play that?), we can force gamers to see how the world in which they live is changing by imposing those changes on the world in which they play.The problems in the game world, like those in the real one, therefore, cannot be ignored.

No more escapism. On to the problem-solving.

“Climate Reality” was presented by Erik Hanson on behalf of team Dan Neumann, Erin Brownie, Nick Barham, Dan Hon, Emma Wiseman, Jamie Ostrov, Laura Hall, Marshall Ball, Jason Gingold, Josh Millrod, and Jamie Carreiro. Woot! For more on “Climate Reality” and the other concepts presented, check out the full “Gaming for Good” Report from PSFK.

Photo by Louis Caldarola [http://www.louiscaldarola.com]