Re: The CREWcifixion

Hi Edwina, this is a message to all those anonymous posters RE: the Crew Creative situation...

Hello Haters,

My name is Jordan Rishel & I was an employee of Crew Creative from 2000-2007.

What bothers me is that 99% of you don't have the guts & or balls to post your real names with all that trash talk... and if you were face to face with any of the people your talking about, you'd tuck your tail between your legs & walk away without saying a word.

In regards to James the barking mad AE... why would you want clients to stop giving work to Crew?  If you are really concerned about the freelancers then you would know that having Crew succeed is the best way for them to get paid.  Also, what about the 100 employees who will lose their jobs if clients stop giving them work?  Step your game up buddy & quit crying.

If your a freelancer that didnt get paid... I feel for you since I had been freelancing for the past 1.5 years & have had problems recently being paid by some agencies...  but that is LIFE, so deal with it... you should have more clients than just Crew Creative anyway.  Be thankful your not on the side of the road with a bouquet of flowers in one hand & tube socks in the other trying to make ends meet.

In regards to Crew, I am not worried about them at all...they are going back to focusing on what they do best, creating posters.

I love Damon, I've known him for 10 years now... he's a great guy & will land on his feet wherever he goes... But a correction must be made to a post that I saw... the heart & soul of Crew isnt one individual but a TEAM of people who do what they have to do to get the best work out there no matter what it takes.  One person didnt make that company grow from 5 people to a 100+... a TEAM of people made that happen... and if you believe otherwise, your absolutely delusional & should probably be in an institution of some sort.

Folks want to lay blame on one person for what has happened but thats impossible to do & YOU ALL KNOW IT.

A word of advice to the haters, LOVE something for a change... your life & happiness will improve exponentially.

Step your game up & get back to work.

Love,
Jordan

Comments

[Sue D. Nimh]

Jordan,

Thank you for having the guts to go on record and use your real name.

Your wit and insight are also appreciated. I've been freelance for 13 years and this is the first time a client has ever defaulted; I guess I can consider myself lucky.

Thanks for your courage.

[Rat Bastard Freelancer]

You know what I love? Getting paid!

[Farkus Bronstein]

Jordan-

Thank you for your post. But Crew is dead. And Damon is a cautionary tale. He should take his boyfriend and move to Maine where he can legally wed and get out of the business for good. We don't need the stench anymore.

And Farkus Bronstein is my real name and I worked at Crew for 5 years. I guess I DO have balls.

[Notsoanonymous HH]

Well said, Jordan. Don't agree with everything you've said; but I respect your level-headedness and more graceful tone.

BTW, to Farkus and various other commenters: References to sexual preference are completely irrelevant in this thread.

[sCrewed]

Jordan.
While I see you are sticking up for your sister, who is one of the partners, those of us sitting in this vast wasteland of an office know that Crew is dying a fast death. The only person that could have saved it is no longer here. Most of us are just waiting for a job offer when he lands.

[Jordan]

Dear sCrewed,

I am sticking up for the company who gave me a career in this industry, the art directors & finishers who were kind enough to teach me when they could have been selfish and kept techniques to themselves and all the other people who helped shape me into the man I am today... Employees past & present.

Im sorry that you feel the way you do and I wish you the best of luck, whether you stay with Crew or take your talents elsewhere.

Like my grandmother used to say, it's always darkest before the dawn.

[Rat Bastard Freelancer]

Crap! There's a Farkus among us!
Hey, Farky, wouldn't you feel more at home on some homophobic, rightwing Christian blog?

[jar1putt]

sCrewed,
As you sit in that "vast wasteland" on their dime (I am assuming that you are still getting paid), why dont you take your talents and do the job that they are paying for so that you can help Crew survive rather than taking their time to read these posts and comments, wishing for something that isn't gone to happen.
I would guess that Crew's situation is more a result of bad timing with the WPP merger than it is with any one person.
The rumor on the street is that Jordan's sister was one of the guiding lights of Crew in the beginning and middle years. Maybe with her back, Crew can find the old magic.

[jar1putt]

Sorry for the typo in the previous thread...."gone to happen" s/b "going to happen" ... my bad

[yesimpissed]

actually "getting paid" is sort of a toss up at this point..some people didn't get paid last friday.
any magic his sister had is long gone as she's just running around in a panic pissing people off.
i'm just here for the show, which I am assuming is being filmed.

[ratB]

the crew story is getting so boring. plagiarism is worse and there is one vendor that has IGNITED the fire to a whole new level. Exhibit A. The teaser poster for THE UGLY TRUTH, http://www.impawards.com/2009/ugly_truth.html, then do a google image search for THE AWFUL TRUTH. Exhibit B. The recent poster for PRECIOUS, http://www.impawards.com/2009/precious.html, then do a google image search for 1987 RAPE LINE poster designed by Lanny Sommese.

[Skaz Monroe]

ratB-

So true. The IGNITED ones are cheap rip-off hacks and will soon die a nasty death like Crew. And they still owe me money.
That Linderman dude is a gigantic puke stain.

[worm]

wow...

[Notsoanonymous HH]

Hey Rat Bastard - Let's not trade in homophobic remarks for disparaging remarks about Christians, okay?

[jar1putt]

Amen

[rachel]

When you don't pay people, honest hard working people you suffer the wrath of those same people. Welcome to this chat thread!

Really doesn't matter if you like or dislike Damon, Crew and the current circumstances.
What really matters in keeping jobs and getting folks paid.

They do however deserve to be dragged through some mud on this, not be the heroes or victims. Crew is the villain in this story.

lastly, Jordan shame on you for suggesting people should have more then one client/source for income. When Crew booked and used these people they had an obligation to pay them. Crew was or will be paid for the work these fine folks did. Where is that cash? In the over the top space? It's not the responsibility of freelancers to manage Crews cash flow. You sound like an ass defending this position! A naive foolish ass.

[Bartleby, The Scrivener]

How much did that Xmas video cost?

http://tinyurl.com/7w53rm

[James]

Who cares? Ignition plagiarism is what we should be talking about.

[jar1putt]

As long as the studios and the industry lets him get away with it, then why should he stop. It's the easy way out for him and his "design" team.

[don deezy von weezy]

Ignition is the Shepherd Fairey of one sheet design. Just a bunch of plagirising hacks.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pDUzLe6-YVk
Get the BOzak beeeeeeeeeoootch!

[Double D]

"You are" = "you're"

I wish everyone involved nothing but the best because we all know working in this industry takes a lot. We didn't ruin this economy so we shouldn't wish bad things on the people trying to make a living and hold a company together. Or those who have parted ways.