2. This is a recommendation I wrote for Walt, May, 2009. I thought it was pretty darn
clever of me. Had I known that he was going through such apparent turmoil, I might
not have been so glib. But indeed, this perfectly illustrates how our relationship
actually worked.
• It’s ten pm on no particular evening and it is Walt on the phone asking me to help him concoct a
new, fresh idea he needs by the end of the day tomorrow.
• "Hey Walt, it is ten pm man, this better be good!"
• He retorts, "Sorry man, I just got this idea and it is better than anything I have so far...it is perfect
and you're the only one I trust to pull this off, you know!"
• I reply,"Yeh man, I appreciate the compliment, but geez, it is late and how much is this great, new
idea gonna cost, man.
• "Hey,” he says, "Don't worry 'bout it, I gotcha covered man, you know I do!"
• I reply, "Okay, okay, man, fax me the script... Walt, you owe me big time... again!"
• That's Walt Harris. Intense, dedicated to providing the best solutions to a client's need. No matter
what it takes. You just have to respect someone that goes that extra mile, pushes the envelope.
He's a talented designer, adept storyteller and a crafty salesman. Hell, he sells me into striving for
the impossible just about every time he calls... And, more often than not, those insane moments
turn into great commercials.
• I'd recommend him in a second. Walt, it has always been pleasure.
3. It is not my intention, now, to highlight my
accomplishments through all the great art directors I
have had the privilege to work with. Originally, I was
going use the assembled work to promote my talents.
It is a strange coincidence that Walt Harris was one of
the first art directors I plan to incorporate for that
purpose. Believe me when I say, I have almost every
pitch I ever worked on with Walt, in some form or
another. To add any more than I am showing here truly
would be only self–serving.
And that is not my intention…
4. It was called Dancer, Fitzgerald, Sample…
When I first came to what would eventually be called Saatchi, I
showed my student portfolio to Gale Napier and Ron Wolin.
Barron Storey gave me a host of his contacts when we graduated
from Art Center. About a year later, Gale was the first person to
hire me for a storyboard though I don’t remember the details. I
later did some work for Ron, but I don’t think it went to well. Ron
and illustrator, Larry Salk, were SILA members and that’s how I
got my foot in to that door. I once brought my five or six year old
son to deliver a job and crusty, but lovable Katherine Johnson
took a liking to him. Though the dates are quite fuzzy, I am sure
that that’s how I was introduced to Walt… through Katherine
Johnson. I rarely worked in-house at the agency and never did
for Walt. Reading between the lines, I now have a better
understanding why.
5. Walt like big bosomed women…
I can’t tell how many times we went over this. One time, in the pre dawn
hours, I delivered a board for him and he was not happy with it because
the babes weren’t buxom enough. There were three or four frames that
he had me changed the women on. He must have known me well enough
to know I’d not appreciate his cut and paste approach to making a “C” cup
a “D” cup on my art work because he gave me the option to fix it.
6. A really good idea, at the time, to show the go
anywhere ruggedness of the FourRunner.
7. These hikers, bosoms aside, realize the
Four Runner can go where only hikers can.
Toyota
8. Walt also liked the cinematic approach…
I sometimes think Walt really wanted to be a film
director because in many of the scripts he had me
create the look of a film noir movie. Although I
always complained when he’d ask me to render that
way, it was only because he squeezed me with the
deadline. Actually, I rather enjoyed the look
because my style of working was conducive to dark,
moody forms that hid my line work.
Here’s one of my better interpretations to the
script…
9.
10. Italian mafiaso types were used to represent the
European car companies in this commercial
which actually ran on tv. Walt and I had pretty
good success on tv. Japan was always pitting
their product against the BMW’s, Porsches,
Mercedes, Jags and Ferrari’s. This edited framed
board was introducing the new Toyota Celica
which was totally redesigned and hot…
Walt relished the role of the underdog…
11. It was a rare event when Walt required
tight sketches from me…
It kind of went like this. Walt would call me in to view a bunch of
vids from the movies, or samples sent to him by various
suppliers and we’d kick it around. I don’t remember having too
many writers in these meetings. It was usually just Walt and me
and my sketchpad. Walt rarely sketched his ideas for me, but
preferred to talk it out with the script in hand as I scribbled out
thumbnails for his approval. When he did require more detailed
drawings before going to final, I knew it was only because his
bosses were somehow calling him out. Maybe, it was for his style
of presenting or not presenting an idea to the higher ups! But I
could tell. His usual bravado was a bit turned down a few
notches. It only drove me more to help “cover his back” … and
mine!
15. Another Script... for Previa.
I believe the Previa Mini Van debut in ‘90/91. I should remember because I was so busy illustrating from scripts
that I started to employ other artists. Some of the titles included concepts about the car’s handling in “Stunt
Driver”, it’s performance as a family car, “Family Car”, it’s safety features in, “Unexpected”, it’s revolutionary
design in, “New Job” and it’s versatility as in, ”New Addition.” These titles were just Walter’s, but I was also
servicing other art directors and their many concepts.
21. More Tight Beauty Shots…
I also did tight renderings for brochure designs as well as print ads and, as in this
illustration, a double 5x7 storyboard frame. This is taken from a color xerox, which, at
the time, was all the rage. If I did not shoot slides of the work in my studio, this is all I’d
have to show for my efforts.
22. The “RAV4” is a crossover compact “SUV” that debut here in America in 1996.
This is one of many print campaign ideas touting the uniqueness of the car
and its owners.
24. Walt, stop asking me to make this…
the best thing I’ve ever done!
There were times when both of us were pretty stressed out! I believe it was in the late nineties. Because
of Walt’s personality, he never led on that he was not under control, but it seemed every time we began
working together, he’d tell me over the phone that he needed this board to be the best thing I’ve ever
done. Many times, he’d just give me scripts and let me run with it. We were a team, of sorts! It was not
like he only used my services to help him produce a winner. Walt, with the many writers he worked
with, was pretty prolific and even with my hiring artists to assist me, I could not always keep up with
him.
Maybe, he was starting to feel the pressure of the inner office politics. If I asked him about his status at
Saatchi, he’d blow me off. Computers made it easier to stay at home to work and then, just email the
work to the agency. So it wasn’t always necessary to come in and see Walt. But whenever I came in to
see him, he just didn’t look healthy to me. Early in the nineties, Gale Napier past away from a heart
attack. Walt started to remind me of Gale and it was around that time that we all lost Ron Wolin, May
2000?
I don’t know why, but it never occurred to me that art directors were human and were susceptible to
those normal human frailties like… sickness and death.
And, I don’t know why, but late one night when he called me to work the weekend, I had to tell him to
stop expecting a new impossibility from me. At this point, I was really starting to feel responsible if the
concept I was working on for him, didn’t sell. I really could not make the frames any more sensual and
photographic than I had been making them in the time frame I was being allowed.
25. Possibly the last board I created for Walt at Saatchi…
Actually, there were a few more in-house jobs that I worked on, but I couldn’t use
our style. Another storyboard company came in and basically took over the artwork
which was all done in-house and the agency wanted all one unified look for the
presentation. Although most of the artists were very qualified, Walt had to work
within the factory line style to get his ideas visualized. I don’t think that it really
mattered to him at this point of his career. Being expected to conform to the new
way of working wasn’t what I was interested in doing. Walt had to play the game…
and I didn’t!
26. Making the most out of technology. Here’s six of twelve
frames for a storyboard entitled, ”Mower.”
27. Walt’s loyalty was something I knew I could always
count on…
In 2001, my wife and I cashed out of Southern California. I was
quite ambivalent about the departure, but it seem the most
prudent thing to do at the time. Before I left, I called some of my
best and most loyal clients to alert them of my move. The
computer had created new opportunities while wrecking other
ones and one of those advantages was that I could work
anywhere I chose and still make good art while meeting my
deadlines. I suppose by that time, Walt was already through with
Saatchi and had moved over to Y&R in Irvine. I had a pretty good
working relationship there already. When I called Walt to let him
know, he wished me well in our move and promised to call when
he got some interesting projects. I did not hear from him for
about a year or so…
28. This is one of the first boards I did for Walt at Y&R/Irvine sometime in 2002. I
didn’t feel that Walt ever felt comfortable here in Irvine although he told me
it was closer to home than Del Amo square. Here we tried to interject that
cinematic feel, but by now, with tighter budgets and less patient clients,
every board seem to have four frames of storyline and the rest of the eight
frames were running shots of the vehicle plus a logo frame.
29. In the period of over a year, I had acquired a few reps to help me keep
my name out and about, so I wasn’t in dire need of work, but I did
wonder about some of my loyal clients and wondered if “out of sight,
out of mind” was a reality for me!
30. “Benny Boy, how‘d you like to work with me on some
Lincoln Aviator scripts?”
“Me and Richard Pass have a bunch of work we need comped and we actually have some
time on these ideas to cherry it up!” These are some of those concepts we put together for
presentation.
31. How appropriate that this board featuring my hometown, New Orleans was bought
and shown on prime time television. He was excited at the prospect of getting
together on Bourbon Street, but somehow, it never happened!
It felt great to be back in the saddle again…
32.
33. Walt and I worked sporadically in 2003 on the Lincoln Towncar and
sold a couple of ideas, one in particular highlighting Senator Robert
Dole. But, in 2004, we barely worked together at all.
34. A few months after Hurricane Katrina, I visited SoCal just to let people know I
survived. I made a point to visit Richard Pass, Elayna Rocha, Carolyn Clare,
John Doyle and most importantly, Walt at Y&R/ Irvine.
As sadly, it often happens, no one was there that I knew except Elayna and Walt. He looked as forlorn as I have ever
seen him. I offered to take him to lunch, but he said he had two AD’s under him and he needed to be there in case they
needed some help. So, he took his pack of ciggies and a cup of coffee as we exited for a walk on the agency grounds.
“Ben, he said, I’ve got these two guys working for me, but I can tell I’m being put out to pasture.” Those two guys don’t
need me to oversee their work! Whenever HR or a big wig is in the vicinity, I hide in the bathroom!”
“It is only a matter of time, but I can’t afford to lose my job right now!”
“How can you tell, Walt,” I asked.
“Easy,” he said. “Nobody’s bought any of my ideas and now, there are meetings that I’m no longer a part of.”
“Kinda like Jim Doyle’s scene, huh?” I said, acting like I had all the poop on what happen to him at Saatchi.
We continued our walk and talked about the whereabouts of all the folks I hadn’t seen in years. Apparently, he hadn’t
seen anyone either. He mentioned seeing Sherry Datwyler, who now was a freelance art director and a mother.
“She’s still as cute and as hot as she ever was,” he quipped!
After about twenty more awkward minutes, we shook hands and as we parted ways, I said to tell Sherry hello for me!
I never saw Walt, ever again though I did hear from him again just one more time.
35. I called Walt a couple more times when I returned to
SoCal with the U. S. Air Force Art Program in 2008…
I can’t even remember if I got a voicemail. I had Carolyn Clare’s number and spoke to her about Walt’s
whereabouts, but she did not have any viable information. When I left him back in ‘06, his spirits were pretty
down, but I had faith that he’d bounce back just one more time.
Being a freelance “hired gun,” you never really get to know well all the great people you work for and with. They
are the people you bust your ass with to reach a common goal but when those horrendous deadlines are met, they
and you are headed for home…till the next time! I knew he had triplets because he always made jokes about his
“virility!” I don’t believe I’ve ever met Randaleigh, his wife, though I’ve seen pictures of her and the triplets in his
office! That’s pretty sad! There’s seldom any time to just chit-chat, so you really don’t get to know too well the
people you share these stressful days with.
I’ve worked with Walt for almost twenty years, off and on, and now I’m told that he is no longer with us here on
earth. I found out about Walt’s passing about two weeks ago from Al Abbott, who is someone I’ve known for
almost as long as I knew Walt. Upon further investigation, I read that the last two years of his life was not very
pleasant. I’ve yet to find out why his last years weren’t good for him, but regardless, there is a giant whole in my
heart. I wish I could have been of some assistance or comfort for the big lug! I don’t know, had I known something
was wrong, I would have tried to fly back into SoCal ( I was just there at Christmas 2012! ) and spend some of that
time that was lost so long ago.
The last time I spoke to Walt was in 2009. He called me to tell me that he was working at an agency in Detroit and
wanted me to recommend him on Linkedin. I told him that I was flattered that he’d ask! I also teased him by
asking, “More cars, dude? You still doing cars? Well, you know who’s the best “sheet metal “ guy around! Just call
me if you need any help!”
God, we were always so damn busy…
36. Just wanna say thanks to all my Saatchi friends.
You will always be in my heart, mind and soul…
Thanks to: Walt Harris, Terry Belagia, Jennifer Phillips, Virginia Witt, Al Abbott,
Eric Gardner, Steve Wilson, Jim Doyle, Kevin Murphy, Sherry Datwyler, Pat
Pellicano, Katherine Johnson, Eileen Turpin, Ron Wolin, Gale Napier, Doug Van
Andel, Joe McDonagh, John Alexander, Dennis Millette, David Tanimoto, and
Leo Circo, for being a part of my life.
Those days and the people I’ve met and worked with during those years at
Saatchi will always be special to me. Like Ron, Gale and Walt Harris, I may
never see any of these colleagues again, but I will always have those
memories: the good, the bad, the ugly, the funny, the crazy, the stressful and
the artistic.
