Brett, Rain’s copy connoisseur, had a birthday Friday. He’s probably 25 or something. We also welcomed a new Rainette, Felice. We celebrated with champagne. Brett took some photos of Dan, Rain’s CD, popping the cork.
Add comment | May 19th, 2008
Very cool things are happening at Rain.
We just acquired a experiential entertainment company with tons of creative talent in TV and video and interactive branded entertainment with offices in Los Angeles and New York.
Now we can offer experience marketing as a complement to our other advertising and marketing services.
Very cool and really exciting for us. Call to find out more and see the reel - or stop by and visit in the Pearl.
Add comment | May 9th, 2008
I saw something inspiring Monday night.
My fiancé and I were at a concert at the Keller Auditorium in Portland. The show was The Swell Season, which was a night of music featuring the stars of the film Once. The concert was fantastic. The music was great. The sound quality was superb. And the performers were all engaging: even the opener was good.
The moment that will stay with me forever came toward the latter part of the band’s set. Glen Hansard, the male lead in Once, and the band leader told a story about walking around Portland that day. He said he ran into a guy named Paul who said he was a musician and sometimes was nervous about performing. He then asked in his Irish brogue, “Are you here tonight Paul?”
Then from the balcony Paul responded, “It’s Joseph.”
Embarrassed, Glen said, “You’re right. It is Joseph. I even wrote it down on my hand, but I forgot to look.”
What happened next came as a shock to everyone, but no one more so than Joseph.
“Would you like to come up and sing a song?” Glen asked.
The crowd cheered him on and a minute later there was Joseph on the stage unsure what to do with himself. The crowd sensed his hesitation and gave him a standing ovation. The crowd of nearly 3,000 decided to take one of its own and really pump him up for the night. Everyone felt that electricity a crowd can create and decided to let a fellow audience member live out a dream.
Joseph belted out a suitable rendition of Brandy You’re a Fine Girl, which I don’t think the band had ever heard before. And toward the end, the audience once again rose to its feet and showered the kid with praise. Joseph sang okay, but it wasn’t so much the content of his performance the crowd was cheering, it was circumstance. Those 3,000 at the Keller were helping Joseph fight his nerves to give him a moment he’ll never forget.
It was the organic version of American Idol. No contrived pop culture, no pandering, no voting. It was a real, improvisational give and take between performers and the audience: between humans.
The event was a true manifestion of the instinctive sense of community we have. It was really inspiring for the talent to give up some stage time and for the audience to play along and give such a wonderful gift to a kid who deserved it no more or less than anyone sitting there that night.
To bring this back to Rain, which I guess would be a good idea, I want to say that this seems like the business we are in here. We have the good fortune to meet and work with clients in all sorts of industries. It’s our job to find the hopes and dreams of an entrepreneur, a company, a product or a brand and give it that standing ovation. Our hard work comes after our clients have put in countless hours on their end. It’s our job to get the fruits of their labor in front of the rest of the world and make sure everyone claps along with us.
We are lucky to be in the position we’re in and we know
Add comment | April 30th, 2008
Rain has moved.
Much like the Jeffersons we’re movin’ on up. But we’re on the west side, not the east side.
Our new digs are on the second floor of The Metropolitan in the Pearl overlooking 11th between Marshall and Lovejoy.
The new office is amazing. We get tons of sun and the space is an inspiring place to work.
Outside we’ve got a posh roof deck with a fireplace and beautiful bamboo.
Inside we’ve got a wide open contemporary space with glass tables, a beautiful black leather couch and a bathroom with shower.
What you should know about the new space:
If you’re a friend or a client we can’t wait to have you here.
If you’re a stranger feel free to look up at the office from 11th. But keep in mind we’ll be judging you as we look down upon you.
1 comment | January 22nd, 2008