As the newest, youngest member of the Javelin team I still get a little starstruck around celebrities.  My first encounter was in March of this year while executing Bacardi B-LIVE at Winter Music Conference.  The team still teases me about going a little crazy when I saw Bridget from The Girls Next Door and P Diddy.  So imagine my excitement when I learned I would be traveling with Donna to NYC for the Rock N Roll Hall of Fame 25th Anniversary Concert at Madison Square Garden!  Fortunately for me Donna was pretty excited about these legendary performers too, so at least I wouldn’t be as embarrassed when I saw Bono and (internally) flipped out.

Each day we made sure to be on site the minute sound checks started, and we didn’t leave until the last artist left the building.   We were there to manage the Bacardi Lounge, which turned out to be the best celeb spotting location.  We laid eyes on Aretha Franklin, Sting, Bruce Springsteen, Mick Jagger, Bono, John Fogarty, Tom Hanks, Fergie, ZZ Top, Steve Van Zandt, Annie Lenox, Patty Smith, David Crosby, Paul Simon, Stevie Wonder, James Hetfield, Billy Joel, Glenn Close, Penn Badgley, The Imperials…just to name a few.

I can’t decide if my favorite moment was watching sound check for U2, Black Eyed Peas and Mick Jagger, or leaning on the stage while Bruce Springsteen and Billy Joel performed, or seeing Simon and Garfunkel back together again.  It was a once in a lifetime experience I’ll never forget.  The photos below aren’t the best, but they’re mine, and I share them with you.

Long ago, the Black Eyed Peas won my heart with their clever lyrics, syncopation, and an eagerness to embrace the beauty in many different cultures.  There’s something completely enviable about will.i.am’s mad talent as a producer and writer, but every member of the group has something unique to bring to the table.  No doubt about it, I have a creative crush on the Peas.  When little Stacey Ferguson came along — recovering meth addict, predictably adorable bouncy blonde, a willingness to sing sometimes asinine lines (“My Humps”, anyone?) — I was fully prepared to declare that BEP had jumped the shark…but she made them even better.

Black Eyed Peas

I was floored.  How could this be?  I wasn’t the only one who noticed; after Fergie joined the Peas, sales skyrocketed.  Was it the silly playfulness?  The “babe factor”?   The addition of a female voice and perspective into what could sometimes be an overly man-centric product?  I don’t know, but I liked it.

Quite recently two new specimens of fabulousness joined the Javelin team:  Jon Maurice, executive creative director, and Meredith Goette, fellow new biz whiz.  Of course I love having simpatico colleagues, but it goes way beyond that.  Ladies and gents, Jon and Meredith are our Fergie.  Sure, they don’t require costume changes every ten minutes or have groupies plying them with baubles and bawdiness (as far as we know, ahem…), but they do bring the same kind of Fergalicious magic that makes something great even better.

Come to think of it, Jon and Fergie have another thing in common:  they both rock the threads.  When he’s not producing killer creative for our clients, Jon designs a sizzling line of lifestyle clothing inspired by all-American hot rods: www.trimindustries.com.  There will be more to come on that exciting venture in the future, but for now, have a look at what I’ve been drooling over:  a custom belt buckle made from vintage automotive ornaments.  Not only is it hot, it’s got a story to tell…and isn’t that what experiential is all about?

TRIM - V8 Buckle