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In his first homily as pontiff, Pope Francis wrote: “Journeying: our life is a journey, and when we stop moving, things go wrong. Always journeying, in the presence of the Lord, in the light of the Lord…”

When invited to formulate an identity and theme line for Pope Francis’s visit to New York — a city built on the strengths inherent in diversity — we noted another of Pope Francis’s writings: “When everyone allows themselves to be guided by the Spirit, they learn to treasure variety rather than letting it become a source of conflict.”

Our plan welcomed Pope Francis back to the Americas, offering him a living pulpit — New York City — from which to extoll the virtues of Christ’s teachings on tolerance, love, brotherhood and hope. After all, we reasoned, the Pope’s trip is not only about family; it’s about the family of man. What message, at this juncture in history, could be more critically important? And what city on earth has been a better model of diverse peoples living and working together than New York?

Toward that end, we offered the theme line:
FRANCIS, OUR POPE
A JOURNEY OF FAITH
THROUGH THE HEART OF NEW YORK

The dove reflects a faith—and a city—soaring: empowered by tolerance and understanding and heralding peace and love.

We also produced several videos including a short piece about the history of the Archdiocese of New York shown as an important part of the Pope Francis’ Mass at Madison Square Garden. AD Lubow is humbled to have been chosen from among many fine firms to contribute to this historic event. Special credit to designer Mildred Lalica and the entire team.

To see how an academic strategic plan can be “re-imagined” into a lush and lively mobile and desktop website see the Friends Seminary’s “RE-IMAGINING THIS PLACE CALLED SCHOOL” designed by Nico Marcellino and John Galayda.

http://reimagine.school

I never got to see Jackie Robinson. I’ve only read about Marian Anderson breaking the color barrier in the big leagues of opera. But I will be able to tell my grandchildren that in ABT’s 75th Anniversary season I saw Misty Copeland’s New York debut as Odette/Odile in Swan Lake. And I believe they’ll care; because whatever the critics may say, her performance was as daring, imaginative and beautiful as Jackie Robinson stealing home in the ’55 World Series. More than 3,800 fans at the Metropolitan Opera House cheered her every move at a standing room only matinee.

Copeland had the audience by its nape from her very first fluttering escape from the hands of her prince. Applause followed her every entrance. Thunderous screams broke out even before she completed each scene. By the third act, you could see her confidence swelling and I swear it seemed as if she had flown off the stage and into the audience. Honestly, it made me a little misty to see that any human being could be so loved and adored by so many at once. This is the audience Misty built.

Most say Copeland choreographed her fan base by mastering social media. But more accurately, first she learned to position herself within the mainstream: writing a best-selling autobiography, dancing with Prince (the pop one), appearing as a judge on the TV show “So You Think You Can Dance” and signing on for an Under Armour commercial that, in 30-seconds, tells her story to millions, again and again. In the ad, a little girl reads a rejection letter from a ballet Academy that bluntly advises: “Dear candidate… you have the wrong body for ballet and at 13 you are too old to be considered.” Having someone else pay to broadcast the Misty Copeland patron saint of the late bloomer brand to the world — how brilliant is that? That’s the difference. Misty’s rigorous training has taught her to master the steps. Start with mainstream media. Social media follows. (The TV spot has more than 8 million views on YouTube.)

Here’s the other difference: Misty Copeland is a brilliant student. She’s let herself be mentored by the likes of prima ballerina Allessandra Ferri; and be discovered and brought along in good time by ABT artistic director, Kevin McKenzie. She acknowledges with her genuine warmth and loving smile every mentor she ever had. She hugs and kisses her dearest ones at the end of her triumphant Swan Lake Met Opera House debut.

We Copeland fans are so amorous because Misty has invited us to join her journey— from life with her single parent family in an SRO motel to SRO at the Met. When we see her in Swan Lake transformed from caged-bird princess to swan and back again, we’re in on the story within the story. And when an unlikely duckling becomes a swan, it’s a dance we’ve already learned to embrace from childhood.

According to Steve Jobs, Picasso had a saying: “Good artists copy. Great artists steal.” Perhaps, then, in an effort to make a point about the value of simplicity to short-form video, it’s OK for us take a cue from the front page of the Aug 11 New York Times. The article described how Apple University likens the 11 lithographs that make up Picasso’s “The Bull” to the way their company strives for reduction and simplicity in its smartphone designs.

So go ahead and accuse us of copying or even stealing from Jobs and Picasso, but please have a look at our above short-form on “keeping it simple.”

And do read: “Simplifying the Bull: How Picasso Helps to Teach Apple’s Style.”

Remember: “Say less. Tell more.®” See what we mean. Have a look at our sizzle reel.

Year after year, I’ve been plagued by beetles that feed insatiably on my potato field. Not this season. Rather than clear cut, I left patches of grass grow among the seedlings. The grass soon morphed into a muti-colored interlacing of foxgloves — alluring, seductive and quite poisonous. To my delight, the foxgloves drove the beetles away.

I hadn’t attempted to relocate the foxgloves into my enterprise. (If I had, they surely would have been uncooperative and died.) I hadn’t poisoned the garden with pesticides. Instead, I let nature patch in its own corrective code.

What’s the business metaphor? Give every member of your organization space. Let it all happen. Then take note. From the Beatles to the beetles: there will be an answer; let it be.

We’ve long been interested in the idea of multimedia books. We see great potential for clients in health care, education and the arts to tell a richer story or teach a more inspiring course, with text, music and video combined.

Here’s a nice example of a children’s book we created that explores the value of pretending. It’s a bedtime story that also sings. See “Don’t Worry! I’m Just Pretending” on the iTunes iBookstore.

“This is such a special, fanciful, beautiful book bound to be a classic.”
— Christen Pollock, President & CEO, edBridge Partners

In an act of institutional courage and creative disruption the College Board announced its plans to redesign the SAT to be more open, relevant and more encouraging of excellence in classwork. The redesigned SAT will ask students to go deeper and be more analytic. It will reward diligence in school work over test preparation. It will focus on our literary and historical heritage. And, in the words of Tim Shanahan of the University of Illinois at Chicago, “The redesigned SAT will have an impact on what it is the teachers do with students in middle school and high school. Instead of aiming at some skills that might be predictive of college success, they’ll actually be aiming themselves at the skills that really do matter in college.”

Music Teacher Teresa Reed of the University of Tulsa School of Music tells us: “The redesigned SAT, by providing the kind of skills that do have meaning, that do have relevance — will have impact not just for college success, but for life success.”

You can hear and see remarks from leading educators around the country in a series of videos proudly produced by AD Lubow.

The press has given David Coleman and the Redesigned SAT much attention. See a telling New York Times article on the story behind the SAT Overhaul.

Sometimes you can say everything that needs to be said without words. Check out this wonderful new piece for the Marymount Manhattan College Fine & Performing Arts Division, featuring a great original soundtrack, impeccable editing and terrific camerawork. It has become a YouTube hit right off the bat.

Dear Congress, As a U.S. citizen who believes fervently in moderation, I implore you (for the good of the country as well as your own political future) to send your best staffers to the Master of Science in Negotiation and Conflict Resolution Program at the Columbia University School of Continuing Education. It’s a win-win.

Respectfully requested,
Arthur Lubow
President AD Lubow, LLC

Master of Science in Negotiation and Conflict Resolution Program at the Columbia University School of Continuing Education

Have a look at our MacArthur Foundation short form video on strengthening American democracy. And please share.

Sacred Honor or Sacred Fortune?
The Declaration of Independence signs off with these poignant words: “And for the support of this Declaration, with a firm reliance on the protection of divine Providence, we mutually pledge to each other our Lives, our Fortunes and our sacred Honor.”

Looking and listening to our leaders over the course of recent history, one sometimes wonders whether our ethos has morphed from “sacred honor” to “sacred fortune.” This piece asks people to examine the place of honor and fortune in our democracy, encouraging them to draw their own conclusions. This video is one of our agency’s many contributions to the field of social impact marketing.