Studio THRILL McKinney (from the front)

Studio THRILLS McKinney

Basically the McKinney studio is awesome. For our Halloween costume contest this year, we did a group costume of zombies with a surprise guest, Micheal Jackson (Cha) and preformed the thriller dance. I'm sure there are other, better videos that were taken, but here's what it looked like from the back. It was filmed with a zumi digital which is meant to mimic a super 8. Which means really grainy in low light and no sound. For that super old school feel. I synced music to it as best i could, but the actual audio, complete with cheering co-workers, made it all the more amazing. Thanks to Rachel for filming this for me! And thanks to Julia, Cha, Emily, Karla, & Lizzie for thrilling it up real nice. And a big bummer to Gail who rolled her ankle days before and couldn't par take. We'll do it again for the Christmas party Gail!

jackie's baby shower

Our beloved mechanical artist, Jackie is counting down the days until her baby boy arrives. Wade threw a baby shower for her a few weekends ago and here are some highlights.
Ben and Jackie opening their gifts.


Chelsie recording the gifts.


EW made an amazing brunch.


Kevin, Chelsie, & Wade.


Make a baby out of play dough.
who made which one?


Unscramble the words. Kevin won.


Jacob (Wade's kitty) played with the ribbon.


Jackie is loved by many departments.
Laura: IT Director
Tess: : Macintosh System Administrator
Kristin: Interactive Production Artist


Wade & EW made Carolina blue baby bottle cookies for everyone.

foam core fun

There weren't a ton of assignments after the big pitch last week so I decided to practice my foam core cutting skills.

For Kevin, a foam core halberd.


For Jackie, a foam core hot air balloon.

There's no reason for it to say farewell, I just liked the balloon and didn't even notice the message until I was done cutting it out.


For Chelsie, a foam core bird. Didn't do such a great job on this one...

Here's the paper garland I made for Chelsie for her birthday.

Paper garland detail.


For Matt, a cardboard grenade.


This is how it started. During the pitch I made a card board sword. Just for the fun of it. So the next day I decided to make a mate, and Matt convinced me that I needed a sword holder for the two of them.


What can I make you?

Rebranding WTF

The studio has, in the midst of preparing for a pitch, ingeniously come up with a very appropriate double entendre.
Where's
That
File!?!

a teeny giggly taste of 3 am in the studio

Studio Peep Makes PRINT December issue

Bliss Alexander-Smith, that is.

A Night at the Studio

Pitch time, around these parts, translates to seeing both the AM and PM of most of the numbers on the clock. I don't have many of these late nights under my belt yet, but I'd say this one went fairly smooth. We had coffee, sodas, snacks and music - all the ingredients of productivity.

This is my first ever attempt at iMovie, so be kind to my lack of attention to detail.
Here's a few more shots for your viewing pleasure.

Here you can see a little studio sprite in his native habitat.


This is the only picture I managed to get of Kevin. Let it be noted, he was there til the almost end.


Stu stu studio.


Here's Silverman working on a preformance piece titled, static cling.


Check and Recheck are on a boat, Check jumps out, who's left?

tall tease solved

About a week ago we posted a picture of matt standing on my desk. And I know you've just had sleepless nights wondering what the answer could possibly be. Well grab your blanket and snuggle down because the answer is C. obtaining new blog fodder.

About my second or third week working here I happened to peer up and notice a few stiff, black, but rather cute, eyes peering back down on me- A row of blue and yellow peeps shared the edge of the lighting fixture with peep snowmen.

regan wood, whose desk I'm preserving, was back doing some freelance while both chelsie and jackie were out and explained it all me. Since I could never be as thorough as someone that has nearly a decade of Mckinney under their belt, we'll save that story for later time. Until then, enjoy these pictures!

Wade has actually added peep ghosts to the line up since this picture.

Nice shot, matt, via jackie's camera.

Please note the dust crowning the heads of these sugary angles.

the final pre-revealing meeting

wade was thoughtful.


chelsie put her fist (well finger tips) down while jackie teleconferenced in.


matt stayed out of it.


bliss took less than flattering photos of everyone.


and the decision was made to go live 9/15/08

Cock-a-doodle-doodle

circa. labor day 2008.

some doodles of ours went up around the agency as teasers for the impending arrival of this blog.

the idea—simple.

these drawings are more than likely the kinds of things that mama would have seen and thus decided and decreed for all the neighborhood to hear that we, her most-talented lovelies, could draw. bless her encouraging heart.

so. think about your humble beginnings as you scroll down. maybe it never was drawing. maybe your blog would be 'mama said we could crunch a bunch of numbers.'

Anyway,... Begin the Doodle Perusal.

irby doodle dandy (sketch 1 note: those are actually pears)

can you find the christmas tree with fabulous style?

here's bliss taking it up a notch...

...and dreaming of the dancing carrot (which everyone knows doesn't exist).

clever ideas cont...

wade hits it over the fence sports analogously...

here's jackie shoving it in her art teacher's ugly, nay-saying face

that's my mug in the back!

subtle placement example

and finally, bliss thinking outside the cork block. thank you and good night.

Getting to know us

Chelsie Irby
Collateral Supervisor

I am a happy wife, mother, daughter, sister living in Durham, NC.
I spend my time...
hanging out with my family
going to museums
going to parks
listening to music
drinking wine
watching movies
traveling
making lists
checking things off lists
cooking
sleeping
dreaming
taking pictures
making pictures



Jackie Cook
Mechanical Artist

jackie cook. previously cash. i cook better than i make money, so the name change fits. newly married, creative, laid back, became an artist because my art teacher said i couldn’t. things i enjoy: old family photo albums, cooking, the smell of freshly cut wood, chocolate, travel, sewing, mountains, fetch with my dog, stephen king, laughter, coffee, hot glue guns, sunshine, crafts, spring, the sound of the ocean, being a wife.



Bliss Alexander-Smith
Comp Artist

I’m not a writer. I’m a list maker.
* grew up gathering eggs
* sewing/ drawing / diy
* premature graying
* vintage textiles
* owls in warm colors
* sleeping in
* 1973 green schwinn varsity
* organizing / to do lists / productivity
* communal efforts
* making the bed
* thrift stores / anthropologie (balance)
* npr / this american life
* feminism
* volleyball at the Y
* watering, pruning, and repotting the plants
* petting the kitty (who is cuteoverload.com famous)
* rosemary / mint / avocado
* flickr
* vodka tonics
* local/handmade/organic
* downtown raleigh
* being the last to leave
* general merriment



Kevin Grealey
Righter of Wrongs

Orange
Paste
Armageddon



Matt Wood
Senior Mechanical Artist

Matt Wood is tall. Not “Big and Tall” tall. Average tall. But tall nonetheless.
I, excuse me, He—has a beard often. Although its not often that he is rearing it. Its simple symbiosis, really. (in addition to the face, I suppose its worth noting that hair also thrives on his arms, chest and legs...is that awkward to read? – note: hair information not necessarily worth noting)
Matt’s middle name is Todd. It has no significance. This name came from a neighbor. A freaking neighbor for crying out loud.
Matt rarely cries out loud anymore.
Matt has a computer, has guitars, asks Santa for computer-guitars, has a ring on a finger, tends to a smaller, more energetic version of himself, loves his wheelbarrow (don’t forget the shovel – wait, the ax!), doesn’t listen to as much music as he used to, likes soccer, got his television for free (from neighbors –different than name neighbors, these were stranger neighbors), watches many movies, works full time, plays full time (that sounds stupid – I know, but people eat that 110% stuff up ...true)
Matt is true.
Anyway, Hi.



Wade Lewis
Studio Manager

I remember my first “real” deadline. It was assigned in 6th grade. Mr. Johnson announced “a research project”. The subject of mine happened to be “Why cigarrettes are bad for you.” Grades would be given for content, penmanship and cover design. Days later, I had the content perfectly scribed in pen without a single mistake (a total of 12 pages).
It was the night before the project was due that I decided to illustrate the front and back covers to duplicate Mom's Marlboro cigarette flip-top box. With colored pencils, I painstakingly managed every detail, including but not limited to, the lion crest that rests above the bold name. “Pretty damned good,” my dad proclaimed; “you’re such a good artist,” my mom doted. My grade: A+++! And so, this artist was born.

Nearly 40 years later, my mom holds dear the project which she keeps in a nicotine-stained photo album.