Chris Ocken Photography

It was a tale of two Epics when the EPIC creative teams, friends and fans gathered at State Street’s lively, vibrant Epic Burger for a legendary celebration. The launch party for three creative rallies drew approximately 150 people throughout the evening to sample great work—and great food.

Erin Huizenga, Director of EPIC, welcomed members of the Organic School Project, Literacy Chicago and Barrel of Monkeys. Each nonprofit group leader and EPIC creative director toasted the brilliant creative. The new ads, logos and designs were dramatically displayed on Epic Burger’s expansive bright orange and brown pop art walls.

Then, it was on to sampling favorites at the city’s latest eco-friendly spot for organic fast food—all-natural, locally raised, “mindful burgers,” hand cut, unprocessed fries, and portabello burgers with grilled onions. Epic Burger owner, David Friedman told us, “The crowd couldn’t be better. We’re having a great time.”

For both EPIC and Epic Burger, it was a night of deliciously creative genius with a conscious.

South Loop, June 18, 2009. Written by Elizabeth Bunten

The EPIC rally team for Organic School Project has worked long and hard for the last eight weeks to develop the new website for Organic School Project complete with new sitemap, strategy, copywriting, design, and programming and it’s LIVE. Check out organicschoolproject.org!

Our EPIC Creative Rally Grants for the Fall go to 2 BigHearts Foundation, CASA of Cook County, and Project Kindle! Here’s a little more about each of them below. These rallies will begin August 3rd. If you are interested in hosting or being on a creative team and haven’t let us know yet, apply now with the links to the right! We will take applications for creatives until June 30th and we will announce the teams by July 17th!

Thank you to all of the nonprofit organizations who applied!

2 BigHearts Foundation

The mission of the 2 Big Hearts Foundation is to heighten awareness of heart disease among women by communicating the tragic story of Gigi Clarke and Sally Czechanski and by working with the health care community to educate individuals and families about the causes and prevention of heart disease in women.

CASA of Cook County

CASA of Cook County speaks up in court for abused and neglected children and ensures that children live in safe, permanent homes. CASA of Cook County’s trained volunteers research cases and provide valuable information to the court. Judges rely on this additional information to make the best decisions about children’s futures.

Project Kindle

This mission of Project Kindle is to improve the quality of life for children, young adults and families through recreational experiences, educational programs, and support services. One of Project Kindle’s programs is Camp Kindle in Nebraska. Check out the video below.

Camp Kindle Featured on Direct TV from Project Kindle on Vimeo.

Barrel of Monkeys may be as close as some of us will get to a dream client. They have a fun product (imagination), a great target (pretty much everyone) and a city-wide, loyal following. They just needed fresh ideas on how to keep everything moving forward. 

This organization is known as an after- and in-school creative writing program for underserved Chicago Public School kids. A talented, dedicated group of actors and musicians takes the kids’ stories and performs live onstage in the schools, and each weekend at a theatre. They’re also the hosts of their annual black-tie fundraiser, Fancy Schmancy. We needed to clarify these individual missions first, then present creative ideas in a way that seamlessly conveyed the tremendous impact Barrel of Monkeys has on kids.

We began with research (i.e., the Sunday matinée). We left knowing more people needed to see a) how frickin’ funny kids’ stories can be, and b) what a phenomenal job the performers do to interpret the stories while singing, dancing, and of course, wearing silly hats.

Our intent was to present a collaborative, yet guided show on May 27, and the clients enthusiastically responded. We began with a voice piece, followed by two possible identity directions, a homepage makeover, multiple PR ideas, Fancy Schmancy promotion ideas and miscellaneous options we frankly liked too much to cut.

As the flip charts flipped, lots of laughter was heard. No one could hear the nodding of heads, but trust us, there was a lot of that, too. Above all, it was truly gratifying to share ideas and have clients say, “We’ve been wanting to make that happen for a long time.” A dream, indeed.

Written by Anne Hagerty