OBIE Judges
2010 OBIE Awards Judges
Stan Richards – Chief Judge
Scott Boswell
John Butler
Tony Calcao
John Marson
Steffan Postaer
Joe Zubizarreta
Previous Awards Years
Stan Richards - Chief Judge
The Richards Group
Stan founded The Richards Group as a freelance practice after graduating from Pratt Institute in New York. Over the next 32 years, it became one of the nation’s premier creative resources. In 1976, it became a full-service advertising agency.
Stan’s work has received awards in virtually every major competition in the world. In 1976, Stan was chosen by the Dallas Society of Visual Communications as “the single individual who, over his career, has made the most significant contribution to the advancement of creative standards in the Southwestern United States.” In 1981, 1983, and 1984, Stan was named by Adweek to the Southwest Creative All-Stars Hall of Fame. In 1985, The Richards Group was named Southwest All-Stars Creative Team. That same year, Stan was honored by Pratt Institute as a Distinguished Alumnus. In 1986, Adweek named him Executive of the Year, and he was included in The Wall Street Journal’s “Giants of Our Time.” In 1988, the firm was named Agency of the Year by Adweek, and again in 1990 and 1994, and 2002. In 1995, Stan was named an Entrepreneur of the Year by Inc. magazine.
The University of Texas named him the 1996 recipient of the Reddick Award for leadership in communication. Previous honorees include Walter Cronkite, Ted Turner, and Bill Moyers. More recently, Southern Methodist University announced the Stan Richards Creative Chair.
Also in 1996, Stan received the AIGA Gold Medal, the award for career achievement in design. In 1997, Graphis magazine named The Richards Group one of the 10 best agencies in the world, and the American Association of Advertising Agencies honored the firm with its A+ Award, given annually to America’s best agency.
In 1999, Stan received the highest honor available to a creative with his election to the Art Directors Hall of Fame, joining such luminaries as Walt Disney, Norman Rockwell, and Andy Warhol.
Scott Boswell
Doe-Anderson
If you had only two words to describe Scott and his career, you might start with "never boring." From his post college days as a high-rise construction worker to his graduate work at the famed Portfolio Center in Atlanta to his current role at Doe-Anderson, Scott's traveled an interesting path over the last twenty-five years - including almost two decades as one of the Midwest's most accomplished creative minds.
He's worked on a lot. Coca-Cola, The Memphis Zoo, Kentucky Tourism, KFC, Pizza Hut, Churchill Downs, Community Health System, Maker's Mark, Knob Creek, Kohler, The Louisville Zoo, Hillerich & Bradsby and a whole lot more. And, while his work has been recognized in the industry's finest publications and award shows (Communication Arts Advertising Annual, The One Show, National and Regional Addy's), Scott's never been a fan of form over function. "If the consumer we're talking to doesn't get the message, doesn't feel swayed, doesn't relate - it just doesn't work. We want to say or do something in a way no one else has done it before, but it has to communicate on a personal level. That's the benchmark of truly great work."
Scott has a wonderful wife, two great sons, an undying loyalty to U of L football and an 80-year-old house he'll get around to fixing if he ever finds the time.
John Butler
Butler, Shine, Stern & Partners
As executive creative directors at BSSP, John and Mike Shine are responsible for the creative output of the agency. John previously worked for McCann Erickson, J. Walter Thompson, Chait\Day and Goodby, Silverstein & Partners. While working at Chait, he met his partner of 20 years, Mike Shine. The pair moved out west for senior positions at Goodby, where they met partner Greg Stern, and in 1993 opened Butler, Shine, Stern & Partners. John is a former One Club president and currently resides in San Rafael, CA with his wife and two children.
Tony Calcao
Crispin Porter + Bogusky
Tony has been with Crispin Porter + Bogusky for fifteen years. As vice president and creative director, he leads the teams behind Domino’s Pizza. He was instrumental in launching CP + B's "Truth" and MINI campaigns and created ads for Volkswagen, Burger King, Giro, Shimano, Schwinn, Molson, and Virgin Atlantic. Tony is an enthusiastic leader and perennial award winner, receiving top honors from Andy, Cannes, Clio, D&AD, Kelly, The One Show, and featured in Archive, Communication Arts Annuals and many popular books on advertising. In college, Tony played baseball for the University of Miami and aspired to play major league ball. He chose advertising instead and has since acquired a following of creative admirers, but his biggest fans are his daughter Chiara and son Caden.
John Marson
Kraft Foods
John is Senior Manager, Media Planning with Kraft Foods. He provides oversight of strategic media planning and management of media agency relationship for Grocery and Oscar Mayer Business Units. He is also responsible for managing implementation of U.S. OOH initiatives. John participates in company wide media initiatives including media analytics and insights, integrated marketing, health & wellness as well as training for a range of media-related topics. John joined Kraft Foods in 2002 and his office is in Glenview, IL.
Prior to Kraft, John was V.P., Associate Media Director in the Chicago office of Foote, Cone, & Belding. During his twelve years with FCB, John had oversight and media planning responsibilities across a variety of accounts, from Coors Brewing Company, Circuit City, ADM, Kraft Foods, Gatorade, Diners Club International and S.C. Johnson.
John is on the Board of Directors of the Traffic Audit Bureau, was named 1998 Associate Media Director of Year by KidScreen Magazine, and is a former member of the Indiana University baseball team.
John received his Bachelor’s Degree in Telecommunications from Indiana University, Bloomington, IN.
Steffan Postaer
Euro RSCG Chicago
In one form or another, Steffan has been writing all of his life. But then, advertising runs in his family.
Now Chairman and Chief Creative Officer of one of the world’s largest advertising concerns, Euro RSCG Chicago his clients include Barilla, Kraft, Valspar Paint, Beam Spirits and more. Steffan is responsible for their overall creative leadership and quality of the creative product.
Prior to joining Euro RSCG, Steffan was Executive Vice President and Chief Creative Officer of LBWorks (a Leo Burnett company), overseeing creative for their full client roster including Altoids, Handspring, Lexmark and Maytag. Prior to this position, he served as Executive Vice President and Executive Creative Director at Leo Burnett USA, and was a member of Leo Burnett USA’s Creative Management Board.
He is the recipient of advertising’s most prestigious awards including a Kelly Award, Best of Show at the Addys, and a gold and silver Lion from Cannes.
A copywriter by trade, he is perhaps best known for his provocative work on behalf of Altoids, The Curiously Strong Mints.
Other moments in his career include co-authoring the famous “Not your father’s Oldsmobile” campaign for General Motors and penning a commercial for Heinz featuring a teen-aged Matt LaBlanc.
At the University of Wisconsin, where he majored in film and creative writing, he wrote for the university’s conservative and liberal newspapers. Anything for a byline!
Steffan’s short stories have been included in the 1994 and 1995 editions of New Voices in Poetry and Prose. His first novel, The Last Generation, was published by the Inkwater Press. The story was later optioned by Touchstone Television for a TV series.
Steffan’s new novel, The Happy Soul Industry has just been released.
Joe Zubizarreta
Zubi Advertising
Joe joined Zubi after eight years with Beber Silverstein and Partners, where he started as an entry-level Media Buyer fresh from the University of Florida. On the fast track, Joe became the youngest Account Supervisor at Beber in less than five years.
As Chief Operating Officer, Joe oversees Zubi’s business development, strategic planning and client relations. He leverages the expertise of Zubi’s Creative, Media and Account Service groups, and challenges them to continually deliver superior creative and successful marketing solutions. Joe’s vision and dynamic energy brings the agency together, getting everyone involved in every aspect of the clients’ business – thus creating an integrated team approach that continually exceeds our clients’ expectations.
Joe has logged 3.2 million frequent flyer miles on American Airlines and when he’s not at 30,000 feet above sea level you might find him at 60 feet below, hovering over a reef.
OBIE Judges by Year
Each year, a new panel of judges meets to judge that year's OBIE Awards. These judges are some of the most talented people in the industry.