Tuesday, October 8, 2013

45. Herbie



The first real job I had after college was at Venet Advertising in Union, NJ.  At the time it was the largest ad agency in NJ.  Compared to the big shops in NYC, it was tiny, but it did have some major clients like the NJ Lottery, Brickchurch and Pathmark.  It also had illustrators on staff!  I was the Pathmark art coordinator for all the spot art that appeared in ads and circulars. The pay was shitty, but I got to draw all day, so that was good.   It was a blast to see some drawing I did of a roast chicken in the Sunday paper.  Or a box of Corn Flakes I drew on a coupon.

Herbie was my assistant.  He was around 5’ tall, a man-child.  In that pre-digital age we had a room of filing cabinets filled with tiny drawings of cereal, toilet paper, soda, etc.  His job was to get the art, and then put the art back.  Mostly he spent a lot of time leaning on my desk, watching me work and calling me ‘bubala’. 

He was an old Jersey boy who never grew up, couldn’t grow up, and he loved Jackie Robinson.

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