You must have a wonderful and rich tapestry of memories donnaann. You even should consider writing these recollections down for your own publication, as I think many of us would be interested to see that side of the story. I know I would. One thing I would say though is that the series is really meant to focus on the ad men, hence the title. In fact, I would say that the story of the artists/illustrators could actually be the basis of a whole other series! I think it would be fascinating indeed...maybe you should pitch it that way to Mr. Weiner?

so, who are you, since you now know who i am. you are obviously not with the show & i am somewhat embarrassed that i thought you were.
but, i will be pursuing this, so keep watching the show.

My mother was a producer of TV commercials from the time I was born (1956). I remember, as a child, seeing the story boards, and watching them come to life on the set. My mother had a job that few women had at that time. And she was instructed (way before I was born) to cry in the bathroom, if she felt upset. I think women today still cry in the bathroom on Wall Street, etc.

for yakkusa,

one of the most important jobs in the ad biz during the 60's was the art director's job. of course they had in- house illustrators for the small jobs. but the art director was the one who hired the freelance illustrators for the big accounts. the big accounts wanted the big name illustrators. the illustrators also became friends with many of the art directors, as well.
my dad went to NY every week to meet the art directors, as did the rest of them. why not address this in the show? it could be a great way to introduce these characters & spark interest from the fans.
you should pick up a copy of The History of Illustration, by Arpie Ermoyan, who ran the Society of Illustrators for many years, that is, if you don't already have one!

sorry, got the name of the book wrong.
Famous American Illustrators, by Arpi Ermoyan.
my dad has 4 pages.

My husband was a creative director - so both art and copy talents.
I appreciate your thoughts and comments.
Some of the account executives were complete dunces and my husband would have to meet with client to patch things up that were misunderstood.
The account executive would supposedly get from the client what they wanted but were unable to convey the ideas to the art/copy department because they were essentially salesmen and not creative at all.

My husband struggled with this at a very large agency and finally left for a very small one where he had more control and was appreciated. He won many awards. Do they still have Telly Awards? He has tons.

Betty

To Betty,
Thanks for your comment.
My husband is a graphic designer/professor. He has his own small design studio & teaches at the local university. I understand what you are talking about.
I think most account execs are just bullshitters & that's why he doesn't work for an agency. He could make triple his current salary @ an agency, but doesn't want to deal with all the crap. I don't know if there are still Telly Awards, but there are Addy Awards & my husband has several of those.
I'll ask my Dad, he might know.
I'll let you know what I can find out.

Donnaann,
I just happen to have Famous American Illustrators on my bookshelf! I think I'll take a closer look. Thanks for our insights!