In this masterstroke of genius, Harry Bliss shows us characters painted by Modigliani, Léger, Munch, Picasso and Whistler sitting with a somewhat freaked-out woman by the door. I love Harry Bliss, don’t you? – Indy Beagle

The Truth About Radio An Open Letter to Sellers of Radio Advertising in America My experience with radio account executives is that they will immediately quote the party line: “92% of America listens to AM/FM radio over the airwaves, which is higher than smartphone use (81%) and tablet use (45%) and TV viewership (85%)” Here’s […]

Bryan,Those are good examples of “leaving things out.” They reminded me of something I ought to have included in last week’s Memo: When you leave things out, you place your trust in the perceptive ability of your audience. Therefore, it is always a calculated risk, because not everyone will be able to leap the gap. […]

In the rabbit hole last week, Jeff Sexton wrote, “…it’s something special when you want to own a piece of accoutrement from a fictional character. Wanting to own James Bond’s watch. Or the same model.” I saw this happen and wanted to share.  I was helping a used furniture and liquidation company in 2013. We were […]

The way our political system is currently set up, any candidate that wins a political race represents only half of us. There has to be a better way. I think I may have found it. When asked to join a conflict that isn’t my own, my answer has always been, “I don’t think I’ll put […]

“Academy alumni want to know the inside-out, upside downs of thing. Take the assumptions, the cliches of life, and want to know why people think, believe and do what they do.”– Julie Hein “Curiosity has drawn me to six explorations at the Wizard Academy.  Each time I went home thinking, ‘What an interesting bunch of […]

“Innovative romantics with the heart of a rogue.” – Robert Topping “Curious crazy.” – Sylvia Edney “People who attend WA have to be ambitious, curious, life-long learners. People who look at the world around them and decide to make it better.” – Christina Gressianu  “The individuals that ask WHAT IF vs those that wait for […]

Rainbows of Dogs The beagle in the right hemisphere of your brain has an entirely different set of skills than the nerd who lives next door. The beagle in my brain is named Indy. What is the name of the beagle in yours? Your beagle gives you impulsive intuition and instinctive insight. Your beagle gives you romping […]

Aston Martin’s James Bond Car Comes to Life – The New York Times I’m not a car guy but this is cool. Best regards, Jeffrey The interesting thing about items like this is that they are sort of a double-dose of Magical Thinking. It’s one thing to want a real person’s personal effects, say, Paul […]

WGN: You’ve heard this commercial on our radio station many times. We kind of like it here. Maybe you do too. SARAH: Thanks for calling 1-800-GOT-JUNK. This is Sarah. How can I help? CUSTOMER: If we toss our junk out the door, can you pick it up from wherever it lands? SARAH: Sure, we can […]

What kind of people attend Wizard Academy? What is our brand of crazy?Email your answer to indy@WizardOfAds.com

The Genius of What Isn’t There Three friends, who have never met each other, all sent me the same advice last week.  What makes this convergence particularly interesting is that there was no common trigger. Each of the three messages I received was prompted by something different. The essence of those messages? You’ve got to […]

IndyCan you ask the Wizard a question for me?You know how the Wizard says to become a better writer you should read really well written books.  I stubbled across another idea along these lines.  I have the version of Zoom where it records the meeting and creates a transcript.  Reading transcripts of actual real life […]

The Bangor, Maine Police Department has a marvelous Facebook page. I think Lieutenant Tim Cotton is our brand of crazy. – Indy Beagle Here’s a posting from last week: I appreciate the notes, questions, inquiries, and, to some degree, I do enjoy reading your complaints.  Again, if you saw someone speeding—yesterday—you don’t need to message […]

Jambalaya Girl Jambalaya Rice Mix Poultry Magic by Chef Paul Prudhomme

Indy and Roy, John Marklin from Richmond, Virginia checking in with you with some rather big news. I have decided to retire. There, I said it. Other than my wife and business partner, you are the third and fourth persons to hear it. I turn 65 this Oct. The daily phone calls about Medicare made […]

You’ll have to watch a 15-second ad at the beginning, but this Broadway Zoom conference is worth it. We’re talking the original cast! And be sure to click the full screen icon in the bottom-right corner. – Indy Beagle

That day when evening came, he said to his disciples, “Let us go over to the other side.” Leaving the crowd behind, they took him along, just as he was, in the boat. There were also other boats with him. A furious squall came up, and the waves broke over the boat, so that it was nearly swamped. […]

Michele’s bio page at WizardOfAds.org

Click for the sign-up page. This class has been $3,500 for the past 20 years, but due to “unlimited seating,” this livestream will be only $1,000 and ALUMNI get a 50% discount, as always. And everyone who signs up will get a second access code to give to a friend at no extra charge. This […]

Once upon a time there was a tavernWhere we used to raise a glass or two.Remember how we laughed away the hoursAnd think of all the great things we would do. Those were the days my friend.We thought they’d never end.We’d sing and dance forever and a day.We’d live the life we choose.We’d fight and […]