Well, San Diego Comic-Con 2011 (SDCC) has come and gone, and what a whirlwind it was! In case you don’t know, SDCC is the biggest, the baddest, and the most awesome comic convention in the whole wide world. Over the years, what once started as a small gathering of comic book fans, has now transformed into arguably the biggest entertainment news event of the calendar year. A Mecca for media, SDCC is the place where the stars shine, secrets are revealed, and hundreds of parties rage.

Between the cosplay ("costume play" - check out Darth Mario!), exclusive toys (I’m partial to Hasbro’s Marvel Mini Muggs Avengers Pack, obviously - see above) and panels upon panels upon panels, there is a never-ending amount of super-sweet nerdery to check out. When my team got back, they said Hall H is just about the size of four football fields, filled with anything and everything related to your favorite TV shows, movies, comics, toys, games and everything in between. Basically, if you can’t find it at SDCC, well, then you’re out of luck my friend. Not really – I guess that’s why they invented the Internet.

Although I didn’t make it out to San Diego this year, I am really looking forward to the not-to-be-neglected New York Comic Con (NYCC), hitting the Big Apple this October. Firstly, I can take a subway home (#winning). Secondly, it’s exciting to see the progress NYCC will have made from last year. NYCC is the smaller and not-as-popular-but-still-kind-of-popular cousin of SDCC. Please don't misinterpret - NYCC has most certainly blossomed into a robust and recognized event as well, and is going to be PACKED with geeky goodies, literally, for days. Who knows what lies in store for NYCC, and I cannot wait to find out!

Let your geek flag fly!

-Danny

Father’s Day is this weekend, and I’m sure many of you are scrambling for last-minute gifts, trying to figure out exactly the right thing that says, “I love and appreciate you, Dad,” and not, “here’s something I picked up in the gas station on the way over for brunch.” Well, as the newest dad hire at Hunter Public Relations, I’m here to tell you…I don’t have the slightest idea what that could be. If you’ve got some ideas, please let me know, and I’ll definitely add them to my Amazon wish list.

There’s always a certain value in getting dad exactly what he wants, of course. My aforementioned wish list is full of video games I’d be perfectly happy to receive as a gift…your dad’s might not be. But at the same time, don’t you want to be the one who comes up with the perfect gift—the one that perfectly encapsulates exactly who your dad and only your dad is, and makes the shirts and ties your siblings got him look like hastily bought afterthoughts?

Of course, it’s not a competition—no matter how much more awesome your gift is than your sibling’s. In the end, sometimes the best way to say, “I love and appreciate you, Dad,” is…to say, “I love and appreciate you, Dad.” Now, my girls are five and two, so they’ll probably give me something hand-made that I can hang above my desk to remind me how much they care about me. You may be too old to make your dad a handprint painting or a macaroni-and-glitter-paint greeting card, but what’s your version of that? What can you give your dad that has the same love and thought put into it as the handprint paintings you used to give him? Figure that question out, and you’ve got the perfect Father’s Day gift.

Or, you know, maybe a gift card. Let’s face it…dads can be tough to shop for.

- Justin

As a child, my favorite Christmas tradition featured a single VHS tape of Christmas specials recorded from television. It was a time capsule of the late 80's, complete (now vintage-looking) commercials for Teddy Ruxpin, Holiday M&M’s, and something called Kodak film. To commemorate this forgotten family treasure, which was a casualty of the great Losh family outdated technology purge of 2000, here's a flashback to my three favorite recordings from the tape:

 A Claymation Christmas Celebration - 1987

By one of the original claymators, Will Vinton, this rarity was hosted by a bantering pair of odd couple dinosaurs named Rex and Herb. It was a collection of music videos including "Carol of the Bells" and a soulful version of "Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer" by the California Raisins—easily the most famous dried fruits of that year.

A Muppet Family Christmas - 1987

In what starts as a quiet visit from Fozzy Bear to his Ma's house for the holidays, this special turns into the mother of all Muppet crossovers, uniting the Muppet Show cast, Sesame Street gang, and Fraggle Rockers in joyous song. Newcomers to Ma's include a jive talking Christmas turkey, a stand-up comedian snowman, and one hilariously-slippery icy patch.

Pee-Wee's Playhouse Christmas Special - 1988

This masterpiece is a star-studded spectacle with appearances by Oprah Winfrey, Whoopi Goldberg, Charo, K.D. Lang, Little Richard, Zha Zha Gabor, and Magic Johnson. During the festivities, Pee Wee gets too many fruitcakes, discovers that his claymation dinosaurs are Jewish, and gets help from Cher reading the secret word (shhh! Don't say it or we'll all scream!).

For my long-lost VHS tape and on behalf of the Raisins, Muppets, and Mr. Herman, I wish everyone a safe and warm holiday season and a very happy new—year! (AAAAAAAHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH!!!!)

 Eric

If you want to mess with me, just throw some balloons and/or Styrofoam into my cubicle at the office and I will flip - or I used to anyway. Now I do my best to remain calm and avoid the situation when I can. It’s not the popping of the balloon (which is more of a relief than anything), or how incredibly not eco-friendly Styrofoam is, it’s that wretched squeaking/rubbing noise they make. Surprising, for someone who works in the toy industry, dealing with Styrofoam doesn’t come into my path too often – lucky me.

Exception: if I am in complete control of my meal, I can sometimes use Styrofoam plates and cups. But once someone gets reckless/starts playing with their place setting – no way, not a chance.

What’s the deal here? No idea! I didn’t have a bad experience when I was a kid or anything – it’s completely irrational! But let’s clear the air: I’m not scared of balloons and Styrofoam! I don’t think they are going to hurt me; I just can’t be around it without my all of my alarms flashing red. So instead of saying I’m scared of balloons and Styrofoam, I say I really dislike (hate is such a strong word) Styrofoam and balloons.

So now you know – you have my kryptonite at your disposal and if you want to send me a big ol’ box of packing peanuts, go ahead. But really, don’t do it – I’ll get angry, and you wouldn’t like me when I get angry!

Hunter Public Relations staff members love a good survey, I decided to poll them about their (irrational) phobias, quirks, pet peeves and other strong dislikes. Below are some of the better answers I got back. Do NOT involve these things with any staff members you may meet – be easy, bro.

Food

Cold meat (e.g. cold cuts), the smell of Subway restaurants, the smell of burnt popcorn, fish, shredded coconut, General Taos Chicken, sour cream, olives, cottage cheese, snapping/chewing gum – chewing anything crunchy (apples/carrots) – chewing with mouth open

Habits/Humanity

Loud cell phone talkers / loud car stereo systems / crying babies, Red Sox and Flyers fans (we got two votes for the Red Sox), picking/biting/cutting nails in public, Med students’ stories, when people wear black and brown, when people don’t know how to properly hold their fork and knife, slow walkers/people take up the entire sidewalk, when people confuse it’s with its, baby hands (to clarify: not baby’s hands, but small adult hands), people who pee on toilet seats, short people who can’t hold umbrellas at a decent height, people who use personal checks at the grocery store,  grocery baggers who put soft things at the bottom and hard things on the top, people who clog the Facebook News Feed with application (Farmville) updates, extra exclamation points in emails (!!!!!!), when people say “like” every third word, people that insist on walking up escalators when there are stairs right next to it – people who don’t walk down escalators or walk on moving walkways

Things

Waiting in traffic, when dust and dirt get stuck to your feet, when people in TV shows and movies don’t say goodbye as they’re hanging up the phone, slimy subway poles, the smell of lilies, driving over bridges, when people stand in front of the doorway on the subway and then don’t get off at the next stop, eels, dentistry/talking about teeth, beverage condensation on a clean table, cotton balls, cluttered spaces

Danny

When they’re not launching the toy lines for blockbuster movies and entertainment, Hunter Public Relations Hasbro Boys Toys team spends much of its summer hopping around the map from fan convention to fan convention. They rarely have an opportunity to share “their world” with the rest of the Hunter PR family.  That is until last week…

Eric and Brittney are so sweet and unassuming…

 Last Wednesday night, a handful of Hunter PR staff members took to the “high seas” of NYC’s East River to enjoy MC Chris’ performance aboard the Rocks Off concert cruise.  While most in our group were getting their first taste of MC Chris and his counter culture hip hop artistry, overall, newcomers to this scene were definitely in the minority.  The boat was packed with enthusiastic fans of the lyrical wiz, who’s arguably the most prolific “nerdcore” rapper in the industry. Nerdcore? Yes, it refers to the subject matter by which MC’s music is inspired.  If he has watched it, read it or played with it in his life – he’s rapped about it.  So if you’re a fan of things like Star Wars and Harry Potter, or video games, comic books and cartoons, you’ll frakin love MC Chris.  Just ask my colleagues who went to the show that night…

OMGOMGOMG! It’s MC Chris!

 After setting the mood with a few pre-show geektastic scores by Hans Zimmer and John Williams, MC took to the stage with the energy and sharpness that has endeared him to his fan base for years.  He unleashed a set loaded with fan favorites including Hoodie Ninja, OMC, Tussin, Pizza Butt and Emo Party.  And the hundreds of rap hands in the air were proof positive that the crowd was lovin’ every beat.

Let me see your rap hands!

 As a long-time MC Chris fan myself, I always look forward to hearing him perform a few songs in particular at his shows:

IG-88’s ’57 Chevy – IG-88 is an Assassin Droid turned bounty hunter who had but a mere 5 seconds of screen time 30 years ago(!!!) in Star War: Episode V – The Empire Strikes Back. And he has his own awesome song. ‘Nuff said.

Pw/om, Townie and FTW – These three songs off of his Dungeon Master of Ceremonies album are nearly as great a trilogy as Star W…no, I can’t say that.  (But, sadly, none of these songs were performed that night.)

Fette’s Vette – It’s an anthem about Boba Fett, the guy who Darth Vader praised as the best bounty hunter in the galaxy.  Quite simply, you never question the Dark Lord of the Sith.  Period. 

Clone Troopers, and Dannys, and Boba Fetts! Oh, my!

 What a great night!  The show was fantastic and I’m sure that we’ll get even more colleagues out for the next time MC Chris takes the stage in New York.

 MC Chris won over a few new fans at Hunter PR that night, so why not keep it going by becoming his fan on Facebook and following him on Twitter at @_mcchris.

 Joe

If you’ve ever been lucky enough to visit our offices on a Wednesday, you know that Wednesday is the official day for Cupcakes & Cocktails at Hunter Public Relations. I have the exciting task of organizing the cart, which includes everything from deciding a theme, picking a bakery/cupcake flavor and choosing one of our spirits brands to create the cocktail.

Since there’s always something exciting happening in the office, themes are never hard to come by. One of my favorites was when we celebrated Hasbro’s Family Game Night. I was able to raffle off a Connect 4x4 Game!

Another one of my favorite themes is celebrating birthdays. If your birthday lands on a Wednesday, the cart is dedicated to you. Here’s a photo of Michael Lamp’s birthday cart with his favorite flavor cupcake, Red Velvet, paired with an Electric Lemonade Cocktail made with Ketel One. 

Since the one-year anniversary of Cupcakes & Cocktails is approaching next month, I decided to survey the staff to find out their top picks.  Here are the results:

1)    Favorite bakery in NYC: Baked By Melissa

2)    Favorite cupcake overall: Billy’s Banana Cupcake

3)    Most unique flavor: Kumquat Cupcakery’s Maple Bacon Cupcake

4)    Best Cupcakes & Cocktails theme: Michael Lamp’s Birthday

I think it’s safe to say that here at Hunter PR, we’re experts when it comes to cupcakes. We’ve tasted over 48 different flavors of cupcakes, from 21 different bakeries. We’ve had cupcakes served off a truck, cupcakes infused with alcohol and cupcakes topped with bacon. Still, bakeries keep coming up with creative ways to keep the cupcake craze going, and we love to try them all!

Cassie

(P.S. Hunter PR reminds you to drink responsibly with your cupcakes!)

Today, Hunter PR reaches “legal age” as the agency turns 21.  With all the great wine  and spirits brands we represent, it’s easy for us to toast the occasion.  We could even honor our heritage by serving Bloody Marys, using a splash of Tabasco pepper sauce, which was our first client when we opened the doors on March 1, 1989 and remains one of our most cherished clients today.  Of course, the Bloody Marys wouldn’t be as massive as the Millennium Mary we created on Jan. 1, 2000 in New Orleans.

Maybe we should celebrate by serving everyone a slice of America’s Grandest Flag Cake, similar to the ones we made on Flag Day in 1995, 1996 and 1997 in front of national landmarks.

Some additional memorable moments from our first 21 years:

- Annually kicking off the holiday season by staging the Scotch Brand Most Gifted Wrapper Contest, sponsored by 3M

- Getting Jell-O declared the official snack of Utah

- Making America’s beaches “barefoot-friendly” via beach clean-up parties for Gallo’s Barefoot Wine

- Carving iconic American images out of cheese for Cheez-It crackers

- Curating a “curiously strong” art collection for Altoids

- Celebrating Johnnie Walker Black Label’s 100th Anniversary with a national web cast demonstrating the subtle craft of blending the world’s number premium blended Scotch whisky

- Rolling the dice and participating as members of the game design team for a Monopoly edition based on U.S. cities and landmarks

Of course, we wouldn’t have made it 21 days as an agency if it wasn’t for the more than 200 employees who have called Hunter PR home at some point in their career.  And as we embark on our ‘adult years’, we’re grateful to our current staff of 68 members who continue to make Hunter PR such a great place to work!

Mark