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September 25, 2008

Believe it Baby; Believe in Zero; Gridlock week in NYC; and the power of big ideas

This is one of those weeks in New York City that helps New Yorkers' longevity because we have to walk to get anywhere, which maybe offsets the high blood pressure caused by gridlock. The United Nations is in full session and every dignitary and head of state is here, making it impossible to get anywhere except by subway or foot, and even that is a challenge with areas closed to pedestrians too. The fabulous tomato Helen Mirren was spotted in the West Village in her evening attire heading to the subway to get to the opening night of the Met. And it's also Advertising Week, where the real Mad men and women in advertising gather, usually to honor themselves, and occasionally their good works for good causes, like one that's saving the lives of children everywhere. More about that in a minute. But first, The Three Tomatoes want to tell you about a fabulous group of West Coast tomatoes, all actresses over 40, who have created the web's first entertainment network for women over 40, In the Trenches Productions. You'll love them.

Believe it Baby

After viewing a very funny and inspiring video called "Believe it Baby" (now featured on The Three Tomatoes home page) we knew we had to talk to the women behind it. So, last week we had a delightful phone conversation with Debbie Zipp, one of the founders of In the Trenches Productions, about the video and others they've produced, being an actress over 40, martinis, plastic surgery, life's ups and downs, and her second act.

For those of you who were fans of Murder She Wrote, Debbie played Donna. The show also featured her husband, Michael Horton who played Grady. They have been married for over 31 years, quite a record anywhere, but especially for LA. She's been on lots of other shows and done zillions of commercials too. But somewhere in the mid-1990s, Debbie and several of her actress friends who were then in their 40ties, suddenly found they were getting fewer and fewer jobs because Hollywood considered them over the hill. They were devastated and felt their self-worth was attacked.

They moaned and bitched to each other, and then decided to become activists in a nonprofit organization ACTRESSES @ WORK, committed to changing the way the entertainment industry views women over 40. They called on Washington Senators and AARP, to little avail. Then they realized if they were going to change the perception of age, they'd have to do it themselves. So Debbie and three of her friends formed In the Trenches Productions with the idea of pitching films and shows featuring women over 40 to the entertainment industry. The pitches went well until they got to the 40 something part, and then they hit a wall.

Now lots of women would have been deterred, but not Debbie and her three pals. So here's the best part. Debbie, who admits she is a technology dunce and hasn't even been doing email that long, read an article about the future of TV and the Internet, and voila! A fire was lit, and she realized "we can do this". So she and her three friends , Claire Callaway, Jan Bina, and Judith Drake turned In the Trenches Productions into an online entertainment network for women over 40, featuring films that they've written, produced, and created. And they also showcase the work of other women actresses, writers, and producers who are over 40 too.

"Believe it Baby" is one of their productions, and features 27 actresses who are definitely tomatoes, many of whom you will recognize, like Shelly Fabares, all shooting from the hip about politics, power tools, panty hose and perseverance. And "Living Large with Less" is a satirical laugh out loud video with tips on coping if you've been downsized, like dumpster diving for fun and profit (featuring Debbie.) And their series called "Transistions" featuring real women telling their personal stories is great. They also have a very entertaining blog and this week's features, The Three Tomatoes.

Oh, and we dished about plastic surgery too (who's had it and hasn't).   Debbie for the record hasn't, and says in LA you actually start to feel guilty if you haven't.   And we both applaud Diane Keaton (who doesn't appear to have) and looks great - as Debbie says, why can't that be the face of aging beautifully.   Although we do think it's a crime that L'Oreal appears to airbrush her face (or shoot her with diffused lighting, or whatever) in ads for their anti-aging products.   Or maybe she was just very well rested that day. And we think it's great that there are a handful of other actresses "who aren't kids", like Helen Mirren, Glenn Close, Meryl Streep, Candice Bergen, and Sally Field who are still getting great parts. We need more though. (Although, Sally's in danger of becoming the June Allison of our generation -- stay away from those adult diaper ads, ladies.)

Debbie's advice to women who want to start second acts is "forget the rules."   She and her friends originally had other people doing the filming for them, until finally they thought, well let's just try this themselves.   So now they own video equipment and are doing it all.   As Debbie says, she now realizes you can do anything at anytime in your life, and she's now more excited about the possibilities than ever. Now that's a tomato, believe it baby.

And many thanks to our Toronto doppelganger, Karen Hamilton of "Best Kept Secret" for introducing us to Debbie Zipp.

How a big idea is saving the lives of children everywhere

Here's another example of an idea that got big.   We went to the Ad Club of New York's opening lunch for Advertising Week with the Stars of Madison honoring the U.S. Fund for UNICEF and the Tap Project. Every day, 25,000 children die of preventable causes like malaria and measles, lost for a lack of safe shelter, or by falling prey to malnutrition, and poisoned by unclean water. UNICEF believes that number should be zero.

A Brand Called Water. The fact that there are children who die from unclean water fueled the initial concept for the Tap Project as a way to raise much needed dollars for UNICEF. The Tap Project was born from the mind of David Droga, creative chairman at the New York City-based agency Droga5 that came up with the unique call-to-action campaign that invited individuals to donate $1, or more, for the tap water they normally get for free at participating restaurants. The idea caught on big time, and spread to cities across the U.S. Now in its third year, Tap has begun another unprecedented collaboration -- this time with a network of international ad agencies - who will launch Tap programs in cities around the world in 2009.

"Tap is an idea far bigger than our agency. It is the purest of ideas with the grandest of potential, and potential without an expiration date," said David Droga.

Believe in Zero. At the luncheon, the U.S. Fund for UNICEF also announced the launch of its new call to-action campaign, Believe in Zero, with the belief that we can save 25,000 children from dying, every day. For more about how you can help, visit UNICEF.

Here's to believing, good walking shoes, and no expiration dates.

'til next week,



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