Emily Allison joins Solve as Senior Production Designer bringing an accomplished design and production pedigree to the agency. With 10+ years agency experience, Allison has worked on brands including Macy’s, Time Warner and Hewlett Packard. “Emily has worked on everything from large design and branding projects, to packaging and retail design; her talent and experience strengthen our capabilities,” says Solve Managing Creative Director Hans Hansen. Allison gains creative inspiration from personal passions that include sailing and training to be a cocktail mixologist.

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Food Innovator & Restaurateur Brings Her Lifelong Passions To Solve

After an inaugural session from singer/songwriter Adam Levy of The Honeydogs, Solve’s “Internity” program dove deep into the trendy world of wholesome and organic foods. Organic food pioneer Brenda Langton, founder/owner of leading Minneapolis organic restaurant, Spoonriver, and creator of the Mill City Farmer’s Market shared her story of bringing the organic food movement to the people of Minneapolis, St. Paul and beyond. Brenda shared her insights on fostering an in-demand restaurant, mentoring young food entrepreneurs and staying true to your passion regardless of popular opinions. The session was kicked off with popular recipes from Brenda’s award-winning Spoonriver Cookbook prepared by Solve employees.

Session 3 takes place Thursday, July 13th and will feature yogi Ben Vincent.

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“Internity” Demonstrates Agency’s Forever Learning Philosophy

Instead of hiring eager college undergrads this summer, Solve’s taking a different approach and turning its entire staff into interns. Dubbed “Internity,” the program reflects the company’s belief that learning is never done.

The Internity program features an unconventional faculty of leading minds who will serve as instructors for agency-wide educational sessions throughout the summer, beginning June 15. By design, instructors were chosen from worlds outside of marketing (including musician Adam Levy, venture capitalist Matt Otterstatter, yogi Ben Vincent, organic food pioneer Brenda Langton, and others). They’ll each offer unique, valuable, mind-broadening creative perspective.

Beyond bettering its employees, Solve’s interested in impacting the local community, as well. For each session, the agency will offer five non-employees a chance to join the intern ranks. Interested candidates can view details and apply here. Through posters and digital outreach, the agency will source Internity applicants from a variety of non-traditional places, including senior living centers, country clubs and coffee shops.

Internity is the latest example of Solve’s tradition of redefining the conventional summer intern model. Check out last year’s on-campus, pop-up “5-Minute Internship” here.

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Solve has hired Dustin Joyce as Associate Creative Director. Joyce comes to the agency from Peterson Milla Hooks, where he helped oversee the agency’s digital work. “We like Dustin’s versatility as a creative. He’s extremely conceptual but his strong design background gives his work a high level of craft,“ said Hans Hansen, Solve Executive Creative Director. “We’ve added a few new clients and we’re really excited to see him put his talents to work for them.” Joyce’s brand experience includes Behr Paints, American Express, Sleep Number and Buffalo Wild Wings.

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Team Claims Overall Victory, Three Stage Wins And QOH Jersey In North Star Grand Prix

Rally Cycling dominated the North Star Grand Prix, holding onto the leader’s yellow jersey from start to finish, taking three stage wins, four podiums and sweeping the final general classification podium with Evan Huffman, Brad Huff and Tom Zirbel. Evan Huffman won the North Star Grand Prix while sprinter Erica Allar surprised many by winning the Queen of the Hill (QOH) title in the women’s race. Brad Huff’s victory on the final stage put an exclamation point on the week. Huffman’s victory, one of his biggest wins to date, is the sixth consecutive North Star Grand Prix title for the team and continued his phenomenal first season with Rally Cycling.

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Film Captures Emotion Of Ownership To Convert Dreamers To Drivers

Solve recently had a team on location in upstate New York shooting a short film for client Porsche. The film celebrates the unmatched wonder of owning and driving a Porsche. Set to make its debut later this year as part of a larger, comprehensive effort from Solve, the emotional piece is created to both figuratively and literally move prospects to ownership. The agency worked with Brooklyn-based director Michael Marantz, winner of Young Director Award 2015 in Cannes.

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Solve continues to strengthen its team in the face of rapid growth, adding Leah McFarlane as Team Project Manager. McFarlane joins Solve from Target Corporation where she was most recently Senior Marketing Specialist, Project Manager. The project management veteran has worked in every medium imaginable spanning traditional to emerging media. “We’re excited to add a talent like Leah. Well accustomed to the fast pace of retail, she’ll add to the agency’s reputation for speed and agility,” said Solve President, Corey Johnson.

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Squad Rides Hungry Bear Gravel Race In Northern Wisconsin

On Saturday, May 7, Solve’s Cycling Team rode in its initial race of the 2016 season. The 100K event took place on a gravel road course starting and ending in Cable, Wisconsin. The route traversed the rugged, hilly, rural roads of Bayfield County and the Chequamegon National Forest.

With a team of six agency staffers, Solve sent four riders to the Hungry Bear, its first sanctioned race of the year. At the race the team unveiled its 2016 racing kit, including logos from clients like True Value, Porsche, Bentley, Président Cheese, LeMond Cycling and Founders Brewing.

While cycling is a popular activity among ad agency employees, it’s unusual for a firm to sponsor its own competitive team. “It’s a wonderful way to support an employee passion,” said John Colasanti, Solve CEO. “It was pretty cool riding with our clients’ logos plastered all over us on Saturday. Thankfully we had a strong showing and didn’t tarnish their brand reputations,“ Colasanti added. The team is set to compete five more times this season ending with a cyclocross race this fall.

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Director Ruben Latre Brings Renowned Design Sense To Upcoming Faucet Campaign

Solve recently had a team on location in Los Angeles shooting broadcast, print, and digital content for new client American Standard. The campaign, set to break later in May, introduces American Standard’s latest line of faucets. The agency worked with Barcelona’s Ruben Latre, award-winning director and cinematographer, of Hostage Films.

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Charity Founded By ESPN And Coaching Legend Jim Valvano

After a competitive review, Solve’s been hired by The V Foundation for Cancer Research. Based in Cary, North Carolina, The V Foundation was formed in 1993 by ESPN and the late Jim Valvano, beloved basketball coach of North Carolina State. Since 1993, the foundation has funded more than $150MM in research grants across all cancer types. Solve’s role will include helping the organization build on and expand its passionate base beyond sports fans.

“We’re honored to add The V Foundation to our roster,” said Roman Paluta, Solve Director of Business Development. “Working with an organization dedicated to curing cancer and saving lives is tremendously inspiring and motivating.” Solve will provide brand positioning and identity, target audience definition, connection strategy and messaging and implementation across all channels. The work will appear in fall, 2016.

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