The Happy Soul Industry [Paperback]

Steffan Postaer (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: August 1, 2008

Vernon Night is the CEO of LA's hippest advertising agency. Vernon Night also has issues. His divorce is getting ugly. His Go-To guy is a closet drug addict. He's mad as Hell on a daily basis. His newest client: God. Seems The Lord has some issues as well. Namely, that no one cares about Heaven anymore. In the Hip-Hop age of Internet Porn and Reality TV, who has time for goodness? So now the Creator of us all needs some creative direction of Her own. In this wickedly modern fable about good and evil, God looks for an advertising agency to fix Her brand as America's population looks for its soul.

Editorial Reviews

Review

'Fun stuff! I can't wait to see the movie. Can I write the screenplay?' --John Coveny, Co-Executive Producer/Writer, 'The Closer'

About the Author

A copywriter by trade, Steffan is perhaps best known for his provocative work on behalf of Altoids, The Curiously Strong Mints. Other highlights of his career include coauthoring the famous 'Not your father's Oldsmobile' campaign for General Motors and penning a commercial for Heinz featuring a teen-aged Matt LaBlanc. The spot won a Gold Lion at Cannes. (It also launched Joey's career, which he now appears to be un-launching.)

Now Chairman and Chief Creative Officer of one of the world's largest advertising concerns, Euro RSCG Chicago, Steffan is responsible for overall creative leadership and quality of the creative product. Prior to joining Euro RSCG, Steffan was Executive Vice President and Chief Creative Officer of LBWorks (a Leo Burnett company), and earlier still Executive Vice President and Executive Creative Director at Leo Burnett USA.

He is the recipient of advertising's most prestigious awards including a Kelly Award, Best of Show, and gold and silver awards at competitions such as the One Show, the Addy Awards, and the Cannes Lions Festival.

Steffan's short stories have been included in the 1994 and 1995 editions of New Voices in Poetry and Prose. His first novel, The Last Generation, was published by Inkwater Press. The story was later optioned by Touchstone Television for a TV series.

Product Details

• Paperback: 200 pages
• Publisher: Inkwater Pr; 1st edition (August 1, 2008)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 1592993524
• ISBN-13: 978-1592993529
• Product Dimensions: 8.9 x 5.9 x 0.6 inches
• Shipping Weight: 10.4 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.5 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (33 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #1,257,294 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

More About the Author

Fellow Creatives, like many of you I have been writing all of my life. Especially advertising copy. But not only advertising copy.

In high school, I was Features editor for the Lane Tech Warrior as well wrote a column on popular music. My first story was about Judas Priest.

At the University of Wisconsin, I majored in film and creative writing, as well as wrote for the university's conservative and liberal newspapers. Anything for a byline, right?

My short stories have appeared in past editions of New Voices in Poetry and Prose. My first novel, The Last Generation, was published by Inkwater Press. The story was later optioned by Touchstone Television for a TV series.

My latest novel, published in 2008 (Inkwater), The Happy Soul Industry is a modern fable about good and evil. In it, God hires an advertising agency to market Heaven and all hell breaks loose!

Please visit my blog, Gods of Advertising or my twitter address.

As Chairman and Chief Creative Officer of Euro RSCG Chicago, my clients include Barilla, Kraft, Valspar Paint, Jim Beam and more. I'm responsible for the overall creative leadership and quality of the creative product.

Prior to joining Euro RSCG, I was Executive Vice President and Chief Creative Officer of LBWorks (a Leo Burnett company), overseeing creative for their full client roster including Altoids, Gateway, Lexmark and Maytag. Before that I served as Executive Vice President and Executive Creative Director at Leo Burnett USA, and was a member of Leo Burnett's Creative Management Board.

I am the proud (and lucky) recipient of advertising's most prestigious awards including a Kelly Award, Best of Show in the Addys and gold and silver Lion at Cannes.

A copywriter by trade, I'm perhaps best known for my work on behalf of Altoids, The Curiously Strong Mints.

Other moments in my career include co-authoring the "Not your father's Oldsmobile" campaign for General Motors and penning a commercial for Heinz catsup featuring a teen-aged Matt LaBlanc. The spot won a gold lion at Cannes.

In 2008, I received Hall of Fame honors for the Altoid's campaign at the Obie Awards in Miami.

Advertising runs in my family. My father, Larry Postaer is co-founder and Chief Creative Officer of RPA in Los Angeles. My brother, Jeremy last served as Group Creative Director at JWT in New York. My mother, Christine Montet did time at FCB (art buyer) before retiring in 2004.

I live in Chicago with my wife, Susan and three young daughters. We have two dogs: Bo & Mo. My eldest daughter wants a horse.

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:

2.0 out of 5 stars Where is the rest?, December 8, 2008

By 

Hatchet - See all my reviews

This review is from: The Happy Soul Industry (Paperback)

I got this book because I'm an avid reader of Steffan's blog. I was really excited to read it, and ultimately very disappointed. The concept was sound, but I felt cheated by the length (under 200 pages) and the unsatisfying wrap-up. There was a lot of room to develop characters further, and it went unused. The characters end up coming off as caricatures of advertising folks, and I expected more from someone with Steffan's experience in the industry.

I gave it 2 stars because there is some fine musing about the concepting process for writing ads, and it's an original concept. I can't recommend tis book to anyone who isn't in advertising.

3 of 4 people found the following review helpful:

2.0 out of 5 stars not a bad idea but a terrible book, February 9, 2009

By 

Anita K. H. Peterson (Loveland, co United States) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: The Happy Soul Industry (Paperback)

My first impression was that this slick book read a lot like my high school friends' attempts at writing a book or screenplay. Then I began to realize that, while the first impression is still right, this book is not written for a wider audience. It's written for the author, some people he may have known in the advertising industry, and potential movie producers.

The central idea - that God would like to use the American advertising industry to promote goodness - is interesting but the execution is simplistic with cardboard characters, ham-handed descriptions, and eye-rolling narrative as well as story inconsistencies and errors.

The author attempts to shock and surprise but things are so obvious and lamely-presented that each attempt can be seen not only a mile away but fizzles when it gets to the reader.

I am not a Christian but if I were, many of the ideas in this book would be offensive, so watch out if you're sensitive that way (also a good warning for Scientologists). I am, however, a bit offended (if one can be offended by such 11th-grade stuff) that the author thinks it appropriate to pretend that Eve (and so, by extention, women) was a construct of Satan. Even the Bible, that bastion of misogyny, says Eve was created by God and the snake was the one who was evil. Whatever.

I can see that Postaer is angling for a movie treatment for this. I think that with the proper director, a very good screenwriter and skilled actors this might be a good movie. As a book, though, this piece is paper-thin (no pun intended) and feels, again, like something you'd find on your teenager's computer.

I would like to soften this review a bit by saying that it's great that Postaer had the dedication to write a book and have it published. I am not a writer and I have never done that. I wish him luck. For the potential reader who is looking at this review on Amazon and trying to decided whether to buy it or not I have to say that it is really not worth your money or time.

4.0 out of 5 stars The moment all creatives have had, July 20, 2010

By 

k8iedid - See all my reviews

Amazon Verified Purchase

This review is from: The Happy Soul Industry (Paperback)

At some point, every advertising creative has leaned back in their chair and questioned their decision to jump willingly into a career that often punishes more than it rewards. We dream of the perfect client and award-winning campaigns - this book was a funny take on an unlikely client and some pretty real situations. I'd recommend it for an entertaining read.