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Meet Ryan. This will be Ryan's third year on PlaidNation, so he's a veteran.

Have you seen the new Dos Equis spots? That dude is a boring old coot compared to Ryan. Hang with Ryan for a night, and you'll certainly end up in an adventure. Or on the news. Or in an incredibly awkward situation that you'll laugh at later. Ryan has more entertaining life stories than the most interesting person you ever met. We believe he's a book, a film and a television show, waiting to happen.

While on tour, Ryan will be our primary driver. He's held this role before, and believe it or not, we're totally comfortable with that. We swear that he's the ultimate, safe, conservative driver. And yes, we've seen his videos.

He's a pop culture expert, a digital DJ, near expert snowboarder, and social media juggernaut. If that wasn't enough, he's a designer, too.

Oh yeah - Ryan is looking for a job. He's been a professional intern, part-timer and producer for Plaid on multiple occasions. Now he's got a degree, and looking to go pro. If you could put Ryan to work and you're in NYC or the vicinity, give us a shout and we'll get you connected. He says he'd also consider positions in Tahiti. (And yeah, with Ryan's luck, that will happen.)

Follow Ryan on Twitter

Labels: crew, ryan

posted by darryl ohrt at 10:18 AM 0 Comments

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Meet Chris. Chris joins PlaidNation on week two, and will be along for the ride as we hit Kansas City, Branson, Memphis, Jackson and New Orleans.

Are you constantly telling your friends that the PlaidNation tour dashboard has changed your life, and you just can't stand to ever stop watching?? Chris designed it! This is not an easy feat - he's managed to please the most difficult client of all - an agency full of creatives who normally have a thing or two to say about interactive design.

Chris is one of the award-winning designers on the Plaid team, and part of the hottest design team in the U.S. He's also a runner, (and a musician) and planning for his first ever half marathon sometime later in the year. (He might think twice about this, after the carbo-loading road diet that comes with the tour.)

Follow Chris on Twitter

Labels: chris, crew

posted by darryl ohrt at 7:06 AM 1 Comments

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While at headquarters, Matt is a member of Plaid's crack creative team. He's won multiple awards, created wonderous designs and produced numerous amazing sites. He's also been instrumental in helping to establish the personality of the Plaid brand. He's the designer behind the new look and feel of BrandFlakesForBreakfast.

Matt is the person responsible for the creation of the hottest Ford Flex to ever grace the American roadways. He's designed the graphics for Plaid's tour vehicles three years in a row, including our brand new Ford Flex. Matt is also the master creator for the official PlaidNation tour t-shirts, promotional swag, the animated sequence that opens every day's wrapup video, and the theme song to the Plaid tour!

Matt hails from New Jersey, and is also a musician - the founder of the legendary band Pop Heroes. Matt's the cool dude that you wish you could hang with. We get to do that for the entire second half of PlaidNation!

Follow Matt on Twitter

Labels: crew, matt

posted by darryl ohrt at 10:53 AM 1 Comments

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This will be David's first year joining the PlaidNation tour. That's kind of a surprise, as he's been with Plaid for TEN years. David has seen Plaid grow from an itsy bitsy design firm into the greatest agency in all of the land. And he's been instrumental in shaping Plaid into what it is today.

What's kept David from joining the PlaidNation road trip in previous years? Perhaps it's the fear of cars. Or long rides. Or maybe it's the work that he didn't want to leave behind: the countless mind-blowing sites that he's conceptualized, designed and produced for clients across the globe.

David designed last year's PlaidNation tour dashboard, and was a major influence to Chris as he produced this year's feast for the eyes. When David's not in front of his Mac, he can usually be found on a mountain bike. He's the best mountain biker in the creative industry and has ridden more miles on his fleet of bikes than your grandma has on her 1978 Cutlass Supreme.

Look for David on week one of his very first PlaidNation tour!

Follow David on Twitter

Labels: crew, david

posted by darryl ohrt at 8:15 PM 1 Comments

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Renato is the founder of Rmedia, and has become a fixture of the PlaidNation tour. Renato (you can call him Reno if you like) is the person responsible for producing all of the video that you see on PlaidNation, and is with us for the duration of the tour. (He'l be the guy with the camera on his shoulder.)

Renato's ability to tell a story in video has made him a natural extension of the Plaid team. He's the person that documented our takeover of the City of Denver, produced countless presentation and pitch videos, and can edit like a madman from the back of a Plaid tour vehicle driving 65 MPH over Texas-sized potholes.

When not editing PlaidNation videos, Renato's also a hard core mountain biker, a raging rock star and the keeper of embarrassing footage of just about everyone at Plaid.

Follow Renato on Twitter

Labels: crew, renato

posted by darryl ohrt at 10:24 AM 0 Comments

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RJ joins PlaidNation during its first week.

RJ is responsible for a large part of the tour's logistics. How far of a drive is it from Chicago to Indianapolis? RJ knows. Where is the crew staying while in Branson, MO? RJ knows. Do we need reservations for the ferry? Will we be passing a giant ball of yarn anywhere on tour? Ask RJ.

While back at home, RJ is part of Plaid's client service team. He's the dude who makes sure that our online project management system is stuffed with all of the detail to make creatives, producers and clients happy. He's the dude that conjures up magical reports of expenses, billable hours, and other things with dollar signs in front of them.

But that's not all that makes RJ tick. Did you know that he's also on a vintage baseball team? And is in love with the Yankees? RJ bleeds baseball. Which made him the natural choice as Captain of Plaid's Wiffle Ball team.

Follow RJ on Twitter: @iRJ

Labels: crew, rj

posted by darryl ohrt at 9:51 AM 1 Comments

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Here's our first of a few posts profiling the crew on this year's PlaidNation tour.

Sara will be part of the PlaidNation crew for the duration of the tour. While at headquarters, Sara is the Dutchess of Awesome - which means that she's the person that makes sure everyone is having an awesome time. Clients, coworkers and partners. Awesomeness is her middle name.

The fact that Sara is joining the tour is itself kind of a minor miracle. She just kicked Lyme Disease's ass - after it gave her a good smackdown during the latter part of 2008 and early this year.

Sara's also the person who has led the team responsible for PlaidNation's logistics. How do you get a FordFlex wrapped, wired, filled with crew who are fed, have a place to sleep and somewhere to go each day? And how do you keep it on budget? That's pretty much under the domain of the Dutchess of Awesome.

Follow Sara on Twitter: @sarachamp

Mascot not included.

Labels: crew, sara

posted by darryl ohrt at 9:32 AM 0 Comments

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We've got a sweet crew for this year's PlaidNation, including a few Plaid folk who have never been on tour before! Guaranteed fun comes in these delicious flavors:

Week 1: Detroit, Milwaukee, Chicago, Indianapolis, St. Louis and Kansas City:
Darryl Ohrt
Renato Ghio
Sara Champion
RJ Fenn
David Plain

Week 2: Kansas City, Branson, Memphis, Jackson, New Orleans:
Darryl Ohrt
Renato Ghio
Sara Champion
Matt Hunsberger
Chris Spada

I know these people personally - and can tell you for sure that this year's tour will be nothing but 100% awesomeness. Only 55 days until the engine roars!

Labels: crew

posted by darryl ohrt at 12:50 PM 3 Comments