Gillespie Group is excited to announce that Dan Schwartz has become a Gillespie Groupie. Dan who hails from Ft. Washington, recently graduated from Penn State University. (Where else?)

Dan is a sports FANATIC. First and foremost, he loves the Nittany Lions. But Dan’s also an avid fan of all Philly sports teams.

“It’s been a great start,” noted Media Director Debbie Field. “Dan’s jumped in with both feet. He’s taking to the nuances of media planning and buying very quickly.”

No doubt, this is due to his Penn State education.

“I’m really excited to be here,” shared Dan. “Gillespie is a great environment. It is a relaxed and family-like. And we get a ton done.”

Dan will be working on all aspects of media including planning, negotiating and buying. But Dan will be focusing specifically on digital analytics for the wide range of campaigns Gillespie is handling.

Videon Chrysler, Dodge, Jeep and Ram has struck a partnership with Gillespie to provide strategic consulting on marketing and overall advertising direction.

Videon is a second generation dealership located in suburban Philadelphia. With over 60 years in automotive business,

Videon CDJR is truly a family operation run by Steve Videon, along with his brother Wayne Videon. A third generation is on the horizon as Steve’s son Matt has recently joined the dealership.

“We’re excited to partner with the Videon Dealership and their team,” said Jim Krauss who will head up the Videon team for Gillespie.  “The Videon culture is all about family, integrity and delivering value.  I’ve worked with Steve in the past and I’m excited to become part of their team. It’s an honor, really,” added Krauss.

“Gillespie is a natural fit,” said Steve Videon.  “I’ve known Jim for years and I’m excited to keep working with him and the rest of the Gillespie team.”  Videon went on to note that, “Gillespie knows the automotive industry better than anyone.  I’m excited to get started.”

Videon Chrysler, Dodge, Jeep and Ram’s state of the art facility is located at 4951 West Chester Pike in Newtown

Ahh…Cord cutting.  It’s today’s ubiquitous topic in the ad industry.  It is the deep seated fear of advertisers, cable operators and broadcasters.

Cord cutting seems very “millennial.”  It feels somewhat “hipster.”  I really do not fit into either group.  And the numbers back up my suspicion.  But more importantly, ask a hipster or millennial and they’ll happily tell you that they’ve cut the cord.  

I don’t identify with these groups. But for various reasons, I’ve cut the cord.  

Liberating.  Exciting.  Right?

Not so much.

Try…”Confusing.”  And “Cumbersome.”

One of the two major players provides me with internet access. And internet access only.  So I need to find a way to access and enjoy all of the content that the world has to offer.  I am now cobbling together about a half dozen options so I can watch like news, sports, original programs and live TV.

Here’s what I have:

• Amazon Fire (with Kodi)
• AppleTV
• GoogleChrome Cast
• YouTubeTV
• A digital antenna
• MANY subscriptions including:  Netflix, TNT (Last Ship), CBS All Access (for Star Trek), PBS Passport (Viet Nam) Amazon Prime (for Man in the High Castle) and HistoryTV Vault.

For some of this I subscribe through Amazon Prime. Others, require a direct subscription. Others are subscribed to through my iTunes account.  Often I have to access one platform with one set of user credentials to modify a subscription to another platform with yet another set of user credentials.  (My password list requires its own super computer.)

To turn everything on, I need my TV’s remote. The Apple TV remote.  The Fire Stick remote and my phone… and sometimes my iPad.  

It’s exhausting to try to relax.  So, I’m thinking about un-cutting the cord.  But in the meantime, I think I’ll take up reading!