Dawn Albrecht-Parys:  

I have considered doing this for some time and finally decided, "what the heck?".... so I'm about to take the plunge with regards to my life since 1977. After finally graduating with a Degree in Telecommunications and Film from Eastern Michigan University in 1983, (after a short stint at the U of M) I was lucky enough to be hired as an "on air" personality by little 'ole radio station WAAM in Ann Arbor. The pay was low, the hours were long and I had an absolute ball working there. I got lucky again when the National Advertising Agency for Domino's Pizza, Group 243 Inc, hired me in 1985 as an Associate Broadcast Producer on their Domino's account. My wonderful boss, David Larson, took me by the hand and with incredible patience, taught me everything he knew about the production of radio and television commercials. This was during the Domino's "Avoid the Noid," era-which some of you may vaguely remember. For the period it was cutting edge technology-using the talent's of Will Vinton's Claymation facilty to create the "Noid," then combining computer animation techniques to superimpose it with "live action" footage which we had shot previously. We also used some of the best director's in the business, including Ridley Scott, the director of "Alien." It was an amazing time in my life...I was young, single and traveling the world producing radio and television spots in L.A., New York, Chicago...and once Domino's begin to expand overseas, I went to London, Frankfurt and Tokyo. The favorite pizza topping in London is corn, in Tokyo, dried fish and seaweed and in Frankfurt, sauerkraut. Different strokes.... But all good things can come to an end, and in 1989, despite our best efforts, we lost the account to Grey Advertising of New York. For the next year or so I worked as a free-lance producer and voice-over actor. One day I received a call from a headhunter who told me about a client he felt I may find interesting to work for. The client had reviewed my producer's reel and was eager to meet with me. From my perspective, there was one small problem. The company, McDonald Davis and Ass., was located in Milwaukee, Wisconsin....the land of cheese curds, Laverne and Shirley, Happy Days and Friday night fish fries. ( I simply loathe fish!!) Besides, after enjoying the culture and sophistication of Chicago on numerous work related agency trips, I could not imagine Milwaukee as a step up in my career. But financial reality finally jolted me to my senses...... and so I boarded a flight to Wisconsin for my interview. During my trip I was introduced to everyone at McDonald Davis, from the CEO to the Janitor, (I liked the janitor very much) and I listened intently as the various department heads waxed eloquent over their major client, "Shopko"...(a sort of K-mart clone) I was informed that their current ad campaign for Shopko was to be trashed and that I, along with several others would be responsible for creating a refreshing new image for the client. I believe it was assumed that I would bring a sifter of creative "fairy dust" to their troubled client, and I was made an offer which I accepted. Fairy dust or not-even I can't perform miracles. No creative change in the current advertising was ever approved by the client. No additional monies to increase production values was ever forthcoming. Old and dirty Shopko stores filled with crummy merchandise , zero production budgets, unappealing, dull commercials shot on god awful 16mm film-Shopko remained in a state of stasis, impervious to our creative and budgetary plea's. My immediate supervisor was the owner of the ad agency's son, a nice kid whose only previous broadcast production experience was producing a weekly show called "Polka Dance Party," shot on VHS in a Green Bay Wisconsin VFW hall. After realizing I had taken a job that any first year film student could master, I mussed up his mullet pretty badly and made it clear that I was a very unhappy camper. I had uprooted my creative and professional life to do nothing more than produce low value junk that did nothing to enhance my producers reel or my reputation. (but I found myself beginning to adore Milwaukee and its lakefront lifestyle) At the time I joined McDonald Davis, Shopko's revenues had dropped some 35% in a little under four years. They were quietly but actively putting out feelers in search of a new Ad Agency, and I, along with several others had been hired as part of a last ditch effort to save McDonald Davis from losing the account. We knew none of this at the time. But a paycheck is a paycheck, and as I continued to work at McDonald Davis by day, (while sending out resumes at night) I met my future husband. His name was Ronald Parys, and he lived in the same condominium complex as I. Despite a nearly 22 year age difference, we clicked at once. Ron was a brilliant, very handsome guy with a wonderful sense of humor, four adult children whom I love very much and a long forgotten divorce nearly 6 years in the past. Ron had been a Wisconsin State Assemblyman and a Wisconsin State Senator. At the time we met he was the President of the Wisconsin Grocer's Association as well as President of the Wisconsin Lobbyist Association. Things have an interesting way of working out, because as we were falling in love I decided to take the bull by the horns and put the finishing touches on a dream that I had long wished for; to be the owner of my own advertising agency. Ron backed my decision 100% - so while I located my agency in Birmingham, MI - Ron remained in Wisconsin and we somehow made it all work out. It finally did become too much however, and I ended up selling my company, Canfield Powers and Associates, to a larger firm located in Southfield, MI. After several years of great happiness, Ron and I decided to marry. We had a glorious wedding on a brilliant sunny day in August, surrounded by the numerous people we loved and cared for. Because it was a lakeside wedding on the lake where we owned a cabin, I arrived at the ceremony in our pontoon boat, wedding veil flapping wildly in the wind. I'm quite sure that I resembled one of those women who were carved on the front of a ships prow in earlier times, but unlike them, I had hoop skirts flying over my head and a train fluttering 10-15 feet behind me. To say I looked a bit disheveled would be a massive understatement.:) It was however a great day and to use an old cliche...I was never happier. After our Honeymoon, I returned to College, (Cardinal Stritch in Milwaukee) to begin working on my Master's in Business. I was finishing up my first semester when I received an urgent call from Ron's best friend, Senator Roger Breske, informing me that Ron had just had a "mild" heart attack while in a meeting in Madison, WI. I arrived at the Hospital just as he was being wheeled in for a Heart "Cath" and stent insertions. We were so, so l...Expand for more