The Alphabet 2 from n9ve on Vimeo.

Allesandro Novelli (of n9ve) directs a “developmental spelling” of the alphabet – an experimental typography video “where each character visually represents the meaning of the word itself.”

Watch as Xavier's School For Gifted Youngsters enter into a hilarious exchange program with University of Farmers for these new Farmer's Insurance commercials. It's also fun to see JK Simmons, who is otherwise known to the Marvel movie-verse as the Spidey-slandering J. Jonah Jameson, interact with Beast.

X-Men: First Class, whose initial reviews say it's the best X-Men movie ever made hits theaters on June 3. So excited!

Listen up geek parents with poor decision-making skills! With Kick to Pick, you can leave the important decision of naming your child up to your soon-to-be-born baby. Just load up the names you’re considering, and then put your iPhone up to mommy’s tummy so the baby can hear the names. The app will let you know when your baby kicks to show their approval for one of the names. Either that or some gas in your stomach will curse your baby with a name like Larry his whole life. (Sorry, Larry, you it's true.)

Check it out at http://www.kicktopick.com

5 years ago, little did this 18 year-old, fresh of the boat, Guatemalan advertising savant know that joining a cult that takes pride in staying up all night defacing Chapman property would be the greatest thing to come into his life since discovering that America has a thing called "free refills".

My first year in NSAC I looked up to 3 incredible people. Stephy, Nate, and Lani, our account directors for the Coke Year.They influenced who I am in ways they will never know. I wanted to be just like the 3 of them, and believe me they were fucking crazy...in a good way. It pains me to think there are people in NSAC right now who don't know that it was because of them that we even won 1st place in the nation in 2010. They selected a few freshmen to join the team, who would eventually take their turns respectively being account directors just like them. Here I am running my first ever creative meeting, alongside 2/3rds of the State Farm ADs Kimmy and Andreas.

That year I worked so hard, taught myself Adobe Illustrator a month before the book was due, skinny dipped with about 10 people...twice, woke up at 7am each day and went to bed at 4 am (my freshmen roommates thought I was crazy), and got into trouble with Chapman for spray painting the film school, dancing on tables, and trashing the production design room with hundreds of cardboard boxes in an incident that has now evolved into a little thing called “Rompe”.

That year we threw the first ever "NSAC Event" for our Coke campaign. We transformed the school cafeteria into a dance club/coke world, a tradition that would continue on for years to come with events like "Word Yourself", "Glow", and "Get Covered". This was the idea of the AD's. Because of them we learned a key aspect of what Circle does best, having an excuse to throw a party and getting college credit for it. But honestly, we learn how to throw successful branded events like no one else in the country.

We also shot 2 TV spots that year, one in the desert and one in the mean streets of Santa Ana.

Sadly, we came in 5th that year at regionals, and for those who have never lost NSAC, it is the worst feeling in the world. But we all learned from it, and I know it fueled Kimmy, Andreas, and I to want to win this competition, and little did we know one day we would. We loved that year and all the great people we met, who were just as crazy for advertising as us.

The next year NSAC introduced me to the life of an account director and one of my greatest friends (and now creative partner), Taylor Donald Gerard Wilson Alfaro.

We were the 2 account directors for the AIM year of NSAC. We became inseparable, he was the ying and I was the awesome Guatemalan who liked to jump on his back and shout “RUN LIKE THE WIND, SHADOWFAX!!!”. Okay, maybe that was just in my head, but I did learn a lot about what it means to be in charge of leading NSAC. I made mistakes like anyone, but I did introduce the team to a little thing called Rompe. Rompe, from the spanish word “to break”, happened when we decided NSAC needed to have a branded philosophy, just like TBWA has Disruption, Saatchi has Lovemarks, or DraftFCB has The 6.5 Seconds that matter.

Rompe was a philosophy of going against conventions, doing things differently, and most importantly, breaking shit. Later on it would evolve into a huge 3 day event that has become the staple of NSAC, and an invaluable tool for understanding our clients and barriers. For this I thank Brian Chandra, who took Rompe under his wing and ran with it. Chandra was a freshman the year Taylor and I wanted him on NSAC, and we were so happy he drank the Kool-Aid.

That year I learned everything I know about social media. It was the best year to be an AD, because it gave Tay and I such a wealth of knowledge about digital advertising and social media. We were one of the first people on Twitter, when Twitter didn’t even have a Fail Whale. That year we started the tradition of adding to the Big Idea of our campaigns with a Creative Vision. This is integral to our NSAC formula, because it lets us unite all our crazy ideas under one strong pillar, while letting us branch out into creative executions with the creative vision. We Are Words and Your Words Have A Lot To Say were a first for NSAC. I learned so much that year. I was only a sophomore, but hopefully inspired others the way the former AD’s inspired me.

Oh, and long story short, I was fired from being an AD that year because I hung out with Nate and Job (past AD’s), who were “professionals” now. Our advisor was concerned I was breaking the rules because we can't have any interaction with professionals, but honestly, I swear to this day, I never asked them for advice on our campaign for AIM. I only asked them for advice on how to deal with being an A.D, and how to deal with your life falling apart, and other issues young guatemalan kids go through in college. Below is a picture of Job showing me how to do the "rockaway", a move that has always helped me with the ladies.

They knew what it was like to have your life consumed by NSAC, and me asking for help turned into me having to quit being an AD. But our book was printed, so I was okay with stepping back and not causing a fuss. I thought, it doesn’t matter, I just wont have input on the presentation, that’s fine.

We lost by .3 points to USC that year. Our book was ranked #1 by a large margin, but USC had an amazing presentation. I was so devastated I decided I needed a break from NSAC. I lost faith in the AAF, who for 2 years had promised us client judges who never showed up. Our campaign was judged by people who knew nothing about social media, and only liked the flashy visuals.  I was so conflicted about leaving the only thing that made me happy behind, but I needed a break. I needed to enjoy college. I never regret the decision to leave NSAC my third year. Amy, Chris, and Kat wanted to be ADs, and I was more than comfortable leaving my baby in good hands. The next year, Circle won 1st place in Regionals and came in 4th at Nationals. They got UCLA back for making shirts with this douchey slogan. I'm not kidding.

After binge drinking for a year, I decided to give NSAC one more chance. My interview consisted of Kimmy and Andreas, who were now ADs, telling me I was on the team if I wanted to. My final step into the NSAC puddle happened when I met Jon Blongren, the other AD that year. I thought, "this kid is really smart and I don’t know him, if he is in NSAC then so should I because I miss knowing smart advertising people".

That year was so incredible. I was part of an advertising wolfpack again, and NSAC had grown into something so big it was practically overflowing with people who drank nothing but the Kool-Aid. It was such an exciting time for me, but there was only one problem...a lot of people hated me. The people who didn’t know me thought I was the AD that quit NSAC or the guy who only came back because they had won regionals the year before. It was tough, but I knew that it was only them not knowing me or how much I could contribute. I slowly started making new friends, doing my work, and showing people I loved NSAC as much as anyone else on the team. I had come up with a big idea before, and I wasn’t gonna let that stop me again. That year, after the Superbowl, I was drinking and watching Undercover Boss on CBS with fellow NSAC research buddies Matt Nagel and Andy Whalen, when 2 words popped into my brain: Feel Free.

I had spent months researching State Farm, our client for that year, and our demographic when suddenly it all made sense. I wasn’t on the creative team, but I know a good big idea when I hear it. So I pitched the idea to the team in a big brainstorming session. I knew some people didn’t like it, I knew it was hard to grasp, I knew it was a big gamble, but if I sold “We Are Words” then I knew I could sell “Feel Free”. Thankfully, there were people there who felt the same way I did about Feel Free. They made it their own, expanded it, and went all out. The creative team made beautifil ads, a great 30 second spot, and a beautiful book. I knew after Feel Free that people no longer hated me, they knew I wanted to win it, and they wanted to win it as well. That year I was lucky enough to be chosen by the team as a presenter alongside Jon, Nat, Andreas, and Jon-Michael. We came in first at regionals and I was on my way to my first ever national competition in Orlando, Florida.

The night before nationals we went on a party bus, drank in a hot tub, and reupholstered a couch before our 9 am presentation. I couldn’t help but think how far I had come from freshman year, yet how many stupid things I was still doing. It was now or never. This was how it was supposed to happen. This was why I lost those 2 years. This was the moment it came down to. We had to win. We needed to win. Life couldn’t be this cruel to me.

And then the judges said, “First Place, National Student Advertising Champions 2010...Chapman University”.

I think this was the happiest day of my life so far. After years of dreaming about winning this competition, I was there on-stage, as a senior ad major, surrounded by the most talented people I could have asked to work with, winning the NSAC. I thought back to freshman Mike, wanting to make Stephy, Lani, and Nate proud. I finally won it for them, for the underdogs, for those who were cheated in years before, for Taylor who put up with all my crazy, for all the friends I neglected to hang out with because I was busy working on NSAC. I was finally done. Chapman had won it’s first ever National Student Advertising Competition.

And then last night, I was there all over again. I was sitting a row behind my girlfriend Amy, who was an NSAC presenter this year, and the rest of the 2011 NSAC team awaiting for the result of districts at USC. I was an alumni, who was just as nervous as all of them. I thought back to the year I had lost as a freshman, and was so afraid of them feeling like I did. I didn’t want them to lose, I knew they couldn’t lose. They had an amazing campaign, an amazing presentation, and they loved NSAC with all their heart. I had come full circle. I saw myself in them, who I was before, a little freshman who loved advertising. I didn’t want them to lose like I did.

But those little fuckers did it again! They won regionals with their JCPenney campaign! That night they partied like no other. It was an amazing celebration. The amount of happiness in a room of NSAC kids who just won can’t ever be described. It is beyond your imagination. And I am proud to say I was there to see it happen.

I wrote this post because I thought it was time to share my NSAC experience with others, and talk about how far we've come as a legacy. I’ve come full circle in the greatest experience of my college life. NSAC has given me experience, inspirational people, best friends, love, and much more. Next month Chapman will defend it’s national title in San Diego. I’m going to be there with lots of other NSAC alumni cheering on a team that will always have my undying support.

Circle Advertising. Can’t Stop, Won’t Stop.

If you thought that VW commecial was cute, look at Little Thor.