whatnot: USA Network

USA Network had a couple of Emmy-worthy productions and wanted their agency to help ensure nominations for them. Problem was, they had two productions to promote with an advertising budget for only one. So the two (completely unrelated) productions had to be consolidated into a single campaign. The agency called me to help out as they tried to find a common denominator between former New York mayor Rudy Giuliani (subject of one of the productions) and the TV show Monk (the other). We kicked around all kinds of angles on this one (and I admit it wasn't always pretty, but c'mon, Rudy and Monk?). Finally, it came down to crime and the distinct ways the two men (one real, one a figment of a writer's imagination) are known for tackling it.

Both lead actors, James Woods for Rudy: The Rudy Giuliani Story and Tony Shaloub for Monk were nominated for Best Actor in their respective categories, and Tony Shaloub took home the Emmy.