Coming of Age

At the turn of the century, out of the chaos of a chilling economy and the double punches of 911 and the Iraq war, large corporations contracted, revamped and retreated to the perceived safety of their “core”. History will show that this retrenchment spawned both a massive unemployment rise on the downside and an unprecedented profusion of new, entrepreneurial energy. Not only were new businesses created, new forms for doing meaningful work were hybridized, synthesized eclectically from the tried and true. The “virtual company model” and the organic, try-it-on-the-fly that is the province of entrepreneurs was a requirement of the times.

IDEAS is a child of this moment. Like all children, it has its parent’s genes. They are the best DNA of the tradition of Walt Disney and the extraordinary entertainment giant that still bears his name. There is no “business genome” to look at but it’s reasonable that, as in other life forms, both useful and destructive genes are passed on. Just as a bear can’t code in its offspring the morphology and behavior of a clam, IDEAS by nature looks, thinks and acts in many ways like its parent. That’s the nature part, then, there’s the nurture part. Over 3500 projects for thousands of clients all around the world represents 18 years of proof that Openness, Respect, Quality, Compassion, Community, and Integrity are catalyzing forces for a passionate village of ingenious innovative storytellers.

Storytelling was the taking off point for IDEAS at its birth. It forms both the foundation and the roof-beams of the enterprise. It is sacred, it is non-negotiable and it is not to be trifled with or labeled as a “hook”. IDEAS, after its long dormancy in the DNA of its predecessors, was born and has thrived as a storytelling organism. Creating new realities out of stories is what it does. Happy 18^th birthday IDEAS.