MLC Advertising Nominated for an Emmy Award
June 11, 2008

MLC Advertising receives first Emmy nod for their most recent Skyline Caverns television commercial.

“Over the past few years in particular, we've made a conscious effort to push boundaries,” said John Geisen, MLC Advertising President, “There's no reason that a local TV commercial can't be just as good as the ones from network affiliates in bigger cities. That's what this Emmy nomination is really all about.”

For MLC Advertising in Harrisonburg, being nominated for an Emmy marks the high point in an already impressive climb. In just 8 years of existence, the company has gone from three people sharing a single room to over a dozen writers, videographers, editors, graphic designers, and sales staff spread out over two office suites. Creating everything from web sites and print ads to radio commercials and billboards, MLC Advertising has already won numerous awards.

But the company's television creations have always drawn the most attention.

“We wanted to make something out-of-the-box, something that would really show off the caverns and get people as excited as we were about the product,” said writer Don Blanton, “Its one of the best we've done – so far.”

“Keep in mind, this commercial had us running around in a dark cave,” added Andy Vanhook, MLC Advertising's Creative Director and Videographer, “It's not an ideal place to take a video camera, but everyone did a wonderful job, including our on-camera talent, Christopher Showalter.”

Beau Baker, who edited the final piece, shares the group's enthusiasm. “I liked the concept from day one, and the folks at Skyline Caverns were wonderful to deal with. They trusted us to come through for them, and I knew we would, but nobody expected an Emmy nomination.”

Agency Changes Name
November 30, 2007

In an effort to better reflect their services Media Link Communications, Inc. a full service advertising agency has changed their name to MLC Advertising, Inc.  As an established premier full service advertising agency since 2000 based in the heart of the Shenandoah Valley of Virginia, MLC is committed to excellence by providing a full range of services including video, audio, print and web production as well as creative services, media buying, and media planning all in house. 
The name change comes to clearly define the range of services MLC Advertising provides to their clients.

"Our philosophy is to provide a superior service that cannot be provided anywhere else while continually working to set a higher standard for our employees thru education and training" said President John R. Geisen. "We felt that changing the name to MLC Advertising would create a clearer picture of who we are to prospective clients."

MLC Advertising employs fifteen full time employees working with clients on a local, regional and national level.  MLC also offers multiple internship opportunities for students at James Madison University, Bridgewater College and Eastern Mennonite University.

MLC Advertising Wins 8 National Awards in 2007
November 26, 2007

Against tough competition from larger ad agencies across the U.S., MLC Advertising in Harrisonburg won a total of eight national advertising awards for 2007. The awards include two 2007 Communicator Awards for Print Media, three 2007 Telly Awards, two 2007 Hermes Creative Awards and one 2007 W3 Award. Recognizing items as diverse as web pages, television ads, and direct mail, awards like these indicate that larger agencies in larger cities don't always enjoy an automatic advantage.

"I am extremely proud of our team's accomplishments this past year," said MLC Advertising's Creative Director, Andrew Vanhook. "We pride ourselves on creativity and keeping our video, print and interactive production to the highest quality. Receiving these awards is a thrill, but it only raises the bar for 2008."

MLC Advertising employees recognized with awards include: John Geisen, Billy Krichbaum, Andrew Vanhook, Don Blanton, Joel West, Anna Bergey, Beau Baker, and Justin Prather.

"I think these awards speak volumes to the talent we've assembled right here in Harrisonburg," said MLC Advertising President, John Geisen, "Everyone in our production department was associated with at least one award-winning piece."

keywords:Telly Awards, Hermes Awards, W3 Award, Communicator Awards, MLC Advertising

MLC Advertising Receives Multiple National Awards
June 12, 2007

MLC Advertising received two Awards of Distinction in the Print Media Division of the Communicator Awards, a leading international awards program recognizing creative excellence in the communication field.

One Award of Distinction was granted to MLC Advertising in the Marketing and Promotion category. The direct mail piece is a postcard created by MLC Advertising's Print Interactive Director, Joel West, for their client Davelle Clothiers, a fine mens clothing store located in northern Virginia. MLC Advertising was granted a second Award of Distinction in the Corporate Newsletter Category, for their quarterly newsletter which was also designed by West. West has been with MLC Advertising for over three years and his design capabilities have won several awards in print and web creation.

The Communicator Awards provides winners and their clients' recognition they deserve, giving communications and creative professionals proof and validation that their work is outstanding and highly regarded by their peers. The Communicator Awards are judged against a high standard of excellence based on the Communicator Awards' 13-year history of judging work. The Award of Distinction is presented for projects that exceed industry standards in quality and excellence.

MLC Advertising has received two previous awards from the Communicator Awards in the video category. They have also received numerous regional and national awards for excellence in print, interactive, and video communications, including the Telly Awards and the W3 Awards.

keywords: Communicator Awards, MLC Advertising, Davelle Clothiers, Print, Joel West

MLC Advertising and ComSonics receive national awards
June 4, 2007

ComSonics, Inc. and MLC Advertising were runners-up in the ESOP Association's 2007 Annual Awards for Communications Excellence, in the Communications Excellence in Audio Visual category.

ComSonics, Inc. and MLC Advertising were runners-up in the ESOP Association's 2007 Annual Awards for Communications Excellence, in the Communications Excellence in Audio Visual category.

Scriptwriters, Photographers, Producers, and Editors at MLC Advertising collaborated with ComSonics to create the award-winning piece, entitled "Welcome to ComSonics, Inc." The piece was honored at the annual ESOP Annual Conference Awards Banquet in Washington, DC on May 14th. 

The Annual Awards for Communications Excellence (AACE) are sponsored by The ESOP Association to recognize outstanding ESOP (Employee Stock Ownership Plan) communications programs of its association members. AACE winners are chosen by a national panel of five judges, made up of both management and non-management employee owners and representatives, each of whom has demonstrated active experience and interest in the field of ESOP communications.

ComSonics is a leading manufacturer of quality test and measurement equipment for the cable broadband industry and has the unique ability to provide NIST based Mobile Calibration services nationwide for a range of broadband test equipment. In addition, ComSonics is a recognized leader in repair services for broadband cable systems with multiple facilities around the country. CEMSI is another arm of ComSonics that is a fully automated manufacturer of electronic equipment producing a wide range of products. Established in 1975, ComSonics is one of the oldest ESOPs in the nation and is celebrating 32 years as an ESOP Corporation.

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MLC Advertising Expands Sales Team
April 18, 2007

MLC Advertising, an award-winning advertising agency in Harrisonburg, is pleased to announce the addition of Brenda Walston to its sales team.  

Ms. Walston comes to MLC Advertising from VerStandig Broadcasting after 11 years as an Account Executive. Her extensive experience, knowledge of advertising, and effective promotional campaign design has already made her a valuable asset to the sales team and to MLC Advertising clients.

With the addition of Ms. Walston, MLC Advertising has tripled its sales force in just under a year. She joins fellow Account Executive Ron McDonald, who joined the company in 2006 after 8 successful years as an Account Executive with The Waynesboro News-Virginian. The MLC Advertising sales team is led by Roger Aldhizer, Vice President and Director of Sales, and the department now boasts over 25 years of combined media sales and placement experience.

MLC Advertising is a full-service advertising agency located in Harrisonburg, Virginia.  Creative services include branding and positioning, media buying, broadcast production for television and radio, print design, website development and hosting.  MLC Advertising services clients on a local, regional and national level.  Call MLC Advertising at (540) 438-9090 to learn more.

keywords: Account Executive, Brenda Walston, Ron McDonald, Sales

MLC Advertising Raises
Money for Shenandoah Valley
Teen Challenge
December 6, 2006

MLC Advertising is hosting the 1st Annual Christmas Gala to benefit the Shenandoah Valley branch of Teen Challenge. The event will be held on December 9, 2006, at the Stonewall Jackson Hotel in Staunton, Virginia in appreciation of all clients and friends of MLC Advertising.

Attendees will include fourteen members and previous graduates of the Teen Challenge program of which some graduates will come from as far as Kansas City, Kansas in order to give their personal testimony on how Teen Challenge has changed their life. Also in attendance will be representatives from various mediums from the entire region including Washington DC, Richmond, Roanoke, Lynchburg and Bristol TN. MLC Advertising clients are being asked to donate a product or service to the evening's silent auction with all proceeds going to the Shenandoah Valley Teen Challenge

"I'm still numb from when MLC Advertising called me. This came as a welcome surprise," said Pastor John Franich, Executive Director of the Shenandoah Valley Teen Challenge. "We receive more calls from people in need than we are able to take and now we'll be capable of helping even more people in need."

Pastor John Franich, will address the audience on issues such as teen drug abuse and how Teen Challenge has provided youth, adults, and children a faith-based solution to drug and alcohol addiction as well as other life-controlling problems.

"We chose to do a charity event to coincide with the client appreciation Gala as a way to give back to the Valley," said Roger Aldhizer, Vice-President of Sales at MLC Advertising. "We plan to make this an annual event for our clients with a different charity each year. The response of donations to the silent auction has been tremendous with over $2,000.00 already donated and we haven't even opened the doors yet."

MLC Advertising is calling on the entire Valley to make a donation to the Shenandoah Valley Teen Challenge. Donations can be made between now and December 9 to be part of the gala silent auction.

In addition to the Shenandoah Valley Teen Challenge benefit, André Viette, from In the Garden with André Viette, will be the honored guest speaker for the evening.

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MLC Advertising Wins Prestigious Web Design Award
October 30, 2006

MLC Advertising has won a 2006 W3 Award for outstanding web design in the Fashion category for upscale menswear client Davelle Clothiers, based in Northern Virginia.

For Art Director Joel West, the award is confirmation of years of effort.

"We feel our skill set and flexibility are on par with many national internet companies," said West, "We take great pride in our design and development."

Web Programmer Justin Prather shared West's views. "We put a lot of effort into each of our websites," said Prather, "If we're not developing the best looking sites, we're not doing our job".

For MLC Advertising, The W3 Award follows a Telly Award win in May for the local television commercial "Real Estate III: Rain or Shine." West was quick to point out the strengths of having a strong video production department and a strong web design department under one roof.

"We predict the applications of web-based video will only increase. Our capabilities and potential are limitless in bridging the gap between video and web development."

The W3 Awards are sanctioned and judged by the International Academy of the Visual Arts, an invitation-only body selected from national media, interactive, advertising, and marketing firms.

keywords: web design, award, W3, Davelle Clothiers

MLC Advertising Wins A Telly Award
May 19, 2006

MLC Advertising won a 27th Annual Bronze Telly statuette, an international award recognizing creative excellence, for the local television commercial "Real Estate III: Rain or Shine."

"Real Estate III: Rain or Shine" was produced in April 2004. Scriptwriters, Photographers, Producers, Editors, and Graphic Designers collaborated to create a commercial with no voice-over or music. Clever jump-cuts, concise graphics and strategic use of sound were used to create a spot in which the visuals convey a message of sincerity and hard work.

Over the past 27 years, the Telly Awards has distributed awards for the finest in creative work in local, regional, and cable TV commercials and programs, in addition to the best film and video production. Over 12,500 different entries from around the world were submitted for the 27th Annual evaluation. Other winners of this year's Telly Awards include the Sci Fi Channel, Perry & Harper Communications, Turner Classic Movies, Walt Disney Studios, Bohan Advertising, Grey Worldwide-New York, PBS, Time Warner Cable Media, and Young & Rubicam.

More than 25 judges composed of prestigious industry professionals evaluated the quality of each submission. In addition to being top industry professionals, these judges are past recipients of the Silver Telly Statuette, the highest honor of the Telly Awards.

keywords: Telly, award, commercial