But Wait, That's Not All ... The Garden (aka Madison Square Garden)

Through the years I have been privileged to attend many events at Madison Square Garden whether as part of a night out with business colleagues or with friends or as often occurred with business colleagues who became friends Growing up in Texas as I imagine it was for anyone who grew up outside of New York City the Garden took up a mythos all on its own It falls within the category of institutions such as the Statue of Liberty Times Square the Empire State Buildingamp160and the Brooklyn Bridge as not only mustsee tourist attractions but the mere mention of it conjures up sights sounds and smells of New York CityHistory has been made in the building On March 81971 the quotFight of the Centuryquot between heavyweight champions Joe Frazier and Muhammad Ali the first time two undefeated heavyweights had boxed took place In 1985 WrestleMania held their inaugural event at the Garden John Lennon39s final concert took place at MSG and numerous benefit concerts after 911 and Superstorm Sandy were held thereWhen I think of the Garden I think of the many Knicks and NY Rangers games that I have mostly enjoyed I think of seeing Aerosmith The Who Sting Billy Joel a few times and one of my favorite bands the Eagles reuniting for the quotHell Freezes Overquot tour I think about how my wife and I were in a suite at MSG for The Grammys in 2003For the advertising industry Madison Square Garden and its surrounding bars and restaurants is and will be again postpandemic a place to gather and run into industry friends and peers What Pershing Square is to breakfast what Michael39s is for lunch the Garden is to the evening when NYC really comes alive Rarely was there an event or concert that I attended at which I did not run into some former colleague or sales representative with whom I had worked or was currently negotiating with who was entertaining their clients building the bonds upon which trust and friendship that powered the media industry for decades were built Many a media deal has been sealed or celebrated either courtside by the glass or in a corporate boxSo why all this nostalgia about Madison Square Garden Last week I read an article in Ad Age that said that in 2020 over 20000 jobs were lost in our beloved industry across the major holding companies That doesn39t even account for smallmid tier independent agencies creative boutiques or specialty firms It also doesn39t encompass the total number of media sales professionals that have been let go both because of COVID19 and because of the shift to programmatic When I saw the number 20000 my mind flashed to the seating capacity of the Garden which is 20789 In one year we have lost more than a filledtocapacity full venue worth of jobs many of those our present or work colleagues our friendsBut Wait That39s Not AllMake no mistake the emotional toll of being laid off especially at a job in which you39ve dedicated a good portion of your life is devastating in a way that words cannot convey multiplied by the toll of financial responsibilities of family mortgage college loans and more that many bare Economic cycles and moments brought about due to unforeseen circumstances whether it be a large account loss or a pandemic also bringamp160emotional pain to those having to make the decisions on who to lay off They are not easy decisions The people that have to make those decisions know that they are changing the course of the lives of their colleagues and friends Heavy is the crownWe do come out of these economic cycles and pandemics do end As we seem to be looking forward to a year of economic stimulus a return to a quotmorequotamp160normal world and one that looks fairly optimistic now is the time to step up and help those who have been impacted If you did not lose your job in 2020 then the way to pay gratitude for that is to help someone who did Pay it forwardSome have found new gigs But many have not And in a world of DSPs and SSPs the fact is that a sizable amount of those very smart talented and experienced people may not find the same kind of roles that they have previously held Yet their contributions to the industry demand from the rest of us that we take action to help them whether it39s upskilling networking or just being a compassionate human being with whom to speak I have been there and am grateful for those industry friends who helped me through those timesOver the past week I39ve had a few companies reach out and let me know of roles that are available It39s a good feeling to help my friends and pay it forward If you know of a role post it on Facebook oramp160LinkedIn or reach out to me I look forward to seeing many of you soon at a Knicks or Rangers game at the GardenClick the social buttons to share this story with colleagues and friendsThe opinions expressed here are the author39s views and do not necessarily represent the views of MediaVillagecomMyersBizNetamp160

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But Wait, That's Not All ... The Garden (aka Madison Square Garden)

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Jeff Minsky

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But Wait, That's Not All ... The Garden (aka Madison Square Garden)

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