Normally we avoid politics at SBS Studios, preferring to keep our personal opinions separate from the work we do. Today we’re breaking that rule to talk about legislation that has the potential to fundamentally break the internet we all know and love–yes that even includes Tumblr. You may have caught a tweet or a Facebook status about these destructive pieces of legislation, SOPA (Stop Online Piracy Act), or the Senate version PIPA (Protect IP Act). Hopefully that was enough to compel you to educate yourself and take action. If you’re still unsure as to what these bills propose or why we of the internet community view them as so destructive, don’t worry, you’re certainly not alone. As long as you have four minutes to spare, this video from Fight for the Future will explain everything.
As a digital agency, the rapid pace at which the internet moves and evolves is at the core of everything we do. SOPA and PIPA could dramatically impact that pace in several ways. These bills have the potential to stifle the creativity of user-generated content as every video, music or blogging network has to actively filter content or face countless lawsuits from copyright owners. Under the threat of lawsuits, few sites around are going to worry about the provisions of copyright law that allow for parody or fair use. The instant nature of social media may slow to a virtual crawl under SOPA and PIPA as networks are forced to heavily filter status updates, tweets and media uploads. Perhaps most damaging are the immeasurable impacts on the continuing evolution of the web. Will the next Twitter or Tumblr be able to make it in a post-SOPA United States?
As one person, you may not think your voice matters, but we’re here to tell you you’re not alone and together we can save the internet, and yes, that includes Tumblr. Today some of the largest sites on the web have gone dark to raise awareness and stop SOPA and PIPA. Today is the perfect day to speak up and be part of the largest online protest in history. Make your voice heard now: http://sopastrike.com/
And SBS Studios reigns supreme in the weird category. SBS was selected as a finalist in three different categories of the Pixel Awards, an esteemed web awards competition judged by a prestigious panel of judges consisting of executives, creatives and visionaries from some of the most celebrated agencies. The vaunted panel selected us as finalists in the following categories:
And we our truly humbled that you, your friends, your family, and probably some complete strangers and people that simply love to click their mouse, felt that we were the creme da la creme, the champion, the blue-ribbon recipient of the “People’s Champ” honor, and we can not thank you enough. The galvanized support helped push us past some incredible competition from some highly visible, talented agencies like Big Spaceship, HUGE, Jib Jab, Happy Cog, Sony Imageworks and Euro. Being named “People’s Champ” means a great deal to us because it was voted so by the people, not just named so by a panel of judges.
We love creating something that resonates as much as Snowball of Duty: White Ops and appreciate you giving it such a wonderful nod. We also appreciate the folks at the Pixel Awards for recognizing our work and choosing SBS as a finalist alongside such fantastic work. And rest assured, we’ll be keeping it weird, doing our best to keep it funny and continue to push those pixels in all the right ways.
That may be a bit of an overstatement, but in a physical context, the crew at SBS was on hand to assist 3rd grade students from Beauclerc Elementary school enjoy the activities offered at a local indoor rock climbing spot. The enthusiasm from Ms. Will’s and Senora Tygart’s dual language class was infectious and we found ourselves having as much fun as they were.
If you’ve ever been climbing before, you know that the varying types of walls present different challenges. We were there to be their belaying partner (applying friction to the rope so the climber doesn’t fall far) which gave us the chance to interact with them. It was a blast and the kids rose to the challenge and really embraced the adventure of it all. It was a good fit for the SBS crew. We find ourselves confronted on a daily basis by our own type of rock climbing walls, but we can’t imagine it any other way.
It was refreshing to participate in the community in a space that’s not digital. We’re kind of big kids anyway, so it was as much a fun day out as it was service. There’s an endless list of schools and organizations that need volunteers for even a few hours. It’s the perfect excuse to get out of the office and do some good.
The International Davey Awards is a creative competition built around the simple premise of small design firms doing big work without the same resources, namely capital, as the big kids on the block. Produced and judged by the International Academy of the Visual Arts, an invitation only organization with members that represent a “Who’s Who” of media, advertising and marketing firms, the competition received nearly 4,000 entries from around the world.
While we sometimes carry that small-dog-that-doesn’t-know-it’s-small chip on our shoulder, we are truly honored to have won 22 awards (including 3 golds) in this year’s competition. We’re really fortunate to have such great clients that trust us and go down some rather non-conventional paths and allow us to realize their vision in true SBS style. It’s not always about scope, but rather a willingness to perpetually challenge yourself to tell your client’s story in an innovative, yet effective way.
There is so much amazing work among the list of winners and we’re happy to announce that we won in the following categories:
Awards