The news of Dentsu’s American appointee got me wondering: what the hell happened to Steve Biegel? Yes, boyfriend is still following through on his lawsuit claiming sexual harassment and anti-semitic behavior from the Japanese agency, but like… what is dude doing on the regular?
Turns out he is working. In a New York Time piece about business professional using Facebook as a networking tool (that one should win a Pultizer), a Steve Biegel from small Manhattan agency Scarlet Heifer is quoted as saying:
“My partner and I are constantly on these sites mingling with prospective clients or people we can hire for our company. It’s like pollination. You just go from flower to flower.”
Hey now Steve. Watch that language. Someone might think you have sex on the brain or something.
So, what is a Scarlet Heifer? It is a purification ritual from the Old Testament that calls for a sacrifice of a rare red heifer (a young cow who has yet to have a calf). In Judaism, the heifer is is slaughtered and the ashes are used to purify people who have come in contact with a corpse. As the agency’s website explains, it is also a paradox: “In order to become pure, you must first perform a rite that renders you impure. The profound insight lies in the idea that the moment you clearly face the reality you are at the bottom, is the same moment you begin your ascent to the top.”
The agency goes on to talk about taking brands who have fallen on hard time, as well as tackling the difficult issues facing emerging brands and getting them on the right track. It’s also a lovely metaphor Steve’s personal troubles.
Steve’s new partner in crime is Dan Howald who has worked at FCB, Waring & LaRosa, Grey, and Young & Rubicam. The pair is pushing the new model of getting paid for their I.P. through ownership points.
And, the agency is ready to do it all from the digital to the outdoors.
Well, you gotta give Steve some credit for getting back on the bucking bronco, no?