Brendan Hurley
Brendan Hurley is the senior vice president of marketing and communications for the Goodwill of Greater Washington, a charitable organization that collects donated clothing and provides employment services to the disadvantaged. He is currently planning the annual “Fashion of Goodwill,” a Paris-themed runway show and benefit at the French Embassy in September. Hurley previously worked at Clear Channel Radio, where he coordinated marketing events for the station.
Catering: “Geppetto Catering in Riverdale, Maryland. They are not a mass production house, so you generally deal directly with the principal, Josh Carin. He is not just a great caterer, but he is also very philanthropic—which says a lot about his character."
Decor: “A Vista Events has always done a good job for us. Hargrove is another good company. At Hargrove’s warehouse, you feel like you’re backstage at Disney World—it’s amazing. However, if money is a real concern, A Vista is a little more reasonably priced.”Photography: “For events, I like Freed Photography in Bethesda. They are very reasonably priced, are customer friendly, and do a great job. We’ve worked with them on many events and they’ve even donated their services to us on occasion. For fashion photography, I go with Roger Chin, Luis Aragon, or Tu-Anh. All are fantastic fashion photographers, and [we’ve been] very happy with the finished product."
Videography: “Blue Sky Films in Silver Spring, period. Absolutely the best—best price, best service, best video production. Martin Andrews does a great job of addressing the client’s needs and vision while also offering excellent suggestions that enhance the final product. He’s also very patient, which is a great quality in the vendors I work with.”
Fashion Show Production: “Again, Tu-Anh. Outstanding knowledge of the fashion world, excellent contacts and leverage with vendors—she’s a one-stop shop. Glynn Jackson—the Agency is also a great shop for fashion show production. Glynn choreographed and styled a fashion show we just produced with WPGC Radio.”
Production and Audiovisual Services: "Showcall is great. They’ve handled all of our live fashion shows. Ajay Patil has been a real partner to Goodwill and is very easy to work with and very responsive. They always find a solution to a problem. When we needed a 'mission focused' video for our fashion show in 2006, we didn’t have the money to produce a dramatic, edited video presentation. Instead, Showcall put together a powerful PowerPoint presentation with musical accompaniment that looked like a video when done and cost us almost nothing extra. We still use that presentation today, and since it’s a PowerPoint, all we need to do is update the still imagery occasionally.”
Rentals: “Allied Party Rentals has good service and great prices. Last-minute changes with them are no problem. I wouldn’t go anywhere else, and actually don’t think I have since I began working with them about 10 years ago."
Entertainment: “I’ve been working with Pat Richitt at the Entertainment Exchange for several years. He’s a great guy and is always willing to negotiate a fair price. The quality of the entertainment they have provided has never been disappointing. We worked with them for multiple years straight, and because Goodwill is a charity, Pat never increased the price once. [My favorite band there is] Nightsong. For a smaller ensemble, I call Glenn Pearson Productions.”
Graphic Design and Printing: "Sage Communications does a great job with graphic design and created the look and imagery for our fashion show, while Absolute Printing and Spectrum Printing are great for invitations and other collateral."
Venue: "The Ronald Reagan Building and International Trade Center can’t be beat in terms of service. They have always treated us well and provided a great [space]. The biggest challenge with the Reagan Building is security; it can really slow things down, but it’s not something the management team can control since it is a federal building. For outdoor events, Strathmore Hall has also been good to work with. I’ve done several events on the grounds and they’ve been very accommodating. We produced a 'Christmas in July' event there and dumped 75 tons of snow on the hillside in front of the mansion in the middle of the summer and they didn’t bat an eye—even as it eventually melted into a muddy stream.”
Catering: “Geppetto Catering in Riverdale, Maryland. They are not a mass production house, so you generally deal directly with the principal, Josh Carin. He is not just a great caterer, but he is also very philanthropic—which says a lot about his character."
Decor: “A Vista Events has always done a good job for us. Hargrove is another good company. At Hargrove’s warehouse, you feel like you’re backstage at Disney World—it’s amazing. However, if money is a real concern, A Vista is a little more reasonably priced.”Photography: “For events, I like Freed Photography in Bethesda. They are very reasonably priced, are customer friendly, and do a great job. We’ve worked with them on many events and they’ve even donated their services to us on occasion. For fashion photography, I go with Roger Chin, Luis Aragon, or Tu-Anh. All are fantastic fashion photographers, and [we’ve been] very happy with the finished product."
Videography: “Blue Sky Films in Silver Spring, period. Absolutely the best—best price, best service, best video production. Martin Andrews does a great job of addressing the client’s needs and vision while also offering excellent suggestions that enhance the final product. He’s also very patient, which is a great quality in the vendors I work with.”
Fashion Show Production: “Again, Tu-Anh. Outstanding knowledge of the fashion world, excellent contacts and leverage with vendors—she’s a one-stop shop. Glynn Jackson—the Agency is also a great shop for fashion show production. Glynn choreographed and styled a fashion show we just produced with WPGC Radio.”
Production and Audiovisual Services: "Showcall is great. They’ve handled all of our live fashion shows. Ajay Patil has been a real partner to Goodwill and is very easy to work with and very responsive. They always find a solution to a problem. When we needed a 'mission focused' video for our fashion show in 2006, we didn’t have the money to produce a dramatic, edited video presentation. Instead, Showcall put together a powerful PowerPoint presentation with musical accompaniment that looked like a video when done and cost us almost nothing extra. We still use that presentation today, and since it’s a PowerPoint, all we need to do is update the still imagery occasionally.”
Rentals: “Allied Party Rentals has good service and great prices. Last-minute changes with them are no problem. I wouldn’t go anywhere else, and actually don’t think I have since I began working with them about 10 years ago."
Entertainment: “I’ve been working with Pat Richitt at the Entertainment Exchange for several years. He’s a great guy and is always willing to negotiate a fair price. The quality of the entertainment they have provided has never been disappointing. We worked with them for multiple years straight, and because Goodwill is a charity, Pat never increased the price once. [My favorite band there is] Nightsong. For a smaller ensemble, I call Glenn Pearson Productions.”
Graphic Design and Printing: "Sage Communications does a great job with graphic design and created the look and imagery for our fashion show, while Absolute Printing and Spectrum Printing are great for invitations and other collateral."
Venue: "The Ronald Reagan Building and International Trade Center can’t be beat in terms of service. They have always treated us well and provided a great [space]. The biggest challenge with the Reagan Building is security; it can really slow things down, but it’s not something the management team can control since it is a federal building. For outdoor events, Strathmore Hall has also been good to work with. I’ve done several events on the grounds and they’ve been very accommodating. We produced a 'Christmas in July' event there and dumped 75 tons of snow on the hillside in front of the mansion in the middle of the summer and they didn’t bat an eye—even as it eventually melted into a muddy stream.”
