Roanoke Times
Copyright (c) 1995, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: TUESDAY, April 27, 1993 TAG: 9304270051
SECTION: BUSINESS PAGE: B-6 EDITION: METRO
SOURCE: MELANIE S. HATTER STAFF WRITER
DATELINE: LENGTH: Medium
The Los Angeles-based radio specialist invites his audiences to eavesdrop on a conference call between himself and an imaginary advertising agency.
The entire sketch is written and performed by Cashman, tonight's speaker at the Advertising Federation of the Roanoke Valley.
Here's his premise:
"I'm on a stage with a set, [as if] coming to you live from my office," he explained. The agency is asking for his help in creating ads for fictional companies, such as the Lumber Inn or Hamster Hut, a fast-food restaurant.
Formerly a folk guitarist and pianist, Cashman writes and produces radio jingles. His work includes commercials for Fox Television, now-defunct Pan American World Airways and Charles Schwab, a discount securities brokerage.
His one-man audio-visual show parodies the broadcast advertising business.
"If your job is to be creative, [you] have to pull out all the stops" and offer a creative show, he said. "How can you come up with a boring presentation and talk about" excitement and creativity, he asked. "What's there to get excited about?"
Cashman said he opted for a unique approach rather than standing behind a lectern.
But being in the spotlight was not the reason he got into jingle writing. He was tired of making his living as a singer/songwriter, so he gave it up to teach elementary and junior high school for five years in Cincinnati.
When he saw a bad commercial on television, he decided he could do better. He headed west to Los Angeles and hasn't looked back.
This was a job at which he could be behind the scenes and anonymous while making a living writing music, he said. "I'm very lucky to be paid for what comes out of my head."
His greatest satisfaction comes from public service announcements.
About seven years ago he saw a TV spot for the Make a Wish Foundation, which helps fulfill the dreams of terminally ill children. Cashman was so moved by the piece that he called the organization and asked to write a song for it.
With no preconceived ideas, he set to work and wrote "Make a Dream Come True," which the organization now uses as its theme.
"That's what really saved my soul in terms of giving back," Cashman said. Otherwise, he would have been like many others, simply doing their jobs and nothing more, he said.
The best commercial he ever did, Cashman said, was a series of spots for the Adam Walsh Center, an organization that helps abused children. It was his best because "it came from the heart."
Advertisers, he said, "are in a position to affect millions of people with what you do, and if you don't take advantage, you're wasting your talent."
Cashman's presentation - free to Advertising Federation members, $5 to others - begins at 7:30 p.m. at Holiday Inn-Tanglewood.
by CNB