Shari Spiro of Ad Magic meets client Tom Hanks at Luck Guy Broadway Performance

By Shari Spiro

Ad Magic’s Shari Spiro meets client Tom Hanks at Lucky Guy. Just writing that headline is a bit surreal, but in the spirit of headlines – that was what the whole story of Lucky Guy is all about.  Last night was a true headline, at least for me. Last night I got to meet Tom Hanks – sit in the third row center at an incredible Broadway show – walk out the stage door and see what this incredible star sees each night after a performance and then walk around New York City at 11:30 in nearly perfect weather – and be a part of that bustling late night life at a time when I am usually either passed out or talking to China or clients in other parts of the world so I can have print projects ready to move forward the next day.

Meeting Tom Hanks – With the anxiety of being ushered backstage and then waiting to meet him, I actually felt my heart pounding hard and it was all just very exciting. Honestly, the sheer anticipation of meeting him was pretty exhilarating. I met most of the other cast members – and since I had printed the notebooks for the show all of the cast members who came by us while we were waiting for Tom – signed the notebook I brought with me. They are custom reporter notebooks.  As an FYI – since this blog is usually about playing cards and chips and games – we really do print all kinds of customized promotional items not just custom printed playing cards, even though they are the item we specialize in)

So my heart is beating and we are waiting – and there are famous looking people – well people whose faces I think I know – all around me – and I am simply so thrilled to be there. Then there he is – and he is so friendly and nice – just exactly the way he seems – and I get to have my picture taken with him and talk to him and pretty much all is right with the world.

 Shari Spiro poses with Tom Hanks
at the Broadway Performance of Lucky Guy

Then we walk out the stage door and the enormity of what I have just experienced hits me – because when you are talking one on one to Tom Hanks – he is just a really great guy and you are talking with him pretty much like you talk with anyone else in the world. But when you walk out the stage door – and the barricades are up down the ENTIRE LENGTH of the city street – and the police are there and there are THOUSANDS of people just waiting for a glimpse of this man to come out of the theater and you are right there – ALLOWED to be there right near him (and I had to film this once I realized what I was experiencing – it is simply one of the most amazing feelings. So yes – meeting Tom Hanks was incredible – but vicariously experiencing his fame afterwards  – even for a few minutes – it was absolutely inspiring. Or it was daunting – I am really unable to describe it – except that it was – as they say – a MOMENT.

To get back to how I, Shari Spiro of Ad Magic,  got there – in this incredible moment – when Tom Hanks walked out the stage door and there was this amazing crowd waiting – any one of them wanting to be me just for that second so they could merely say – Hey Tom – I loved you in Forrest Gump – or How’s Wilson – or BIG  – I loved you in that – (all of which I am happy to report I did NOT say to him)  how I got there was by printing a customized promotional item for the show LUCKY GUY – because Tom Hanks wanted everyone on the crew to have genuine reporter notebooks. These reporter notebooks had the name of the show LUCKY GUY printed on the front along with the names of the cast. Why did he print them? He printed them because he is a genuinely thoughtful person – he is a great idea man – and they turn out to be very handy according to the people on the cast who actually use them. Created with two color offset or digital printing – these are longish vertical flip notepads with spiral binding and about 50 sheets of lined paper per notebook.

The custom reporter notebook Ad Magic printed for Tom Hanks
in Lucky Guy and his autograph from last night

Since I had also printed another project for him prior to this  I was able to ask for a chance to meet him after the show. (when I say I printed for him – I mean I am dealing with his assistant – as I have printed many items for celebrities before – and blogged about them – and I have even met a few – but generally I do not deal with that person directly as you might have put together already. Someone whose job it is to make sure that the celebrity’s ideas turn into reality is the person I generally deal with. I have dealt with the assistant to the VP of William Morris, the assistant to mark Mothersbaugh of DEVO (who I also met and had lunch with in LA to drop a famous name here) , the assistant to Drew Barrymore when we made Justin Long a custom poker set, the assistant to Slash when we made a friend of his a custom poker set, the assistant to David Lee Roth when we made him his infamous autograph playing cards. That time I was invited to a show in Dallas but it was simply too last minute – so I waited for them to come to Jersey – but then Eddie Van Halen got sick – so I am still waiting. Should have caught that last minute plane to Dallas – but not all of us can do something like that – especially when we have all these other orders to think about. Responsibility HAS to come before meeting any celebrity – although I was able to put it aside last night to meet Tom Hanks. And it was well worth it! Of course NYC is only about an hour from here and no planes were required.

Tom Hanks takes the time to sign autographs

Tom Hanks with fans

So we printed the notebooks but I had NO IDEA what the play was about. I refused to research it – and I will not go into detail here because knowing too much can ruin things – even with a true story like this one – whose facts are out there for anyone to google. I went in wondering WHY REPORTER NOTEBOOKS? and came out understanding. Sitting in the third row of a Broadway show like this one, by the way, was an invigorating experience. You could FEEL the energy coming off the stage – we were so close. And Daphne Zuniga – from Melrose place- she will always be from Melrose place to me – She was beautiful and her acting was flawless. They were all impeccable as you might imagine – believable – crying and genuinely moved and the cast pulled me into this story as they mesmerized everyone in the theatre – and brought us back to the NY Newsday of the 1980’s where huge stories broke and huge careers were made. Stunning performances, riveting writing, and really Expensive everything else 🙂

Shari Spiro in New York after Lucky Guy

I do not know how the actors do it – it has to be pure adrenaline. So much energy – so many times a week – so good and so believable. Just superlatives and nothing less for the entire performance. And then the meet and greet and the crowd on the street. And then – New York City – Broadway – 42nd street at night – with the lights and the people – wow it was a great night.
So now it is about 5 am – I finally did catch up on my emails from overseas and I am going to relax a bit then get ready to work my Friday. I love my job – I have said that so many times in the blog already. Things are back to normal and I have a little headache from that shot of Maker’s Mark I probably should not have done last night. I am a little tired – but I cannot wait to post this blog – and the video and share the excitement. So I am going to hit publish in just a sec – but before I do let me just say thank you to the person who made this night possible. Thanks for being such a creative client and all around great person to work with!

Tagged as: ad magic, admagic, custom printed playing cards, custom reporter notebooks, Lucky Guy, lucky guy play, shari spiro, tom hanks