Look and Listen

Biography

Robin Reynolds, an award-winning writer, has been writing in some capacity most of her life. She was first published by the local high school newspaper at the ripe old age of 11. The features article,“What It’s Like to be a Seventh Grader: It Only Hurts When I Laugh” seemed to set her path. Since that time, she has worked as a sketch writer, Editor in Chief, a features writer and a theatre/film critic for two different newspaper publications. The bulk of her writing skill, however, has been applied in the fields of advertising and marketing. From her entry level position as a “Copywriter/Layout Artist/Account Rep/Media Buyer/Receptionist” at a small advertising agency in Milwaukee, Wisconsin, she rose to the level of Vice President, Creative Director for one of the hottest advertising agencies in the Midwest. Along the way, she amassed an impressive list of creative awards including Clio’s, New York Art Directors Gold & Silver Awards, National Addy’s, an Athena and numerous awards in the Milwaukee Ad Club Show including 1982 Best of Show. She was recruited to Phoenix in 1985 by WFC Advertising to handle a client roster which included many Fortune 500 and 100 companies. By the time that Robin began her own marketing and advertising business in 1988 in Tempe, AZ, she had already written and produced more material than most advertising professionals do during their whole career. In addition, she continued to develop a wealth of experience outside of her advertising agency accomplishments. She recently completed her book entitled Life to the Max: Maxims for a Great Life by a Dog named Max, which is based on the true story of her family’s Airedale Terrier. She was a comedy writer for Yakov Smirnoff, and created a line of stuffed animals named The Zoo-port Group, each of which is accompanied with a story. It is her unique story-telling ability, conversational style and quick creative wit which continue to separate her work from others. In 2003, Robin transitioned the name of her business from Robin Reynolds Creative to NICE Creative which stands for novel ideas communicated effectively. NICE provides strategy, branding, graphic design, copywriting and Web development for a number of corporate, consumer, retail, B2B and public service clients. In 2007, Robin expanded her business to include independent publishing. Robin earned her B.A. from the University of Iowa in Iowa City with a major in Speech and Dramatic Art with a minor in Journalism. She took additional credits in advertising and mass communication through the University of Minnesota and the University of Wisconsin. She always has had a deep affection for Airedale Terriers which have been a part of her life since she was a child. She is married and is a mother to a teenage son, and two Airedales, Amber & Krissy.

Inspiration

When we helped our 11-1/2 year old dog,Max pass, I looked for books to help ease the grief of our family and that would especially speak to our 10-year old son. What I found were either chapter books or young reader picture books. Instead I decided to write a story which remembered the major episodes of Max’s life paired with the lessons we learned from him. Over the years, when a friend’s dogs would pass, I would often share the typewritten manuscript. The manuscript got passed around so much that it became (pardon the pun) dog-eared. Afterwards, the response was always the same, “You should publish this.” It took me six years to finally find the design style, book format and time to do it and the result is my book, “Life to the Max: Maxims for a Great Life by a Dog named Max.” What I wanted to accomplish with my book was to provide not only a vehicle for dog lovers to deal with the loss of a much-loved family pet, but also to give families a means to talk about important life issues—disappointment, adoption, friendship, love, family, illness and death. I wanted to convey the importance of a positive attitude when dealing with life’s challenges. Even though the book deals with the important stuff of life, I also wanted it to be really is a joyous romp and a gateway for the reader to remember, reflect and be inspired.