COASTE Winter 2017-2018

COASTE Winter 2017-2018

YourCOASTE.com

WINTER

Stepping Out in Southwest Florida THE BEACHIN’ PATH:

ARTIST IN RESIDENCE: Just Call Him “Dave of all Trades ”

MARK YOUR HOLIDAYS CALENDAR : GET SET AND GO !

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COASTE | EDITOR’S WELCOME

A number of years ago, the creative minds who power the branding and marketing of Corona Beer took a dramatic leap of faith — they turned away from the idyllic beach imagery that had dominated their advertising over the years for a newcampaign that inspired consumers, wherever they may live and work, to “find your beach.” The concept was simple (although in the reality of how great advertising is made, it was surely difficult and risky): understand that each of us possesses our unique dream of escape, freedom, peace, harmony, bliss — our emotional definition of paradise — and connect it to the promise that La Cervaza Mas Fina can take you there. While I can’t guarantee that a cold beer can transport you to your moment of Zen, the Corona Beer premise is true: each of us has our beach, our paradise where all is perfect in the world, wherever and whatever it may be. That’s the beauty of Southwest Florida. While we’re blessed with many of the most beautiful beaches in America (or even the world), our corner of paradise isn’t defined by just sand and water. As this and future issues of COASTE will enthusiastically point out, there exist myriad alternatives or enhancements to our wonderful beach life that can complete anyone’s dream. Stunning natural beauty; wildlife aplenty be it land, sea and air; exciting water sports; spectacular outdoor recreation; bravo-worthy entertainment and arts; dining and drink to satisfy all tastes and styles; oh, and that flip-floppy attitude that feels so comfortable to so many of us — pick any, pick all or pick more. Doing so, I bet you’ll find your beach, right here, just the way you love it. John Sprecher Founder | Editor Find your beach. Wherever and whatever.

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Volume III Number 5

Founder | Executive Editor John Sprecher [email protected] Creative Director Director of Photography Milissa Sprecher [email protected] Director of Sales Meg Giffen [email protected] Graphic Designer Christina Robertson Contributing Photographers John Sprecher Various Artists Online & Calendar Editor Eric Sprecher

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COASTE is published five times annually by COASTE LLC. COASTE Magazine + Multi- Media Network reaches FREE a minimum 250,000 impressions via print magazine distribution, digital magazine subscribers, e-marketing, social media communities, downloadable apps and website. COASTE is a member of Florida Magazine Association and statistically aligns with City & Regional Magazine Association. P.O. Box 869 Sanibel FL 33957 Editorial: 239.395.3251

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For your information, you can learn more about the many outstanding destinations to be enjoyed in Lee County via these organizations. Just click or call them today! Boca Grande Chamber of Commerce BocaGrandeChamber.com 941.964.0568 Bonita Springs Chamber of Commerce BonitaSpringsChamber.com 239.992.2943 Cape Coral Chamber of Commerce CapeCoralChamber.com

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239.549.6900 Estero Chamber of Commerce EsteroChamber.com 239.948.7990 Greater Fort Myers Beach Chamber of Commerce FortMyersBeach.org 239.454.7500 Greater Fort Myers Chamber of Commerce FortMyers.org 239.332.3624 Lee County Visitor & Convention Bureau FortMyers-Sanibel.com 239.338.3500 Lehigh Acres Chamber of Commerce LehighAcresChamber.org 239.369.3322 Sanibel Captiva Chamber of Commerce Sanibel-Captiva.org 239.472.1080

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enter the

HOLIDAY GIVEAWAY

COASTE CONTENTS

WINTER

on the cover The Bouis family returns to Captiva Island and COASTE. Photograph by Milissa Sprecher Photography

in this issue

features

18

TAKE FIVE John Lai has spent most of his career on Sanibel and Captiva. Now he’s in charge of marketing the islands. HAPPENINGS Downtown Fort Myers is the place to be this holiday season, as lights, music and merry- making make up the nights. BUZZWORTHY ‘Tween Waters Island Resort & Spa lights up the Thanksgiving weekend sky. COASTE CALENDAR It’s Southwest Florida’s premier calendar of events, so mark your calendar for all the entertainment, electricity and fun headed your way.

1 2 ARTIST IN RESIDENCE From Emmy Awards to Johnny Carson to documentaries and much

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more, dynamo David Carter is jack — make that Dave — of all creative trades.

20 ATTRACTIONS

3 4

The unofficial visitor (and resident) guide to getting off the beachin’ path — if you dare.

36

28 EVENTS

The holiday season is upon us, and we’re marking our calendars with the best of the best.

Gulf Harbor

artist in residence

WHILE DAVID CARTER HAS CLEARLY ENJOYED THE LIFE OF A CREATIVE FOR 60 YEARS NOW, HIS PATH HAS TAKEN MANY INTERESTING TWISTS AND TURNS — AND TELLING HIS STORY IS MORE LIKE TELLING FIVE OR SIX FASCINATING STORIES.

t all began with a typewriter, a gift from his mother whenhewas all of 15 years old.With that type writer, and the story he produced that was honored in a national competition sponsored by Boys’ Life magazine, the path that young David Carter’s life would take was suddenly very clear to him. “My fate was cast,” he says. “There was no doubt I was going to be a writer.” I

Advertising agency president. Commercial television director. Book writer, editor and publisher. National awards founder. National awards recipient. Network comedy writer. Local documentary storyteller. And yes, a few other hats along the way. With all that he’s accomplished across his career and is continuing to produce at the age of 75, you just might be inclined to call this Sanibel creative dynamo DAVE OF ALL TRADES. By John Sprecher

Well, yes and no. Because while David Carter has clearly enjoyed the life of a creative for 60 years now, his path has taken many interesting twists and turns — and telling his story is more like telling five or six fascinating stories. If the name David Carter sounds familiar to many in Southwest Florida, it’s for the creative

work he’s done since moving to Sanibel Island in 2005. Carter is founder of Sanibel-Captiva TV, as well as writer, director and producer of a documentary series on the island (sponsored by a local real estate company Pfeifer Realty Group)— telling the unique history of Sanibel from the perspective of its people in titles like Growing Up on Sanibel , Seven Sanibel Artists ,

Sanibel Causeway , Postcards and Photos from Sanibel and a fifth title (a sequel to Postcards and Photos ) to have its world premier in January, 2018. But documentarian is only the latest iteration of David Carter’s creative career, and to trace his path to Sanibel today is a journey that begins decades ago in Kentucky where, following graduation from the University of Kentucky in 1965 with a major in advertising, he earned a Master’s Degree from Ohio University in journalism — all the while working for ad clients on the weekends and earning national awards for his efforts. Soon, Carter would go on to found his own advertising agency — but not before, in 1972, he noticed that besides a few annual publications of the “best of” advertising, there were no annual directories that collected and presented what were then state of the art elements of the ad industry: logos. So, at the age of 29, he took it upon himself to collect roughly 1,000 outstanding logos, assemble a book and attempt to sell it to publishers. “I sent it to 17 companies and got 17 rejections,” he recalls. “Instead, I presold 300 copies of it to and made enough money to publish it myself.” That venture would lead David Carter down the path to publishing showcase annuals of advertising ancillaries such as creativity, graphic design, logo design, typography, business cards and much more. Before the

“Inspiration is often found in researching the work of others, and these — like other annuals — were the idea starters creative people turned to,” he explains. “Remember, there was no internet back then.” Eventually, Carter’s publishing efforts were so impressive that HarperCollins called and commissioned him to produce six or seven titles per year — roughly 10 percent of their design division’s annual production, representing 30 percent of their revenue. In all, over 35 years, David Carter has written, edited and published 114 books on advertising. Take a breath. Because this creative dynamo is just getting started. After founding his own advertising agency in 1977, Carter was drawn to commercial television and was so successful that five years later, he created his own production company. By 1990, he would produce 700 television commercials that earned him 10 coveted Clio awards. Yet with apparent endless energy, he also ventured at the same time into long-format film documentaries — creating a number of titles on baseball and winning (over the course of his filmmaking career that continues today) seven Emmy awards, with honors that include his short film Dear Baseball : I Love You shown at the Baseball Hall of Fame Film Festival in 2010, and Ashland’s Field of Dreams again in 2016.

COASTE | ARTIST IN RESIDENCE 15

“To tell a story and tell it well is more fun to me than just about anything. Whatever I’m doing, I want to do the best I can and do it better than the day before.” —David Carter

But wait (as the infomercial spokesperson says), there’s more. In 1981, Carter created the Telly Awards to honor outstanding television advertising that wasn’t necessarily big budget, and was more of a local and regional level. Some two decades later, when he sold the company, it was generating more than 14,000 entries per year (this writer has won a few in his career for the record).

Yet among all his accomplishments and accolades, the story that really puts a smile on David Carter’s face includes the name: Johnny Carson. In the late 1980s, a writers strike essentially put the television industry on hold. Carson, in an effort to protect the jobs of the dozens of others who worked on his show, returned with material he had written. One fateful Friday night, while David Carter watched, Carson’s skit bombed — and, as he recalls, “Johnny challenged anybody out there who could do better

16 COASTE | ARTIST IN RESIDENCE

to submit a tape.” Carter had an idea, worked over the weekend with editing partner Richard Friley and come Monday, they overnighted the video to California. Two days later, the phone rang — and representatives of The Tonight Show informed Carter and Friley that their piece was airing the following night. Thus began a four-year run in which the comedic talents of David Carter and company aired 13 times on Johnny Carson’s classic — including six minutes of the 1990 Tonight Show Anniversary Editor Producer. Publisher. Comedian. The list goes on, as does this “Dave of all trades” who — now 75 years young — continues to create, as he and his wife split time between Sanibel and Hendersonville, North Carolina. “I’m immersed with ideas every time I walk outside the door,” he says. “My mind, there’s no off switch. I’m a storyteller, whether it’s commercials or comedy or a documentary. To tell a story and tell it well is more fun to me than just about anything. Whatever I’m doing, I want to do the best I can and do it better than the day before.” { SanibelFilms.com } Special. Writer. Director.

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take five

“I GET TO WORK FOR A COMMUNITY THAT MEANS AS MUCH TO ME PERSONALLY AS PROFESSIONALLY.” By John Sprecher

On October 1, 2017, the Sanibel Captiva Chamber of Commerce welcomed a new President and Chief Executive Officer. His name, John Lai, is a familiar one to those in the travel and tourism industry throughout Southwest Florida. His job will be to fill the shoes of Ric Base, who is retiring December 31 after a very successful 11 years in the position. Lai is a hospitality industry professional with more than 25 years experience, most of those years in resort and tourism management positions for resorts and resort companies on Sanibel and Captiva. But as he’ll

eagerly tell you, the islands hold a special place for him and his family that transcends career — where he took his wife on a first date, got engaged, got married and baptized his children. At 46 years old, John Lai is the youngest person ever to lead the Sanibel Captiva Chamber of Commerce. The energy, expertise and enthusiasm he will bring to the position — along with his connections in local and regional tourism — should prove a winning combination for an organization and a community facing a fast-moving and constantly-changing industry.

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You’ve worked for a number of island entities before, and now you have 600- plus bosses. How does that feel? It’s exciting. One of the things that really appeals to me about this position is that I get to work for a community that honestly has meant as much to me personally as professionally, with a group of professionals who I greatly respect. What do you see as the biggest challenges facing Sanibel and Captiva as a tourismdestination? Historically, Sanibel and Captiva have been known as the place to unplug and relax. One of the primary challenges is that the next generation of traveler is much more activity based, and they rely almost solely on technology to get their information and >Page 1 Page 2 Page 3 Page 4 Page 5 Page 6 Page 7 Page 8 Page 9 Page 10 Page 11 Page 12 Page 13 Page 14 Page 15 Page 16 Page 17 Page 18 Page 19 Page 20 Page 21 Page 22 Page 23 Page 24 Page 25 Page 26 Page 27 Page 28 Page 29 Page 30 Page 31 Page 32 Page 33 Page 34 Page 35 Page 36 Page 37 Page 38 Page 39 Page 40 Page 41 Page 42 Page 43 Page 44 Page 45 Page 46 Page 47 Page 48

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