Best of Show Success Is in the Cards

Welcome to Hollywood, where extravagance is standard and creativity abounds. Standing out here can be a challenge and making a name for oneself often comes from the little things, like Christmas cards.

Don Dorsey, a show producer, musician and creative consultant, makes it his mission each year to develop extraordinary Christmas cards to send to his clients. This year he went to his longtime friend, Rick Lewis, owner of R. Lewis & Associates, Long Beach, Calif., for help.

To provide a sense of how creative this card needed to be, one needs to know that Dorsey has designed fireworks and laser shows at Epcot and Walt Disney, produced three No. 1 classical al-bums entirely on a synthesizer and engineered audio for movie sound effects.

Needless to say, finding a Christmas card that would stand up next to these credentials was not an easy task. "He needed something that would stand out, showcase him as a world-class creative talent and have staying power," said Lewis.

The two sat down to brainstorm, which resulted in some extraordinary ideas. Said Lewis, "I thought, 'If it's going to stick around, why not make it stick around for a hundred years?' " He added that they determined each box should have 100 sheets of paper in a metal case that would get passed down. "The idea was to create a personalized, 100-year keepsake in which people could document events," said Lewis.

Next, the two needed to develop a theme. "We wanted to tie the product into the new millennium while having it make an impact when it was first opened. Therefore, we installed a light-sensitive sound module that played the '2001 A Space Odyssey' theme song when the lid was lifted," he said.

To meet longevity requirements, Lewis and Dorsey wanted to use a metal box, and opted for the less expensive—though still sturdy—tin. Using metal also allowed them to etch in the recipient's name, making each gift personalized.