Virginia Paid Gov. Youngkin's Political Ad Agency $268K To Make A Tourism Ad — Featuring Youngkin.
The political ad agency behind Glenn Youngkin's successful run for Governor of Virginia, which built its own brand and focused on working with Republican candidates, was awarded a $268,600 contract from a state agency to produce a travel video for Youngkin.
The ads will appear in Virginia airports and hotels as Yongkyuk plans to run for president and improve his national image.
The contract between the state Department of Tourism and Richmond-based Pool House is the first of its kind for a state agency. The ad features Young at Richmond Raceway and his voiceover narrates the ad.
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Poolhouse specializes in digital advertising for Republican political candidates. It was founded in 2013 and had never done marketing for the state before introducing Youngkin Tourism. Poolhouse also worked for companies like General Electric and Honda.
On May 5, the Virginia Tourism Corporation invited two advertising companies to bid on the state's tourism ads and seven large billboards to be placed on the airport's walls. Poolhouse, which used Youngkins' logos and images during his successful run for governor in 2021, had limited competition.
For the so-called "Governor's Hotel Project", the Virginia Tourism Corporation contacted Pool House and the Richmond Martin Agency; The Virginia Tourism Corporation reported that a Martin Agency spokesman told Arlington-based Henninger Media Services on May 10 that the company would not bid.
Mike McMahon, vice president of operations and finance for the Virginia Department of Tourism, said state tourism officials "found that Virginia-based organizations can produce a quality product in a short period of time."
According to government documents provided to the Richmond Times-Dispatch through the Virginia Freedom of Information Act, Pool House responded with an offer on May 5, the same day the Virginia Tourism Corporation submitted its request.
Records show the state's May 5 bid included several phases and had strict timelines for the work.
If Poolhouse or the Martin Agency expressed interest in the position, they had until May 12 to apply. The final approval deadline for the script and cast list was May 25, two weeks later. The pre-production deadline was June 17, and all work on the ad must be completed by August 2. (For Henninger, the deadline was later, as he was told to apply within five days.)
Apparently, Martin's agency, a referral agency for the Virginia Tourism Corporation, has run out of returns, which means Martin will take over promoting Virginia Tourism. Martin's agency responded four days later, missing the scope of work or deadlines, according to state records.
A Martin agency spokeswoman said in a May 9 email that the project timeline is too short given the agency's workload at the Virginia Tourism Corporation. He also told them to choose a partner for the contract. "I will not be able to respond before the May 12 deadline," he wrote.
The Martin Agency is best known for its work across the country for companies like Geco and Old Navy, and for creating the "Virginia for Lovers" slogan that was incorporated into the airport's new wall signs.
Henning, another company, did not respond. As a result, Pool House won the $268,600 contract.
The Virginia Public Procurement Law does not apply to the Virginia Tourism Corporation, which is authorized to conduct public bids for public works.
Pool House founder and CEO Will Ritter confirmed in a phone interview that the Governor's Salute project is Pool House's first collaboration with the Virginia Tourism Corporation.
"POOLHOUSE is thrilled to partner with the Virginia Tourism Corporation to showcase the state we love and call home," Ritter said in an emailed statement. "We were thrilled to win the bid and feature the people and places we love in the Welcome to Virginia campaign." We look forward to many opportunities to create world-class innovation for Virginia. He said.
Will Ritter, Co-Founder and CEO of Pool House
Asked if Poolhouse had done other work for the state agency, Ritter said he had, but he would have to confirm the details, and he did not provide further details Tuesday.
A spokeswoman for Martin's agency did not immediately respond to a query about the travel advertising contract, and a representative for Henning Media did not respond.
Poolhouse was instrumental in Yongkin's bid for the Republican nomination for governor and eventual victory over Democrat Terry McAuliffe last year.
A travel video frame with Governor Glenn Youngkin is shown. The ads will appear in Virginia airports and hotels as Yongkyuk plans to run for president and improve his national image.
According to the Pool House website, one of our first tasks was to design a logo that would represent a once-in-a-generation candidate who was running a different campaign. The announcement was immediate, so our team accelerated our diversity innovation process. Not only did we manage to complete this amazing logo, but it sparked a conversation about how to represent Mr. Youngkin's company.
As Youngkin looks ahead to the 2024 presidential race, he continues to use his campaign through his political action committee as they campaign for Republicans across the country and raise their national profile.
The Virginia Tourism Corporation made an announcement on Twitter on September 6 about the federally funded Governor's Salute project.
After the Richmond Times-Dispatch published an article about the deal on Richmond.com Wednesday morning, state Democratic leaders called for an investigation. Along with State Minority Leader Don Scott, R-Portsmouth, he tweeted that the video of the trip was a "promotional campaign" for Youngkin and urged the FBI to investigate how the governor's political staff received big favors from the government. I had a contract.
Leslie Locke, pictured in a drone photo Tuesday, is director of operations for the Polegreen Historic Church Foundation. Says Luke of the Hanover County site: "Historic Polgreen Church is known as the birthplace of religious liberty. Samuel Davis, who inspired young Patrick Henry, served as Virginia's first non-Anglican minister from 1748 to 1759. The The church's original structure burned down during the Civil War and is now a white iron structure designed by Carlton Abbott. In addition to its historical significance and symbol of religious freedom, the historic Polgreen Church is a popular wedding venue, and has been. even more so since Mechanicsville-born guitarist Jason Mraz married here in 2015.
In the year July 31, visitors found views of the valley and mountains below 1,000 feet in the valley and at a scenic spot at the Rockfish Gap barrier near Afton.
This photo was taken with a drone from an observation deck on Interstate 64.
Flying drones are prohibited in nearby Shenandoah National Park. However, there are beautiful sights, such as McCormick Gap, Cuff Mountain, and Sawmill Run.
Visitors can find three historic landmarks along the I-64 Scenic Byway: the Greenwood-Afton Rural Historic District, Richard C. DuPont's Flight, and the Rockfish Gap Gathering.
The Hampton Roads area has many beautiful places for photographers, such as beaches, rivers, national and state parks. However, due to the vast airspace created by military bases, airports, state and national parks, there are not many places for drone photography.
Gloucester Point in Gloucester County is unique, with a popular public fishing pond, small beach, and views of the Coleman Memorial Bridge and Yorktown. With the right timing and the cooperation of Mother Nature, visitors will be rewarded with beautiful sunsets overlooking the Yorktown Bridge and Boardwalk.
The Times-Dispatch reported on Alvis Farms a few years ago when the Goochland County farm started its Sunflower Festival.
The footage stayed with me and I thought it would be cool to fly the drone and film over 50 acres of sunflower fields. I find that timing is key as the flowers are in full bloom for a few weeks in mid-summer.
I coordinated with Rachel Henley at Alvis Farm to find the best time to take photos. At one point I was flying the drone and it was challenging to get a view of a field of sunflowers, because 50 acres were covered in sunflowers.
Hannah Molnar of Alvis Farms had the Memphis cow in the field as she and others prepared to open the festival.
I was able to take pictures of Hannah and Memphis as they bloomed and the drone showed the size of the farm.
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