Moving your business to new premises can seem a daunting task, especially if you’re on a tight schedule to avoid downtime – a fact illustrated by the award-winning TV series, Mad Men, when the staff of advertising agency Sterling Cooper Draper Pryce had to move more quickly than envisaged.
Set in the fictional offices of a Madison Avenue advertising agency in 1960s America, the cult drama series ran for seven seasons and 92 episodes, from 2007 until 2015. It won a host of television awards, including 16 Emmys and five Golden Globes and was awarded the British Academy Television Awards’ best international show prize in 2009 and 2010.
The plot revolves around the lives and loves of its main characters, including business partners Don Draper played by Jon Hamm, Roger Sterling played by John Slattery (of Will and Grace fame), Bertram Cooper played by Robert Morse and Lane Pryce played by British actor Jared Harris. The storylines focus on the agency’s business dealings and the tangled personal lives of the characters, while depicting the changing social era and political mood through the 1960s and ’70s.
In one memorable episode entitled ‘Shut the Door, Have a Seat’, the quartet of executives decide to branch out and form their own new advertising agency, at very short notice, following a number of financial upheavals and power struggles at their company Sterling Cooper.
Draper finds out that a rival advertising agency, McCann Erickson, is buying out Sterling Cooper but he doesn’t want to go and instead suggests the ambitious move of forming their own agency. There’s plenty of ‘cloak and dagger’ stuff involved, as they have to secretly take what accounts they can – they sneak into their office over the weekend to whisk their belongings away while the agency is closed, so no-one else gets wind of what they’re up to.
As the move is decided at the eleventh hour and before everything is properly organised, they initially end up working out of a hotel room! It isn’t too long before they get back on their feet and move their agency to new offices in the Time Life building on Sixth Avenue. The company name becomes Sterling Cooper Draper Pryce, which is later shortened to Sterling Cooper and Partners.
Throughout the episode focusing on the move to new business premises, the atmosphere is one of panic and chaos, due to the nature of the move and the tight schedule involved. In the real world, it’s a lesson on how NOT to handle your office relocation!
Established in 1999, H&H Van Hire offers a professional service with only the highest quality fleet of vans that will ensure your business is up and running again in the shortest possible time. With a 24-hour return facility, the use of trolleys and straps, unlimited mileage and free parking for your arrival vehicle, when you hire a van from North London’s premier van and minibus hire company, we can assure you chaos will be the last thing on anyone’s mind!
We have a range of vans with many different engine sizes and capacities, providing a cost-effective option no matter how big or small the move. Our fleet is properly maintained, cleaned and checked before each new hire, so your office move will be smooth and efficient. Please contact us for further details.
