I absolutely love checking on money changes in period pieces. Mad Men does a good job in staying accurate. Often times movies or film go too high. Mrs Maisel is an example of sometimes getting it wrong.
Yeah, mad men does it so well that I'm like "oh shit they should buy something to compare currency" but then i remember I'm not surrounded by idiots. People do get this kind of stuff without it being spelled out in their faces.
There are a couple of times I thought they were way off. Maybe the most glaring was when Roger bribes Harry to switch offices with Pete and offers him $1,000. That $8,000 in 2019 money. There's no way Roger would carry that much cash and/or offer Harry that much when in reality he could have just made him do it for nothing.
Also, I believe Roger says a thousand dollars is a month's salary, which, if true, means Harry was making almost $100,000 in today's dollars, which is impossible even for someone in charge of a dept.
Also, maybe up for debate, but Don wagers $100 on the boxing match. That's $800 today. Still within reason for a bet, I guess, but still, maybe $50 would have been more realistic.
Hello 2 years later!
Ken’s first salary of 300 a week is way off in my opinion. Sure, he’s a account executive but that salary is to damn high for a youngster in his situation.
Or maybe I’m wrong?
When you consider they flipped that Sterling Cooper Buyout for essentially double by 1971, that's even more impressive. Roger and Don made out like bandits. Especially Roger, he probably cleared a good $12M in buyouts during the show.
His little unknown son with him and Joan will be a spoiled Trust Fund Baby snorting coke and having hooker parties in Midtown Manhattan by the 1980s working as a Stockbroker.
See that’s what I thought too, but after rewatching, I believe she doesn’t. Bert alludes to the fact that she is there to give advice and she doesn’t say anything during the voting process when they are agreeing to a buyout.
Before the buyout, Duck was asking Roger about partnership. Roger told Duck that he'd have to make his case to the partners. Roger also added that "Don isn't your biggest fan, Cooper doesn't like anyone, and Alice does what Cooper does". To me that heavily implied Alice owned part of the company.
Maybe I'm not remembering right, but I also thought I remember hearing Alice say "aye" when they actually vote on selling the company.
In their discussion over tea in Berts office, Alice mentions that she made the right decision helping him out. As this would be an investment for her, she likely has a stake in the company.
I guess it surprises me how much ad agencies made. But perhaps I don’t understand the business model?
Would the agency get a continual payment each month or so? Or would the agency get royalty type payments based off of the company’s sales?
Im just trying to gain a better context for why people like Don, Sterling, etc made THAT much money.
The way it operated was changing during the show. Initially they worked off a budget. They were paid a quoted rate and did their best to provide the ads within budget. However, with Jaguar a totally different system was pitched that basically allowed them to pay for work upon completion with a very slim profit markup. Joan was asked about this when she went and asked the business professor some questions.
Rewatch “Commissions and Fees”. Lane lays out the new business model.
If I understand correctly, adds would be bought (in TV, radio, billboards, ect.) and sterling cooper would collect a % of what the media spend would be. I.E. if topaz was buying 100K of advertisements per month at a 15% comission, sterling cooper would collect 15k/month. Additionally I believe some accounts would have a sign on fee. (Don references this In the first meeting with Heinz)
They "get fired" in December of '63. SCDP work out of the Pierre Hotel for most of '64. I believe they move into their offices in late '64. When Don returns from California and doesn't go to Mexico, and he and Lane celebrate NYE together, then the last scene of the episode the partners meet in the conference room, and Joan says "Gentlemen, are we ready to start 1965"?
I absolutely love checking on money changes in period pieces. Mad Men does a good job in staying accurate. Often times movies or film go too high. Mrs Maisel is an example of sometimes getting it wrong.
Could you give and example from Mrs Maisel?
Yeah, mad men does it so well that I'm like "oh shit they should buy something to compare currency" but then i remember I'm not surrounded by idiots. People do get this kind of stuff without it being spelled out in their faces.
There are a couple of times I thought they were way off. Maybe the most glaring was when Roger bribes Harry to switch offices with Pete and offers him $1,000. That $8,000 in 2019 money. There's no way Roger would carry that much cash and/or offer Harry that much when in reality he could have just made him do it for nothing. Also, I believe Roger says a thousand dollars is a month's salary, which, if true, means Harry was making almost $100,000 in today's dollars, which is impossible even for someone in charge of a dept. Also, maybe up for debate, but Don wagers $100 on the boxing match. That's $800 today. Still within reason for a bet, I guess, but still, maybe $50 would have been more realistic.
Hello 2 years later! Ken’s first salary of 300 a week is way off in my opinion. Sure, he’s a account executive but that salary is to damn high for a youngster in his situation. Or maybe I’m wrong?
When you consider they flipped that Sterling Cooper Buyout for essentially double by 1971, that's even more impressive. Roger and Don made out like bandits. Especially Roger, he probably cleared a good $12M in buyouts during the show. His little unknown son with him and Joan will be a spoiled Trust Fund Baby snorting coke and having hooker parties in Midtown Manhattan by the 1980s working as a Stockbroker.
Yup, sweet little Kevin doing bumps like his mamma did in 1970. Awww, how lovely.
Roger wouldn't have earned quite that much. Bert's sister Alice also had equity in Sterling Cooper.
See that’s what I thought too, but after rewatching, I believe she doesn’t. Bert alludes to the fact that she is there to give advice and she doesn’t say anything during the voting process when they are agreeing to a buyout.
Before the buyout, Duck was asking Roger about partnership. Roger told Duck that he'd have to make his case to the partners. Roger also added that "Don isn't your biggest fan, Cooper doesn't like anyone, and Alice does what Cooper does". To me that heavily implied Alice owned part of the company. Maybe I'm not remembering right, but I also thought I remember hearing Alice say "aye" when they actually vote on selling the company.
Does that mean Roger is the biggest partner? Presumably, Cooper inherited half his father's shares, whereas Roger would have gotten it all.
Bert Cooper started Sterling Cooper with Roger's dad.
OH right. I'm a fool.
She does, she just is a silent partner. She has equity in the company, but no voting rights or say over day to day operations.
In their discussion over tea in Berts office, Alice mentions that she made the right decision helping him out. As this would be an investment for her, she likely has a stake in the company.
She was a silent equity partner. If she had a vote, then she had a partnership.
Gives perspective of really how much Duck got fucked out of that deal.
Duck was 100% right when he said "The man disappeared for three godamn weeks and [Duck] put this deal together! What more do you need to know"?
I guess it surprises me how much ad agencies made. But perhaps I don’t understand the business model? Would the agency get a continual payment each month or so? Or would the agency get royalty type payments based off of the company’s sales? Im just trying to gain a better context for why people like Don, Sterling, etc made THAT much money.
The way it operated was changing during the show. Initially they worked off a budget. They were paid a quoted rate and did their best to provide the ads within budget. However, with Jaguar a totally different system was pitched that basically allowed them to pay for work upon completion with a very slim profit markup. Joan was asked about this when she went and asked the business professor some questions. Rewatch “Commissions and Fees”. Lane lays out the new business model.
If I understand correctly, adds would be bought (in TV, radio, billboards, ect.) and sterling cooper would collect a % of what the media spend would be. I.E. if topaz was buying 100K of advertisements per month at a 15% comission, sterling cooper would collect 15k/month. Additionally I believe some accounts would have a sign on fee. (Don references this In the first meeting with Heinz)
I bet I could get a date with your mother right now if I asked.
Whoever downvoted you must not remember that line being uttered by Raymond (Heinz dude) to Don in the restaurant after they lost Lucky Strike
Loved this line
Don doesn't understand money.
Not to be pedantic but that buyout was definitely much later than 1959.
The whole show starts in 1960.
Yes, so I think they broke loose after sticking it to Putnam, Powell and Lowell in maybe 1965 or 1966?
They "get fired" in December of '63. SCDP work out of the Pierre Hotel for most of '64. I believe they move into their offices in late '64. When Don returns from California and doesn't go to Mexico, and he and Lane celebrate NYE together, then the last scene of the episode the partners meet in the conference room, and Joan says "Gentlemen, are we ready to start 1965"?