PITTSBURGH May 9, 2024 The American Advertising Federation announced its 2024 Pittsburgh ADDY award show would have a high school theme, but Gatesman shocked the more than 200 guests in attendance when it arrived and marched in formation with the Allderdice High School marching band, all clad in G+ letterman jackets and fanfare. The entertaining arrival and imaginative entrance set the tone for a night of creative celebration and success. Gatesman brought home five silver ADDY awards in recognition of outstanding creative work completed for CNX Foundation’s Dream Fields grant program and the Center for Organ Recovery & Education (CORE), as well as industry self-promotion work for its Gen Z research and brand awareness at last year’s Pittsburgh American Advertising Awards.

CNX Resources - Dream Fields campaign

The agency earned two silver ADDYs for CNX Resources’ Dream Fields campaign, scoring recognition in the film, video and sound category as well as the cross-platform category. The effort supports CNX Foundation’s Dream Fields grant program, an initiative designed to rehabilitate and revitalize fields, courts and playing surfaces across the Appalachian basin. In partnership with the PONY League World Series, CNX Foundation launched an integrated campaign featuring a TV commercial, program ad and custom baseball cards. Nearly half of the visitors to CNX’s landing page submitted for their own Dream Fields grant.

“One of the mantras we live by in the creative team is that the work wins,” said Mark DiPietro, VP, Senior Creative Director, Gatesman. “We pour that mentality into every project and it’s gratifying to see that come to fruition at an event like the ADDY award show.”

Center for Organ Recovery & Education (CORE) - Hero Dogs campaign

Gatesman was recognized with another silver ADDY for its cross-platform Hero Dogs campaign. The effort supported the Center for Organ Recovery & Education (CORE), the organ procurement organization serving western Pa. and W.Va., intending to inspire new organ donor registrations through in-person activations, organic/paid social and earned media.


“Every time a dog convinces its owner to sign up as an organ donor, they can save 8 lives,” added DiPietro. “So we created some really simple tools to help turn adorable dogs into adorable hero dogs.” 

Outside of client work, Gatesman was recognized with a silver ADDY for the Gen Z Reframed: Common Misconceptions in Context campaign, produced on the agency’s behalf to educate leaders in the marketing industry on how to reach and resonate with this important generation. The agency created a brand identity, educational video content and a prospecting kit for the initiative. 

The agency earned its final silver ADDY of the evening in the advertising/media industry self-promotion category for their 2023 ADDY Awards show activation showing off work the team produced within the year.

“To make an impact, I took all the work we did that year, tore it up, made it into a collage and that custom piece of art became our program ad,” said Alex Hess, Creative Director, Gatesman. “We all really liked the look and thought about ways that we could extend our pride of ownership, and what better way then to incorporate it into our personal styles? So we featured the design on t-shirts, and the Gatesman team personalized and stylized it in their own unique ways!”

The activation also included participation from the team’s mothers via in-person, video and social media, which tied in with the “Mother of All Award Shows” theme of 2023.  

For more information, please visit gatesmanagency.com or keep up with #TeamGatesman on LinkedIn, Instagram, Facebook, or X, formerly Twitter.

About Gatesman:

With offices in Pittsburgh and Chicago, Gatesman offers expertise in strategy/branding, advertising, public relations, social media, digital and analytics. Gatesman is a partner in AMIN Worldwide, an alliance of over 50 independent marketing agencies, and IPREX, a global communications network. Gatesman acquired Quest Fore in 2014 and Noble Communications in 2017.

# # #