Torrence Boone is leaving Digitas

We were told yesterday that Torrence Boone is leaving Digitas. He's heading up an new initiative between Dell Inc. and WPP Group to handle all of the computer maker's marketing and advertising duties.

He's leaving for New York City, but Dell is headquartered in Austin, Texas. Mecca for all things alt/indie. Hey Torrence, I have twenty years in the computer industry. Omigod, please take me with you.

Anyway, he's going to be missed around here. And it's worth telling a story.

I had only been here a couple of days when C and I got in the elevator down in the lobby. Torrence got in the elevator with us. We didn't know who he was from Adam. Or maybe C did; he's more up on these things than I am. Anyway, that same day there was a little party on the Deck to welcome new employees. I'm standing there all by myself, minding my own business, which I've learned is pretty much SOP for me around here, when Torrence walks in. I noticed him, for the simple reason Torrence is the kind of guy who you notice when he walks into a room. He has that kind of presence.

And don't you know he walks right up to me, gives me a big smile, sticks out his hand and says, here's somebody I don't know. I introduce myself, telling him what I was hired for and then I asked him what he does around here. Yeah. He starts telling me and I guess my jaw dropped. Nicest guy in the world. We talked a bit more, including the difference between working in an agency like this versus being on your own like I had been for five years. (The difference is you work a helluva lot harder on your own. You hustle a lot more on your own. As a matter of fact, you don't hustle at all in an agency; and by hustle I mean looking for work.)

Torrence is the kind of guy who knows you among the 800 other people who work in the Boston office. That's the kind of person he is, and I truly wish him luck.