Advertising creative Brian Fouhy wants you to get a drink with him, be his Valentine or help him find a place to live. Just fill out the fields on one of his many websites that make up what he calls “Fouhy adventures.”
Fouhy has been in advertising for about eight years now and works as a freelance creative in Brooklyn. In his free time, he has built a handful of fun, single-serving sites that encourage people to interact with him, like Drinkwithfouhy.com, which prompts people to pick a place to meet him for a drink or Invitefouhytothanksgiving.com, which, you guessed it, prompts people to invite Fouhy to Thanksgiving and provide a reason why he should attend.
What inspired you to do these series of websites around you?
The sites started with Thanksgiving. My inspiration came from wanting to learn how to code, so I came up with a project that would make that process fun and enjoyable. And having just moved to Colorado at the time, I wasn’t able to afford, nor did I really want to make two East Coast trips in a month’s time for both Thanksgiving and Christmas, so I chose Christmas and sought out invites for Thanksgiving from friends and strangers. The sites were fun, and people seemed to enjoy them, so it kind of grew organically from there into Valentine’s Day, drinking, airports and homes. I also hope to continue the sites and have a few additional URLs purchased.
Which is your favorite one?
Drinkwithfouhy.com is probably my favorite as it doesn’t have a specific date tied to it and can be used anytime. It also requires the least from participants; they just need to show up. I am also quite proud of the photo on that one.
Do people actually respond to these wacky requests that your sites make, like picking you up from the airport or inviting you to Thanksgiving?
Believe or not, yes. It is not always overwhelming, and it is usually family and friends, but I have had a few true randoms and have met people I might not have ordinarily met and have even made some good new friends through the sites.
Do you think the Web is overcrowded with single-serving, silly sites?
Yes, but I think the single-serving sites are a good thing. They create snapshots of culture in a way. I also feel that they encourage creativity. Anyone can jump on the Internet and create something, although the ease to do this is probably why there are so many of them.
Why do you like making sites?
Creating the sites for me is a creative outlet. I get to write a bit, code, design and overall just have fun with myself. And then I am able to publish it and share and show it to people instead of having it sit on a shelf in my room.
What’s the best and worst part of being in advertising?
The best part is coming up with ideas. The worst part is all the great ideas that inevitably never get made.
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