This is Roby. Roby and I have been friends for many years now, despite the fact that he is Italian and I am French. Roby is a pretty kick-ass photographer, graphic designer and all aroundman of fashion, and like me, he spent some time in the military before moving to the US. Unlike me, however, Roby decided to return to military life to take part in the "war on terror."

If you are a regular reader of the BrandBuilder blog, you are no stranger to any of this. If you're new, then you're about to get caught up.

A few years ago, Roby and I came up with the idea of F360 over beer... or coffee... (or possibly both) at the Coffee Underground coffeeshop in Greenville, SC. I was bored at my corporate job and looking for ways to put my strategic and creative skills to better use - and for a broader pool of companies. Roby was also a little non-plussed about where his job was going and was starting to build a nice little portfolio of graphic design and commercial photography, but needed someone to bring copywriting, marketing strategy, and project management skills to the mix. It took a few months for me to finally make the jump and take him up on his offer to join forces with him, and the rest, as they say, is history.

Just as F360 was starting to really take off, Roby decided to join the Army National Guard and within two years, got his ass shipped out to the Stan - presumably to go hunt down Osama. Roby has been there since October - first in Kabul, and now at some undisclosed location. Looks like mountain passes and whatnot, so I guess his unit is helping local soldiers make sure the bad guys don't come through their area.

Anyhoo, Roby took his cameras with him, so he shoots photos of his life over there, which is pretty damn cool. The photos posted below are from one of my favorite galleries he's posted so far... just a few days ago... as he turned 35.

Happy Birthday, Roberto. Now get your ass back to the US so we can have a beer. (You're still a big wuss for not climbing that hill with your gear, though.) Pffft. Army. Figures. ;D

There's an accident waiting to happen if I've ever seen one.

A gunner's view.

Roby is running up mountaintops now. WTF?! I can't believe it! It must be photoshop!

Hmmm... I'd better start training.

Sweet view of the mountains and the valley. Good luck sneaking up on this outpost, you Taliban bastards!





Gorgeous photos, Roby. Hooah.

The rest of you can go chat about the crappy overpriced commercials shown during the Superbowl. I'm sure by the time you read this post, the interwebs will be a-buzzing with excitement over whose ads scored, whose ads flopped, and how advertising is dead or making a comeback or whatever... *sigh*... Same conversation we have every year. I'll pass, thanks, and watch the good ones on YouTube later this week, when I feel like the bandwagon has safely passed me by.

Have a great Monday, everyone. ;)

Labels: Afghanistan, Army, Roby, superbowl ads, war