The sad saga & questionable dealings of gil solnin
Allow me to recount a disturbing experience that I and the ad agency for which I work had with a New York-based individual named Gil Solnin, who presented himself as a consultant for a number of companies that were in search of an ad agency.
Over the course of several months phone conversations and face-to-face meetings were held in which Mr. Solnin convincingly delivered information concerning himself and the products which, he regularly reiterated, our advertising agency had been selected to promote. He also spoke of Whitlock Packaging on numerous occasions, another company he supposedly represented as a consultant in the search for an agency to promote other major products and services besides those of the BVG entity Mr. Solnin supposedly represented.
Our firm was required to pay Mr. Solnin $5000 upon signing an agreement that would commit the advertising duties for three beverage ventures to our agency upon the start of operations. After further meetings and due diligence, we delivered a check to him in accordance with that signed agreement.
We were then to pay an additional $5000 to Mr. Solnin once arrangements for meetings with the Whitlock and non-BVG clients were made by him.
In July of during conversations with a partner agency from the Midwest, Mr. Solnins name came up. This partner agency indicated they had a similar agreement to represent the very same products, via Mr. Solnin, in 2009.
We then contacted a number of agency principals we knew throughout the country. We discovered that one of our agency counterparts was in the midst of similar transactions with Mr. Solnin, who had likewise promised their agency exclusive rights to the very same pieces of business at the same initial price tag, beginning with the $5000 fee.
It became quickly apparent that Mr. Solnin was reaping payment from a number of agencies to which he had, by contract, promised the very same pieces of business.
Whether he actually controls the rights to those pieces of business, we do not know for sure. However, we are certain that Mr. Solnin has not been truthful with us and other ad agencies and has accepted payments under false pretenses.
0 comments