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McLean's advertising family
Ephraim Schum, 34, remembers the occasion well. He was taking a shower when the phrase popped into his head, and he had to write it in the condensed steam on the bathroom mirror."It's not over till it's under" was the flash of inspiration that came to him then. The phrase now haunts car bumpers, roadside banners and lapels all over McLean.
"That was a good one," Schum said.
"It was good, but it wasn't his best. His best comes out at the dinner table," said his sister, TysonsTunnel.org's Tatiana Schum. That's not hard to believe because Ephraim and Tatiana are part of one of McLean's most interesting family businesses, the advertising firm Schum & Associates.
"We're very eclectic," said Schum patriarch Guy Schum, 63, gesturing at his office space, which includes a huge curved wall of corrugated tin and freestanding pillars.
Guy Schum founded the firm in McLean in 1981, and says his office helps him to be creative. "I'm all over the building, but all I really need is a pen and a pad to come up with ideas."
Those ideas go on to become advertising ideas and marketing strategies for many organizations, from huge national banks like Fannie Mae to the extremely local McLean Community Center. Schum and Associates is creating a new logo for the center.
"In marketing and design, it's got to be fun. ... We have a lot of fun here," said Diane Schum, Guy's wife and Ephraim's mother.
Many clients are surprised by the Schums' sense of fun because Diane and Guy are Quakers and wear traditional clothes that resemble Amish clothing. When Guy Schum leaves a building, people sometimes stare to see if he's going to get into a horse-drawn carriage. "No, I just drive a car," he said.
"We use computers and everything. We were one of the first firms around here to use Macs," Diane Schum adds.
The familial nature of the business might be part of the fun, as Diane Schum gets to work every day with her son, husband and daughter Hannah, 29. That family dynamic can make for some interesting meetings.
"We do butt heads sometimes," Ephraim Schum admits, "but I can explain something to my dad and he always gets it, right away."
A shared desire to be creative has led the whole family into advertising.
"Your family can be honest with you in a way normal co-workers can't be," Hannah Schum said.
"It does degenerate sometimes. ... There's a lot of humor," Guy Schum said.
For more information about Schum & Associates, visit www.schum.com.
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