I LIKE TO MAKE THINGS.
Ad things. Film things. Storytelling things. I like to try new things. Web 3. AI. Blockchain. I like to solve things. Brand problems. Production problems. People problems. I like to disrupt things. Replacing Coke’s name on their product with thousands of their customers’ names. I like to share things. Teaching the power of creativity to 35K+ people on Instagram. I like to believe things. Strategy is the map. Creativity is the best vehicle to get you there. I like to take note of things. Pharmaceutical advertising is frightening. The Last of Us is the best show I've seen since Severance. The best creative people are versatile, smart, and, most importantly, nice. I like to build things. Creative departments. Edit suites. Films & comic books. I like to prioritize things. Coffee instead of breakfast. The outdoors over couches. Getting things done over titles. I like to love things. Movies. Sneakers. Tacos. My wife. My kids. My dog. And living in Marin. I like to fuck around and find out things. What better way to make the world a more interesting place than heading into the unknown?
I LIKE TO LEARN THINGS
TBWA/CHIAT/DAY: How to write a great headline. Credit goes to my ECD at the time, Eric McClellen, who set the minimum number of headlines for his review at 100. How to get to know a brand. Visit its home. Meet the people who make it. Spend time with the people who love it. How to solve an advertising problem. Don’t cross any ideas off the list before you start. Do the work, understand the context and the solution will reveal itself.
GOODBY, SILVERSTEIN & PARTNERS: How to get to great. Be open to ideas from everywhere including clients, account folks and that editorial assistant who just handed you a coffee. Try everything. Experiment. Show up on-set prepared. Be collaborative. Audition alternatives. Work with the best people you can and build long term relationships with them. And just keep pushing.
OGILVY, SYDNEY: How to take a chance. Moved my family and all of our lives half-way around the world to work for a colleague I respected and trusted. How to run a department. Slow down. Don’t try to change everything at once. Get the first win and others will follow. Think more like a coach and less like a boss. How to apply what I learned. Convinced Coke to embrace alternate media by replacing their name on their products with their customers’ by creating the Share a Coke campaign.
FCB/WEST: How to build valuable internal resources. Built a design department that immediately elevated work of both the agency and clients. Built two edit suites that saved money, achieved profitability in year one and opened the door for the agency to return as Levi’s AOR. Hired double and triple threats whenever possible. How to genuinely help clients. Convinced Kikkoman to repurpose $750K from an unnecessary :30 commercial into a transmedia campaign and evergreen brand film that delivered more impact for less money.