A Musical Path
I wanted to be a musician, and I was interested in creating things. Being a musician is not always the best career path, but that is what I wanted to do.
A Chance Encounter
I was an economics major and a music minor but did not want to work in a strictly financial field. About a month before I graduated a couple of people from a New York ad agency came up to my school to speak, and just hearing them talk about how much they loved what they did made me want to give it a try.
Temptation and Distraction
The big challenge for our industry, including agencies, is keeping creativity at the center of what we do. There’s so much temptation to succumb to the newest and greatest platform and technology that it can sometimes be a distraction.
Penetrating Culture
Creative agencies as bastions of talent play an important role in helping brands connect with their consumers in our challenging, frenzied world. We need the kind of work that can penetrate culture in the way that only creative work can.
Finding Opportunities
I believe in the blending of our industries, and I think it’s very important that we not behave like traditional agencies and brands, but that we think about the opportunities to collaborate with the people who are driving our culture. The NewFronts West is a unique opportunity for brand marketers to engage in this cultural context.
Proceeding with Care
People care about the values of the companies they do business with whether it’s the supply chain they use or their value-based styles. Ultimately any brand that’s going to take a stand should do so very carefully to make sure that their values map to their actions and stated beliefs.
The Mirror Test
It takes a lot of bravery and commitment on the part of any brands that are going to take a stand. They have to make sure they can look in the mirror and live up to those values.
A Checkerboard
The real thing happening here is convergence. It was kind of built into the design of the city, even though there was no real design. I see it as a checkerboard that just happened.
An Amazing Place
I live in Mar Vista. It’s vibrant, diverse, the weather and the access to outdoor stuff are amazing. I take my two girls, who are five and two, down to Manhattan Beach and it’s just a beautiful place to walk around and hang out.
Watch Highlights from the 2019 NewFronts West Here