If you could attribute one other person or life event to your success, who or what would it be and why?
My old partner, Erika Reyes. Over the thousands of hours we spent together and the comparable number of beers, she taught me more than I ever could have imagined about concept, craft, humility, passion, and how to not murder someone you spend way too much time with.
What is the number one quality you look for in talent?
Passion. Pretty much everything else you can learn. Humility for extra credit.
What is something the industry isn’t paying attention to that they should?
I learned to be a creative director by spending an ungodly number of hours as a creative. If AI makes everyone a creative director overnight, how will people learn to be creative directors?
What is the very best career advice you’ve ever received?
Don’t chase the money. Chase the work. Then don’t run too fast when the money chases you.
What part of your role as a leader do you find most rewarding?
Everything I’ve ever done, I’ve done for the airline miles.
What are you most proud of in the last 12 months? Or, what milestones do you most look forward to over the next 12 months?
Winning international awards for both traditional and non-traditional work at the same awards show for Citroen felt like a really big milestone. It was the culmination of a lot of people working really hard for a really long time all with the goal of using creativity to make a brand shine.
What has been the most challenging moment so far in your career?
Moving from creative to creative director was incredibly hard. They’re completely different jobs, motivated by different things. Letting go of old habits, especially the ones that made you successful in the first place, was more difficult than I ever would have imagined.
