If you could attribute one other person or life event to your success, who or what would it be and why?
Tara LaWall Straight was one of my first mentors in advertising. She is an incredible creative leader who I’ve known for 10+ years. I started my career at Droga5 where Tara was my copywriting mentor (and life coach). Tara pushed me to believe in creativity, to take risks, and always encouraged us to have fun at the office. Both a jokester and confidante, she always pushed us to make funnier, quirkier, and more truthful work; and she believed in our ability to get there. She seamlessly balances work, family, and social life while constantly uplifting and inspiring others to believe in themselves. Tara helped me realize my creative career and I do not think I’d be in the position I am today without her mentorship.
What is the number one quality you look for in talent?
We are always looking for people who have an inherent curiosity. People who dream about things outside their field or profession—whose minds ask questions and who love to learn, grow, and evolve.
In general, we have found this curiosity in many who have liberal arts education. People who love philosophy, art, biology. People who do not fit into cookie cutter molds. It doesn’t matter what you love, if the world around you makes you curious and excited, you will likely bring that curiosity to solving creative problems day-in and day-out.
This theory has held up to be true to date.
What is something the industry isn’t paying attention to that they should?
Right now, I think people are forgetting that people with great taste, solid writing skills, and a big imagination are the ones who will win with AI. Great ideas will be even more important as AI gobbles up the lower funnel/less creative work. Becoming a tastemaker and knowing HOW to communicate ideas to clients, on a page, or in an AI tool and beyond will become part of the new definition of creativity. My advice is to study art history and learn to write. The best communicators will come out on top.
What is the very best career advice you’ve ever received?
Fake it til ya make it. Confidence comes with practice. Do the warrior pose if you’re nervous. If you have terrible stage fright, practice, practice, practice. Still feeling like you might not make it through a presentation? Beta blockers. Over time, it will get easier.
What part of your role as a leader do you find most rewarding?
I love working with people who are smarter, more organized, and more creative than me. Everyone’s brains are wired differently and nothing is more rewarding than the collaboration and team work that comes when different minds approach a problem from unique angles.
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
In 2024, I led the expansion of our company from 6 to 40+ people to help scale up Airbnb’s pop culture program into Icons, a new category of extraordinary experiences hosted by the greatest names in music, film, television, art, sports, and more.
Airbnb tapped our studio to concept and produce the video content for the launch, as well as every individual campaign that followed throughout 2024. From the US to India, France and Italy, our team led video production across the globe. Our primary deliverables included social videos for Airbnb and brand partner channels, along with capturing all footage for Airbnb’s marketing team.
My role was to lead and approve all creative work, collaborating closely with Airbnb and various production partners (including our own studio) to ensure each concept was brought to life as we envisioned. It was a herculean task to concept & produce 13 campaigns in 5 months, with 10 of them launching on the same day.
Our goal was to help Icons catch on like wildfire online. To date, the campaign has generated over 1 billion social impressions. From inviting fans to go on tour with Feid, to staying overnight at Musee D’Orsay for the Paris Olympics, to enjoying an intimate concert with Doja Cat, I’m proud of how our team balanced the concurrent timelines with a collaborative spirit, can-do attitude, while still pushing for creatively ambitious content that racked up millions of organic views per video.
In the next 12 months, I look forward to growing a more balanced business and stretching my directorial vision in new directions.
What has been the most challenging moment so far in your career?
Sometimes jobs aren’t what you imagine them to be. And that’s ok. Early on in my career, I put a lot of pressure on myself to fit into a specific role, at a specific company –all my effort was gunning for that role. And when I got it, it wasn’t what I expected. Sometimes our expectations can blind us, so it’s important to keep a healthy perspective with work and personal interests and to know not everything will live up to the hype.
