Insights

What is the very best career advice you’ve ever received? It was something I heard Chuck Palahniuk (Fight Club author) say in an interview. “Don’t stop until the glass breaks.” Basically, don’t stop your idea from reaching the edge of madness. You have to go too far to know where the line is. We stop too soon because of the pressure, fear and endless voices in the room.  But the moment right before an idea feels “too much” is usually the moment it becomes good. Pull back too early and you’ll never know what you left on the table. The…

If you could attribute one other person or life event to your success, who or what would it be?Besides my mother, I would say it was my high school ROTC instructor, Sergeant Mitchell.One afternoon he asked our unit a simple question: “What is leadership?” One eager cadet shot his hand up and said, “Getting people to do what you want them to do.” Sergeant Mitchell replied. “That’s only half right.” He said, “Leadership is getting people to do what you want them to do because they want to do it. And the ‘because they want to do it’ part? That’s…

What is something the industry isn’t paying attention to that they should?  AI. Just kidding, can we please stop making every conversation about that? Right now, we are living through two of the biggest macroeconomic shifts in modern history; declining birth rates reshaping the family structures brands have built around for decades, and the largest generational wealth transfer ever recorded already underway. The whole map is being redrawn. And yet so much of what I see is hyper-targeted content optimized for micro-moments, so specific that if you fall outside the bullseye, it’s completely invisible to you. I can’t tell you…

If you could attribute one other person or life event to your success, who or what would it be and why? I’d have to say my late husband.  Bruce passed from ALS about 8 years ago but watching him battle ALS taught me that no matter how tough life is there’s a way to get through it with grace, kindness, laughter and a healthy dose of perspective. It made me a better human, not just at work, but in every sense of my life.   What is the number one quality you look for in talent?Curiosity. The kind that doesn’t wait…

If you could attribute one other person or life event to your success, who or what would it be and why? It’s never just one person and I think that’s the beauty. It starts at home. None of the jumps I have made happen without a partner willing to say “sure, let’s try that” when “that” means walking away from something steady to try something completely new. That kind of support is quiet, daily, and it’s what allows you to grow. Then there are the people who saw something in you before you fully saw it in yourself. Clare Pickens…

If you could attribute one other person or life event to your success, who or what would it be and why?  There isn’t a specific life event, but I credit a good chunk of my success to the how I was raised. I was encouraged to explore, and create, and build, and fail, and get back up, and listen, and to be empathic and respectful. And to never stop learning or trying something new. Without rad parents and three siblings, I don’t think I’d be who or where I am today. What is the number one quality you look for…

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…

What is the number one quality you look for in talent? Curiosity. A curious mind is the irreplaceable quality in a creative. Our job mostly comes down to, “how can I say or do this differently?” And on some level, you have to be a curious person to think that way. Also, unless you’re working in-house for a single brand, the nature of advertising is that you’re going to be working for clients across a lot of different industries, many of which you’re probably unfamiliar with. To really understand their business, you have to be inclined to dig into the…

If you could attribute one other person or life event to your success, who or what would it be and why? Too many. Kirk Souder, David Baldwin, Kara Goodrich, Danny Higgins, Neil French, Jeff Bitsack, Scott Bell, Sara Shelton, Cam Blackley, I’ve worked with and learned from some wonderful people. Most of all though, David Droga, for teaching me not to be cynical, to never give up, and most of all to hold on and value real friendship. What is the number one quality you look for in talent? I love to see what kind of work they aspire to…

If you could attribute one other person or life event to your success, who or what would it be and why? Anywhere in my life where there’s love, those are the people who are driving my success. That’s the foundation.  What is the number one quality you look for in talent? Perseverance. There aren’t many easy answers to the big questions our clients are asking us to help them solve. Hard roads take grit to walk. And there are some folks who for whatever reason just love the grind. These are people who see and believe in hard work’s ability…

What is the number one quality you look for in talent? It’s hard to single out just one quality, but if I had to choose, I’d say interest—interest in world events, in learning, in the profession, and in becoming better. To me, interest combines curiosity with the energy to pursue and fulfil that curiosity. What is the very best career advice you’ve ever received? From incredible people I’ve had the privilege to work with— Dr.Stephan Vogel, Liz Taylor, Juggi Ramakrishnan, Monica Moro, and many others — the advice has always been the same: never lose focus on the work, on…

What is something the industry isn’t paying attention to that they should? The industry is so busy debating what AI means for creativity that we’re ignoring the bigger question: what does it mean for talent? Advertising is a people industry, and AI is quietly erasing the rungs of the ladder. The early roles (with the hands-on experiences that trained generations of strategists, creatives, and account leaders) are increasingly being automated by AI. If AI is doing the work, who’s doing the learning? Where will the next generation of advertising leaders come from if they never get to sharpen their teeth…