I make interesting things for interesting brands that want to have interesting conversations with INTERESTED people.
Nearly equal shares of my career have been spent on either side of the creative aisle. The first half, as an art director and the second half as a copywriter, working on a variety of clients, from startups to global brands in Technology, Aviation, Banking, Education, Entertainment, Consumer Packaged Goods, Environmental Resources, Food and Beverage, Health and Beauty, Recreation, Retail, Travel and Tourism, and Transportation.
Everything that I've done well goes beyond a single craft or any one person. It takes a team and clients who are ready to embrace big, scary ideas that get noticed.
I enjoy working on a range of clients, large and small. Even the mundane details (e.g. a c-store bathroom sign, a recycling message on a 12-pack of beer, a 404 error message) can be an opportunity to give people a little delight and further a client’s brand.
A few things I've learned and ideas that I've stolen:
You can do it all, just not all at once.
Something has to win.
Ideas are scary.
Let people fill in the blanks.
Stand for something.
Emotions are a universal language.
If you love an idea, date before you get married.
The lazy man works twice as hard.
Quiet can be loud.
Do interesting things about things that interest people.
Think in equal parts Captain Kirk and Spock.
To go fast, go alone. To go far, go together.
The sharper blade makes the cleanest cut.
Seek criticism, not praise.
Target audiences aren't targets, they're people.
Don't talk about what you do, talk about why you do it.
Don't suck.
Favorite quotes:
“Most ideas are a bit scary, and if an idea isn’t scary, it’s not an idea at all.”
–Lee Clow
“No one stops to look at a house. They stop to look at the house that’s on fire.”
–Luke Sullivan
“People don’t read ads. They read what interests them, sometimes it’s an ad.”
–Howard Gossage
“The best advertising should make you nervous about what you're not buying.”
–Mary Wells Lawrence
On my nightstand:
(besides loose change and lint)
The Creative Act: A Way of Being by Rick Rubin
Norwegian Wood: Chopping, Drying and Stacking Wood The Scandinavian Way by Lars Mytting
Ivory Vikings: The Mystery of the Most Famous Chessmen and the Woman Who Made Them by Nancy Marie Brown
Recommended reads:
Sex, Drugs and Cocoa Puffs by Chuck Klosterman
A Heartbreaking Work of Staggering Genius by Dave Eggers
The world could greatly benefit from a daily refresher in anything Dr. Seuss.
Important stuff:
I love my job, but the most important thing in my life is my family. Spending time with my son is like getting to be a kid again. We build things, draw and come up with weird ideas for YouTube videos like “Cat News” (stay tuned for more). I also build these really cool one-log fires called Swedish torches. Making them is a refreshing break from my day job with bajillions of things flying around in my head all the time. It is very physical and cathartic and keeps you focused, which is kind of important if you're going to use a chainsaw.
FUn FactS
Ég tala ensku og lítið íslensku, en ég er að læra meira og meira. Svifnökkvinn minn er fullur af álum.
Competed in the Dad Vail Rowing Nationals in Philadelphia
Co-founder of an art group called The Famous Dead Artists
I designed a cookbook for The Galloping Gourmet, Graham Kerr
Elevator pitch:
I have the best elevators. My elevators are the very best. I know it. You know it. We all know it.
My pitch (on an elevator):
People like ideas and things. I create the ideas of things for people. Let’s work together.
(DING: “This floor, housewares and lingerie.”)