I have always been a student of people.
What motivates them? What drives their actions? What moves them? What makes them respond?
So I could have ventured off into a more noble profession in the sciences of the human condition, but found that even science can't always predict how people are going to behave. If it could, maybe products like the DeLorean, New Coke, Sony Betamax, the XFL, as well as Harley Davidson Perfume might have been successes.
And there wouldn't be any movies, tv shows, and music that flop.
But people do love a good story. Other than taxes and death, it's as close to a human truth as you can get. That's why I love the business of telling stories. It's part science but mostly art. Stories are actually strategies told in an interesting way to make a relevant point. And every story is always about more than the story itself.
I thought, what a fun and challenging business to be in. A business that actually takes The Jolly Green Giant and Mr. Clean seriously. I wanted to know the stories behind their creation.
So I entered the world of marketing as an advertising copywriter eventually becoming an executive creative director at several global advertising agencies in Detroit and in Los Angeles.
Becoming a creative director is where my fascination with people extended into learning how to inspire a staff of "creative" people. As many as 300 of them at a time. Creative people are a breed unto themselves, and not always the most congenial.
I've also had the pleasure of earning the trust and respect of some of the most influential business executives in the world, as well as entrepreneurs, retailers, and car dealers, who all depend on the bottom line. It's an invaluable experience that definitely helped to make me better at my craft.
Along the way, I've had much more success than failure, which is nice.
Success like winning the Cannes Grand Prix for a Jeep TV commercial (a rare Detroit win). I've also won most of the other awards, and had the honor of representing the United States as a film judge at Cannes. But, while I respect my peers, I've always got a bigger kick out seeing the positive effects that well told stories have on regular folks.
As for my failures, they've usually came from not trusting instincts. So I try not to do that anymore.
And while I've created my share of Super Bowl commercials and big budget projects, I've always gravitated toward a more intimate relationship with consumers, or people, if you will. While some practitioners abhor retail messages, point-of-sale, events, web banners, I embrace those disciplines only because they're closer to people and their reactions.
That's what gives digital media so much potential if the message is right.
People like good stories. I like telling good stories.
To visit me on LinkedIn, click here. Or for a resume, click here.