A non-traditional Super Bowl Post Mortem. Or a reminder for the peanut gallery.

Hey Asshole in the Peanut Gallery from last night's #AdBowl, According to your tweet, you really hated the spot for XXXX last night. That creative team really blew their shot on the big stage of the Super Bowl. Man, if you had a chance to wow the tens of millions…

What’s your creative origin story?

Who are you and where did you come from? This is a powerful question that we often use to describe ourselves to ourselves and to others. It can have a profound impact on how we treat others, others treat us and how we treat ourselves. This is profoundly important on…

Creative Control

Who has creative control? It's a simple question with a complicated answer. When you're in the business of making money using your creativity there are many stakeholders, so no one person really has complete creative control. There's always someone else in the equation with whom you must negotiate. The boss,…

Process without purpose

I'm a huge fan of process. Having a great idea can't really help you or your clients if you don't have the process that gets you from a great idea to a great execution. Without great execution you end up with a so so. All the great studios, production companies,…

Everything is opaque in the age of transparency and authenticity

Today, every brand wants to have an ethos of authenticity and a transparent culture. They're all claiming to be responsible green and sustainable. Or maybe it's all well-crafted bullshit sentimentality. Afterall, how can you really know what a company's management really thinks? Newsweek lists the top 10 US Green Companies this…

Hey, Creatives! Do you know what your job is?

A lot of ad creatives (and my students) think their job is to create the best damn creative humanly possible on every single assignment they get. That's awesome and I get it. It's also a good long-term career goal. You've got to always be selling improving your portfolio and track…

Is your ad shop a process agency or a revenue agency?

I've worked at some of the best agencies in the country and some of the crappiest. Mostly as writer in the creative department and a lot of times as a freelance writer. Maybe surprisingly, at both good agencies and mediocre ones you're bound to be surrounded by talented people. Heck,…