Family Man, Mad Man, Man child
That sums me up pretty well. My family comes first. My chosen profession is the right one for me. And I refuse to give up my childlike curiosity.
CD/AD/CW
I began my career as an art director and evolved into “an art director who can write.” As I moved up the ranks toward creative director, I found myself doing more copywriting than art direction and began to identify more as “a writer who can art direct.” As a result, I’m a stickler for good grammar and good kerning.
My work has been featured in Adweek, AdAge, The New York Times, The Wall Street Journal, numerous award shows and my mom's fridge. I've even made a Super Bowl commercial.
I love this stuff.
Where:
2022 - present
Crosby Marketing Communications - EVP Executive Creative Director
2013 - 2022
Coyne PR - SVP Executive Creative Director
2011 - 2013
Nickelodeon Creative Advertising - Writer/Art Director
1999 - 2011
Y&R - SVP Creative Director
And before that…
TBC, Baltimore
Waring & LaRosa, NY
Ogilvy, NY
Levine, Huntley, Schmidt and Beaver, NY
For:
American Express, American Petroleum Institute, AMC, Amtrak, Animal Farm Foundation, Arnold Bread, The Baltimore Sun, Banfield Foundation, Bayer, BreastCancer.org, Campbell’s, CareFirst BlueCross BlueShield, CeraVe, Colgate, Community FoodBank of NJ, Cooper Tires, Cotton Incorporated, Dannon, DAV (Disabled American Veterans), Deer Park Spring Water, DineTime, Einstein Bros. Bagels, Entenmann’s, Eureka Organic Bread, The Eye Care & Surgery Center, Ferrero Rocher, Finlandia, Fisher-Price, Food Bank For New York City, Gas-X, Goldfish, Hasbro, Hornitos, Humana, In The Raw, International Code Council, Jell-O, Kotex, Lakeland Bank, Lavazza, LifeStraw, Liebig Soup, Lupus Research Alliance, Mattel, MetLife Foundation, Military OneSource, Milka, NeighborCare Pharmacies, New Jersey Bride, New Jersey Monthly, Newman’s Own, NFL Players Association, Nickelodeon, Nick@Nite, NYNEX, Oliver Brewing Co., Organdonor.gov, Pace Salsa, Pacira BioSciences, Panasonic, Peace Corps, Pella, Pepperidge Farm, Perrigo, Prego, Proponent Federal Credit Union, Provident Bank, Reckitt Benckiser, Red Robin, Sealed Air, Seaside Semper Five, Shriners Hospitals for Children, Siemens, SmartBones, Store Brand Formula, Subaru of America, Technics, TeenNick, Terry’s Chocolate, The Toy Association, United Negro College Fund, USDA, V8, VF Corp, Valley National Bank, Vox Vodka, The Washington Capitals, Xifaxan, Youth Smoking Prevention
Fun Facts:
President of the NJ Ad Club from 2017 - 2019
Adjunct Professor at Montclair State University, School of Communication and Media
Guest speaker / portfolio reviewer: FIT, George Mason University, Kean University, Miami Ad School, Montclair State University, Rutgers University, School of Visual Arts, Syracuse University
Wrote a blurb for the back cover of the book Social Media Strategy: Marketing and Advertising in the Consumer Revolution by Keith Quesenberry
BFA from Syracuse University
Hyper Island Master Class alumni (2011)
Columbia Business School certificate program in Digital Marketing (2021)
Once made someone cry in a focus group (not in a mean way)
Elvis Costello once said my name on the radio
Panel discussions:
I have organized and moderated panel discussions with top advertising professionals from esteemed companies including: BBDO, VMLY&R, R/GA, Campaign US, Nickelodeon, Prudential, The New York Times, WHOSAY, Twitter, VaynerMedia, FCB, Leo Burnett, Nielsen, Razorfish, Hulu, Verizon, Spotify, Dunkin Brands, eMarketer, Ratti Report, Publicis, Newhouse School at Syracuse, WundermanThompson, No No No No No Yes, and more.
BLOG POSTS:
My Philosophy on advertising:
Not out with the old, but definitely in with the new
My point is that while the communications landscape has changed, the fundamentals have not. Ideas still matter. A lot. Sharp writing and smart visuals driven by insightful human truths are as important as ever. However, the vehicles are always evolving. Sure, there remains a place for the 30-second commercial but we’d be foolish to think that advertisers can still shout from the mountain top and expect consumers (a.k.a. people) to listen. It’s critical that we, as practitioners of advertising, not only embrace change, but also lead change.
My favorite definition of Advertising:
Advertising (noun) News that is so dull, you have to pay the media to run it.
The creative challenge is to then make advertising that is engaging, compelling, smart, beautiful, and most importantly, not an annoying intrusion. It is, after all, an uninvited guest.
While the above definition is about dullness, this career is anything BUT dull. Nothing excites me more than coming up with an idea, bringing it to life and having a positive impact on sales while building brand affinity.
Best Movie quote about advertising:
I love what I do. I’m not writing the great American novel. I don’t have a manuscript in my desk. I don’t want to direct movies. I don’t want to paint. I like advertising. – Tom Hanks (playing a creative director) in ‘Nothing in Common’