26 and a half years at Wieden + Kennedy distilled into 26 and a half minutes.

Some things are impossible to describe.

When I left Wieden + Kennedy after 26.9 years I felt a little bit like I felt after the death of a loved one or the failure of a marriage. I felt loss. Then with the pandemic happening there was no sense of acknowledgement of a job well done. Without it, I actually started to wonder if I mattered at all. But then about a month into my fake retirement, my peers surprised me with a social distance soiree. My family shuttled me to a makeshift drive-in at an Amusement Park I frequented as a kid. Upon arrival, I started to recognize faces of friends and realized I was actually loved. Those feelings of loss from death and divorce would soon be replaced with a feeling as if I was at my own funeral, which I only mean in a good way! The night started with a funny speech from Susan Hoffman, which was immediately followed by this video, which was followed by one of my all-time favorite movies, Ferris Bueller's Day Off, which was followed by yet another video about the day in the life of ME! It was a night I will never forget. Not just because it was about me, but because it was filled with people who mean so much to me, who were there to let me know that I actually mattered. That said, I did take note of the no-shows. Hahaha

The first campaign I ever worked on. Bill Davenport was the original producer of record, but he was a very busy guy so I wound up taking over on the second round of the Nike Football Dennis Hopper campaign. The first campaign, directed by David Fincher, was produced by Kevin Diller - still one of my favorite campaigns ever. The second round was directed by Joe Pytka. This would be the first time of many that I would come to question my contributions to the work. I believe the first campaign was better than the second. No offense to Pytka, who would slap me silly for saying such. I’m proud of this work, but maybe it’s just that the first is always better than the sequel.

Worked harder on this job than any I've ever worked on since. So much pressure to make it perfect. It would never be, however. It just didn't work. But what I learned is that at W+K the work will always come first, even if you are seemingly polishing a turd. This job went through three art directors before it was over. And one of our two editors was rushed to the hospital with heart pains. Derek Ruddy was the lead producer but he used me like a drug. Between he and Bill Davenport, it was like earning a doctorate degree in the art of production. My first two campaigns taught me everything I needed to know about advertising. Most importantly, that you'll never stop learning.

Again, I was under the tutelage of Derek Ruddy, producer extraordinaire and first cousin of crazy Jim Riswold. Derek was my inside track to Jim. Win Derek over and Jim will certainly accept me like blood! Derek was an amazing mentor in all facets of work and life. Handsome and likable, he had the flight attendant in the palm of his hand halfway from PDX to LAX. We met her and her married BFF for dinner later that night. A night to remember if there was any recollection of it, no doubt. Morning came and we raced to our shoot. I threw up along the way. On set, I excused myself to go take a leak. Standing there contemplating the majesty of the urinal I was peeing into, up walked the one and only Joe Frazier. He mumbled hello as he prepared to pee. As he waits for it to flow he begins to talk but I have no idea what he is saying. Finally, his pee releases and it sounds like a fire hose sandblasting porcelain. After a few moments, the pee stops. A perfect beat later he lets the most impressive fart anyone's ever heard. He mumbles something else, zips up and walks away. I follow him back to set and see that anyone on the crew with headphones on is busting a gut. Frazier's mic was hot the entire visit to the head.