David Taylor
One of the great things about the Reconnect Roadshow is getting introduced to new people, often very talented people. My recent coffee with David Taylor was one of those times. Thanks Megan Averell for the connection.
Dave is an accomplished advertising creative director and graphic designer. Those are two unique disciplines that, in the best of cases, come together to create artful and memorable advertising. Dave began his career at the Crispin Porter Bogusky during its ascent to the zeitgeist of advertising in the early 2000s, creatively led by the legendary Alex Bogusky. Dave describes the place as flush with senior talent, lots of crazy hours, and everybody all in on projects, meaning creatives weren’t assigned to accounts, everybody just pitched ideas across accounts. It was survival of the fittest ideas.
The shop, headquartered in Miami away from the power centers of advertising, had unique culture that set it apart from Madison Ave agencies. The CPB team would walk in to pitches in casual clothes and clients would think, “Who are these Miami guys?” CPB oozed different thinking and a fresh approach at a time when the advertising world (and clients) desperately needed it. Check out the book "Hoopla" by Warren Berger to learn more.
When Dave and I met at Bark! Espresso in Seattle’s Northgate neighborhood, Dave was generous with his time, recalling an eventful career that now has him founding and leading OKAYBRO. The agency’s strong aesthetic and not-for-everybody positioning is refreshing in a world where so many agencies tout the same game.
Some other quick takeaways from my coffee with Dave.
1) Learn the stories: When Dave was at CPB, founders Sam Crispin and Chuck Porter would occasionally announce late in the day that they were headed to the local watering hole and invite employees to join. Dave would often go, even though it was crazy busy with creative work to do. A chance to hear the founders share stories of the early days was too valuable to pass up, and he’s glad he took the time to soak in their life and career wisdom.
2) Know your niche: OKAYBRO has niche vibe—which helps self-selects clients and puts them on the same page with Dave’s team right out of the gate. It avoids a lot of head banging over creative direction later on. Think about that in your marketing, advertising, and and the prospects you go after. Who do you want to work with?
3) Entrepreneurs keep at it: Dave is enjoying great success with OKAYBRO. But managing a small business took a couple tries. He went back in-house at Amazon and Rally Marketing Group for a while. There, he met a lot of talented people, but he still had the bug. He eventually founded OKAYBRO and things took off. So, fledgling founders; keep going. Every day is a learning experience.
Thank you Dave for taking the time to connect and share your wisdom and perspective. It was great fun and I learned a bunch.
#creativeagency #advertising #founders #coffee #thankyou