Graeme Hanson
I braved what felt like the three-and-a-half hour drive from Shoreline to West Seattle recently for a coffee catch up with The Garrigan Lyman Group ACD Graeme Hanson.
After seeing each other every day for 12 years, it's been 18 months since we’d caught up in person. Graeme is a tremendous creative talent and a father of two young kids, which, especially during the pandemic, is a multitasking role that leaves me in awe.
Graeme’s story is inspiring for anyone looking to break into the creative world. After early days on the account side at WE Communications and Edelman, Graeme joined GLG as a project manager. He liked the gig okay, but what he really got him energized was the idea of being on the creative team. When he got his shot as a copywriter, he immediately stood out for unique ideas, fresh copy, and versatility as a writer. The tone and voice of his copy is immediately appealing and authentic. He easily moves from marcom to brand storytelling to advertising concepts to broadcast scriptwriting. Not surprisingly, Graeme quickly worked his way up from copywriter to senior copywriter to Associate Creative Director. He's a real talent and a joy to work with.
At West Seattle Grounds, we caught up on life, sports, fatherhood, and the creative side of things. I always learn a lot from Graeme and this time was no different. Some highlights:
1) It’s better offbeat: Graeme’s creative gift is approaching the work with an off-beat sensibility. His copy is never flat or too on the nose. He’s the master of non-sequiturs in conversation and he brings that off-beat sensibility to his creative problem solving, which immediately makes it interesting and unique.
2) Creative innovation takes trust: The freshest and most engaging creative work often comes with a trusting client and supportive team. Everyone says, “think outside the box," but non-traditional approaches by their very nature are outside of most people's comfort zones. Believing in each other and that the audience will get it takes a high degree of team trust. When that happens, innovative creative work comes to life.
3) Get in 18 holes before work, whenever possible. Graeme did this every day for a week this summer while working remotely from Houston, waking up early to play a solo round of golf before the workday began on the West Coast. His body was energized, his mind refreshed, and his handicap undoubtedly improved.
Perhaps the reconnect roadshow will catch up with Graeme on the links next time. Lord knows my golf game needs an education as well. Until then, thanks Graeme!
#creativedirection #copywriting #innovation #golf #thankyou