How did you get started in advertising? What's been your career road map?

It started in grade school. I started drawing stuff and became the go-to-guy for posters: sports, proms, yearbooks, anything. When I was 14, I was designing restaurant menus. People came to me for marketing because I drew all the time.

My road map has been to go with my gut. I was a CCO at 29. I mean, it was my own company, but I was running Converse.

How I got to Deutsch is really interesting and unplanned. Honestly, there are many times I have thought about leaving the industry and then something happens and I stay. I realized that the job doesn’t always need to be the one you thought it was. You can create your own. You can make docu-films or create an art show to help homeless people, like what we did with 100 Pieces. I have been able to use this job to do other things that satisfy my creative needs. What keeps me in advertising right now is that no one knows where the business is going and it is exciting. It keeps me young. The one thing I do know is that doing good is a passion.

Once, a reporter referred to me as a bonafide expert in advertising. If I’m ever an expert in anything, it’s time to quit.

Photo courtesy of Deutsch

What keeps you motivated?

If I’m not making something it’s because I died.

What’s the most important lesson you’ve learned so far?

We can use our creative talents to make the world better. Sometimes people look down on advertising but what they don’t realize is that we have the ability to creatively move humanity forward. Advertising is starting to get a whiff of that and award it.

What excites you most about this industry?

The opportunity to help change the world with our creativity. We can partner with corporations to make the world better. And at the end of the day, that is what consumers want in 2018.

Where is advertising heading? What do the next five years look like?

Brands are starting to understand that being a purpose-driven company and putting the good back into humanity is the currency of the future. People will buy things based on their emotional attachment to the way a company behaves. With so much competition, all product is parody. You create a product and in two weeks, you’ll have the same product made by someone else. People will buy with their hearts.

What advice do you have for those just starting in advertising?

“Hate something, change something.” Taken from Honda’s 2004 “Grrr” campaign. Advertising is rapidly changing into something else. And if you don’t like it, you’re probably a good candidate to change it from the inside.

What does 2018 hold for you, and for Deutsch?

That’s the beauty: I have no idea and a ton of ideas. We just start trying things and experimenting. If you don’t, you’ll sink. But to start, let’s make sure we’re doing right by our people and creating a culture where they feel safe. That’s how great work gets made.

Any closing thoughts for the ThinkLA community?

L.A. is at an inflection point that I’ve never before seen in my career. I’ve worked in London, Boston, Sweden, China, and all over the U.S. and I have never seen the collision of creativity and the fusion of film, music, and entertainment. The only thing missing is fashion. L.A. doesn’t get any credit for fashion. Every day, I think this is the best time and place to be in the ad business. L.A. has a ton of opportunity. Relish it. If you’re a creative person, you can do anything you want. The world is wide open. You have just as much of a chance as the next person.

180LA

Outdoor Lions - Ambient Experiential & Immersive Digital

Bronze Lion 

Dream Adventures | Client: Expedia | Product: Travel

Health & Wellness Lions - Clinics, Hospitals, Retail & Facilities

Bronze Lion

Title: Dream Adventures | Client: Expedia | Product: Travel

Health & Wellness Lions - Clinics, Hospitals, Retail & Facilities

Bronze Lion

Title: Dream Adventures | Client: Expedia | Product: Travel

Film Lions - Non-Fiction Series

Bronze Lion

Title: Unfairy Tales Series | Client: Unicef | Product: Humanitarian Aid

Film Craft Lions - Use of Licensed/Adapted Music

Bronze Lion

Title: Jane | Client: HP | Product: Sprout

Film Craft Lions - Animation

Silver Lion

Title: Malak and the Boat | Client: UNICEF | Product: Humanitarian Aid

Entertainment Lions - Online: Non-Fiction Series

Bronze Lion

Title: Unfairy Tales Series | Client: Unicef | Product: Humanitarian Aid

Entertainment Lions - Live Broadcast/Live Streaming

Bronze Lion

Title: Dream Adventures | Client: Expedia | Product: Travel

Cyber Lions - Websiodes/Series

Gold Lion Campaign

Title: Malak and the Boat | Client: Unicef | Product: Humanitarian Aid

Cyber Lions - Websiodes/Series

Gold Lion Campaign

Title: Ivine and Pillow | Client: Unicef | Product: Humanitarian Aid

Cyber Lions - Websiodes/Series

Gold Lion Campaign

Title: Mustafa Goes for a Walk | Client: Unicef | Product: Humanitarian Aid

72andSunny

Digital Craft Lions - Interface & Navigation (UI)

Silver Lion

Title: Lightsaber Escape: A Chrome Experiment | Client:Google, Disney, Industrial Light & Magic, Lucas Film | Product:Google Chrome

Digital Craft Lions - Native & Built-in Feature Integration

Silver Lion

Title: Lightsaber Escape: A Chrome Experiment | Client:Google, Disney, Industrial Light & Magic, Lucas Film | Product:Google Chrome

Mobile Lions - Networked/Connected Mobile Technology

Silver Lion

Title: Lightsaber Escape: A Chrome Experiment | Client:Google, Disney, Industrial Light & Magic, Lucas Film | Product:Google Chrome

Cyber Lions - Web

Bronze Lion

Title: Lightsaber Escape: A Chrome Experiment | Client: Google, Disney, Industrial Light & Magic, Lucas Film | Product: Google Chrome

Cyber Lions - Web Service/Apps

Silver Lion

Title: Lightsaber Escape: A Chrome Experiment | Client: Google, Disney, Industrial Light & Magic, Lucas Film | Product: Google Chrome

Deutsch

Digital Craft Lions - Digital Illustration

Bronze Lion

Title:Taco Emoji Engine | Client:Taco Bell | Product: Taco Emoji Launch

Media Lions - Retail, e-Commerce, Restaurants & Fast Food Chains

Bronze Lion

Title: Target Creates First Ever Live Music Video with Gwen Stefani | Client: Target | Product: Retail

Mobile Lions - Content for User Engagement

Silver Lion

Title:Taco Emoji Engine | Client:Taco Bell | Product: Taco Emoji Launch

Film Craft Lions - Achievement in Production

Bronze Lion

Title: Target Creates First-Ever Live Music Video with Gwen Stefani | Client: Target | Product: Retail

Entertainment Lions for Music - Artist Associated Stunt or Activation in Partnership with a Brand

Bronze Lion

Title: Target Creates First-Ever Live Music Video with Gwen Stefani | Client: Target | Product: Retail

Entertainment Lions - Live Broadcast/Live Streaming

Silver Lion

Title: Target Creates First-Ever Live Music Video with Gwen Stefani | Client: Target | Product: Retail

Cyber Lions - Social Business

Bronze Lion

Title: Tacobot | Client: Taco Bell | Product: Tacobot

RPA

Design Lions - Motion Graphics Design & Animation

Gold Lion

Title: Paper | Client: American Honda Motor Co. | Product: Honda

Film Craft Lions - Sound Design

Bronze Lion

Title: Paper | Client: Honda | Product: Honda

Film Craft Lions - Animation

Silver Lion

Title: Paper | Client: American Honda Motor Co. | Product: Honda

TBWA

Promo & Activation Lions - Live Shows/Concerts/Festivals

Silver Lion

Title: Grammy Cam | Client: The Grammy's | Product: The 58th Grammy Awards

PR Lions - PR Excellence in Effectiveness

Silver Lion

Title: No Borders | Client: AirBnB | Product: AirBnb

Outdoor Lions - Integrated Campaign led by Outdoor

Silver Lion

Title: Color Bars | Client: Apple | Product: Apple TV

Cyber Lions - Response/Real-time Activity

Silver Lion

Title: #LiveInTheMovies | Client: AirBnB | Product: AirBnB

Film Lions - Cars & Automotive Products & Services

Silver Lion

Title: Shoulders of Giants | Client: Nissan North America | Product: Nissan Titan

Film Craft Lions - Production Design/ Art Direction

Bronze Lion

Title: History of Sound | Client: Apple | Product: Apple Music

Film Craft Lions - Use of Licensed/Adapted Music

Bronze Lion

Title: Compton | Client: The Grammy's | Product: The 58th Grammy Awards

Mobile Lions - Response/Real-time Activity

Silver Lion

Title: #LiveInTheMovies | Client: AirBnB | Product: AirBnB