Our story is simple. We’ve been working as creatives and strategists in the advertising industry for a long time. We’ve worked our butts off to create effective work that we love and gone the extra miles to win awards. Along the way, we’ve learned a ton about how to run an agency, but perhaps more importantly, we’ve learned what NOT to do. We created ROUSER based on what we think is the right way. You wouldn’t think our values of honesty, transparency, accountability and, well, just being kind and showing gratitude would be major points of difference, but apparently they are.
I’ve been working in advertising for more than 20 years and have been fortunate enough to do my thing as an art director and writer in amazing countries like New Zealand, the United States and Australia. Originally from Minnesota, I cut my teeth at my dream agency, Carmichael Lynch in Minneapolis. All through university, I had their work for Harley Davidson, Porsche and Schwinn Bicycles plastered on my walls. While I was at Carmichael Lynch, I soaked up everything I could from the creatives I’d idolized for years. What I found was that, not only were they insanely talented, but some of the best ones were also genuinely kind, humble and authentic humans who cared deeply about those around them. It’s something I’ve never forgotten and it’s informed my career journey all the way to ROUSER. I’ve worked at several agencies since then, including one where I was co-creative director with Simon for three years. That has by far been the best partnership I’ve experienced. We learned quickly that we did great work together, and more importantly, we both recognised that we could create something special by doing things our way – the right way – with the right motivations. That something special is ROUSER. Outside of work, I’m a hack musician, baseball coach, husband and father. But certainly not in that order.
Let’s quickly do the industry hype paragraph where I explain I have over 15 years experience in the advertising and design industry, creating and maintaining demanding campaigns for complex organisations from around the globe. That I have developed a keen eye for detail across omnichannel communications, while gaining in-depth industry and consumer knowledge, held senior leadership positions, won dozens of awards, and developed a reputation for projects that highlight lateral thinking and polished production.
Whew – now that’s done I can be a little more personal.
Make awesome stuff that gets results and enjoy the process with everyone involved – that’s always been my motto. Over the years I have discovered the key to achieving this is the absolutely vital and yet often inexplicably neglected relationship between the agency and the client. A positive working relationship always results in the most successful and satisfying work. It’s where passions are exposed and interactions are punctuated with an invigorating anticipation for the task at hand. This is what connected Jim and I after working together as co-creative directors at a previous agency and it is what I am most passionate about bringing to our clients here at ROUSER.
