Today we’d like to introduce you to Brandon Friedman.
Brandon, please share your story with us. How did you get to where you are today?
About halfway through my time at the UGA’s Forestry School where I was studying Wildlife Management, I realized the environment was a passion of mine but not something I wanted to pursue a profession in. After graduating, I hiked the majority of the Appalachian Trail with the hope of figuring out what would be my calling. Upon returning, I landed a job at a boutique PR agency. I enjoyed aspects of it, like the occasional brainstorms and creating clever media pitches. But PR was a little too dry and analytical for me.
Just by happenstance, my fiance (now my wife) and I went out with a friend I grew up with and her boyfriend, Michael Cohen, whom I had never met. He was an art director at an agency in town. The more he told me about what he did, the more awesome advertising sounded. He also taught a class at the Creative Circus, a local portfolio school and urged me to give it a try.
After taking one class at the Circus to make sure it was something I wanted to do, I enrolled full time in the copywriting program. A little less than two years later, I landed my first job at Sawyer Riley Compton. About a year later, I left for an incredible boutique agency, Huey Paprocki, which was situated at the bottom of the Highland Inn. There were about 10 of us in all so I got to wear many hats and learn from one of the best writers in the industry, Ron Huey. Unfortunately, he and Joe Paprocki had different visions so the agency soon closed its doors.
Afterward, I worked at a few other agencies in Atlanta (three and Brunner) and got to work with several other extremely talented folks on a variety of clients from mattresses to health care to restaurants and home improvement. I was then recruited by Focus Brands about 6 years ago to help them build a fully functional in-house creative team and shape the voice of several brands, especially Moe’s. I was initially the only writer, but as Moe’s needs grew tremendously, so did the team, the opportunities, and my role. I’ve been a creative director for the brand for the past 3 or so years.
Has it been a smooth road?
It’s all relative. I haven’t faced homelessness, drug addiction or poverty so compared to what some face, it’s been pretty easy. I have had my share of tough clients, ideas killed for silly reasons (including clients’ spouse didn’t get it) who didn’t get it and have been victimized by the occasional lunch thief. One of my biggest challenges has also been one of my greatest motivators – budget. More times than not in my career, the budget on projects has been far less than ideal (especially in my earlier days). But what that ensures is that the ideas are simple, memorable and break through the clutter. And what I’ve learned and benefited from a few times is if an idea is good enough, people will want to work on it for far less than they normally charge.
Do you feel luck has played a role in your life?
Ahh, good ole luck. I think I’ve had my fair share of good and bad luck. In a weird way, most of the times the bad luck has led to good things. As for good luck, one recent instance has led to probably my favorite work. About three years ago, an art director and I concepted a campaign where we’d build a home out of food and wreck it with an avocado. We were very excited about the idea and looked for food directors who could help us accomplish this. It just so happened that our producer had seen a CBS mornings about a year prior about this guy in London who built worlds out of food. Had she never seen this or remembered it, there’s a good chance we would have never discovered the artist, Carl Warner nor campaigned out the foodscapes to include 5 more TV spots and my favorite project of all – 6 new pieces of art that will soon be in Moe’s throughout the country that use ingredients to pay tribute to musical pioneers.
Is there a characteristic or quality that you feel is essential to success?
Perseverance. There are always skeptics to creative. Some don’t get the ideas. Some are afraid of the ideas. Some over analyze the ideas. If I believe in an idea, I’ll fight for it. Not with just passion, but logic. And if the idea doesn’t get bought off at the time, I’ll put it somewhere safe so I can sell it a later date.
Let’s touch on your thoughts about our city – what do you like the most and least?
I absolutely love the Beltline and everything it has done to encourage outdoor activity. The city is becoming a hotbed for creativity in regards to music, art, food and entertainment. And that makes me ecstatic! As for dislikes, other than the obvious ( traffic), the air quality drives me crazy with sinus issues. I leave town for a few days and feel excellent and within a few hours of coming back, my head starts throbbing.
Image Credit:
Carl Warner – artist, photographer for food art pieces, director for the Home TV spot
Pat Molnar – photographer for bearded baby piece
Andrea Fremiotti – retoucher for bearded boy
Pat Molnar – director for microwave video
Chris Bailey (Moxie), director for chip guitar video
Atlanta Props, chip guitar
