Lawrence
Wood

I'm an adjunct literature professor and writer turned creative director and…writer. I've published a couple short stories in literary journals, and turned some of that skill into big client and agency wins. I believe in always starting with the truth – brand, product, human – and then creating from there. It's the best way to find the biggest ideas. I believe part of the job of any creative director is to mentor young talent – help them hone their craft, sharpen their instincts, and push them to look at the world a little differently. I also believe it's tragic that AI has ruined the em dash – I've been overusing them for more than a decade.

Moving on, I've built global and domestic campaigns, seasonal platforms, evergreen programs and all the cherries that go with them. I love working on big brands, but have a real soft spot for the misunderstood, hard-to-understand, the scratchers and clawers, wily upstarts and ahead-of-their-timers. Those challenger brands that probably need a great idea just a little bit more.

I strongly believe that if you want people to talk, give them a good story. And you can tell that story anywhere – in a film, on a napkin, on an error page, under a viaduct.

As many famous writers over the years have remarked, it takes longer to write something short than it does to just keep writing, so with that in mind, I'll finish with a few fun things about me:

I have two dogs. One child. One child in development and one lovely wife, who's also in the industry. We have one house. I like wine, Beck, cigars, driving fast, scuba diving, dry humor, books you can put on shelves, creating fake businesses and franchises, and Starburst Jellybeans. I never fall asleep at green turn arrows. And it's Lawrence. Never Larry.