Well it’s not how 8 year-old me drew it up, but I finally found a way to join my beloved New York Knicks.
Here’s what happened:
I first became interested in advertising when I saw that very first Old Spice commercial - The Man Your Man Could Smell Like (as cliche as that is...) At the time, I was an anthropology major on the Columbia sketch comedy team with no real idea of how I could turn those passions into a profession. But that spot - with its jokes and compelling persuasion - suggested that advertising was something like ‘culturally informed sketch comedy.” I now know it’s a whole lot more, but that was what initially led me to the industry; the opportunity to draw on cultural insights…and make jokes. My first taste of ad life was as a new business intern at TBWA where the sheer aura of it all was completely overwhelming in the most intoxicating way. New Business was a great department to start in; understanding how an agency pitched itself gave me a deeper understanding of the profession.
After graduating, I took a job at The Joey Company, where I learned the mechanics of how an agency operates. Unfortunately, I was the world’s worst account manager, and my creative ambitions took me to my next stop, Interbrand. At the world’s leading branding agency, I learned how to build the brand voice and messaging from the bottom up, creating the verbal foundation of many house-name brands. This is where I learned an idea actually needs to support the brand message etc. An exciting week at Cannes as a participant in the Young Lions Storytelling academy reignited my love of advertising, and refocused my pursuit of a true copywriter position. I joined Vaynermedia in March of 2015, and was privileged to play a role in growing the agency from a small shop in flatiron to a leading global, award-winning agency. Over the course of six years I learned how to become a better creative, manager, and industry professional.
Then, one day while WFH in 2020, I received an email that the NY Knicks would like to talk…and the rest is history. As a lifelong die-hard Knicks fan, it’s hard to describe it as anything but a dream.