Teddy Gersten on Tech Growth & Digital Evolution

How would you describe and reflect on 2015 for the industry, creatively speaking?

It’s always exciting to see the brands that let agencies take risks and create something that might otherwise be a scary concept. There’s been more and more of that kind of risk-taking this past year - it’s always nice to see really creative ideas being executed.

What about your company’s creative performance; how much do you think you’ve grown this year?

We’re increasingly given the opportunity to collaborate on projects that aren’t necessarily traditional, which is great. The best part is that it forces us to think differently about our approach and ultimately how to execute the work.

These opportunities stretch our creative abilities and demand that we think outside our everyday box, leaving us with the broader skillsets that come with doing diverse work.

What has your own best personal achievement been in the past 12 months and why?

Completing an entire SoulCycle class. But seriously, being tapped to become a partner at BUTCHER earlier this year was a huge moment for me. It’s something that’s got me very excited about the future.

Looking ahead to 2016, what are you most excited about in terms of the industry and advertising? 

Everyone can see that advertising is changing, some say for the worse and some say for the better. I’m excited to see what opportunities arise in the new year, but I’m especially interested to see if these industry shifts in the digital evolution of production and agency-brand relationships net us more innovation and creativity. 

Give us an example of a strategy/approach from a brand you’d like to see more of in 2016… 

Heat San Francisco has been doing some really fun stuff with Madden recently, and W+K has been doing great work for Southern Comfort. Jaguar recently put out a piece that I had the pleasure of working on: they shot a short-form action film and then held live events where people could go see the car, but also shoot a scene and have it inserted into the movie - essentially making themselves the star of the film.

I really liked this project, not just because I worked on it, but because we took things a step further and added another degree of complexity, capturing more interest and imagination.

Which campaign, piece of work or moment will you remember this year for and why?

Jason Sperling at RPA wrote a book on advertising, but instead of going the traditional publishing route, he released one page per day on Instagram paired with some pretty awesome animations. This stands out as a good example of someone taking a traditional, familiar format and finding a new creative way to introduce it to people.

How do you think the US has performed this year in comparison to other leading markets such as the UK? 

The growing availability of tech and the democratising force of the internet will continue to create markets that compete with the US. I’m sure markets like the UK, Sweden, and Brazil all had good years, but the US remains the heart of global innovation and entertainment and the sheer output of our industry here reflects that.

What’s your new year’s resolution, workwise or other?

Own a pet tiger sometime in the future.

What one piece of advice would you give to the industry to take with it into 2016?

To me, what makes advertising so interesting is the people; creative people being allowed to do creative things. So going into 2016, I’d only encourage people to keep taking chances and pushing the envelope, to not settle for safe.

What do you hope you’ve achieved by this time next year in terms of work?

If I can continue having the chance to work on projects that keep me excited and creatively motivated, then I‘ll be a very happy man.