I’ll admit, as a young copywriter, hearing those words felt like a knife to the gut.

Smart? No, no, no! I wanted to be one of those crazy creatives who effortlessly floated ideas straight out of some wild acid trip. The real artists who produced stuff that sometimes made no sense but was always just mind-blowingly cool. Those geniuses didn’t think, they just did.

I couldn’t have been more wrong. As I quickly discovered, most of the creatives whose work I idolized were also insanely smart. They understood people and problems, the challenges of navigating clients and culture, and the psychology of selling.

So I let my left brain and right brain hug it out and never looked back. Today, I can not only turn any brief into creative work that makes you laugh, cry, feel, and do; I can unearth the elusive insight and write the provocative brief in the first place. I can find a brand’s “why”, craft its voice, and dream up the ideas that bring it to life.

I’m currently open to any opportunity that lets me challenge my creativity in new ways — doing or leading, agency or brand-side.

And I’m ok being pretty smart for a creative.

Love,
Yagi

Here’s some basic background. For dates and details, please see my LinkedIn.

I'm a Copywriter and Creative Director. But not one of those “CDs” handed a title, I’ve run creative on big accounts, led teams, developed client partnerships, and fought the hard fights for better work.

I love both doing the work and leading/nurturing teams. I'm proud to say most people who work with me, love me. At least that's what they say.

I’ve also expanded into Creative Strategy, most recently in-house at Twitter, where I was responsible for elevating strategy, creativity and storytelling across the Global Business Marketing org. (By the way, I’d recommend every creative work client/brand side at least once in their career. #IYKYK)

I have a ton of experience in uncovering and telling a brand's story - giving companies or products a standout personality and voice. I'm equally comfy with a tiny startup or a massive multinational. I always have great relationships with clients.

In the first part of my career, I spent the majority of my time at TBWA\Chiat\Day in LA. Since then, I’ve been lucky to gig at some pretty great places, including Saatchi LA, Twitter, Team One, Deutsch, David & Goliath, and more.

Here are some of the accounts I've worked on:

Twitter, Toyota, Lexus, LA Chargers, ASICS, Arm, Nissan, Infiniti, Johnson & Johnson, Visa, Southwest Airlines, Principal Financial Group, Jimmy Dean, Temptations Cat Treats, Seeds of Change Organic, American Tourister, Sprint, Suzuki Motorcycles, AST Computers, Countrywide, and Jenny Craig.

My work has been recognized by Cannes Lions, One Show, Clios, Communication Arts and more.

I'm based in the Los Angeles area. But if you’re open to remote, I can work for you no matter where you are, even East Coast hours.