Sam Isenstein
WHAT DO YOU DO?
“I’m a freelance copywriter and associate creative director working in advertising.”
Roughly, my job is to work with lots of really smart people to come up with creative ideas that solve marketing problems. Then I work with those same (or different, but hopefully still very smart) people to make those ideas real.
WHAT STEPS DID YOU TAKE TO GET TO WHERE YOU ARE NOW?
I started my career in film production, which is essentially a crash course in creative collaboration and how to work with a group of talented people to make something greater than the sum of the parts. From there, advertising felt like the natural next step.
Now I’m lucky enough to call NYC home, and work for all sorts of agencies on all sorts of brands.
HOW DO YOU STAND OUT IN YOUR FIELD?
I like people a lot, which is important if your job is to talk to them. I also actively try to make every situation/environment/group I’m in better, in any way I can.
WHAT ARE YOU WORKING ON RIGHT NOW?
I love working in film, digital, TVC, print, radio - I love it all. I’ve also worked in most realities (augmented, virtual or otherwise). That being said, I generally try to only take on on one or two professional projects at a time. I think it keeps me sharper and more focused. I make up for it by having a zillion personal projects going at once. I'm also trying to get better at geography. I keep busy.
WHAT'S YOUR STYLE/PERSPECTIVE/TASTE? DO YOU HAVE A PROJECT THAT REPRESENTS THIS?
I think that creative has to be surprising to have any hope of resonating in even the smallest way. I also like work that gets weird. The adidas campaigns on my site are pretty representative of that, but I want to keep pushing it.
I also think humor is a great way in. Every good joke is a surprise, and surprises are interesting by default. It’s also probably the fastest way to make someone pay attention to you, or even like you. Right dad?
WE ALL HAVE MULTIPLE SKILLS OR WORK IN VARIOUS INDUSTRIES, WHICH ONE DO YOU WISH YOU COULD FOCUS ON MORE?
I love video games and would love to write-slash-world build for one of those. But then would the games become “work” and cease being “games,” thus canceling out the draw of the medium in the first place? Ugh, who cares.
WHAT IS FRUSTRATING YOU RIGHT NOW?
At the moment, some very spotty wifi. And geopolitics. C'mon everyone, get it together.
IF YOU COULD HIRE SOMEONE FOR $20/HR, WHAT WOULD YOU HAVE THEM DO TO MAKE YOUR DAY EASIER?
I’m sure my cat wouldn’t mind a bit more playtime. Or help me do geography flashcards. That'd be nice.
LET'S BRING OUT THE TIME MACHINE. WHAT DO YOU WISH YOU COULD HAVE TOLD YOURSELF, WHEN, AND WHY?
Buy Bitcoin, like, eight years ago. And relax, it's all going to work out! Except for that one thing. That doesn't really work out.
IF YOU COULD TALK TO AN EXPERT TO GAIN MORE INSIGHT ON SOMETHING, WHAT WOULD IT BE ABOUT?
Hayao Miyazaki, the head of Studio Ghibli. Specifically, to find out how he communicates the images he sees in his mind to his team. And to give me a lesson on storytelling. And drawing too. And a job, probably, if we’re getting right down to it.
WHAT KIND OF OPPORTUNITIES/PROJECTS ARE YOU LOOKING FOR?
I want to work with people who are interested in making things that other people think are interesting. I’m not super pigeonholed when it comes to the medium. I like working with people to make something bigger than all of us.
DESCRIBE YOUR IDEAL JOB/CLIENT/COLLABORATION.
I think it’s important to approach work as an exercise in partnership. If you want to make anything, you need to get a lot of people united behind a singular goal, and gently manage egos along the way. That being said, you also can’t be afraid to take a stand behind a singular POV.
WHAT IS YOUR HOURLY RATE, RETAINER, OR SALARY RANGE?
It really depends on the project and your budget. I’m flexible/a human being, so just shoot me an email if you want to chat and we can take it from there.
WHO IS A CREATIVE THAT HAS HELPED YOU ELEVATE YOUR WORK?
Ulrika Karlberg. She’s just an awesome creative and leader and all-around human being.
HOW SHOULD SOMEONE APPROACH YOU ABOUT WORKING TOGETHER?
Email, and then we can talk on the phone and walk through the project.
HOW DO YOU STAY CREATIVE?
Remember I'm just some dude.
This member profile was originally published in July 2019.