pleased to meet me

Thanks for dropping by. Since you’re here, why not read the story of my adventures in music and advertising? 

Upon graduation from Lake Forest College, instead getting a “real” job, I decided to throw my degree in the garbage and pursue my lifelong dream of being a professional musician. And I did just that… playing drums in a couple of semi-known rock bands. I toured the world, shared the bill with huge acts, recorded with people like Rick Rubin, played in front of thousands of people, did Lollapalooza and trashed a hotel room or two. It was a great time to say the least. Then it all crashed and burned. After years of being on the road and getting dropped from not one, but two major labels, I was exhausted and decided to get into another line of work. So I traded in my sticks for a pen and went off to portfolio school. Shortly thereafter, I became a copywriter at Arc Worldwide, working on retail, print and promotional campaigns for Miller/Coors, United Airlines and Mc Donald’s. 

As I was slinging copy and learning the trade, I continued to play in local bands with the occasional gig in NYC, L.A. or at SXSW. I also did a fair amount of commercial/session work as a side-hustle that wasn’t really on the side. It went like this: I’d be working at my desk, get a call from a music house, run to the recording studio, play drums for an hour, get paid, then rush back to work before anyone noticed I was gone. This went on for a year or two. And while I never wrote a Super Bowl spot, I did play drums on one so I can check that off my non-essential bucket list.

Then I landed a gig at Leo Burnett Chicago. It was around this time when I realized the creative process of bringing an advertising idea to life was very similar to writing a song. It takes a lot of thought, collaboration and experimentation to craft something that will move people to listen to what you have to say. Armed with this new-found philosophy, I threw myself into my work…getting my hands dirty on a bunch of brands including Samsung, Philip Morris, Western Union, Delta Faucet, Bally’s and United Technologies. I worked across all mediums from print and outdoor to digital, TV and large scale branded promotions. I spent a lot of late nights at the office, met some really talented people and made a bunch of friends. The fridge was always stocked with beer and the after meeting leftover food was fantastic. Things were good.

One day, I got a random call from an agency in the NYC area named Colangelo. They asked if I was interested in working as a CD on some booze and pet food accounts. I thought: “what goes better with a glass of vodka than a bowl of dog food?” So I said “sayonara” to Chi-town and headed east to do web, social, mobile, retail and TV for Tequila Don Julio, Ketel One and Wellpet. On the music front, the scene in Connecticut wasn’t really, shall we say, “vibrant”, but I did manage to satisfy my hunger for rock by driving back and forth to Manhattan to play in a female-fronted band that only did Misfits covers. To this day, it was one of my all-time favorite musical experiences.

After a few years, I was approached by TPN to serve as the CD on the Cricket Wireless account, doing branded video content, TV and radio (remember radio)? It was nice to be back in Chicago but everyday, as I walked past the Leo Burnett building, I couldn’t help but wonder what my old pals were up to. I called a former boss of mine, told him I missed dear old “uncle Leo” and wanted back in. He said, “Yes my son, time come home”. So I did and spent another five years at Leo Burnett. I had officially come full circle.

Update as of May 2021:

Since I last put this thing together, I was brought in as a Creative Director at GMR in Milwaukee. Sure, the commute from Chicago was brutal, but I relished the opportunity to dive into the world of experiential and had a blast doing it. Now I’m full on freelance and open to any remote (or on-site) work you may need - be it branding, creative direction or simply writing some tasty copy for your website. I have a lot of personal clients, but am always looking to expand, so don’t be shy about getting in touch.

Digits: 773-960-2236

Email: diemfive@gmail.com

Cheers

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diemfive@gmail.com
773.960.2236