JAY RUSSELL
Jay Russell is executive creative director at Texas-based agency GSD&M. He knew he wanted to be in advertising at the age of 16 on Career Day. “I saw a doctor, a lawyer and some dude in jeans that ‘got paid to doodle and make beer ads’ - that sounded good”. He talks the best of creative and helping iconic brands stay relevant in changing times.
Image: Jay Russell
The first thing I do in my day is...
Run five miles.
At the moment I am working on...
Launching the new Barbasol campaign. We are always challenged with helping iconic American brands stay relevant in changing times. The campaign is summed up best with the line “It’s like America on your face.” The first wave of work tells the story of how disappointed our heroic forefathers who built this country are with us today with our juice cleanses and kale diets.
The best piece of creative work around at the moment is...
I love the Oreo Instagram integration with their Super Bowl spot. A product used in a way that I willingly and eagerly want to participate in. I Love the new Jell-O work as well. Free Jell-O for the losing Super Bowl city? Genius idea. Makes me love that brand. Both are ideas that don’t force brands on me in a disingenuous way.
I am inspired by...
Austin, Texas. The creative culture here is insane. It’s a culture where people actually make stuff and don’t just talk about making stuff. From restaurants to filmmakers to city planning - they do it right.
Definitely my muse.
This year I’ll be attending...
Lots of stuff, but I’m most looking forward to Fun Fun Fun Fest in Austin. It’s the perfect blend of arts - printmakers, photographers, skate/BMX culture and bands that range from PiL to Run DMC to Slayer. It’s the best culture blender I’ve seen.
The next big thing in advertising is going to be...
Hopefully, a resurgence in simple, powerful ideas. I can’t tell you how many young creative portfolios I see that are essentially full of websites that just aggregate other people’s ideas and feeds. The lack of craft and simple powerful ideas is depressing. So I’m hoping the next big thing is simplicity.
The piece of digital work I wish I had thought of is...
“We Choose the Moon” for the JFK Museum. My old partner Wade Alger worked on it. It’s beyond advertising. It’s a new way to teach history and opened up a medium that can really change the way people learn.
In a film about my life, I’d like to be played by...
Morgan Freeman. No - Jimmy Stewart. Some sort of Morgan Freeman/Jimmy Stewart/Stormtrooper hybrid.
The screen background on my mobile phone is...
My four-year-old daughter, Sadie Ann, sporting a mohawk.
My last social media update said...
“Go back to Garland.”
My dream collaboration is...
Keith Richard, Paul Westerberg, Ray Davies and me. I literally dream about this.
In up and coming talent, I look for...
Passion and common sense.
A piece of criticism I’ve received was...
Shut up.
The last song piece of music I listened to was...
According to Spotify, it was Blackout Stout by FIDLAR. In my head, it’s my daughter’s Dora the Explorer CD.
Video: Jell-O “Super Bowl Pudding Surprise”
Video: JFK Museum “We Choose the Moon” by The Martin Agency. The project was an interactive re-creation of the historic Apollo 11 mission to the moon, inspired by John F. Kennedy’s grand vision. The images, video and audio from the mission are a part of public domain, but the project marked the first time they had been aggregated and organised to give viewers a “mission experience.” Since the four-day live event, the site has become a self-guided tour of the mission - a tour that over 3.5 million people have taken to date.
