The Lessons That Stay Long After the Deadline

By Friday, the whirlwind of calls, concepts, and campaigns usually slows down just enough for a little reflection. But this one didn’t come to me on Friday.

I’m writing this on a quiet Sunday morning, watching the sunrise… because, truth be told, I just wasn’t feeling it two days ago. And that’s one of the biggest lessons I’ve learned in this business: Creativity has its own pace, and sometimes the waiting is part of the work.

That patience, the kind that lets you breathe, think, and wait for the idea instead of forcing it , is something two people taught me early on: Jim Jenner and John Seymour.

Jim was my art director when I worked at The Guice Agency and John when I very first started working with Ted at Prime Time. They both were the kind of creative forces that left an imprint on anyone lucky enough to work alongside them. They didn’t just teach design — they taught discipline. They taught me that great work isn’t rushed, that sometimes the space between the ideas is where the magic happens.

They also taught me that design isn’t about making something pretty; it’s about making something matter. Meeting a deadline is easy. Leaving a legacy… that takes heart.

Those lessons are the foundation of what Prime Time is today. They’re why I push my team to dig deeper, to ask why, and to remember that good ideas don’t happen in isolation, they happen in partnership.

At home, that partnership looks a lot like Bryan. He’s sat through more late-night logo debates and “final-final” drafts than most art directors ever will. He may not work in advertising, but he’s earned his honorary seat at the agency table. His honest feedback, calm perspective, and perfectly timed reality checks remind me that creativity isn’t just a skill , it’s a shared process.

Because this agency isn’t just built on campaigns. It’s built on people: on the mentors who shaped us, the clients who trust us, the partners who ground us, and the patience that keeps us growing.

So as I wrap this up and watch the light shift across the morning sky, I’ll leave you with this: Take today to slow down. Enjoy the moment. Let the ideas come when they’re ready.

Here’s to the ones who taught us to trust the process, to the clients who give us the reasons to move forward, to the partners who remind us to breathe, and to the Sundays that give us the space to remember why we love what we do.

Happy Sunday, friends.
Here’s to making it matter.