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The A-List Podcast: Episode 013 with Bill Oberlander

This week on “The A-List” podcast, host and DiMassimo Goldstein CCO Tom Christmann chats with his long-time friend and former boss, Bill Oberlander, the executive creative director at OBERLAND. Bill has worked as a creative executive at many top agencies, including JWT New York, Cossette New York, McCann Erickson, Ogilvy & Mather, and Kirshenbaum Bond + Partners. Working on such global accounts as Microsoft, Intel, Snapple, Target, Coach, Bloomberg, and Nikon. Bill has helped reinvent brands with his iconic and transformational campaigns.

Tune in as Bill and Tom discuss what it takes to break into advertising in New York City, why philanthropy is important for both brands and people, and how today’s creatives can build a portfolio that gives Bill goosebumps.

Show Notes:

  • [0:00 – 2:05] Intro
  • [2:06 – 5:17] Bill and Tom discuss working together at Kirshenbaum
  • [5:18 – 8:23] Bill’s childhood in South Amboy, NJ, attending an all-boys Catholic high school, and dreaming of a future in the arts
  • [8:24 – 13:25] Studying business communications and visual communications at the University of Delaware, and falling in love with advertising
  • [13:26 – 15:17] Moving to NYC, couch surfing, and landing his first advertising gig
  • [15:18 – 19:49] Becoming an art director at McCaffrey & McCall
  • [19:50 – 30:57] Learning the ropes at McCann, working on the Coca-Cola account, and scheduling his first shoot without client approval
  • [30:58 – 35:08] Being recruited by Richard Kirshenbaum as his art director, and faking it until he made it
  • [35:09 – 41:13] Bill’s first big campaign at Kirshenbaum: El Presidente Spiced Brandy
  • [41:14 – 48:49] Reinventing Snapple with the famous “Snapple Lady” campaign
  • [48:50 – 56:49] Working at Robin Hood Foundation, the importance of building brands with purpose, and launching Oberland
  • [56:50 – 61:16] What Bill looks for when reviewing portfolios today
  • [61:17 – 62:44] Outro

“The A-List” is a podcast produced by DiMassimo Goldstein, recorded at the Gramercy Post, and sponsored by the Adhouse Advertising School, New York’s newest, smallest, and hippest ad school. You can subscribe and rate the show on iTunes or listen along on SoundCloud. For updates on upcoming episodes and guests, be sure to like the A-List Podcast on Facebook and follow host Tom Christmann on Twitter