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“There’s always going to be a job for people that really care”

The A-List Podcast is back for Season 2!

In this season’s premiere episode, host and DiMassimo Goldstein CCO Tom Christmann returns to the recording booth to interview John Patroulis, Worldwide Chief Creative Officer of Grey Global Group.

Prior to joining Grey, Patroulis spent six years at BBH New York, joining as the agency’s Chief Creative Officer before being named its first-ever Creative Chairman in 2015. Under his leadership, BBH became one of the most awarded agencies in New York City.

Tune in to hear how Patroulis went from swinging a sledgehammer in Toledo, Ohio, to becoming one of the most decorated creatives in the industry. His adventure-filled career journey will leave you feeling inspired. Full episode and show notes below!

Show Notes:

• [0:00 – 1:26] Intro
• [1:27 – 5:02] Growing up in Toledo, Ohio as the son of teachers, and having an early affinity for reading
• [5:03 – 9:58] Patroulis talks about attending the Ohio State University without a “plan”, bouncing around different majors before eventually landing on English Literature
• [9:59 – 17:39] Spending his college summers swinging a sledgehammer at a concrete pipe factory, and what he learned from boxing
• [17:40 – 26:13] Patroulis talks about couch surfing after college, shares a funny story about being night watchman, and recounts his time working as a bartender at a punk rock club in Wrigleyville called The Cubby Bear
• [26:14 – 38:51] How Patroulis developed a relationship with a famous NYC-Filmmaker Charles Lane while bartending at the Riviera Cafè
• [38:52 – 52:38] The amazing story of how Patroulis met David Angelo, and how that friendship propelled him to get his book together, ultimately landing his first advertising job at N.W. Ayer
• [52:39 – 1:01:26] Getting an offer from Chiat/Day, the importance of working on your craft, what he learned under Gerry Graf, and the responsibility of being irresponsible.
• [1:01:27 – 1:02:40] How bad meetings can serve a purpose
• [1:02:41 – 1:09:29] Moving to Chiat/Day’s San Francisco office to work on Adidas, and how Chuck McBride taught him the importance of caring about every little detail, all the way to the end
• [1:09:30 – 1:13:05] The story behind the famous Adidas commercial, “Hello Tomorrow” directed by Spike Jonze
• [1:13:06 – 1:15:40] The difference between being a “doer” and a leader
• [1:15:41 – 1:19:07] Co-founding his own agency T.A.G., and launching Halo 3
• [1:19:08 – 1:23:42] Going to BBH, and what he learned from John Hegarty’s endless optimism
• [1:23:43 – 1:25:09] Working at Grey, being confident in yourself, and doubling down on creativity
• [1:25:10 – 1:26:47] Patroulis explains why he thinks it’s a great time to be in advertising, and why he’s so excited for the future
• [1:26:48 – 1:28:30] Patroulis shares one piece of advice to young creatives trying to break into the industry – “care”
• [1:28:31 – 1:29:35] 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.