The A-List Podcast with Justin Gignac

By James Nieman | 11/01/2018 | in

Thinking

On this week’s episode of The A-List Podcast, host and DiMassimo Goldstein CCO Tom Christmann is joined by Justin Gignac, a renowned freelance artist and co-founder of Working Not Working, a network that works to eliminate the obstacles between creative people and opportunity. Prior to launching Working Not Working in 2012, Gignac spent years in the industry as an award-winning art director and creative director.

Gignac is well known for helping create “Elf Yourself“, an interactive website built for Office Max in 2006 that instantly became a worldwide phenomenon, amassing over 36 million visits in just five weeks.

During their conversation, Gignac talks about the time he famously sold garbage in New York City to prove that packaging matters, growing up in the industry before eventually growing out of it, the value of a good support system, and how helping people get what they want is a good way to get what you want. All that and much much more. Full episode and show notes below!

Show notes:

[0:00 – 2:07] Intro
[2:08 – 8:04] Gignac talks about growing up in Connecticut to a father that was an actual clown and a mother who was a class clown, and how that influenced his creativity
[8:05 – 14:30] Aspiring to be in advertising at an early age, and the Jasper Johns painting that convinced him he could turn those dreams into a reality
[14:30 – 26:00] Gignac reflects on his time as a student at the School of Visual Arts, what he loved about advertising, and the time he famously sold NYC garbage
[26:01 – 33:33] Working at Ogilvy with the “young guns”, why it’s important to have a healthy ego, and how every brief presents an opportunity
[33:34 – 41:22] The backstory behind the viral “Elf Yourself” website, and why challenger brands need to be courageous to make something great
[44:10 – 1:07: 30] Gignac talks about growing out of advertising and launching Working Not Working, how the network has evolved over the years, and why having a strong support system is crucial at every moment of your career
[1:07:31 – 1:08:34] Outro

“The A-List” is a podcast produced by DiMassimo Goldstein, an inspiring action agency, 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.