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Degree and Year: BJ '59 Company: Rubin Postaer Associates Company Web Site: http://www.rpa.com/ Title: Executive Creative Director City and State: Santa Monica, Calif.
A long time ago, I was at a luncheon in high school, a career day deal in downtown Chicago, students and big shot adults. The guy next to me was well-dressed, three-button suit, watch fob, and he asked me what my major was going to be. I said advertising; he asked why. "I heard they work the least and make the most." I asked him, Mr. Leo Burnett (the founder of Leo Burnett Ad Agency, currently considered the ninth largest agency in the world), what he did. He replied, "I own the sixth largest advertising agency in the world and you have a lot to learn." What was the J-School like in 1959? It was the 50th anniversary of the School, speakers every week, and the world press conference met here. I held former President Harry Truman's elbow as he walked towards the podium during the conference. He is my idol. The whole year was a bevy of important people. The School was considerably smaller and easier then. I was an early slacker in high school, so I am glad it was easy; however, I flourished here. How has the ad world changed over the years? It keeps changing; it's in the midst of changing now. A huge change is the Internet. You used to show the client how the campaign was going to work in print and TV, and now you have to show the client how it will work on the Internet. We have 80 people at my agency working on the Internet currently. The basics, writer and designer coming up with an idea, though, has never changed. What has been your favorite project? I've enjoyed all of it, especially if I solved a problem. If you come up with a great idea and the client is immediately receptive of it, then that is the best feeling. What are some of the differences of owning your own ad firm rather than just working at one? The big difference is I do have more awareness of how many people work at the firm, basically fiscal concerns. The worse has been to deal with layoffs. It hasn't happened a lot, fortunately. What is your favorite J-School memory? Mainly it is to be in a place where everything I was doing was what I wanted to do. I didn't consider it school. I was doing exactly what I was meant to do. It's very nice to be surrounded by people who enjoy the same things. I also am still friends with some of the people I graduated with. What advice would you give to current ad sequence students? It's negative advice: If you don't have the passion for it, get the heck out of the kitchen. You have to feel it, or you are wasting everyone's time, especially yours. You need to feel in your bones you are creative. How do you come up with your ideas? It's a little inspiration and a little perspiration, more of the latter for me. It's honing and fine-tuning. There is work to it. The inspiration comes in different ways, from human experiences, research. If you couldn't do what you do now, what would you do? I still have this strong interest in the journalism side of the world. I would have liked to be a sports writer. I also would like to own a stable of successful thoroughbred racehorses. What will you miss the most when you retire from the advertising world? I will miss my free magazine subscriptions the most. I haven't paid for a subscription in 25 years. I get the magazines for free because some of our advertisements are in them. I read all of them. I've been reading The New Yorker since I was at Mizzou. I've never seen a typo; it's well written. There are always new ideas; it is timeless. 
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| Revised: 20 April 2007. Copyright © 2008 The Curators of the University of Missouri | Contact the J-School | |
Larry Postaer, BJ '59