Making It Happen In San Francisco: ECD Joel Kaplan at M/H VCCP

Joel Kaplan
Executive Creative Director M/H VCCP
 

How would you describe the culture of San Francisco?

When we talk about San Francisco, we are actually talking about an area stretching from Marin Country up North, to Berkeley and Oakland in the East Bay, to San Jose down South. And while the tastes and styles vary depending on which Bay Area town you live in, the cultural goal is the same: making the “next” thing happen. Everyone in some way, shape, or form, is creating a new idea, disrupting an established industry, or questioning a traditional way of doing things. The tech industry may be the most noticeable representation of that thinking, but the core value of “new” permeates every aspect of every action the Bay Area takes.

 

In what ways does the city or its culture inspire you and your work?

The city is humbling. It forces me to look at our industry in a larger cultural context. That means not judging what we create against other ads, and instead, judging it against every new story, innovation, and product that the evolving tech world produces every day.

 

What is the best incentive that San Francisco offers agencies?

Access to the most important modern clients in the world. From the most valuable company (Apple), to the company that organizes every bit of modern information (Google), to the most socially influential company (Facebook), SF agencies of all sizes have a direct line to the heart of the new economy.

 

Could you offer any advice to young talent heading to work in San Francisco?

Realize that you can make anything as long as it breaks through and impacts people. There are no guardrails that define how a good idea should come to life.

 

Why should young talents and industry leaders come to San Francisco? What is the best part of working in San Francisco?

Come to SF to reshape what our industry is. Wherever you are working now, you can feel the change happening. The shift from an old AOR, traditional model, to whatever we will be tomorrow. Don’t wait for it to wash over you like a wave, come to SF and help create what all of our agencies are becoming.