When I was 10, my one passion and my life’s great work was catching frogs. God bless my mother for driving me to the pond, setting up her lawn chair and reading the latest paperback bestseller while I worked. Walking. Looking. Walking. Looking. Walking … You know something is right when the hours feel like minutes, and before you’ve even gotten warmed up, mom is back in the station wagon, laying on the horn. Now I’m not about to say that every creative brief and concepting session feels like that. But some do. The focus, the determination, the hours, the skills that develop over the years. The slipperiness of a simple, elusive thing — an idea. The satisfaction of wrestling it into your net, or onto the page, as the case may be. That feeling is why I’m in advertising. My biggest bullfrogs are listed below.
Experience
Senior Creative Director | Taft Communications | 2019 – present | Lawrenceville, NJ
Lead writer and creative team manager at a purpose-driven communications firm. Notable projects include: launching new Office of Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion at The Rockefeller University; advancing health equity in New Jersey by combatting systemic racism with The Robert Wood Johnson Foundation; creating marketing materials to drive success of the “One Peddie” fundraising campaign for The Peddie School.
Group Creative Director | PureRED | 2010 – 2019 | Princeton, NJ
Oversight and execution of creative campaigns for Arm & Hammer, Allegra, First Response, Vitafusion, Smart Ones, Unisom, Simply Saline, Trojan, Orajel, Aspercreme, Cortizone 10, Balmex, Nasacort, Feline Pine, OxiClean, Vitamin Shoppe, RepHresh, Replens and FOCUSfactor. Leader of an experienced creative team.
Senior Copywriter | The Ad Store | 2003 – 2010 | New York
Responsible for creating national and international creative campaigns for clients including JetBlue Airways, mike’s hard lemonade, GoDaddy.com, Centrum Cardio, Zappos.com, Diapers.com, Absorbine Jr., For Eyes, Jimmy John’s Gourmet Sandwiches, Robbins Bros., Vespa, Loews Cineplex Entertainment, HBO/Entourage, Top of the Rock at Rockefeller Center, Bravo, Alitalia, EL AL Airlines, RJ Reynolds, Teddy Ruxpin, D.C. Lotto, SafeDecisions, Apple Core Hotels and eDiets.com
Screenwriter | Smash | New Regency | 2008 | Los Angeles
Sold spec feature to major motion picture studio.
Freelance Copywriter | 2002 – 03 | New York
Clients: RewardTV.com, Kaplan Test Prep
Story Editor | Jersey Films | 1998 – 99 | Los Angeles
Developed feature film scripts and managed a stable of freelance script readers as head of story department at Danny DeVito’s Jersey Films (Erin Brockovich, Out of Sight, Pulp Fiction). Pitched viable projects to partners for development.
Copy Desk Editor | Muscatine Journal newspaper | 1997 – 98 | Muscatine, IA
Designed and edited front and interior pages of daily newspaper. Selected news stories, wrote headlines and captions — all on 4-hour press deadline. Designed weekly pull-out feature sections.
On-air Personality | KXMX-FM | 1997 – 98 | Cedar Rapids, IA
Reported local news and weather in Iowa’s second largest market.
Teaching
Mentor | Taft Communications | 2019 – present | Lawrenceville, NJ
Leader of creative department, responsible for managing a team of professional writers and designers. Duties include one-on-one work to shape high-profile written pieces; oversight of team-building exercises; teaching Associated Press style and professional writing techniques.
Instructor | Pratt Institute | 2010 | New York
Created and led a course focused on motivational strategies for writers.
Guest Lecturer | Temple University | 2009 | Philadelphia, PA
Lectured on the writing process and the state of the advertising industry to students in the following classes: Introduction to Advertising; Introduction to Advertising Research; Advertising & Globalization; Media & Society; Art Direction; Portfolio; and Magazine Fiction Writing.
Screenwriting Panelist | Kean University | 2009 | Union, NJ
Roundtable discussion of the screenwriting process at the 2009 Purple Violet Film Festival.
Advertising Mentor | Bradley University | 2009 | Peoria, IL
Coached marketing and public relations students in general PR principles and fundamentals of writing press releases.
Writing Tutor | Northwestern University Writing Program | 1995 – 96 | Evanston, IL
Coached students in style, grammar and structure in academic writing.
Education
University of Southern California | Los Angeles | 2002
M.F.A., Writing for Screen and Television
Northwestern University | Evanston, IL | 1997
B.S.J., Medill School of Journalism
TRAINING
A Long Talk About the Uncomfortable Truth | Lawrenceville, NJ | 2021
Anti-racism training
School of Visual Arts | New York | 2003
Copywriting Workshop
Upright Citizens Brigade Theatre | New York, NY | 2003
Improv workshop
The Groundlings Theatre & School | Los Angeles, CA | 1998
Improv workshop
Select Writing Awards
Silver Davey Award, 2022, ReThink Energy NJ, “We Stopped PennEast”
Silver Davey Award, 2022, Robert Wood Johnson Foundation, “New Jersey Needs a Public Health Institute”
Communicator Awards, Award of Distinction, 2021, ReThink Energy NJ, “Green Recovery”
Communicator Awards, Award of Distinction, 2021, The Father Center of New Jersey, “Anthem”
Austin Film Festival Screenplay Competition, 2018, Semi-Finalist
Final Draft Big Break Screenwriting Contest, 2018, Quarter-Finalist
TrackingB Screenplay Contest, 2018, Honorable Mention
Gold Print Award, Admissions Marketing Report, 2008, Dean College, “Wardrobe”
Bronze TV Award, Admissions Marketing Report, 2008, Dean College, “The Dean Method”
The InDesign Awards, 2008, Robbins Bros., “Doug”
Silver Hugo Award, 2005, GoDaddy.com, “Broadcast Hearing”
Telly Award, 2004, JetBlue, JetBlue Airways, “Better World”
Telly Award, 2004, mike’s hard lemonade, “State Fair”
HSMAI Platinum Adrian Award, 2003, JetBlue Airways
Artfest, 2002, Best Overall Film, Best Narrative Film
Worldfest, 2002, 3rd Place Short Narrative
Portland Festival of World Cinema, 2001, Best Dramatic Short
Cape Fear Independent Film Festival, 2001, Best Dramatic Short
Cabbagetown Film Festival, 2001, Best Short Film
Mercy Hot Springs Film Festival, 2001, Audience Award
Writer’s Network Screenplay Competition, 1998, Honorable Mention
Robert Van Sant Short Story Contest, Finalist, 1994, 1995, 1996
© 2023 Aaron Philson Brown