Fast Talk: Advertising Architects

So how do you get people like M. Night Shyamalan and Wes Anderson to play ball? It goes back to relationships. Not who you know, but your respect for their creative integrity. We never put a script in front of these people and said, 'Here's $20 million.' We said, 'We want you to write, produce, and act in a piece that tells a story about how your life is connected to American Express.' Once they realize we're serious about artistic integrity, that's how we gain their trust and don't have to pay them salaries that are millions and millions of dollars.

Authenticity is the thing consumers respond to the most. So if M. Night wants to tell a story that's dark and introspective, or Wes's is lighthearted and funny, it's okay as long as it's authentic. In my role, you sometimes need to exercise a lot of control; other times, you need to let all of the control go. In this type of collaborative process, I needed to relinquish enough control to let the alchemy happen. I needed to let the people who are specialists in each area do what they are great at, even if it is like a room with no walls and makes some people nervous."