Graham Douglas and Spencer LaVallee, co-founders and creative directors of Gus, spilled all their industry secrets to unimaginable wealth and success with Brandcenter students at last week’s forum. Their presentation, “How to get F.I.L.T.H.Y. rich,” was funny, energetic, and delightfully genuine. Always self-aware and with self-deprecating humor, they shared personal anecdotes and lessons from throughout their careers, leaving us with lessons on how they’ve approached the creative business AND how they keep having fun with it.
Both guests had somewhat unconventional starts to their careers. LaVallee got his first ad job after cold-emailing Campfire, the agency behind a True Blood billboard that he saw on the street. Douglas got his start by showing up to an agency where his friend worked and pretending he was supposed to be there, until he had his own computer, desk and phone line (but no official job). Fast forward, and the two then went on to form their own impressive resumes filled with work for the likes of Droga5, FIG, McCann, and Johannes Leonardo, working on brands like Vimeo, CNN, Spotify, and more—until they went out on their own with small agency Gus in 2020.
The F.I.L.T.H.Y. method is a result of their years of experience and unique perspective on creative work. Without giving the method fully away for free, key takeaways included:
- People are everything. Build relationships and surround yourself with people that support and show up for you, and make sure you show up for them in turn.
- Approach every brief with responsibility. As advertisers you have the opportunity to make people feel seen and share messages globally. Like Spiderman would say, with great power comes great responsibility.
- Imposter syndrome is real—but you often already have the skills you need or can learn them. Fake it ‘til you make it.
- Have fun. “When you’re making good advertising, you feel like you’re getting away with something.” Notice the small moments and embrace them—and make sure your stories are better than your friends’ with normal jobs.
- Layoffs and job changes happen in this industry. Remember, “Phoenixes aren’t born, they rise from the ashes.”
- The work is what matters….but also get some f*ck you money just in case you need to pull the parachute.
LaVallee and Douglas ended their talk with a Q+A for students. They told us a bit about the culture at Gus (“sustainably creative”—pushing boundaries while still having fun), how they came up with the name of the agency (think plumber), and the challenges and opportunities of running your own shop (there’s a lot).
Thanks so much to LaVallee and Douglas for a fun and energetic forum!