Carey Quackenbush

Carey can reinvent himself for any situation. He not only evolves to meet the unique and demanding needs of each new client acquisition, but he also switches professional roles seamlessly. A former associate creative director and senior copywriter at GDC, then director of business development, Carey is now heading up our creative department.

Most times he helps our copywriters and art directors refine advertising and marketing concepts that increase awareness, drive buzz and generate sales. Other times he adapts creative ideas into sound business solutions and ventures that offer greater value to new and existing clients. And on occasion, he still pulls out the old pen and paper to write killer copy.

When Carey clocks out, he reinvents himself all over again. He’s a marathon runner on the weekends, an MBA student on school nights, and a fun-loving husband to his wife, Jennifer, throughout. Who knows what he’ll be tomorrow.

9 Questions with Carey

Tell us about your creative background.
My first job in advertising was as a copywriter intern at BBDO Houston where I worked on clients including Pizza Hut and Texaco. My most distinct memory was the first time I saw a Craft services spread. That was when I knew this was the career for me. From there I finished out the creative advertising sequence at the University of Texas at Austin and relocated to San Antonio, where I scammed—I mean “worked”—my way up from a junior copywriter to an associate creative director on clients from Sprint/Nextel to American Cancer Society to the San Antonio Spurs and many in between. For the past year, I’ve applied my creative background to the business development side of agency life. After I found out that there are no Craft services at new business pitches, I decided to take the role of creative director. All of which has led to my finest creative masterpiece: the long-winded answer to this question.

UT, huh? So what would you do if you were stranded on an island with an Aggie?
Wait, how did an Aggie find the way off the mainland?

How has business development prepared you for creative director?
With all the changes occurring in our industry and the business and consumer environments as a whole, there is a resounding outcry to connect creative to measurable business objectives. I believe my experience on the biz dev side resulted in a better understanding of the challenges that clients face every day in regards to making the right investments in marketing their brand and growing out their offerings. We live in a world now where being clever for the sake of being clever is no longer acceptable – there must be results. Make no mistake; creative is not taking a back seat by any means. In fact never before has it been more important. The key is applying creativity in a way that pushes the line while still addressing the bottom line.

You’re also working on your MBA. How’s that going?
It’s a challenge, but it has been highly useful to my career. I’m a strong believer that learning has no finish line. Come to think of it, maybe that’s why it’s taking me so long to finish the MBA program.

We hear you’re a traveler. Tell us a quick travel story.
My wife and I recently visited Peru to hike the Inca Trail to Machu Picchu. It occurred to me after three days of non-stop uphill hiking while I was trying to fall asleep in a tent at 13,000 feet in below-freezing weather that there might be a reason people invented cars, paved roads and hotels. In all honesty, it was the most rewarding, humbling and inspiring trips I’ve ever taken. Don’t get me wrong though; I love a good beach resort.

What do you do for inspiration?
Step away from the project. Sometimes thinking just gets in the way of great ideas.

How is that part of your creative process?
For me it’s all about putting in the work. I really believe that the first several hundred ideas are bad ones, so it’s about putting your head down and working through to the good ones. But again, that usually also involves stepping away for a bit to let it all incubate.

When it’s time to get really “creative,” what’s your favorite beer?
Most people would probably rattle off a list of obscure beers from Belgium, but I’m going to have to go with Lonestar. It tastes like tomorrow’s hangover.

What are your top five strengths via StrengthsFinder 2.0?
Adaptability, Analytical, Ideation, Achiever and Context.