A misunderstanding I know well
In the past some doors closed on me because long-standing suppliers and senior executives saw me as a competitor, someone to fear. It is an understandable fear: an outsider arrives, and people think he will take their place. My job is a different one. I complete their work and strengthen its results.
A connecting role
Between a company and its suppliers, knots of language and expectations can form. I know them from both sides, and I can untie them from the company’s side as well as the supplier’s. That is why art directors, creative directors, photographers, creative crews and managers also seek me out. They do not want to be replaced; they want to work better with the company.
And Tadao Agency?
I founded Tadao Agency in 2008, and I say so openly. It is not a conflict of interest: the company decides who builds what, and I work with many other digital agencies. I explain this in You founded an agency: isn’t that a conflict of interest?