Drugs have nothing on convincing people to reconsider something they’d ignored or written off. E.g., doomsday prepping is a sane, altruistic hobby; and you’re probably sleeping on Arby’s.

At Brandcenter - and in nonprofit leadership recruitment before that - I found that “getting the messaging right” helps change minds, but it’s a fire that dies quickly. Curiosity is a flame that fans itself. I push myself to make work that inspires curiosity, that makes people say “yes, and” louder than they meant to.

The best part of getting my friend to love that band was that he heard things in their music that I never noticed before. That’s the high I’m really chasing: creative partnerships that add up to more than I could imagine on my own.