Hi, I'm Murphy O'Brien, a creative director in San Francisco, CA. My passions include family and friends, fitness, comedy, trivia, travel, mysteries, and nature.
Here are some of my core beliefs:
1. Anything can be questioned.
Whether it's the brief, strategy, ideas, or client feedback, encourage your team to question often. They'll find deeper truths.
2. Avoid the mob mentality.
Trade an hour of a 4-person brainstorm for 4 hours of wonderful and wildly diverse independent thinking.
3. Cast your team in unfamiliar roles.
Have art directors and designers write, writers sketch and shoot, cats play dogs and dogs play cats. The more well-rounded they are, the better.
4. Exhaust the possibilities.
No one strikes gold and stops digging. So when your team uncovers a seemingly brilliant idea, keep digging. Then eliminate the off-strategy, off-brand, and uninspiring ideas.
5. Say it like it is.
Simple, honest communication encourages understanding and buy-in. Especially if you manage programs, people, and clients that are thousands of miles away.
6. This work takes all kinds.
The crusty bullshit caller. The workaholic. The beard. The other beard.
Understand them. Challenge them. Cherish them.
7. At the end of the day, we should feel good about what we do and how we do it.