Creativity Squared: Teddy Miller Plays To Win
Teddy Miller is a distinguished creative director and accomplished writer, recognised for his award-winning campaigns. Starting his career in Los Angeles at 72andSunny, he later transitioned back to New York City, making notable contributions at renowned agencies such as Anomaly and Droga5, among others.
With over 14 years of experience, he has led ground-breaking campaigns for esteemed brands including Mercedes-Benz, ESPN, Burger King, E*Trade, K-Swiss, and JetBlue, leaving an indelible mark on the advertising landscape. At Cutwater, he works across many clients, including LG, Walden University, Hartz, and more.
PERSON - What kind of creative person are you?
Teddy> Passionate.
I bring energy and enthusiasm to every project because I truly love writing, ideating, and creating.
Competitive.
Advertising is a lot like sports. Briefs are jump balls. It could be a pitch between agencies or a project among creative teams. You play to win, and in this case, you concept to produce—hopefully leading to an epic campaign.
I’ve always been a student of the game of creativity. I try to absorb as much inspiration as possible: movies, stand-up specials, art exhibits, and concerts. The more well-versed and inspired you are by what’s out there, the better you’ll be. You have to live and breathe this creative world.
The journey of famous stand-ups before they hit it big truly moves me. Talk about a grind! Performing in cafeterias at random colleges and other gigs takes incredible dedication. Their drive to be great and to craft their acts is inspiring. The more creatives who adopt a similar mindset, the more prolific they become. No one is perfect on day one; it takes time and practice. If you have the passion for it, you’re going to do well in this business.
My favourite word in creativity is: craft.
We create mini-movies in which every second counts. Sometimes you have 30 seconds, sometimes 15, sometimes just six. Every second must be crafted to its full potential because that’s how you make a cultural hit. I’m focused on every word; I read it out loud and review every shot in the boards. It’s amazing how much you can elevate a piece of creativity if you put your heart into it and don’t stop until it’s on air.
Craft isn’t only about writing; crafting on set is crucial. You need to be nimble and adjust your game plan when unexpected things happen. The ability to pivot and create on the fly is a must-have skill for making work that breaks through.
PRODUCT - How do you judge the creativity of a piece of work?
Teddy> Making ads is hard. There are many levels to surpass before you reach the final boss and get into the end zone (i.e., it’s live and out in the world). There are also many rules to follow now: watermarks, opening on a logo, etc. Any piece of creativity that makes me feel something is a win.
Double points if it makes me laugh; triple points if it makes me jealous that I didn’t create it.
What creative campaigns are you proudest of and why?
Teddy> I’m truly proud of everything I’ve done. At Cutwater, we have some exciting projects in the works this fall. But I’ll go old school: one of my first big wins was on ESPN for their (now defunct) WatchESPN app.
While working at 72andSunny, I struggled to find the big idea for this project. Then I found a photo on Twitter (yes, I know it’s not called that anymore) of an iPad in a Ziploc bag in the shower with #WatchESPN on it.
Bingo!
We sold WatchESPN as the clutch way to watch ESPN, launching a 20+ commercial campaign illustrated by the great James Bladgen for the most iconic sports network on the planet. So clutch.
In terms of the industry's output at the moment, I honestly think it’s great and I feel like genuinely funny TV commercials are making a comeback. That, to me, is pretty exciting.
PROCESS - Tell us about how you like to create.
Teddy> I love this question! Sometimes I have a great answer, like, “I found this insightful article in the New York Times that sparked this thought.” But most of the time, I just start writing and see what comes up. That’s the beauty of writing—just jamming away on the keys.
A writing teacher once told me, “If you’re not feeling it, just start writing, and eventually, you’ll be in the zone. You’ll probably delete the first page that got you to the second page full of great writing.”
As I mentioned earlier, if you’re a student of creativity, you’re living and breathing it. Once projects kick off, you may already have an epic on-ramp in your brain, ready for take-off.
Creatives should also be great strategists. I’m not just talking about writing briefs, but doing your own research to uncover insights that can serve as springboards for epic ideas.
Do you prefer to work collaboratively or alone?
Teddy> Both! Sometimes it’s nice to put on a record and jam away on the keyboard. Other times, it’s great to brainstorm with your creative partner, account director, strategist, CCO, or anyone else.
If I ever feel stumped or burnt out, I hit the gym or go for a run. Sometimes you need to step away from your computer and let your brain restart. If your mind is spinning, go do some push-ups and then come back to it.
Are there any tools or platforms that you find particularly helpful for gathering or iterating ideas?
Teddy> ChatGPT actually wrote this whole interview. Just kidding! Honestly, no. I think it’s different for art directors; they have great tools for making visuals. Maybe I’m old school, but I prefer to draw inspiration from the world around me and write/create using my own brain. If you depend on AI to do your homework, you’ll end up with a bunch of D/Cs on your report card.
How do you know when a piece of work is ‘done’?
Teddy> It’s never done until it’s on air. Even after we sell a TV script to the client, we keep crafting and elevating the work to make it as epic as possible.
PRESS - What external factors have shaped you, and what can make or break a creative project?
Teddy> Two things: creative writing classes and sports.
As a freshman in college, I felt lost. I was taking business and math courses that didn’t interest me. But as a sophomore, I took a creative writing class with a teacher who truly changed my life. I’m still in contact with her today. The class required us to come in with our short stories, hand them out, leave, and return to discuss them without being able to defend ourselves until the end. What a way to learn vulnerability and how to handle feedback. The writing skills I gained were invaluable.
Sports taught me a lot about life. Two key lessons are how to be a great teammate and to have a short memory. All quarterbacks throw interceptions; the best ones don’t dwell on mistakes. They get back out there and try to throw a touchdown. Not every idea you present will be a home run, but if you keep swinging, you’ll eventually connect.
I was born in Philadelphia and grew up in a suburb just fifteen minutes outside the city. Philly is a wonderful city full of art, history, and character. It’s the city of underdogs—New York City’s little sibling. I’ve always carried a chip on my shoulder and keep the dog mask with me at all times. We’re a city that beat Tom Brady in the Super Bowl with a backup quarterback. That’s why I love working on challenger brands so much: taking on the big dogs and making some noise for the little ones is incredibly rewarding.
I hone my craft by learning from the great creative directors and writers at agencies like 72andSunny. I was a sponge, watching how they wrote, how they presented, and how they arrived at creative solutions.
I took every assignment seriously, even the ones that no one wanted to write, like email blasts and radio scripts. Radio may not get the same attention as TV commercials, but I tried to hit home runs on every project. Radio involves a lot of production: you have to work with voice-over artists, ensure the scripts fit into 30 and 15 seconds with legal copy, and manage casting. Some of my favourite radio commercials are ones I wish could have been TV ads because they turned out better than the TV spots.
It’s funny; you can write something you think is hilarious, but when you read it out loud, it might fall flat. Always read things out loud, time your scripts, and hone your presentation skills. You can have the best script ever on paper, but if you don’t present it well, it may not resonate in the room.
What advice would you give to clients looking to get the best out of the teams and agencies they work with?
Teddy> Stop insisting that TV commercials open on their logo because "best practices" say so. The moment audiences realise it’s an ad, their brains block it out. If you create something awesome that isn’t too in-your-face, they’ll start paying attention to your brand.
