Strands of Genius: Marc Hartzman + 2023 Healthcare Trends in Emerging Markets: A Look Ahead
featuring: an interview with our guest editor and a research report
Welcome to the Bonus edition of Strands of Genius! On Fridays, we’ll be publishing interviews from our guest editors, and sharing a research report. Thanks for being along for the ride. Oh and by the way, you look great today :)
:: STEAL THIS THINKING | RESEARCH REPORT ::
After being hit the hardest by the pandemic, many emerging market stakeholders are now looking for impactful, long-term partnerships with global healthcare companies that add real value to local populations. Those companies that step-up and structure meaningful partnerships will reap benefits over time in terms of reputation, relationships and market access. However, any such partnerships need to be rooted in a deep understanding of the local environment.
:: DIVE IN | THE INTERVIEW ::
MARC HARTZMAN, EVP GCD AT HILL HOLLIDAY
>> Marc Hartzman guest curated Strands on October 5th, 2023. Read it here.
Tell us a little bit about yourself and what keeps you busy. How did you end up doing what you’re doing today?
Making stuff keeps me busy. It has since I was a kid. It’s the reason I got into advertising—knowing I could be creative and get paid for it. Thinking of ideas for a living isn’t a bad way to go. I went to Syracuse University and had a great professor at Newhouse that helped me get my first copywriting job. Since then, I’ve worked on a bit of everything, from print, OOH, radio, and TV to experiential and just about everything digital. I’ve been fortunate to mostly work on great brands, including BMW, Motorola, IBM, Samsung, eBay, Frontier, and Valvoline. Throughout it all, I’ve enjoyed the challenge of finding creative ways to use new technologies and platforms. It keeps things fresh and interesting.
I’ve also had projects on the side since I started in the business. The first was a zine, called Backwash, which started very small but eventually got distributed globally through Tower Records (remember Tower?). That was a lot of fun, but I always wanted to write books, so after 18 issues I decided to put my non-advertising creative energies into that instead. My first book, Found on eBay (Universe/Rizzoli), was published in 2002. My 8th book, We Are Not Alone (Quirk Books) comes out Oct. 17. Each book gives me a chance to share something I’m fascinated by. And creating each is truly an adventure. They’ve taught me so much and introduced me to many amazing people along the way—from the world’s fastest knife thrower to the Chief Engineer of the Solar System Exploration Directorate at NASA JPL to Harvard’s Avi Loeb.
With each book, new possibilities open. And you never know when they’ll come or what they’ll be. A recent example came last fall when someone I met while researching The Big Book of Mars connected me to the executive director of the Stories of Space Project. The project invites anyone to write a story about space and actually have it sent to space—on a rocket, to the International Space Station. It launched August 1, with 300 stories on microSD cards. They’ll stay there for six months to test the effects of solar radiation on data storage hardware. So these stories will actually help further the story of human expansion into space. I serve as an ambassador to the project, and now a portion of my Mars book is in space. Not on Mars, but a little closer!
During the pandemic, when no one was hiring, I started Curious Publications to re-publish old, obscure public domain books. It was something I had thought about doing for years and finally had time to try it out. Setting type, designing the layouts, and putting it through printing and distribution system kept me busy making stuff—and helped me keep my sanity.
What excites you most about what you do?
The process and the end result. With an ad, it’s coming up with the idea, the thrill of selling it through, and then assembling a team to bring it to life. Suddenly, you might have dozens of people working to create the thing you thought of. I love that. With books, it’s a little different. It’s all on me. But the journey is endlessly fascinating. Meeting people through interviews during my research is always exciting and the craft of writing is a rewarding experience. Of course, nothing beats seeing it all come together in a printed book for sale.
What beliefs define your approach to work? How would you define your leadership style?
Make work you want to make. Even seemingly small projects can have big opportunities. Whatever the project is, you’re going to spending some time on it. For TV, it could be a few months, from concepting to post-production. So make sure that time is spent on something you’re excited about.
I always like helping teams develop their work, and when needed lead them in a direction vs telling them what to do. No one wants to be a pair of hands. I want teams to be enthused about their work and love to see them succeed. Their success is everyone’s success.
What has been the most rewarding project you’ve worked on and why?
I like that this question asks for the “most rewarding,” not the biggest or the most famous or most award-winning. For me, it was the IBM Moonwalk in 2019. This project was designed to celebrate IBM’s involvement in the Apollo 11 moon landing. Not only did I get to combine a personal interest with work, but my partner, Rich Wallace, and I got to create an interactive experience that let anyone walking through the Oculus transit center in NYC walk on the moon. Well, at least a 30-foot digital version of it. They simply stepped onto a digital floor (that looked like the lunar surface and left boot prints) and then interacted with a giant digital screen that created a reflection of them on the moon. In spacesuits and 1/6 g to mimic the moon’s gravity. People lined up for it. We spent the day watching kids, families, grandparents, friends, and whoever else dance, jump, play, and smile. Not to mention learning a bit about IBM’s role in the Apollo mission. I love creating TV spots and other types of ads, but getting to watch people enjoy your work live—right in front of you—is truly rewarding.
We are big believers in diversity -- Not only because we believe in equality, but because we also think it’s better for business. How do you frame these kinds of conversations, both internally and with clients? Is there an emphasis on action, or are the conversations really more about communication?
We have a lot of conversations at work about it, and have groups within the agency that celebrate different backgrounds. But ultimately, the biggest thing is attracting more diverse talent to the industry and then helping people grow. In my Besides Ads podcast, I spoke with Oriel Davis-Lyons, currently the CCO at Mother, who started the One School to help Black creatives. For free. That’s an amazing way to attract, teach, and grow talent. The more that happens, the more diversity spreads through the industry.
Switching gears a bit, how do you find time to balance personal interests with your career? Do you believe work/life balance is possible? Anything you’ve implemented that you recommend that others try?
It can be challenging at times. I usually put in a lot of time late at night (after my family has gone to sleep) and on weekends, as long as work allows. And of course, over the years that’s all been balanced with marriage and raising two daughters.
In the pre-pandemic days, my commute on the train was always productive time. When you’re passionate about a project, it becomes your entertainment. You want to do it, so you find a way. And it’s something you look forward to spending time on, versus being more work after work. With books, it’s also important to remember to just get a little bit done every day, and not get overwhelmed by the daunting task of finishing. Over the course of months, it will grow in front of you.
I’ve also always found it important to have a project on the side. It keeps you creatively energized, and that feeds right back into your regular job.
Ultimately, everything we do outside of work can feed into work. It’s where we get our inspiration. Watch TV, go to movies, see concerts, visit museums. Whatever. Living is what fuels ideas. Working nonstop or only living within a world of advertising doesn’t make for better advertising.
What’s your media diet? Where do you find inspiration?
Inspiration can come from anywhere. I read a lot of books, usually about the weirder side of history (I have a very odd collection of titles). They’ve often inspired ideas for my own books. Public Domain Review offers similar inspiration from the past. In the ad industry, I always love reading George Tannenbaum’s Ad Aged. I had the pleasure of working with him at Ogilvy, and I not only enjoy his thoughtful writing, but admire his ability to write consistently every day.
On social media, I follow people from a wide variety of industries, including advertising, sideshow, space, and paranormal. That always offers a steady stream of articles to pick and choose from.
And when I’m looking for a break from all of the above, I read sports. I always love keeping up with my Denver Broncos and Denver Nuggets!
What’s the best piece of advice/knowledge you’ve stolen, and who/where’d you steal it from?
I was fortunate to have a great copywriting professor at Syracuse — Coz Cotzias. One thing he said that I’ve always kept in mind is to make sure you’re doing work you’re proud of. That leads to great work for the client and for the agency. That leads to bigger and better projects and keeps your career going. If you do work just for the money, eventually it’ll stop coming. And a piece of writing advice I've always kept in mind came from one of my first creative directors, Tom Cook, who told me to lose the little words. When editing, I find that often helps quite a bit.
You can keep in touch with Marc on LinkedIn and Instagram.
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