Roy Skillicorn Calls 'Cut' on a Legendary Career
After 49 years of influencing national advertising in print and motion, Roy, a former art teacher who became an industry icon, officially announced his retirement. For those of us fortunate enough to have worked alongside him, this moment is both celebratory and bittersweet. Roy has always been a warm and engaging executive producer, consistently advocating for newcomers - a trait he developed during his teaching days. He is now stepping back from his daily responsibilities to reflect and write about his career, which resembles a folk tale, blending captivating storytelling with genuine mentorship.
A Creative Journey Born in a Bus
Roy’s saga began not on a soundstage or boardroom but in a converted school bus - an art bus of his devising. In the 1970s, as a young art teacher in upstate New York, budget cuts impacted the humanities, and schools weren't hiring. Determined to bring creativity to those who needed it most, he persuaded the Albright Knox Art Gallery in Buffalo, NY, to renovate an old school bus and transform it into a roving art studio he dubbed the 'Magic Bus.' It offered free art lessons to inner-city children in Buffalo. That innovative program, appropriately called Color Wheels, had Roy drive his makeshift art studio to parks, YMCAs, hospitals, and even nursing homes, sparking joy and imagination wherever he parked. This early chapter of Roy’s life set the tone for everything that followed: see a need, fill it creatively, and make it fun while you’re at it. He also taught college classes before leaving Buffalo to live closer to his soon-to-be wife and teach at a high school in the Chicago area.
After earning his Master's in Education, arts funding dried up, eliminating his teaching position. While pursuing a PhD, Roy transitioned into advertising almost by chance. In the late ’70s, his wife’s modelling career took off, and he formed a friendship with a photographer’s assistant she knew. Roy helped him find work, leading to a new calling as a representative. What began as a side gig while he wrote his dissertation quickly evolved into Roy’s next major venture. He founded Skillicorn Associates, a one-man talent agency that grew into one of the Midwest’s premier firms for photographers, illustrators, and graphic designers. With his natural charm and eye for talent, Roy built a roster of emerging artists who soon became top professionals, earning the trust of the industry’s leading advertising agencies. Before leaving to start his production company, he had five associates who have all since become respected representatives.
Having known Roy for a dozen years, I can attest that he is not one to settle for just one endeavour. He and his wife, Elizabeth, an accomplished illustrator, graphic designer, and fashion model, also co-founded Options, a boutique design and marketing firm. Together, they created iconic fashion advertisements for several of Chicago’s Oak Street boutiques, alongside promotional items and full-page ads for Skillicorn Associates, Backyard, and Transistor Studios. They developed numerous promotions for his talent roster, including View-Masters for Skillicorn Associates, squeaky seagull invitations for a Colossal Pictures’ Navy Pier party, boxes of dirt containing grass seed and care instructions, and charcoal briquette invitations for a Backyard Block Party, as well as beach chairs, custom cookie jars, miniature jukeboxes, Smoky Joes, and much more. These inventive giveaways are still found on the shelves of creative directors today. These early accomplishments showcased Roy’s talent for merging business with artistic whimsy, a trait that would shape his career.
Skillmaster promotional teaser
Repping Innovation and Pioneering a New Film Genre
By the early 1980s, Roy had established his presence in advertising and didn’t always adhere to established rules. He created some new ones. In 1982, he became the first independent film representative in North America, representing multiple directors and production companies at a time when most representatives were on company payrolls. It was a bold move that raised a few eyebrows but ultimately sparked a trend. Today, independent representatives are standard practice, thanks to Roy’s pioneering example.
Founding partner and CEO of HKM Productions, Tom Mickel, recalls, “We enlisted Roy as our first representative since he was already my partner’s photography agent. After securing our initial commercial projects, Roy was confident he could replicate his successes in print by partnering with several production companies rather than working for us in-house, which was the norm. He signed two animation companies and a music composer, unaware that he subsequently became North America's first "independent film representative.” In this role, he established the standards for commissions and protocols that are still used today. Additionally, he worked tirelessly to promote the “vignette" film production genre that we at HKM pioneered, a concept that agencies were not quick to embrace back then. He engaged art directors instead of producers and worked with just three spec spots. That effort led to our first commercial project, quickly opening up numerous opportunities in the Midwest. Roy and I developed a close friendship and collaborated again years later, shortly after he founded SEED Media Arts. I wish him all the best in his retirement.”
Roy has always had a knack for recognising untapped talent. Initially, he championed young creatives like Chicago photographers Tony D’Orio, John Von Dorn, and Chuck Shotwell, helping them gain national recognition. (D’Orio eventually became Roy’s business partner, marking one of many enduring friendships formed through their work.) Roy’s keen observations also enabled him to identify various emerging directors, most of whom soon succeeded. Rob Pritts, Aaron Stoller, Kevin Smith, and Don Rase began their careers at Backyard. If you saw a brilliant campaign by a “new” director in the ’80s or ’90s, there’s a good chance Roy Skillicorn had a hand in it or at least had a relationship with that talent. He didn’t just find people jobs; he built careers. Roy became renowned for “nurturing the development and growth of young directors’ careers” – a sort of Sherpa guiding creative climbers to their next peak.
The famous Backyard logo on Huron Street seen from the El
Founding Backyard and Revolutionising Production
In 1988, Roy transitioned from representing companies to owning one. He established Backyard Productions in Chicago with Tony D’Orio, satisfying a long-held desire to run his own production company. Starting a top-tier studio outside the main hubs of LA and New York was unprecedented then, but that didn’t deter Roy. He soon partnered with Blair Stribley, who had, surprisingly, been in his art and homeroom classes when Roy taught high school art 14 years earlier. He assisted Blair in establishing a Denver production company that eventually moved to Chicago. The company thrived until its principal director left for LA; at that point, Roy invited Blair to become his partner and executive producer. Together, they fostered a unique culture that blended world-class creativity with Midwestern warmth.
Roy’s father once advised him, "You are who you surround yourself with." This guidance profoundly influenced Roy in his business endeavours. He built a tight-knit A-team of producers, directors, and crew members who felt like family. Under Roy’s leadership and savvy marketing strategies, Backyard transformed from a scrappy start-up into a $50 million powerhouse, making it the only production company founded outside of LA and NYC to rank among the top global players. Loyal clients affectionately referred to Backyard as “a Shangri-La of production” for its welcoming atmosphere, outstanding craftsmanship, and strong work ethic. Roy balanced his presence between Chicago and Santa Monica; even after relocating the company's headquarters to Los Angeles in the mid-’90s, he maintained his base in Chicago to preserve Backyard’s authentic character. This strategy succeeded. For over twenty years, Backyard gained recognition on both coasts and internationally, demonstrating that a firm from “flyover country” could consistently surpass rivals from established centres. Throughout this time, Roy continued to push boundaries.
Since Roy landed the newcomer animation studio PIXAR for its first commercial (for Tropicana) in the mid-eighties, he was regarded as a respected member of their team. When Roy started BACKYARD, they asked if he would consider continuing to represent PIXAR for a few more years, and Roy agreed. Thus, a Chicago-based production entity represented PIXAR until it shifted its focus entirely to feature work. Ralph Guggenheim, the former VP of animation for Pixar Animation Studios, who hired Roy, hasn’t forgotten him, saying, “Long ago when Pixar was not a household word, we entered the commercial market with a team of five animators and a young director, John Lasseter. Our agent at the time was Roy Skillicorn. Roy completely understood the potential for storytelling with computer-generated animation. He brought us our very first commercial for Tropicana and, over the next five years, proceeded to challenge us with work that showcased our storytelling and visual strengths. We grew to a team of 25 in short order, and the rest is history. Roy not only gets the creative strengths of teams but also knows how to tell their story and bring back great results.”
When PIXAR left, another then-unknown studio, Passion Pictures from London, sought Roy to establish a U.S. presence. Roy agreed and secured their first American projects, setting them on a path to becoming the Oscar-winning animation force they are today. Roy is characteristically humble about these contributions, but undoubtedly, he was a driving force in ushering in the golden era of animation in advertising.
By 2011, after 22 years at Backyard’s helm, Roy decided to pass the torch... sort of. He sold Backyard (which by then included offshoots like the motion-design studio Transistor Studios) to its employees and partners, ensuring that the 'family' he built would continue. But retirement wasn’t on the agenda. Ever the innovator, Roy shifted his focus to a newer venture he had quietly started nurturing: Seed Media Arts, now known as SEED. Originally launched as a content division of Backyard in 2001, well before 'branded content' became a buzzword, SEED became Roy’s playground for experimenting with leaner, digital-age production models. The experiment paid off. Under Roy’s guidance, SEED exceeded expectations, and in one recent year, the boutique outfit went head-to-head with some of the world’s biggest production companies and brought home a Cannes Lion in the process. The success of SEED caught the industry’s attention.
In 2018, Backyard was sold to new investors, and the ownership enticed Roy to revive the company’s fortunes as the new CMO/Managing Director while also keeping SEED fully functioning. Roy jumped in wholeheartedly, signing new talent, streamlining operations, and restoring Backyard’s shine. Once the mission was accomplished, he returned full-time to SEED, ready to cultivate the next generation.
Roy and I had worked together for years, discovering ourselves to be like-minded partners. As the executive producer, I collaborated with Roy to expand SEED’s footprint. The partnership was pivotal: I spearheaded a Los Angeles expansion in 2021, while Roy and his son Nathan continued to strengthen the Chicago base. “Chicago is where my heart is and where I have made a successful living in production for 25+ years. I owe it all to Chicago,” Roy noted at the time. With SEED now headquartered in Los Angeles and thriving under our joint stewardship, Roy and I felt it was time to expand to New York. Confident that his latest “baby” would be in good hands whenever he chose to step back, this brings us to today.
SEED partners Brad Johnson and Roy Skillicorn
Mentorship, Mischief, and Lasting Impacts
Roy’s true legacy lies in his mentorship style and the culture he cultivated beyond the companies he built or the directors he discovered. I often hear colleagues talk about Roy as a leader who makes work feel like family. He has an open-door, sleeves-rolled-up approach to leadership, more coach than boss. One of Backyard’s earliest director signings, Rob Pritts, had literally been another student in Roy’s high school art classes - a full-circle testament to his lifelong practice of uplifting others. Roy has always believed that creativity thrives in a fun, supportive environment, and he demonstrated this by example. Office lore is filled with stories about Roy that illustrate his unique blend of professionalism and playfulness. Roy helped organise paintball outings that pitted creatives against the account folks. There were years at the Cleo Awards when Roy chartered a catamaran with Steve Schofield for days out on the water, and that time, he led a group of ad creatives out of Detroit’s D Show for late-night cocktails and a burger run. I won’t even start to mention his 14 years of adventures attending the Cannes festivals. In Roy’s world, these kinds of adventures weren’t distractions from work; they were extensions of it. He understood that forging real human connections improved the work and inspired creativity. These anecdotes have become industry legends, eliciting knowing smiles from those who’ve been around long enough to have their own “Roy moments.”
Director Justin Reardon recalls, “I met Roy in Cannes as an advertising creative in my mid-20s, right on the heels of winning the Grand Prix. Roy’s affable and charming manner made him the perfect recruit for an explosive night of jollification with me and my fellow pirates. It was one hell of a launchpad for a blossoming new friendship that I carried back home to Chicago. Back in the "real world," I got to know Roy as someone with a natural appreciation for people as individuals and found pleasure in finding ways to connect. During a time when my life was very much a three-ring circus, Roy was one of the few voices that cut through and truly resonated with me. I enjoyed listening to him speak about how his career stemmed from art, painting, and teaching. When speaking as a father, Roy overflowed with his love for his children. And how he expressed his feelings for his wife, the love of his life, was awe-inspiring. I thought to myself, “This guy has everything.” And now, 25 years later, deep into my career, married to the love of my life, with my two children —I feel even greater admiration for Roy. He knew what was important to him and put absolutely everything behind it. Congratulations, Roy, on YOUR success. Even with riding off into the sunset, I know you’ll enjoy the ride.”
Now, as Roy prepares to embrace a slower pace, he does so with his characteristic humility and humour. “It’s hard to call this a retirement because storytelling is in my DNA – but I am looking forward to a simpler chapter,” says Roy Skillicorn, reflecting on his decision. “I’ve been fortunate to do what I love alongside people I enjoy for so long. We’ve made some amazing stories together, and now I’m excited to write them, make new memories, and maybe finally take a real vacation.” Being Roy’s partner at SEED has been both fun and educational, and his departure will be deeply felt; however, his influence will continue to guide the company. Roy has a way of turning colleagues into family, and he built something truly special here. Working with Roy has been one of the highlights of my career. We’re surely going to miss his presence in the office, but we’re thrilled for him, and we know he’s not really going far; he’ll still be just a call away as our sage advisor.
A New Chapter – With Gratitude
While stepping away from the helm, he isn’t disappearing from the creative scene entirely. He will continue consulting through his aptly named Roy Skillicorn LLC, staying connected with select projects and offering advice to many friends and protégés he has gathered over the years. However, his primary focus will be personal: spending time with Elizabeth, his wife and creative partner of over 50 years, and being the doting grandpa who never runs out of stories or art supplies for the little ones. Roy’s story is both rare and inspiring in an ever-changing industry. It’s a tale of heart as much as hustle; proof that kindness, creativity, and a touch of rebel spirit can leave a lasting mark on the industry and on countless individuals. The industry celebrates a true legend as Roy transitions into a well-deserved retirement. In classic Roy style, he departs with a smile, a wealth of inspiration, and the reminder that advertising, at its best, is about human connections. For Roy, these connections have always been his true masterpiece
