My Biggest Lesson: Justin Blyth

Justin is a creative director from Los Angeles living and working in Amsterdam for 15 years, currently serving as ECD at Ambassadors. If you stay ready, you never have to get ready. 

You have to make your own opportunities! Nobody is going to do it for you. We work in a (sometimes) cut-throat industry, and I don’t mean stepping on others to get ahead… But the squeaky wheel gets the grease, and you need to build your path if you want to keep climbing. 

This was an introductory lesson in my career, and one that set the stage. I was about 19 years old, probably 1999. I was out of high school and going to a city college in LA. I was totally unsure of my future path, living with friends, and waiting tables at an Italian restaurant. 

Somewhere in that time, I learned about the wonderful world of design, signing up for a graphic design class at my city college. I was already working towards something called an AA degree, which earns credits towards ‘real’ college.

I loved the design class and immersed myself. The internet was kind of new at that time, or at least it felt that way. But it was exciting, and I could learn about anything from home, a whole new world. I created so much self-made work, imagined brand logos and magazines, just a bit of everything… And all inspired by my immersion in this new world of design. 

Eventually I looked into actual jobs where I could use a skill like that. I had a modest idea of Advertising because my dad’s friend had ‘an agency’, and a big yellow pencil nub on a pedestal in his living room. I only learned later what that was about. But I made a list of places to look for work, or find an internship, or something. Anything really. 

One of those places was TBWA Chiat/ Day in Playa Vista, LA. I emailed them and somehow got an interview for an internship. 

When I arrived at that building, I was completely blown away. It’s the biggest, most insane creative playpen ever made. It’s a virtual city and I had no idea such a place existed in this world – I was totally blown away. A massive warehouse/ open floor office with containers, a basketball court, bars, gardens… just totally unreal. There was a full-size freeway billboard on a pole with a Taco Bell ad… There were Playstation Abris and ads everywhere. I could not fathom that this was a place where people “worked”.

They looked at my work and told me they usually only bring interns from the Miami Ad School, asking why they should even consider me. To be honest, I had no concept of ‘conceptual creative work’, I just wanted to be a designer. Somehow,I convinced them to let me be an intern for their ‘digital design’ team, which is a glamorous way of saying web banners. 

But at that point, I could care less; I was in. I got to go to that place and work with those people three days a week. And I got to learn about advertising from the best. 

Embarrassingly, I don’t remember the name of the person who led that department. They were shrewd and critical, which was great. I learned that you’ve got to make great stuff to keep your seat. I may have lucked out getting the gig, but I had to be good (and fast) to keep it. 

I did see Lee Clow around the office, he had this open room at the back with immense clutter... Hundreds of mockups and images and WIP ads posted on the walls. I would walk by, catching glimpses and snippets of conversations and that was cool. I didn’t fully realise the importance of it all at the time, but I do in hindsight. 

At that point I had absolutely not ‘made it’. The internship ended, I moved on to a proper art school, then spent many years building my career. But at the time, I couldn’t believe I had done it. Aside from one city-college graphic design class, I had immersed myself in a world, forced myself to learn the craft and the language, made a ton of work that looked like the work I thought was cool.

And then I talked my way into that office, past a Miami Ad School prerequisite, and started making real commercial work with real creatives, for real accounts. 

I don’t remember if it was paid or unpaid. This was 25 years ago, it didn’t matter to me at the time. What mattered is the minute I walked into that building and saw the ‘creative industry’ at work, I knew that’s what I wanted. 

I think my overall take was to never settle, keep your eyes on the prize, push yourself into places you may feel barely ready for - because you’ll never feel truly ready. Speak up, sell yourself, then get shit done. 

The circumstances of life change, with age and kids, and perspectives shift a bit. But this lesson definitely helped me in my career and still helps me to this day.

I’m not sure I’ve ever spelled the story out for someone in this way, but I love to help people on my teams grow and learn. I like to push them past their comfort zones, get creators in front of clients, have interns support juniors, and have juniors support mid-level creatives... It’s important to pay things forward and help others pave their own road.