The Work That Made Me: Chandler Carroll

Yo. What up? My name is Chandler.

I’m a multi-disciplinary creative that works in advertising as a copywriter, with a sprinkle of voice-over artist. My advertising journey has provided me the opportunity to work at WKNYC, ChiatDayLA, Combs Enterprises and Wolfgang LA – and currently I’m with Laundry Service. 

I’m from Orlando, Florida. I’m a WNBA fan and overall sports nerd. I make music in my time outside the industry; write and direct films with my friends; and yeah, that’s all I got for now. My favorite cocktail is tequila reposado lemonade with mint shaken. Yes, I recognise it’s a bougie mojito. Cheers.

*clink clink*

The ad/music video from my childhood that stays with me…

Some truly legendary work has stayed with me. Impossible Is Nothing from adidas. The early Mars Blackmon and Jordan work. Converse for Dwayne Wade Fall 7 Times Stand Up 8 –to name a few. 

The ad/music video/game/web platform that made me want to get into the industry…

I wouldn't say that there was any specific piece that made me want to get into the industry. I love ideas, full, holistic ideas; that was probably the driving force that made me want to get into the industry. I realized that through advertising, I could actualize this yearning to express my creative point of view, along with meeting the many creatives I look up to within the space.

I always knew from a young age I wanted to write something but didn't know what. When I got to the University of Oregon, I met a woman named Deb Morrison. She asked me a similar question: “What do you want to do in life?” My answer is still to this day, “I want to make dope, impactful shit with my friends.”

Later throughout college, I stumbled upon an advertisement from Nike Golf titled ”There's Always Better.” I showed it to Deb, and she informed me it was written by a legend named Brock Kirby. I hunted him down, hungry to learn. Lucky for me, he was willing to guide me as much as he could. I owe that guy and many others more than they can imagine, for I wouldn't be here without them.

The creative work (film/album/game/ad/album/book/poem etc) that I keep revisiting…

There are so many of these.

Books: Creative Quest by Questlove (audiobook), Steal Like An Artist by Austin Kleon, Show Your Work by Austin Kleon, the Steal Like An Artist workbook (very important), Elements of Style, Black Ivy, Orbiting The Giant Hairball by Gordon MacKenzie, The Alchemist by Paulo Coelho.

Albums: This list could be longer than 20 CVS receipts. Simple and Is He Real? by IDK, Astroworld By Travis Scott, Yeezus by Kanye West (along with almost any Kanye album till TLOP), More Life by Drake, IV by BadBadNotGood. I listened to Blueprint by Jay Z daily for an entire year and a half in 2013. Reasonable Doubt. Illmatic. IGOR. 

As someone who works on music in their personal life, I listen to almost everything, and return to them often honestly. 

My first professional project…

This is tricky to define, given that my friends and I created a creative collective called Combined Culture in college. We won a college Emmy for our project, ”Numb In America.” We also did a YZY SZN-influenced film ”Dream.Create.Conquer, that got us called up to Adi HQ in Portland after it was featured in NiceKicks and a few other blogs. But my first true professional project was contributing to winning the Vitamin Water business while working at Wieden + Kennedy as an intern. That said, I wouldn't have gotten that opportunity at W+K without the work I put in before – so for any college student reading this, don't be scared to make your own opportunities. 

If you do good work, someone will find you, and you'll create the opportunities you were looking for, instead of asking for them. You maintain the liberty of creative control with this approach.

The piece of work (ad/music video/ platform…) that made me so angry that I vowed to never make anything like *that*…

Honestly, I can say that I haven't made anything that's made me feel this way. I'm not picky about my projects, but when I freelanced I did exercise the power of choice, returning to creating opportunities for yourself. Money is important; this is life. But money wasn’t and still isn't my driving force.

I would say at the agencies I've experienced so far. I haven't touched anything I'm not passionate about.

The piece of work (ad/music video/ platform…) that still makes me jealous…

This will sound like an oxymoron, but I don't get jealous – not even in my personal life. However, as a former athlete, I love to participate in healthy competition. So the most I may feel is anger with myself, because ”Damn, that was a good idea.” If someone I know created it, I'm joyous for them. If someone made it who I don't know, I salute them. Either way, I'm then coming to hit culture two times harder. 

As creatives, I feel it's our job to push each other creatively because we are responsible for pushing creative boundaries no matter the realm we're in. In my case, it's currently to push brands to use the allocated marketing budgets for storytelling with intention and purpose.

The creative project that changed my career…

I'm not sure if I had one of those yet. There are three moments I reflect on the most that instilled confidence in my voice, but in terms of a project that brought me name recognition and industry cache, I don't have one of those yet. 

First was contributing to the aforementioned Vitamin Water win and getting an idea sold to be produced – which was something out of an advertising dream for a freshly graduated 23-year-old intern.

Secondly, at my all-time low of confidence in my creative self in 2018, I took a freelance position at Combs Enterprises and worked on Summer Watermelon Cîroc. After the advertisements went live, Summer Watermelon became the number one selling vodka of the summer. This was the moment I told myself, ”No office culture will allow me to question my creative value again.” I had actual proof my ideas worked.

As for the third…

The work that I’m proudest of…

Which happens to be the work I'm proudest of was creating an Impossible Is Nothing spot for basketball superstar Candace Parker titled ”The Legend of Ace.” Having the opportunity to share the importance of Candace Parker as a person – on and off the court, through how she's chosen to live her life – was amazing.

It was my first global commercial, and assembling everyone from her family to high school coach, Tatis, Patrick Mahomes, and ChiTown legend DRose was a crazy experience. Not to mention I was a part of the voiceover for the spot, and the Chicago Sky won their first WNBA Championship in Candace's return to her hometown that year.

At times, I really can't fathom it because having a commercial on during the Finals was a personal goal at some point, for a young hooper who was watching Candace from her Tennesse days to now. It's serendipitous how life can come full circle.

I was involved in this and it makes me cringe…

Selling bullshit to kids that they don't genuinely need.

This is a conundrum for me at times because advertising is a tool that can be used for SO much more than ”Hey, buy this item.”

If we're being honest, the item in question sold itself before it even got to market. 

Look at what companies do in the sneaker community to drive conversation amongst the culture. The product doesn't need to be the focus of the spot. The spots I referred to earlier weren't about product really at all. It was about the creative idea, messaging, and story.  But in short, you should create a good idea, tell an amazing story to the proper demographic, and the product sells itself.

I begged my pops for converse hoop shoes in 05-06' and traded in my TMac's because as an undersized slashing guard at the time. I resonated with DWade's story of relentlessness. It doesn't and shouldn't be product before story. Yet, in the words of Donald Glover, ”This is America.”

The recent project I was involved in that excited me the most… 

There are two. Recently we finished wrapping and releasing chapter 3 on Big Z. This time he takes New Orleans by storm, looking for his main man Zion. You'll have to go watch the content on the House of Hoops IG (here, here and here) to see how it unfolds. But, the work shows growth in the character of Big Z, and I'm excited to continue the expansion of the character if the opportunity arises.

The other project isn't out yet, but it's on my new home account at Laundry Service. In short, I'm happy I get to use my journalism degree to tell stories through the exercise of this upcoming idea, myself and team hope to create a home for young creatives to learn more about their craft from their faves. We all believe what we create can become something special, and as every creative should. 

That's how I feel about this present opportunity. I don't take it for granted, nor lightly.