At DDB, we have a simple belief. That Unexpected Works. It means that the best idea is the one you never saw coming. The thing that catches you so off guard that you can‘t look away. And the only path to genuinely unexpected works is through creativity.

And in order to create awesome works, you need awesome people. Because you can’t make the unexpected if you only work with the usual suspects. In this Unexpected Intros series, we take a peek behind the curtain at some of the diverse thinkers that make up our network, and validate Bill Bernbach’s notion that an idea can turn to dust or magic, depending on the talent that rubs against it.

1. Name, Title, Office

Alec Samuelson, junior copywriter, DDB NY

2. Introduce yourself in three emojis.

😅😳🫠

3. What was your very first job?

Working on a farm. I was not raised on a farm but was sent to one occasionally in the summers of my youth to, I think, build character.

4. How did you wind up in advertising?

I was actually trying to get into business school, which is really to say I didn’t know what I wanted to do. One problem (of several) was that my grades were not the best. But I thought if I could land an impressive internship, it might compensate for my otherwise lacking résumé. Luckily for me, the internship was at an ad agency, and I finally found a job that didn’t require me to do any math.

5. Piece of creative that inspires you?

Bud Light’s Real Men of Genius campaign is my favourite. My family burned them all onto a CD that we used to listen to on road trips. I aspire to write stuff that’s that level of entertaining.

6. What are you currently reading, watching, and listening to?

Reading: Me and Earl and the Dying Girl

Watching: Rick and Morty, Barry, and Diners, Drive-Ins and Dives.

Listening: Smashing Pumpkins because it’s fall, Alex G because he just released a great album, and Lady Gaga because no playlist is complete without her.