Unexpected Intros: Liz Biscuti
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, Pronouns
Liz Biscuti. Program Director. DDB New York. She/her/hers.
2. Introduce yourself in three emojis
💪🏼👀🍕
3. What was your very first job?
I worked at Party City when I was 15 and I’m proud to say: the balloon-tying skills I learned are still coming in handy.
4. How did you wind up in advertising?
Kind of by accident, actually. I almost made it my major in college and then decided to pursue my childhood dreams and majored in theatre instead. After college, I was doing photoshoots and social media for a local fashion brand while trying to figure out my next career move. A friend told me they were interviewing for a junior digital project manager at Alma DDB and I took it as a sign that this was my way in. I was thankfully hired, learned the ropes from some of the best minds in the business, and eventually moved into producing TV, radio, and print in addition to digital. I’ve been at it since 2011 and don’t see an end in sight!
5. Piece of creative that inspires you?
Ads that challenge our societal and cultural norms are my favourites. Some personal favourites are Always’ 'Like A Girl' or Adidas’ 'Impossible is Nothing' with Nadia Comaneci and Nastia Liukin remind me that we have so much work to do in undoing these cultural stereotypes, including those that affect men. Especially as purpose work comes front and center for many brands, and as an industry that influences culture as much as advertising does, it’s our number one job up there with growing our clients’ business.
6. What are you currently reading, watching, and listening to?
I’m a bit of a political nerd in my free time so I’m currently reading After the Ivory Tower Falls by Will Bunch which explores the history of college and how it went from being this beacon of the “American Dream” to this political, economic, and cultural fault line American society is slowly sinking into. In terms of what I’m watching I’m definitely keeping it light and unplugging with Love is Blind and bopping to some old school Taylor Swift.
7. What’s a goal/hope/dream of yours?
This is going to sound so corny but, we need to do more listening to each other. We all think we have the answers and we’re just talking over each other when we need to do more listening and act on the things that are being said at face value.
