by Matthew Jones

Julio Desir (pronounced ‘joo-lee-oh’ 'duh-zeer') has art in his blood, and he is driven to express himself creatively regardless of whether he is using a camera, a paint brush, or film.  He is profoundly curiosity about life, and his quest to connect with people, places and things drives what he ultimately puts on a page or on screen as a creative director at Foote Cone & Belding (FCB), in Chicago – which is part of the Interpublic Group of Companies (IPG).

But despite his passion and talent, Desir’s path to advertising has not been an easy one.  Nor, has it been direct. 

Desir originally wanted to become a mechanical engineer, like his father.  An uncommonly smart and energetic student, he was accepted to the United States Military Academy at West Point, into their highly competitive mechanical engineering program.  They sent him a beautiful plaque and a letter from a top military officer congratulating him on his acceptance.  While reading the letter, Desir had an epiphany – one that would radically alter the course of his life and subsequent career choices.

“The letter was saying how ‘you need to do this for you – not for your family, or for anyone else,’” said Desir.  “I realized – I didn’t want that.”

Desir’s change of heart shocked his family – particularly his father, who didn’t speak to him for a month after he rejected West Point.  For his Haitian parents, pursuing a career in art was not a path to success.  After all, in Haiti, artists sell their work in the streets - at least that was his parents' perception.

Desir accepted a scholarship to Michigan State University, where he pursued a career in education.  However, when he switched his teaching focus to art, he subsequently lost that scholarship.  As a result, he had to work multiple jobs to stay in school – one of which involved drawing story boards for advertising students.  While initially it meant getting paid in pizza (“All I could eat,” as Desir described it), he found much greater value in his work than pay – he found his path to advertising.

“I spent a lot of time with the advertising students – I followed them around like a pet,” said Desir.  He was drawn to the industry, but still found one glaring hole.  “Eventually, I thought, ‘Advertising is great, but who in advertising gets to draw?’”  It was that question that finally pointed him toward a creative career in advertising.

Drawing Inspiration from the World

In advertising, a creative’s career depends on the quality of the work produced.  For Desir, producing relevant and exciting work begins with one key activity – learning.

“Inspiration comes from everywhere,” explained Desir.  “(A good creative) needs to be a sponge.  They need to be a ‘watcher.’  Sometimes (in the creative process), you look at other ads first, but the best ideas come from books, movies, art…”

To that end, Desir’s eyes and ears are always open.  “I’m a pop culture junkie,” he added.  “I’m always watching, observing people.  When (the creative team) sits down on a new project, we probably spend about half an hour on the creative brief [the strategic document that outlines what should be the overriding message of all creative work].  Then, we just start talking – movies, personal stories, or what we did the night before.”

According to Desir, this is where the great ideas are born, and what ultimately gives way to images, messages and campaigns with which audiences are connected.

As a creative force, Desir has what it takes to get audiences to connect with his work.  He is a man of many talents – he’s an artist, a writer, and a photographer.  “I’m a Jack-of-all-trades, and a master of none,” he joked.  “I draw…better than most.  I love photography, but I’m not the best.  I love to write.  I have a pretty good handle on all of it.”

While his natural creative abilities have served him well as a creative, it required an additional set of skills and attributes to help him evolve into an effective creative director.

“I’m a creative person first, then a creative director,” said Desir of his creative priorities.  “(As a creative director), you have to know how to find the diamond in the rough.  You’re working with other people and their ideas.  You have to learn to cultivate an idea that’s great/  (You have to be able to uplift that idea, and help that idea live in the world – that’s your job.  You have to be really good at listening. ” 

The idea of nurturing and growing an idea is key to being an effective creative director, because ultimately, it needs to be an idea that an agency can sell to a client.  “There are multiple obstacles to an idea – a great account director helps the great ideas live.”

Enhancing Inspiration in the Industry

Just like great ideas, many promising young creative candidates face obstacles in the industry.  Desir admits he’s faced his fair share of obstacles, both as an African-American male and the son of Haitian immigrants.

“(As a double-minority), there are a lot of perceptions about what you’re qualified to work on,” said Desir in reference to the industry’s tendency to shift minority talent to smaller and less notable accounts, or to assignments that focus exclusively on their ethnicity.  “You have to get past that.  I just try to be the best creative director I can be – not the best Haitian, or the best African-American – just the best.”

However, being the best in an industry like advertising does not guarantee one the same opportunities as everyone else.  Many factors can speed up or hinder a promising career, including account assignments, promotions, assignment of team members and resources.

“You have to beat down doors that aren’t open to you,” continued Desir.  “(If you’re a minority), the stress is tougher.  There aren’t a whole lot of us out there.  A typical creative can be considered successful if he or she succeeds two or three times out of ten.  (Minorities) have to succeed at twice that rate.  Then eventually, you get more credibility and are seen as successful.”

Like many people in advertising, Desir feels the marketing industry is ahead of most industries when it comes to appreciating the value of minority talent.  He feels things have changed for the better over time, but said the industry has not achieved “true equality, or an understanding of our contributions.”

Desir cites a dramatic change in recruitment tactics as a potential opportunity to increase diversity in the marketing workplace.  “More needs to be done – we need to be recruiting in non-traditional areas,” he added.  “For (people wanting to be creatives), it’s tough.  People stumble into programs, and (those programs) are still pumping out the same kinds of people.  We’re not looking at the (Howard Universities) or the (Moorehouse Universities) in this country.”

According to Desir, another reason minorities are underrepresented in the industry is lack of awareness within our own communities.  “We don’t know advertising is an option for us,” said Desir.  “I stumbled into it.  When I talk to other people just starting out of school, they have no idea it exists (as an opportunity).”

It was friends and role models that guided Desir not only into a career in advertising, but into embracing his love of art in the.  One such source of inspiration was his high school art teacher, Carl Stadler.

“He was one of the more non-traditional teachers,” said Desir of his first mentor.  “He bucked the system a lot.  He was probably the most intellectual teacher at the school.”

Mr. Stadler used to share funny stories to Desir about incidents that would happen around school.  Desir, in turn, would draw pictures of the incident for his favorite teacher.  What Desir didn’t know, initially, was that Stadler was keeping the pictures and displaying them to the people involved in the story.  Desir’s talent quickly became widely known.

Desir also speaks fondly of Jim Condit, who, at the time, was a Leo Burnett creative director who taught him things he hadn’t studied in school.  “Finding the diamonds in the rough, both with people and ideas, he taught me how to do that.”

While other creative directors may have seen just another kid with a portfolio, Condit saw something different in Desir.  He was committed to teaching Desir the craft and the art of advertising.  It made all the difference in the early days of his career.

However, as important as mentoring is to finding and developing outstanding creative talent, Desir believes it is becoming more and more difficult in today’s marketing arena. 

“It’s getting harder and harder to (be a great role model),” said Desir.  “We’re working faster and faster.  There are shorter deadlines.  It’s more difficult to spend time with that young art director that wants your opinion.”

However, Desir is still looking forward to the opportunity to increase his role as a mentor.  “Mentoring is even more important than it used to be.  Every discussion is very important.  That’s what goes out into the world.  The better we prepare the young talent, the more insight-driven the work, the better the work will be.”

Looking Ahead

Career wise, Desir said he has found the place where he feels he needs to be.  He had left FCB for a while to start his own agency, but returned to the place “he wanted to call home.” He said the people, the atmosphere and the culture feel right.   He is excited that Interpublic Group of Companies (IPG), the parent company for FCB, has an aggressive diversity coordinator in Heida Gardner, and that the agency is committed to changing its face in the future.

For example, Desir recently went back to Michigan State to talk to minority and women students about the opportunities in advertising.  He was there for a full week, and the agency supported his leave of absence, logging his time off as agency time, rather than vacation.  Many agencies would not have allowed him stay more than a day or two on their time.

Despite taking a path with many detours, Desir loves his work, his team, and his agency.  He is confident that he is pointed in the right direction. Instead of selling his wok in the streets, as his father feared, Desir is selling his work in a large, modern conference room in a high-rise building right off of Michigan Avenue – Chicago’s famous Magnificent Mile.  His work might be seen in the streets; maybe on a 50-foot billboard, or on a collection of TV screens in a store window.

He is rightfully proud of what he has accomplished, having reached a rarified level in the marketing industry as an African-American man.  But more than that, Desir is proud of what he has yet to do.

“I’m proud of the fact that I still love this business, and that I’m still learning,” said Desir with unwavering enthusiasm.  “I can still maintain creative integrity in my work.  I can still get up for every assignment.”

By sharing his passion with others, Desir is not only helping a future generation of creatives, but he is keeping his one creativity and approach to the industry fresh.  “You start talking to all these kids who don’t even know advertising is an option,” said Desir.  “You’re inspiring people to figure out what they want to do with their lives.”

The End