Lee Scharfstein: Creative strategy generalist
You’re a formidable agency, albeit “digital”, venturing into the coveted realm of brand work with one of your largest clients. Internal brand stakeholder opinion differences aside, it’s your job to right the ship and re-shoot a campaign that the president of the company didn’t like.
But your young digital creative team is shook, and not sure how to rise to the occasion and meet the demands as described by the CMO.
It’s one of the most tense conference calls you’ve ever experienced. Hundreds of thousands of agency revenues were on the line. Not to mention loss of future work if this assignment isn’t nailed.
Except, one senior-level team member with experience that straddles strategy, creative, and campaign production listened carefully and understood the vision.
In an inspired moment, he thought: I know what the client is looking for, I know just enough Photoshop and just enough editing — let me get this idea into a couple of Google slides.
Within the hour, he transformed the vision into two 80/20 (a.k.a. just-good-enough) slides and sent them to the client.
This was a big personal risk — he was operating outside his department and beyond his typical role. If it went wrong, he’d have to explain his overstep.
He did it anyway because he saw the solution with such clarity.
The risk paid off. The client responded ‘That’s exactly right’.
They kept the business and produced the agency’s first 3D theatrical commercial.
Meet Lee E. Scharfstein, Actor/Writer/Producer/Director (+ advertising executive producer, executive creative director & fractional CMO)
Just like when he jumped in to save the day — Lee now begins every project by making sure people are aligned to the same north star.
Today the projects are bigger and responsibilities broader, but his principle remains the same:
See the vision.
Make sure everyone is aligned and moving in the same direction.
Lee offers these words of wisdom:
The things one loves and can do easily are often invisible to them as a skill(set) or desirable trait. Take the time and energy for thorough self-evaluation (and get feedback from others you trust) to tease those characteristics out and make them part of your professional story.
Like many generalists, Lee is an expert learner, problem-solver, and big-picture thinker who brings these strengths to cross-functional teams. He can find patterns in complex systems, employ empathy, and operate while focusing on the present AND the future.
He has served in all manners and functions for creative content and marketing development, from strategy to execution and implementation. Lee is also a writer and performer both inside and outside of the advertising agency and brand boardrooms.
PS. If you don’t know what an executive producer does (like me) — it means owning an entire project from business problem to delivering a creative asset. The scope spans the highest strategic levels (shaping the vision, identifying the team) to overseeing the most tactical details (scheduling, budgeting).
Oh, and you do all this while making it look easy and ensuring the client feels confident that the project is moving forward.
No wonder a generalist like Lee is so comfortable in this role!
Join us in Breaking the Mold: Generalists Who Thrive in a Specialist’s World as we explore real-life examples of generalists connecting dots, innovating, and solving problems.