. Jack Tinker (1906-1985) Jack Tinker & Partners, New York List No. 53 of 100 Go to the Next Person of the Century Established agencies, becoming musclebound with their growth in the '50s, sought to cut red tape to meet the competition from new, more flexible post-war creative shops. McCann-Erickson's approach: Spin off an elite, creative think tank, Jack Tinker & Partners. Working "outside," it handled only McCann client marketing strategies. As the idea caught on, Tinker opened to outside clients in '64. The former McCann copywriter, with an all-star team that included Mary Wells, produced award-winning work for Alka-Seltzer, Gillette and Braniff. Eventually, Tinker yielded the creative crown to a new agency, Wells, Rich, Greene, in a reinvigorated creative environment. All Rights Reserved © 1999 & 2005, Advertising Age Crain Communications, Inc. editor@AdAge.com .