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In the latest episode of the “Breaking and Entering Advertising” podcast Sam Shepherd, chief creative officer of Uncommon Creative Studio New York, shares the lessons he’s learned in his career and what drives creativity at the agency’s first major outpost beyond London.

For Shepherd, a career-defining project was “The Lost Class”, a bold campaign from Leo Burnett that addressed gun violence for gun safety advocacy group Change the Ref. The campaign featured major gun rights figures delivering graduation speeches to empty seats symbolizing students lost to gun violence, highlighting to Shepherd the importance of risk-taking and the power of creativity to drive cultural impact. “We’re not going to touch this space unless we have something we feel like we’re going to get arrested over,” Shepherd said.

It was that work that drew Uncommon Co-Founder Nils Leonard to Shepherd, whose approach to breakthrough campaigns aligned with the studio’s goal of creating work that resonates far beyond advertising. Uncommon’s guiding principles, which are deeply ingrained in its culture, resonated with Shepherd. Those include, “later means never,” which Shepherd described as the urgency of action in creative work and the mantra “no passengers,” where the studio expects everyone contributes fully, with no B team.

For aspiring advertisers, Shepherd stresses the value of being intentional in career moves. “Look at the ads you love, study the people who made them and go work with them,” he advised, emphasizing the importance of finding mentors and the right creative environments. He also encourages emerging talent to embrace the hustle, noting, “Passion and hustle can literally get you 99% of the way there.”

To hear more from Shepherd, including his advice for advertisers of all levels and what drives Uncommon Creative Studio, listen to the full episode on Spotify.

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