When Chad Broude convinced his then boss, Mark Gross, and a few other top creatives to start Highdive in 2016, he knew it was going to be hard work. Seven years later, the 37-year-old co-chief creative officer is still putting in maximum effort. 

“This is going to sound cliché, but I’ve always felt like my success in advertising has come from being the hardest-working person in the room,” said Broude, who was formerly at DDB Chicago with Gross. “That and partnering up with people smarter than you.” 

The grind has paid off. Highdive has grown to more than 100 employees, saw a 20% year-over-year revenue rise between 2022 and 2023 and has a 75% new-business win rate so far this year. The agency recently won business including State Farm insurance and Frito-Lay and has continued its reign as a Super Bowl hitmaker with last year's Barbie-themed ad for Rocket Mortgage and a Lay’s spot featuring Seth Rogen and Paul Rudd. 

In the midst of the explosion of generative AI, Broude is embracing the technology with open arms, saying that fighting AI is “like fighting the internet.” Every Highdive creative has a Midjourney account and participates in regular updates on the latest AI uses in the industry to improve client campaign work. 

Highdive's work on the Jeep 2023 World Electric Vehicle Day campaign employed state-of-the-art VFX stage techniques.

If you could have dinner with one person, alive or dead, who would it be and why?

No matter what I do, I go back to Larry David, and I think it's just obvious. I think it would be so entertaining just to have that experience with a person who's a walking sitcom in a way. He's kinda my hero. I love comedy more than anything in the world, and he does it the best. I think having a genuine experience with him would be hard to top.

What are the top two social media sites you use on a regular basis?

TikTok, for sure. Both for pleasure and because I feel like it's important that I'm very versed in it. Then Instagram with Reddit being a distant third.

What’s currently on your bedside reading list?

To be honest, I am an avid TV watcher. When I do have a chance to read, it's more for leaning into things that help build a successful company because I don't naturally do that. We’re reading “Traction: Get a Grip on Your Business” by Gino Wickman.

What was the last show you binge-watched?

I just finished "Silo" on Apple TV, which was OK. The best binge-watching I’ve done in five years was "Jury Duty." That was one of the more genius works of creativity I’ve seen in a long time.

At what age do you hope to retire?

Probably never. I really enjoy what we do. At a certain point, I’d probably step back from running the business, but I would love to be one of those creatives or writers who just doesn’t stop until your heart does.