Walton Isaacson's Sean Pitts on Lexus sponsoring Beyoncé’s tour and being inspired by Pixar to lead

Since joining Walton Isaacson in 2021, associate strategy director Sean Pitts has made efforts to integrate the agency’s creative and strategy departments. One way is through “Creative Explorations,” a concept that Pitts, 31, used at previous agencies and was inspired by Pixar’s “Braintrust” approach to creating movies. “The idea of it is to give a level playing field after a briefing for everybody on the creative team to ask questions,” Pitts said. As a result, Pitts puts together mood boards and presentations of “outstanding creative” from the industry. See all of Ad Age’s 40 Under 40 honorees here “We break it down and see, OK, are there elements of this stuff that work for what we're trying to do and how can that help us inspire to make the work a little bit better,” Pitts said. Pitts, who is also a photographer and has his own men’s grooming channels online, also created guidelines on how other departments can give constructive feedback to the creative team. Pitts works with clients including Lexus, McDonald’s and Doritos. Last year, he led strategy for a Lexus campaign that launched the automaker’s first EV. The campaign included the character Okoye from Marvel Studios’ “Black Panther” franchise. View this post on Instagram A post shared by Lexus (@lexususa) Pitts also created the strategic framework that led to Lexus sponsoring Beyoncé’s Renaissance World Tour. Lexus has activations at most U.S. stops of the tour that include a custom Lexus LC, a photo booth and a karaoke booth. The agency brought the tour to the client’s attention and correlated the fact that the automaker was introducing a new line of vehicles with the theme of Beyoncé’s tour. “Beyoncé’s in that same space, she’s in this renaissance, meaning a reinvention of who Beyoncé is and how she represents herself to the world,” Pitts said while discussing Lexus. “The similarity between those two situations. That’s what we leaned into.” If you could have dinner with one person, alive or dead, who would it be and why? Kobe Bryant. He just embodied a mentality that really resonated with me. I saw so much of myself in him, so I would’ve loved the opportunity to just talk to him about mentality, consistency and life philosophy. I feel like I’d walk away from that conversation with an entirely different understanding and approach to life. What are the top two social media sites you use on a regular basis? Instagram and TikTok. Instagram for creating and sharing content or keeping up with friends and family, and then TikTok for entertainment and learning. An honorable mention right now is Threads, for news and thoughtful words/quotes from creators I follow. I like that it still feels pure as a platform, for now. What’s currently on your bedside reading list? I usually have no more than two books going. One to feed the mind, the other to feed the spirit. For my mind, I just started reading “For the Culture” by Marcus Collins, which explores our understanding of culture and its impact on human behavior. And for the spirit, I just finished “Crazy Faith” by Michael Todd, which explores how to step out in faith and dive into a more purposeful life of trusting God for the impossible. I’ve always been more of a self-help/self-improvement book reader over novels. I’m a visual person, so I typically save that kind of storytelling (fiction/non-fiction stories) for film/TV, where there are visuals to go with it. What was the last show you binge-watched? I don’t usually binge-watch shows (I don’t have the patience to sit through entire seasons at a time like that), however, I just recently binge-watched “Hijack” on Apple TV+, and when I tell you it’s the suspense thriller of the year … well worth the watch. At what age do you hope to retire? In my 40s. But I’d retire from a traditional 9-to-5 and continue to work, just maybe in a different capacity doing something I’m passionate about where I can apply my creativity to develop or launch something new. … and ideally continue to grow, invest, and give back. ~ ~ ~CORRECTION: A previous version of this story incorrectly reported the age of Sean Pitts, his title, details surrounding the campaign starring Okoye from “Black Panther,” and the name of the Lexus car featured in stops of Beyoncé’s U.S. tour. See all of Ad Age’s 40 Under 40 honorees here

Walton Isaacson's Sean Pitts on Lexus sponsoring Beyoncé’s tour and being inspired by Pixar to lead

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