T Brand Studio’s Sydney Levin-Antonelli on ‘listening to everyone’

Running the creative department for the custom content division of a world-class media company requires ideas—an endless stream of them, coming from all corners of the organization. That’s why, says Sydney Levin-Antonelli, director of creative at The New York Times Co.’s T Brand Studio, “We only sit at tables big enough for everyone.” “Everyone” is a growing team of 70-plus, including editors, writers, designers, photographers, videographers, podcasters and event producers, so those “tables” are figurative—and in the pandemic era, of course, virtual. See all of Ad Age’s 40 Under 40 honorees. Levin-Antonelli, 34, a Boston University journalism major who did stints at The Huffington Post as a writer and at AOL helping to lead video programming, says that keeping morale up among creatives—especially creatives working remotely—involves, more than anything else, listening. “If you’re not listening to everyone,” she says, “you’re not listening to anyone. We believe in amplifying each voice, hearing every perspective and reflecting the world in our work.” Over the past year, that work has included a print/digital campaign for Dropbox highlighting dozens of small businesses that launched during the pandemic—a reminder, Levin-Antonelli says, “that there is truly no deferring a dream”—and a series of nonfiction essays commissioned from culinary and literary luminaries for Visit Florida. The common thread across those and other T Brand projects is always, she says, “the power of stories.” If you could have dinner with one person, alive or dead, who would it be and why? I had a pandemic baby named Arlo. So make it a table for one, and let’s make that table a bed. I’ll meet you for mimosas, Maya Angelou. What are the top two social media sites you use on a regular basis? Instagram for the memes. The New York Times app for the truth. What’s currently on your bedside reading list? For bedtime: “Bodies Are Cool.” For someday: “The Love Songs of W.E.B. Du Bois.” For always: “A Tree Grows in Brooklyn.” What was the last show you binge-watched? “Sesame Street.” Elmo and the gang have taught me more about creative ecosystems than J-school and 15 years in newsrooms and agencies ever did. Ahem. Overwhelmed by dueling deadlines? Belly breathing worked for the dragon in episode 4,418; it will work for you in 2021. Copywriter’s block? Two heads are better than one. Literally. The Two-Headed Monster reminds us brevity is the soul of wit. Tricky client? One word, many syllables: Coooooooooooookie. At what age do you hope to retire? I asked Arlo. He said “cheese.” So, there you have it. See all of Ad Age’s 40 Under 40 honorees.

T Brand Studio’s Sydney Levin-Antonelli on ‘listening to everyone’

Featured Stories