We recently connected with Cameron Cole Christman and have shared our conversation below.

Cameron Cole, thanks for joining us, excited to have you contributing your stories and insights. Is there a historical figure you look up to? Who are they and what lessons or values have you learned from them?

In advertising, it’s certainly Howard Luck Gossage. AKA the: “The Socrates of San Francisco.” He was one of those true, and rare eccentrics that was absolutely ahead of his time. He was an iconoclast in many ways compared to his Madison Avenue contemporaries. Gossage was one of advertising’s most brilliant critics. He wasn’t just skeptical of the ad business, he was downright nauseated by the laziness, manipulation, and derivative mentality of the time. He was a real advocate of social and environmental causes long before it was à la mode. In his firehouse turned agency, he curated elaborate spectacles on a regular basis. He hosted artists, futurists, intellectuals, mariachi bands, poets and other creative misfits of the time. His model of independent agency is closer to the paragons of contemporary advertising than his mid-20th century counterparts. Not to mention, my favorite quote of his hasn’t aged a day: “Nobody reads ads. People read what interests them. Sometimes it’s an ad.”

As always, we appreciate you sharing your insights and we’ve got a few more questions for you, but before we get to all of that can you take a minute to introduce yourself and give our readers some of your background and context?

I am a writer at heart. I will absolutely write whatever I find interesting. I can provide you with anything in length from a headline to a feature length screenplay. I started with an interest in journalism and psychology. That led me to study under an art critic in London, Christopher Cook, but eventually I combined aspects of both interests and found myself in the world of advertising. I am deeply intrigued by human nature, how we propagate ideas and how we build identities. I got my start in the film industry after being hired by a veteran production executive in the field, Arthur “Arturo” Navarro, at Echo Park Productions LLC. I can’t say the name of the project that I’m most proud of in my entire career yet, but it was made there, and I cannot wait to see it on the silver screen. I tend to analogize all creative pursuits in terms of basketball analogies, but it’s pretty simple when boiled down: I’ll play any role, on any team, for any project. All I want to do is make great work across a diverse variety of mediums. Recently, I’ve been doing photography for one of the hottest rising house music collectives in NYC, Off Topic, and it has only reinforced one thing in my mind, if the team is great, we’ll make great work.

Any resources you can share with us that might be helpful to other creatives?

One thing I wish I knew earlier is that people that you may believe are unreachable, for whatever reason, are absolutely willing to help. All you have to do is ask. They were all hungry and green at some point. I’m incredibly grateful to the people who took the time out of their day to assist me, in whatever way, and I can only hope to do the same one day.

Are there any books, videos, essays or other resources that have significantly impacted your management and entrepreneurial thinking and philosophy?

There are two books that come to mind. Firstly is The Book of Gossage, this was my introduction to the man himself, curated by the people who loved him the most, there are so many jewels. It is currently out of print, but a used copy is worth its weight in gold. Then, on a different creative front, Hollywood by Charles Bukowski felt like a guiding light of everything to do, and more importantly not do, in the realm of screenwriting. I remember buying a copy at the most exceptional book store in the Milwaukee Mitchell International Airport on a business trip. Renaissance Books is the name, absolutely support them if you ever find yourself in the land of cheese curds and Spotted Cow beer.

Contact Info:

• Website: https://cam.haus
• Instagram: camchristman
• Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/cameronchristman
• Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/@cam.era.christman

Image Credits

Cam C. Christman