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Josh Gross of Energy BBDO on Not Having All the Answers
That's a good thing
Josh is the chief creative officer of Energy BBDO. His work includes SC Johnson, Claritin and Extra Gum’s post-pandemic viral hit “For When It’s Time.” He’s also been instrumental in account wins such as Kenvue, MD Anderson Cancer Hospital and Jack Daniel’s.
We spent two minutes with Josh to learn more about his background, his creative inspirations and recent work he’s admired.
Josh, tell us …
Where you grew up, and where you live now.
I grew up in Dayton, Ohio. I’ve spent time in Miami, Hamburg, New York, San Francisco and Colorado. But for the last 10 years, Chicago has been home.
How you first realized you were creative.
My mom is an artist. She used to do these cool drawings for my brother and me to color. I loved coloring—crayons, markers, colored pencils, whatever. Watching my mom draw and paint opened me up to my creative side.
A person you idolized creatively early on.
George Lucas. I probably watched The Empire Strikes Back on VHS 1,346 times as a kid.
A moment from high school or college that changed your life.
I was told I had to pick a major in my sophomore year of college. Advertising was near the top of the list, and it sounded cool. Twenty-two years later, here we are.
A visual artist or band/musician you admire.
A book, movie, TV show or podcast you recently found inspiring.
Podcast: Mike Birbiglia’s “Working It Out” is especially good. He explores with other comedians how they get to the funny, and they work out bits in real time. There are a lot of parallels to advertising and how to keep developing an idea until it’s great.
One of your favorite creative projects you’ve ever worked on.
It’s hard to top Extra Gum’s “For When It’s Time.” The whole thing was bonkers, from the massive business problem facing the brand, to the logistics of a fully remote shoot where dozens of people were making out in the middle of a global pandemic, to convincing Celine Dion to let us use “It’s All Coming Back to Me Now.” It probably reduced my life expectancy by 6-8 months. But to see the impact the work had, both on the business and in culture, was incredibly gratifying.
A recent project you’re proud of.
We partnered with Change the Ref to make a video game called “The Final Exam,” where you have to survive a school shooting. It’s absolutely gutting. But it has started a conversation among gamers around gun legislation.
Someone else’s work that inspired you years ago.
The Mini work from Crispin Porter + Bogusky in the early 2000s blew my mind. It opened my aperture to what advertising could be, and it was a big part of why I went to Miami Ad School–to be closer to that creative energy.
Someone else’s work you admired lately.
I’m obsessed with the work Simon Vicars and crew are cranking out at Colenso BBDO. “Adoptable,” “Meowzer,” “Delivereasy,” “Phone It In.” So fun and oh so smart.
Your main strength as a creative person.
Knowing that I don’t know it all.
Your biggest weakness.
I love ellipses…
A mentor who helped you navigate the industry.
There were insanely talented art directors like Mathieu Zarbatany and Hideki Owa, who were so patient with me. Then there were leaders like Rob Reilly and Jeff Benjamin at CPB. At BBDO, David Lubars, Luiz Sanches and now Chris Beresford-Hill have been incredible mentors and wonderful creative partners.
How you’re paying it forward with the next generation of creatives.
I try to help creatives at every level expand their roles. When I was coming up, my title often felt like it held me back from doing certain things. It’s not like that at Energy BBDO. Anything is possible.
What you’d be doing if you weren’t in advertising.
Photography.
2 Minutes With is our regular interview series where we chat with creatives about their backgrounds, creative inspirations, work they admire and more. For more about 2 Minutes With, or to be considered for the series, please get in touch.
