Matthew Woodhams-Roberts and Dave Horton of Special U.S. on Learning to Persevere

Spending quality time with ad luminaries pays off

Special U.S. partners and L.A. chief creative officers Matthew and Dave first met more than a decade ago. Together they have worked with global brands such as Uber, Adidas, Netflix and Expedia.

Previously, Matthew and Dave worked together at Chiat/Day LA and 180LA.

We spent two minutes with Matthew & Dave to learn more about their backgrounds, their creative inspirations and recent work they’ve admired. 

Matthew & Dave, tell us …

Where you grew up, and where you live now. 

• Matthew: I grew up in Berkeley, Calif. I now live in the one place that people from Berkeley love to hate on: Los Angeles. It’s quite nice here. 
• Dave:I grew up in La Mirada, a suburb of Los Angeles. When I decided to set out and see what the big wide world offered, I moved 35 miles up the road to Venice, which is where I live now. 

How you first realized you were creative. 

• Matthew: My mother was a classical musician and my father dabbled in a bit of everything, including photography. As a child, my mom would practice flute for hours while I would lay on the floor drawing, coloring and dreaming up my own worlds. That was my happy place.
• Dave: I went to school to be an engineer. I always liked to build things and that seemed like a natural path to take. I even got a job at an engineering firm while I was still in school. But the job was not at all like building things when I was a kid. Just as I was becoming disillusioned, I happened to take a tour of an ad agency and it was like seeing another world.

A person you idolized creatively early on. 

• Matthew: My parents had an artist friend in San Francisco, the bohemian type and a brilliant painter and graphic designer. She did these wonderful large-scale watercolors, but also set type and designed layouts for Wells Fargo. I was in awe of what she created. She saw something in everything and fed off those ideas. 
• Dave: My grandmother. She was an incredible artist. As she got older, arthritis in her hands made it difficult to hold a paint brush or pencil. But when one creative outlet became too difficult, she would always find another. She would never complain. She’d just find another way to make something beautiful. 

A moment from high school or college that changed your life. 

• Matthew: I had no intention of roughing it as a starving artist. I knew I wasn’t that talented nor that determined. I needed to come out of college with some idea of what I could do for a living. But my constitutional law classes weren’t really hitting. I walked into an Intro to advertising course. Boom.
• Dave: In my sophomore year I was hit by a car, got a small settlement, and decided to spend a semester in Italy. I met my wife on that trip. She was the one who suggested I try advertising. So, without getting hit by that car, I wouldn’t have her, my kids or this career. 

A visual artist or band/musician you admire. 

• Matthew: Bowie. 
• Dave: Matt Berringer. I love his music and have been told I look like him. Which makes me regret not being a famous rock star. 

A book, movie, TV show or podcast you recently found inspiring. 

• Matthew: Pachinko, the epic by Min Jin Lee. I was fascinated by the history and the range of characters that hold your attention through four generations of story. 
• Dave: The Memory Palace podcast. Great short stories about forgotten characters and moments from history. 

One of your favorite creative projects you’ve ever worked on. 

• Matthew: Adidas with Derrick Rose. We’ve been doing a lot of fun comedy lately, which I love, but there’s something special about playing in the emotional world of sport. 
• Dave: Uber “Don’t Eats” was fun because it was a simple, ridiculous joke that we were able to take a lot further than most clients would normally let you. I’ll always be grateful for that. 

A recent project you’re proud of. 

• Matthew: Our latest Uber Eats Super Bowl campaign with the Beckhams, Jennifer and David, Usher and Jelly Roll. We had a lot of laughs making it and a nice response inside and outside the industry. 

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• Dave: Fox Sports is one of those brands that I’ve always wanted to work on. And we recently did a series of spots with Greg Olsen, Kevin Burkhardt, Erin Andrews and Tom Rinaldi. We managed to get lots of fans, athletes and other broadcasters to start calling Kevin “Lil Baby KK.” So, huge win. 

Someone else’s work that inspired you years ago. 

• Matthew: Back when a print ad was still a big deal, I remember an aerial shot looking down on gridded farmland below, with a small red car just barely visible and an equally small line: “Just driving around in squares.” It was for VW. It was so simple and such a unique perspective. I’ve chased that simplicity of story ever since.
• Dave: Crest “Bulldozer” is one of my favorite ads of all time. Comedy gold. 

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Someone else’s work you admired lately. 

• Matthew: This was last year, but the Squarespace “Singularity” work with Adam Driver was that perfect mix of clear, strange, funny and memorable. 

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• Dave: I love the Partners Life Insurance work. It’s such a great and surprising media idea executed perfectly. 

Your main strength as a creative person. 

• Matthew: The ability to keep going. 
• Dave: Empathy. 

Your biggest weakness. 

• Matthew: Taking on too much. 
• Dave: Stubbornness. 

A mentor who helped you navigate the industry. 

• Matthew: I’ve never had a mentor per se, but I’ve been fortunate to get some quality time working for iconic creatives. Cliff Freeman, Gerry Graf, Jeff and Rich and Jamie Barrett to name a few. They passed along more than just creative advice. They taught me patience, resilience and how to work as one with your clients. And above all that this is a small industry—so be kind. 
• Dave: Not really a mentor, but when I was fortunate to do quite a few jobs with Stacy Wall. Those experiences taught me a lot about craft and how to build something without losing focus on the simple core of an idea. 

How you’re paying it forward with the next generation of creatives. 

• Matthew: The agency started a program to give under-represented and under-served high school students from L.A. a way to learn more about commercial creativity. 
• Dave: Our team has brought in some amazing speakers and industry leaders to help nurture the idea of creativity as a path to a career. 

What you’d be doing if you weren’t in advertising. 

• Matthew: A failing professional surfer. 
• Dave: Making furniture.