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Young & Laramore's Trevor Williams: Turning a Good Idea Into a Great One
On crafting 'Not a Real Sport' for Paddletek and more
Trevor is a principal and ECD at Young & Laramore.
We spent two minutes with Trevor to learn more about his background, his creative inspirations and recent work he’s admired.
Trevor, tell us …
Where did you grow up and where do you live now.
I grew up on the Kansas side of Kansas City. Cut my advertising teeth there—learning the fundamentals before being recruited to D’Arcy, St. Louis, to work on Skittles. A few years later, I was introduced to Young & Laramore—this quietly brilliant, mid-sized agency in Indianapolis. The work was smart, but it was the people behind it that I fell in love with. I thought it’d be a great, two-year steppingstone opportunity. That was 24 years ago.
A moment from high school or college that changed your life.
Getting on the bus and sitting next to Kevin Conard in 8th grade. What started as a random seat assignment turned into a lifelong friendship and creative partnership. In college, he helped shift my focus from design to art direction and ultimately got me my first agency job—as his partner. He’s since gone on to build and sell a successful retirement planning company, but we still chat weekly. He’s one of the few people whose advice I trust across the board—financial and otherwise.
A book, movie, TV show or podcast you recently found inspiring.
Project Hail Mary was a great film. Optimistic. Funny. Beautiful. Also, I’m not immune to a great Gosling performance.
A recent project you’re proud of.
Paddletek – “Not a Real Sport” campaign. This one hit a nerve in the best way. Pickleball is exploding, but there’s this persistent skepticism around whether it’s even a “real” sport. We leaned into that tension and turned it into a confident, culturally aware platform for the brand.
Your main strength as a creative person.
I bring a high bar and I stay with the work long enough to make sure it clears it. My strength is helping teams take a good idea and pushing them to make it great.
Your biggest weakness.
That same high bar. It can slow things down—or create pressure—I consistently need to find the balance.
What you would be doing if you weren’t working in advertising.
Running a retail pickleball shop.
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.
