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Stereo Creative's Suzanne Sherwood on 'Scamberry Pie' and the Enduring Power of Posters
She's all about letting creative people do their thing
Suzanne Sherwood is the North American ECD at Stereo Creative. Previously she has worked across tech, lifestyle, beauty and CPG brands at agencies including Cartwright, TBWA/Chiat/Day, Taxi and MullenLowe. She currently lives in Vancouver, B.C. with her husband, son and rescue pup.
We spent a few minutes with Suzanne to learn more about her background, inspirations and on grinding alongside her team.
What’s a creative hill you’ll die on?
Titles are important for recognition and compensation, but we should also ignore them and let creative people do their thing. One of my favorite films of the year was written by a designer. If you’re here, that means you have a unique and beautiful take on creativity, and I want to hear it even if it’s outside of the title below your email signature.
Finish this sentence: When I am in a creative rut, I _______.
Head to the forest or the beach with my son. Seeing a 5-year-old imagine an entire world around a stick, rock or tiny shell shakes me out of my rut.
What belief about creativity have you changed your mind about?
In school and early in my career it was drilled into us that it had to be hard, you had to dig deeper. But there’s beauty and simplicity in the first thought sometimes. The first place your brain goes can actually be the answer. Sure, often it’s a throwaway. But sometimes you just have to trust your instincts and go with it.
What’s a source of inspiration you return to constantly?
My bookshelf. We have a massive collection. Shakespeare, design annuals, frothy beach reads, mysteries. I love the physicality of books. Sometimes, just looking at a cover can inspire a memory or idea.
What non-advertising industry do you learn from?
All of them! Film and TV, absolutely. But I also love talking to my friends so far outside the industry: doctors, lawyers, architects and teachers. Everyone’s perspective and experience provides input and inspiration for more well-rounded ideas.
What’s the best podcast for smarter thinking?
Fly on the Wall with Dana Carvey and David Spade. It’s an SNL retrospective where they dive into some of the most famous skits and moments with former and current cast members. I find it fascinating to hear creative people at the top of their craft talk about pulling off moments that are still referenced in culture decades later.
What was the last campaign that made you think, “I wish I made that?”
Uber Eats has been crushing it for a while—the cackle I let out at “Mild Salsa” or “Passion Fruit” is epic. It’s a great example of a simple insight, great execution, and being unafraid to just really sit in a great idea. I’m also a sucker for good OOH, so the Netflix billboard for The Last House with someone living in it was super smart and fun.
Tell us about a recent project you’re proud of.
We had the opportunity to work with the Tech Against Scams Coalition. It’s a group of companies like Coinbase, Match Group, CashApp and Ripple working to help educate against scams on their platforms. The brief was to reach the most scammed groups during the most scammed time of year (the holidays). We could have made a film or OOH campaign, but instead we made: the “Scamberry Pie.” Each red flag shaped piece revealed a common scammer red flag, and was designed to share at holiday gatherings, building community and conversations that are the best defense against getting scammed.
Also, a poster series we did for The Portland Fire theme nights. Posters feel like a bit of a lost art, and two of our designers (shout out Vivi and Audrey!) turned it into such an incredible study in design. It’s a great example of hiring phenomenal talent and just letting them do their thing. Sometimes that’s what turns a project into so much more than it sets out to be.
Your main strength as a creative person?
I am a deeply feeling person. For my team, for my clients, for food delivery robots or Waymos, if I see them stuck or confused. I’ve been known to cry at good ideas in reviews, whether it’s from laughing too hard or otherwise. Strength, weakness? It depends on who you ask. But it is what pushes me.
You’ve got 2 minutes with the industry. What’s your hot take?
You ask a lot of your team, and that means they are allowed to ask a lot of you. Just because you make it to a leadership position doesn’t excuse you from the details or the responsibility you have to even the most junior members of your team. The speed and nuance this industry moves with has removed the possibility of layers the way they used to be. If my team is grinding, so am I.
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.
