Next Creative Leaders 2015: Claire Morrisey

Three words you'd use to describe yourself?
Collaborative. Resilient. Instigator.

What piece of work are you most proud of and why?
I'm pretty proud of the Google app campaign from last year. Instead of blanketing every type of media with the exact same message, we made each placement bespoke so that the product was always commenting on its surroundings. It was a huge undertaking, with tons of moving pieces, but the end result made it all completely worth it.

We did live-updating banners on the New York Times homepage that updated as the headlines did; we hid contextual questions around New York City that encouraged New Yorkers to look at their city in a new way. We even wrote insider baseball questions for the backstop of the World Series that were talked about by the announcers. As an avid Cardinals fan, having Joe Buck comment on something you were a part of is pretty surreal.

How'd you end up in this industry?
I ended up here because of a great teacher, pure and simple. I was pretty set on journalism until I ended up in an “introduction to creative advertising” class (bad name, I know). Peter Sheldon took just 30 people a semester, and he applauded insights more than vapid work that went for a cheap laugh. That stuck with me. Our industry just seemed like a more engaging challenge than journalism after that. 'Reporter' would have been an easier job to explain to family, though.

You won a "Hope for the Future" award. What's your hope for the future of our industry?
I think it's a good thing that we can fast-forward through commercials and skip pre-rolls—it's forcing our entire industry to create more interesting content—content that people choose to engage with because it speaks to them on behalf of a brand they love. My hope is that young women will see the changing times as a really interesting business challenge, and get inspired to become part of the next generation of great creative leaders.

You've been a supporter of women in this industry since before the conversation really gained traction. How have things changed for you since you started Creative Skirts?
When Jenn Totten, Lauren Peters and I started CreativeSkirts.com we were excited to amplify the conversation about why there are so few female creative leaders. In the years that followed, it became more important for me to become one of those creative leaders than to blog about them.

Agencies should focus on growing and supporting the talented creatives they already have within their walls. We lose too many great female creatives on the path from junior creative to CD, and we don’t need to.