Jen STERN

1. What was your very first job? What does it feel like to look back at it now? 

 My very first job ever was teaching tennis. I got unlimited access to the snack bar so it kind of set the bar for future jobs. Thus, advertising has worked out well for me in that area. My very first job in advertising was as an account person at JWT in New York working on Lubriderm lotion and e.p.t. home pregnancy test kits. I used to get very discreet requests for freebies. I took it as a position of power. 

2. Please describe, in your own words, what your current job is and what work it entails.

 My current job is as a Group Creative Director at PayPal. I am building the in-house agency and it’s been a lot of navigating into the unknown. I oversee the internal creatives as well as give creative oversite to any work we do with external agencies and ensure that work on both sides are showing up consistently on-brand. 

3. How did you discover that the creative world is right for you? Was there a time in your life that you credit to this discovery? Which train of events did bring you to where you are today?

 I realized early on as a kid that when I was coloring or making something, I would get to enter my own world temporarily. That brief escape is a place I still like to visit as often as possible. I’ve always wanted a job that was related to art or design. When I went into advertising, I realized that it wasn’t enough to be around the design world, I wanted to be more hands on and actually creating. I think that is how I know a job is right for me. Am I creating or making something? The frequency of that or the quality of that is kind of what lets me check in with myself and see if I’m creatively fulfilled. 

4. In your constantly growing and expanding industry, how and where do you usually find inspiration to keep your work fresh, innovative and relevant?

 It’s cliché, but there is nothing like travel to open your eyes to what is relevant and hip around the world. Traveling energizes me to explore, observe, seek out beauty in places outside our industry and just get inspired to bring it back into the work I do. 

5. If you had to pick one piece of work or project that you are most proud of, especially for the creative work and innovation it required rather than its recognition or industry success, what would it be?

 Way back in my day as an account person, I worked on a campaign for Sega, at W+K, called “Beta 6” where we basically leaked that there was a glitch in a video game that caused seizures. I had to record a fake customer hotline, create materials to be shredded for dumpster diving, place fake classified ads, and any other random requests that were needed of me. I think I’m still looking for a creative campaign that an entire team rallies behind enough to say, “ok I’ll do that” and bonus if it also begs the question “do you think this is legal?” 

6. Which creative disciplines do you commission most, and are most interested in seeing more of? (ie photo, film, social, experiential, vr, etc)

 Currently the medium that I’ve been consistently commissioning for our brand is photography. I see it is as the fastest way to elevate a brand. It’s the “first impression” a lot of times in our advertising. Putting time and dollars behind photography has a big return on investment. Most of our photography shows up digitally so that is definitely always top of mind when we’re shooting.