Kevin Smith
Kevin has encyclopedic knowledge about every ad campaign produced in the United States since 1961. Seriously. He’s that passionate about the business, and his enthusiasm infuses both the process and the work, making it a joy to be a part of Kevin’s team.
With 15 years of experience in account planning and management, Kevin has worked with some of the best in the business. A native of Spartanburg, South Carolina and a graduate of Hampden-Sydney with a bachelor of arts in history, he joined Shepardson Stern and Kaminsky/New York as account manager in 1998. In two years, he moved from account manager to account supervisor to vice president—the youngest VP at one of the 500 fastest growing companies in the United States—while leading some major players through times of significant transition. He worked to position Southern Company, America’s largest generator of electricity, for deregulation. Kevin also worked on Polo Ralph Lauren and directed the launch of Time Warner Cable’s Road Runner High Speed Online in 40 markets nationwide. He went on to J. Walter Thompson, where he worked on Merrill Lynch, helping launch the ML Direct online trading site. Then he returned to his home state of South Carolina, rejoining RIGGS (where he got his “I want to be an account executive!” start) as managing partner. He served as strategic lead on agency growth and development and was ultimately named agency president.
All of which positions Kevin perfectly as the brilliant brand strategist he is today. Oh yes—and Kevin can tie any marketing conundrum to either Ferris Beuller’s Day Off or Romy and Michelle’s High School Reunion. Did we say that?
- Rushing is almost always a bad idea.
- Taking care of people and things makes you value them more.
- Where you are is ideal, so long as you’ve worked a bit to get there.
- Old is infinitely more interesting than new.
- Exactly what you want is worth the wait.
- One’s life needs a soundtrack.
- The people I most admire value quality and simplicity.
- Edit often.
- Newly cut grass, fresh paint, charcoal grills and wood fires are well worth the effort.
- The present is great, because you have every historical style to access.
- Tap water is better out of a decanter.
- Don’t forget that other people have regrets too.
- You can tell a great deal about a book by its cover.
- If someone is older than you, they are probably smarter than you as well.
- Art and animals are always there for you. Stay in touch.
- Wind your watch.
- At the end of the day, good lighting makes all the difference.
