There’s an episode of Thomas the Tank Engine with a boulder.

Yes, this is going somewhere. Stick with me for a sec.

As a baby, it freaked me out. It had a face, never spoke, and it antagonized Thomas for a whole episode by blocking the rail he was on. My Mom noticed my fear of the Boulder and, like any good parent would do, bought it for me to play with (thanks, Mom). I remember seeing it for the first time and thinking:

Now I can change the story!

So I played. On some days, Thomas would ram the Boulder off the tracks. Some days, the Boulder would send Thomas flying across the room. Some days, Darth Vader would use the force to throw the Boulder at Batman.

As I got older, I found those little stories would never leave me – The custom Lego figures I’d paint as a teenager, the comic storylines I planned when I wanted to be a writer, the Dungeons & Dragons campaigns I’d run, the things I’d embellish to my baby cousins to impress them, my college application essay, the music I’d produce, my 3D art, and a Godzillion other creative things.

But you’re probably still wondering: why advertising?

Because I don’t just want to create stories – I need to. I love writing, planning, and thinking outside the box, but I also thrive on the challenge of creating within one. Because at its core, advertising is about storytelling – finding ways to connect, inspire, and sometimes surprise people within a box. It’s the perfect challenge: how to turn a simple idea into something unforgettable.

I mean, come on. If I can bring Vader, Batman, and the Boulder into the same story, imagine what I could do with yours.

P.S. - this is the Boulder (see what I mean?)