Q&A with Rick Chiorando
Chief Creative Officer
What got you into the advertising business in the first place?
My ability to draw… it came very easily to me and quite honestly it got me through some of my tougher junior and senior high school classes. I specifically remember algebra in Miss Pearl’s class (I also secretly had a crush on her). It was right after lunch… everyday I’d have a different picture drawn on the board waiting for her arrival… she would look at me, smile and wink (I think she had a bigger crush on me!) So while I have zero idea what the cosine of an angle is; I left that class (and my heart) with a B+.
Share two things that people may be surprised to know about you.
That working in advertising was really my third love! By far, if I had 20-20 vision (I can’t see what I’m eating without glasses!) I would have been flying fighter jets for a living. It was about the same time I was accepted at the Air Force Academy that the docs discovered I couldn’t see the letter “E” that was a foot and a half tall from 10 feet in front of me. The Academy graciously extended the invitation to attend, but suggested I do something that kept me on the ground. My second love was professional baseball. I was scouted by the Cincinnati Reds and the Detroit Tigers. I ultimately signed with Detroit, but after a year gave it up when my coach came to me in a private moment, leaned over and said, “You suck at hitting a curve… you should find a real job!” So here I am, working with some of the most talented people in the industry, and having a blast doing it!
Tell us what inspires you.
A nice cold glass of Champagne and a shower… in no particular order. Seriously, I do my best thinking in the solitude of my morning (and as needed, afternoon) shower. I’m not sure what it is – the hot water, the steam, the massage feature on the shower head – maybe all of it, but for as long as I can remember, I come up with my best work scribbling on the glass shower door: It was definitely tougher when all I had was that SpongeBob SquarePants shower curtain!
Read more...What was your first car?
Well, my semi-official first car was my Dad’s Pinto. As time went on, I added chrome wheels, a cassette player and striped it with the reflective tape used on the Phone Company trucks (don’t ask!). To make it sound mean, I turned the cover of the air cleaner upside down and it made that 4-cylinder car sound like a Ferrari.
I thought it was cool that my Dad just gave me his Pinto (what a prince)… then I find out that they BLOW UP when rear-ended! Think my father was trying to tell me something?
What has been your proudest moment in your professional career?
By far, it was becoming a partner in Austin & Williams, and not the self-fulfilling prophecy type. It’s more about the agency itself, the people, the work. We’re young with seasoned talent, we have people that want to turn the industry upside down, and the work speaks for itself. That’s why we have clients that have been with us for decades… really… one banging on 20 years. I’m truly proud of the agency we’ve created: we’re smart, hard working talented individuals that work as one driven machine and do whatever it takes to satisfy a client’s request or turn a job around in a heartbeat.
Tell us about your most obscure job.
It has to be painting houses. For years, a few of my buddies and I painted houses that were works of art. We brought in some artistic flair at a time when all the world knew was “flat paint on sheet-rock”. We detailed trims in contrasting colors, we created patterns, and we even played with tint coats… we were years ahead of the curve on creating a different type of environment, so much so that clients would ask us to “sign” their houses like an artist signs his work. Hey, I may have painted your place at some time: check the shelf in the master bedroom for my handprint and signature.
