Alec Beckett of Nail: 'Always Return to the Idea and Let It Tell You What to Do'

Learning to embrace the risks of creativity

Alec is currently creative partner at Nail Communications. 

We spent two minutes with Alec to learn more about his background, his creative inspirations and recent work he’s admired. 

Alec, tell us …

Where you grew up, and where you live now.

I grew up in New Hampshire, lived in New York City, Boston and Los Angeles. I ended up 70 miles from my hometown in Providence, R.I.

How you first realized you were creative.

From a young age, I could make people laugh. I saw that my words could affect people.

A person you idolized creatively early on.

Kirk Souder, my creative director at Ground Zero. Everyone talks about “big ideas.” He seems to make a new one with every exhale. 

A moment from high school or college that changed your life.

My English teacher in high school challenged us to write something surprising. I wrote about shooting frogs in our pond. She referred me to the administration because she thought I might be a serial killer in the making. I learned that creativity has risks. And I enjoy those risks. 

A visual artist or band/musician you admire.

David Bowie. An absolutely fearless, creative soul. 

A book, movie, TV show, or podcast you recently found inspiring.

James, a novel by Percival Everett. It tells the story of Huckleberry Finn from the perspective of Jim, the slave. A powerful idea, brilliantly executed.

One of your favorite creative projects you’ve ever worked on. 

“Dear Young People, Don’t Vote.” No client. No budget. Just a labor of love for a good cause.

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A recent project you’re proud of. 

I have a soft spot for this because it’s the first campaign we ever made that wasn’t for humans. Our client, Natural Balance, is not like the rest of the pet food industry, which follows trends in human food: keto, gluten-free, etc. Instead, they made recipes that were ideal for pet health. So, if they were making their food for pets, not people, we figured we should do the same thing with their advertising.

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Someone else’s work that inspired you years ago.

My wife worked at Chiat/Day under Lee Clow, and he had an almost monastic discipline about removing everything that wasn’t the idea from an idea. Resist the urge to embellish or decorate. Always return to the idea and let it tell you what to do. 

Someone else’s work you admired lately. 

Alto has been doing some great stuff. As much as I love the ideas, I am stunned and jealous that they got a client to see the value of taking these creative chances. 

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Your main strength as a creative person.

I adore the big picture. 

Your biggest weakness.

I am a disaster with the details. 

A mentor who helped you navigate the industry.

I sent a cold email to Arnold Worldwide CEO Ed Eskandarian asking for advice for our tiny, fledgling agency. Shockingly, he responded and invited me to his 47th-floor palatial office for a meeting. The great revelation he gave me was that there was no great revelation. Do great work. Treat your people well. Be persistent with new business. It’s not that complicated.

How you’re paying it forward with the next generation of creatives.

We are always trying to connect young people to our business—particularly those whose paths would probably never lead them to an advertising agency. In fact, a group of high school kids from Woonsocket came into our offices. We want to show them that not only can they make a living doing this work, but they can be valuable because they bring experiences and perspectives that our industry desperately needs. 

What you’d be doing if you weren’t in advertising.

Why? Am I getting fired? Shit.