Adam Lowrey of RPA on Finding the Best Idea

Emphasizing an economy of words

Adam is currently SVP and executive creative director at RPA. With over 25 years of experience, Adam has worked with brands such as American Honda, Southwest Airlines, Acura, Carl’s Jr., DirecTV, La-Z-Boy and Intuit.

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

Adam, tell us …

Where you grew up, and where you live now.

Pueblo, Colo. If you read “Colorado” and you’re thinking Aspen, Vail or Boulder, you’re thinking the wrong part of Colorado. Now I live in Los Angeles, the West Adams neighborhood.

How you first realized you were creative.

The first sign I can recall is my parents got me a Jedi Journal—a diary with a picture of Yoda on the cover. I’d write in it and then show it to my parents because it would make them laugh. I don’t know if that qualifies as creativity, but it was definitely writing to get a response. 

A person you idolized creatively early on.

Before advertising: Shel Silverstein. In the business: Larry Postaer. He can say so much with an economy of words. Still can. 

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

Ninth-Grade Honors English at Pueblo Centennial High School. Mr. Montera tore off his dress shirt to reveal a Star Trek uniform and Spock ears. He then gave us our assignment as an unemotional Vulcan. I don’t even like Star Trek but from that moment I knew I needed to do something with English.

A visual artist or band/musician you admire.

Musician: Amigo the Devil. There are more banjos than his name implies. His lyrics make me jealous. Triple-layered meanings, unheard-of wordplay—and he always manages to tell a story with a narrative arc. Artist: Our family has loved Oliver Jeffers’ storybooks for years. But I only recently discovered his artwork—whimsy, intelligence and storytelling, suitable for framing. 

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

Book: Lincoln in the Bardo by George Saunders broke my heart over and over again, and I think about it often. Christopher Moore is always a good counterpoint to something so heavy. I finally read Sacré Bleu this year. It was excellent, almost as enjoyable as Lamb.

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

We convinced Intuit QuickBooks (small business accounting software) to buy a Super Bowl spot and then give that commercial slot to a small business. “Small Business, Big Game” was a 10-month campaign—getting businesses to enter, holding a competition for votes and then creating a Super Bowl spot for the winner, Death Wish Coffee (plus some finalists).

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A recent project you’re proud of. 

We worked on a long-running campaign for AmPm convenience stores that featured an 8-ft-tall snack monster named Toomgis. Toomgis was polarizing, but he was memorable. And his absurdity allowed the scripts to be bone dry. Here are three examples.

Someone else’s work that inspired you years ago. 

In the late 1990s and 2000s, when I was an impressionable young copywriter, Wieden and Errol Morris cranked out something like 100 spots for Miller High Life. Every single High Life Man spot was brilliant. I still attempt to mimic the writing style and Miller is still my beer of choice.

Someone else’s work you admired lately. 

The “Free for Everyone” Tubi campaign from Mischief. I’ve seen the “it’s for every one of us” idea pitched so many times, but never in this way. It’s all so well done. 

Your main strength as a creative person.

I believe there’s always a better idea out there. We might not be able to think of it in the allotted time before the next client review, but that doesn’t mean it isn’t out there. 

Your biggest weakness.

Over time I lose objectivity. Not all, but some projects stretch on for months and months. I start to go numb and often need to remind myself to finish with as much fervor as I had when the ideas were new and unfamiliar. I don’t know how movie directors do it. 

A mentor who helped you navigate the industry.

Jim Real taught me how to concept and be a creative. Joe Baratelli and Gary Paticoff taught me how to deal with and manage people.  Rebecca Mendelson taught me the power of respecting everyone and understanding that creative direction is about more than directing the creative. 

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

RPA has a robust creative intern program. We don’t refer to them as interns because we utilize them as junior teams. It’s allowed me to mentor kids in the infancy of their careers and, hopefully, instill some habits I wish I had when I was a whippersnapper. And lunch. Buying them lunch and talking about what they’re interested in or struggling—that seems to help. At least it used to help me. If nothing else … free lunch. 

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

I’d be a large-animal veterinarian along the Central Coast of California.