Reasons Why There’s Always Room for the Latest Eggroll

Nick Howard and Nick Stoner – known professionally as “The Nicks” – are executive vice presidents and creative directors of Leo Burnett Chicago. With Nick Howard taking on art director duties and Nick Stoner serving as screenwriter for both, the pair have worked together for a decade, teaming up at FCB, DDB and Wieden + Kennedy, since meeting as interns at TRISECT.

However, they certainly didn’t hit it off immediately.

“We definitely didn’t like each other,” they told LBB’s Ben Conway. “During our first customer calls, we tried to introduce ourselves over the phone, which only caused confusion. We’re pretty sure most of our teammates still don’t know which one of us is which.

Continuing their rocky beginnings with another bump in the road, the duo’s first real collaboration as junior creatives was a Halloween campaign for Hunt’s Chili. “The title was going to be ‘Spooky Delicious’ – then we had the brilliant idea of ​​putting the chili in a cauldron (Halloween, you see). Except (Nick) Howard didn’t know how to put the spice in the pot, because he lied about his Photoshop skills,” (Nick) Stoner admits.

“So here we are with a real job, a real brief, and no idea how to put the spice in the pot,” he adds. “There was a lot of distress.”

Since then, Howard has indeed learned Photoshop – for real this time – and Stoner has developed his writing skills, making their dynamic quite regimented. “In general, we just trust each other to do our craft to the best of our abilities,” says Stoner. “Sometimes Howard writes a line. Actually, a lot. He’s pretty good at it.

“Sometimes Stoner rambles on for quite a long time until he suggests something interesting,” Howard adds. “We mingle because we trust the process and we trust each other. If someone suggests something impossible, stupid, or dangerous, that’s what we’ll do without even thinking about it.

Reflecting on their first year at Leo Burnett, Stoner says they led with authenticity and without holding back. “Sometimes it leads to something clever.” Other times we are asked to leave the room. Either way, we believe the best work happens when people are comfortable, at home, playing with their stuff. So we brought a lot of stuff and play with it often. I hope our colleagues will appreciate this.

These “stuff” include an old CRT TV, classic VHS movies, and a Nintendo 64 console. “The original ‘Dune’ is playing on our desks as we write this. Don’t think we’ve accomplished much in a year, but we’re constantly trying to be representations of what makes a good ad. Play “Mario Kart” (on N64 exclusively) during downtime. Bringing bad art that our women don’t want into the house…”

Recently, the duo helped reignite the iconic “Great taste, less filler” debate for Miller Lite, which they describe as one of America’s great brands. “It’s up there with Levi’s jeans and classic Mustangs. And it occupies this place in culture because it’s a beer that has never changed. Unlike almost any other beer you could think of.

Being able to bring back the campaign that made the brand what it is today “activated every cell in our advertising bodies,” say The Nicks, whose campaign features actor Luke Wilson and America’s sports stars JJ Watt and Reggie Miller, among others. “We deliberately recalled as many details from the original spots as possible. Luke Wilson stacking hot dogs on a plate in Bob Euker’s iconic plaid jacket was a publicity moment that will live in our brains for a long time.

The duo have also worked with Miller Lite previously, helping to invent “The Cantroller” and “The Shoezie,” and describing the brand as a true platform for creativity. “Just like JFK once said, he only asks what you will do with it. So yeah, we turned it into a video game controller, and we made it into a shoe. We also made him the star of a film noir. Much to the dismay of a Pulitzer Prize-winning art critic, we exhibited it at the Los Angeles County Museum of Art.

Throughout this creative journey, disagreements are inevitable – “probably once every 30 minutes,” they joke (or do they?). “Believe it or not, the strongest couples fight. Friendly, of course. We scared off an editor or two. But we constantly question everything everyone says. We’re comfortable enough with each other to be brutally honest and say incredibly stupid things out loud. Sometimes we even turn these incredibly stupid things into advertisements.

When they’re not arguing, the pair enjoy socialising in and out of the office. Whether it’s grabbing a pint or playing mini golf, time spent together away from the office is where the ‘aha’ moments happen.

“We firmly believe in getting outside, smelling the smells of the world, and incorporating those foul smells into our ideas. Speaking of foul smells, we both have daughters under the age of two, so there are many stinky get-togethers between our families where we exchange thoughts with everyone.

One of their strengths is not only having these unexpected ideas, but also understanding their own limitations. Describing themselves as “B+ students,” they draw inspiration from other amazing artists, who figuratively “know how to put the spice in the cauldron,” to execute their projects with style.

“Because we suck at it, we call upon exceptionally talented people to teach us how to suck less and beg them to work with us. For example, for this article, we could have taken a picture of us with our arms crossed in a black T-shirt. But we knew that was our 3.2 GPA talking. Instead, we called upon the incredible Tara Booth to take a picture of us doing what we do best: eating chicken parmesan at Dan Tana’s while looking like idiots. She did it. Call her. And go to Dan Tana’s.”

Looking ahead to the rest of 2024, The Nicks leave us with a piece of wisdom – albeit drawn from a slightly bizarre experience in an elevator – that has shaped the way they approach their ambitions as creative leaders .

“One time we were in production in Los Angeles after a big dinner. We were in the elevator heading to our rooms when a hand shot out to stop the door. Four men hurry by, all dressed in new tracksuits, also returning from a hearty dinner. We have never forgotten what was said in that elevator. Because one of the men in the tracksuit turns to the other and says, “Johnny, you left the last eggroll on the table. Never leave an eggroll on the table. And this has become a great organizing principle for us when it comes to goals. If you’re hungry enough, there’s always room for that last eggroll.