Meet John
What is your title?
Vice President, Regional Creative Director
How long have you been with Hodes?
I’m what we call a "boomerang" in the recruitment space. This means someone who comes back after exploring other opportunities. Clearly, the grass was not greener and I’ve now been here a total of 10 years. I guess time really flies when you’re having fun, because WOW it's gone fast.
What’s a typical day like for you?
The great thing is that there’s no such thing as a “typical” day at Hodes. I’m an adrenaline junkie, and I'm one phone call or email away from a client calling and needing that “new idea” keeps you on your toes. And when I deliver on what seemed impossible, there’s no other feeling like it.
The typical things I do each day are managing, mentoring and leading the vision for the North East’s creative teams. Developing compelling and strategic employer brand concepts is the foundation of what I do. While I’m in a management role, I’m still 100% "hands on" in terms of the creative process. It’s the norm for me to be developing the initial design concept for anything from a website to a new ad campaign. That’s still my favorite part of my position here, the chance to create is what still excites me most about my job.
What path led you to Hodes and your current role?
It started out in elementary school – I could usually be found drawing pictures and designs in the middle of a social studies lesson. Ever since I was little, paint, crayons and whatever I could find to build or create something were my preferred toys. Once it became obvious that being creative was a must in whatever my future would be, I enrolled in an Advertising and Design class in High School. It was a half-day class for two years and I was hooked – that’s what I wanted to do! From that point on, college, classes and internships were all part of the goal to fulfill my dream of being a creative director for an ad agency. Ten years later, some very long nights, and a series of career promotions… and here I am!
What surprised you most about working at Hodes?
The diversity of the client base, the chance to one minute be working on a nationally recognized defense contractor, and the next be working on a local hospital’s recruitment needs. As a creative, that variety and diversity is what makes things exciting. It’s what keeps your skills sharp and keeps you excited about coming to work each day. At most advertising agencies, you usually only work on one or two main accounts and that can get boring really fast.
How do you spend your time outside of work?
I’m obsessed with documentaries and foreign films. Living in NYC makes seeing them about as easy as it gets. I truly feel that culture and exposure to many different things in life is what inspires a person to be a great creative.
Vintage cars are another one of pleasures, in my mind, every curve and shape is intended to convey something unique. It’s the ultimate expression of being a sculpture in my mind. Even though they’re meant for transportation, I can admire the form itself for hours on end. It’s not uncommon for me to attend Concours D'elegance events around the Tri-state area on the weekend.
