The Brutal Truth About Being A Creative Director | How a Borough Park Kid Landed HBO, Polaroid, and Brother ft. Sam Ash
How data and storytelling can build a career? In this episode of the What It Takes podcast, we sit down with Sam Ash (not the music store!), a marketing powerhouse and the unconventional creative mind behind iconic campaigns for HBO, Brother, Polaroid, and countless brands in the frum world.
Sam takes us on a hilarious and insightful journey from his Borough Park Yeshiva days to the top of the advertising world, pulling back the curtain on how he launched the Brother P-Touch, made Paint fascinating, and why he never wears the same "professional" face twice. He shares profound lessons on faith, family, and why today's consumers don't want to think, they want to feel.
This is a raw, funny, and deeply authentic conversation about the power of a great idea, the importance of knowing your "why," and what Jewish marketing is missing.
💡 In This Episode, We Discuss:
◼️ Sam’s journey from a Yeshiva kid in Borough Park to a sought-after creative director
◼️ The hilarious story of launching the Brother P-Touch and the "aha" moment that created a new product category
◼️ His philosophy that you're not selling the drill, you're selling the hole! Why benefits always beat features
◼️ The challenge of balancing a demanding creative career with family life and faith
◼️ Why the frum community is the last great bastion of print advertising and how to use it effectively
◼️ His unexpected encounter with John Ratzenberger (Cliff from "Cheers") and the life lesson about money and family
◼️ How to "niche yourself" to break into a creative career
◼️ The problem with AI, SEO, and why they can't replace true talent and insight
◼️ What most Jewish marketing is missing and the agencies that are getting it right
◼️ His advice for business owners on how to choose the right creative agency
⏱️ Timestamps
00:00 Meet Sam Ash: The Unconventional Creative
3:09 From Borough Park to Big Brands: A Yeshiva Kid's Origin Story
5:07 The Brother P-Touch Launch: Selling the Hole, Not the Drill
22:45 Faith in the Workplace: Wearing a Kippah in Corporate America
27:16 The John Ratzenberger Story: A $150,000 Lesson on Priorities
35:48 How to Break Into a Creative Career: Niche Yourself
41:29 The State of Jewish Marketing: The Last Bastion of Print
43:10 Sam's Final Advice: How to Pick the Right Creative Agency
🔗 Connect with Sam Ash
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/samash180/
🔗 Connect with Tuli Kraus
X (Twitter): https://x.com/TuliKraus Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/blackbird.recruiting/ LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/tuli-kraus/
#WhatItTakesPodcast #Marketing #Advertising #BrandStrategy #CreativeDirector #Entrepreneurship #JewishBusiness #Startup #CareerAdvice
