Syracuse University alumnus Richard Kirshenbaum remembers his roots as an intern struggling in his first year out of college, jobless and living off his parents.

“Everyone wants to be the bigwig right away,” he said. “But to be the best, you need to work like the best, and you need to keep in mind what matters.”

Kirshenbaum, an advertising mogul, returned to SU on Tuesday to recount his story from where it all began, and to offer his audience some pearls of wisdom that helped him up the ladder to fame and fortune.

Speaking in Newhouse 3 as part of the Eric Mower Advertising Forum series, Kirshenbaum told a series of stories from his life, using people he met and deals he brokered to get his lessons across.

The first story Kirshenbaum told involved his life immediately after graduating from SU. Jobless and unsure of how to start his career, Kirshenbaum decided to act on his passion and write comedy monologues and one-liners for advertisements.

One piece in particular caught the attention of Lois Korey, co-founder of Korey Kay & Partners.

Korey’s firm was one of the largest advertising businesses in the city, and she was impressed enough to award Kirshenbaum an internship. While he had the internship, his parents wanted him to search for a full-time job, but Kirshenbaum kept with the internship and eventually landed a full-time job with Korey Kay & Partners.

“Being proactive and not having a big ego matters,” he said.

Following his success at Korey Kay, Kirshenbaum left the firm to join his friend and form an advertising firm that would become Kirshenbaum Bond + Partners. One of their first major clients was Pontiac, who wanted an ad campaign around the idea of building happiness.

Kirshenbaum used the then-revolutionary technique of sidewalk advertising to interview New Yorkers and get regular people involved in the campaign, as opposed to actors. The campaign grew so popular that pop artist Andy Warhol wanted to participate. Forbes Magazine would go on to name the campaign as one of the most successful TV commercials of the decade.

He said the experience taught him that “creativity and thinking on your feet matters,” as many potential hurdles in the advertising industry can become innovative solutions.

Kirshenbaum also recounted his experience with Wheels Up, a private aviation firm owned and founded by his friend Kenny Dichter. Wheels Up was looking for an advertising campaign, and Kirshenbaum, who had sold his first firm, Kirshenbaum Bond + Partners, was available.

Unlike most other advertisers, Kirshenbaum had knowledge of the private aviation industry and knew how to embellish his client’s planes so they appeared to be the premier brand. He invited celebrities such as Serena Williams to promote the planes and used cinematography techniques for airplanes in flight — such as putting water underneath them to make them look better.

Kirshenbaum’s tale of Wheels Up illustrated another important point, he said, that “experience matters” and can often be the “key difference between getting the job and being passed over.”

Andre DiPasquale, an undecided freshman in the S.I. Newhouse School of Public Communications, said he didn’t know much about Kirshenbaum before the lecture, but said his points on creativity and the advertising industry were helpful.

“And I didn’t even think about how important things like manners, relationships, and presentation are even when you have a stable and successful job like he does,” DiPasquale said.

Published on September 21, 2016 at 12:03 am