The All In Spotlight series captures conversations with Havas colleagues around the world who are working to bring diversity, equity, and inclusion to their work.
This week we’re chatting with Nick Elliott, Creative Director at Havas New York. Nick shares how he’s working to amplify underrepresented talent with his project Link it Black, his creative family traditions, and his advice for turning our words into actions.
What are 3 words you would use to describe yourself?
Learning Every Day.
How did you find your way to Havas?
Well I guess working in advertising in NYC for north of a decade, odds are I’d end up here eventually. And I’ve actually freelanced at Havas in the past, but this time around I was hired to partner up with an art director/creative director/all around wonderful guy called Joseph Delhommer. We had a great run, made some fun work, and learned a lot from each other (hopefully he’d agree). We’re no longer partners but we remain close friends.
Tell us a little about your role and what you enjoy most about it?
My role is great. As a creative director I get to collaborate with super smart people from all different disciplines. I get to lead projects and present (mostly campaign) work on behalf of our awesome creative teams. And I’m allowed the freedom (and budget!) to pursue passion projects on the side.
But if I had to say what I enjoy most — it’s that moment when the work is already sold in and you’re off on production somewhere and something random happens. Something you never could’ve anticipated in the script/storyboard phase (e.g., a wolverine walks through frame!) and it ends up making the final work better.
What would you do if you weren’t doing this?
If you’d asked me this a few years ago, I probably would have said graphic design or film direction or something semi-related to what I do now. But these days I kinda wonder what it might be like to work on a boat. I don’t know if I’d be the one steering the boat, or fixing the boat, or what. But being on the ocean for long stretches of time…living port to port…taking life as it comes…Even though I probably wouldn’t last a week out at sea, the idea of it does feel alluring.
Share a bit about your background/culture. What’s your favorite tradition?
I grew up in San Francisco, on the crest of Filbert Street Hill, one of the city’s steepest, and a couple blocks from “the Crooked Street.” So the soundtrack of my childhood consisted of revving engines and screeching tires, as tourists would launch their rental cars off our hill and then immediately regret their decision.
Meanwhile, my mom’s originally from Munich and we still have family there. One tradition we’ve brought from the Vaterland is gingerbread. Every Christmas we have a big gingerbread house decorating party with family and friends. My mother is an architect, my brother is a designer, and many friends do creative things — so the competition tends to get heated. First you have to decorate your house in a standout way, then you have to present your “concept” to the rest of the guests, pitch-style. Winners from years past include a luxury gingerbread condominium and a gingerbread McDonald’s complete with Big Macs, fries & shakes made out of candy.
Why is diversity important to the culture of an agency/the industry?
Everyone in advertising wants to make work that authentically reflects culture. But if diverse voices don’t play a role in making that work, it’s going to miss the mark every time. It’s embarrassing how exclusionary our industry is set up to be. Now everyone’s talking about it, which is a good start. More critical, though, is that we keep talking about it, and start turning our words into action. It’s a no-brainer, too. Because making sure everyone gets a seat at the table isn’t just the right thing to do — it’s good for business. Diverse voices and different backgrounds will only elevate our work and make our agencies more competitive.
Last year, you helped launch LinkitBlack. Tell us a little about the project and how it came together?
Link it Black is an independent DE&I initiative I launched with three friends who also work in the ad industry — Alex Reinoso (Spotify), Mo Osunbor (Facebook), and Vaibhav Bhanot (Wunderman Thompson). The idea is simple. We all have a platform. Creatives, producers, developers, etc., have portfolio sites. All of us have LinkedIn profiles and IG handles. Link it Black is an invitation to everyone who works in advertising (or any industry lacking diversity) to start using our digital platforms not just to promote ourselves, but to help draw attention to Black talent. This way, when recruiters and industry decision makers come looking for you, they also see those who too often go overlooked.
What’s your advice to someone who wants to make a difference but doesn’t know where to start?
One of the best parts about working in an agency setting is you’re surrounded by smart and talented folks with different skill sets. Plus, side projects are generally encouraged. So if you have an idea — or even if you don’t have an idea but there’s something that’s bugging you — you have resources at your disposal to get a team together together, write yourself a brief, and make something happen. Inequity in our industry is a deeply entrenched problem — no one’s gonna crack it with one silver bullet idea. So instead of putting unrealistic pressure on yourself to solve everything, just choose a way in and start brainstorming. For Link it Black, we attacked it from a networking and visibility perspective. For Oriel Davis-Lyons (founder of ONE School), it’s about education. So my advice is, don’t keep those thoughts to yourself. Start talking, start sharing, start having tough conversations with yourself and your peers — and I guarantee something good will come of it.
What makes for successful leaders and changemakers today?
Change takes time and it remains to be seen whether our industry will be up to the challenge. To be successful, we have to make sure our efforts are sustained for the long term. We’ll get it wrong sometimes, and that’s ok. Actually it’s great. We often learn more from our mistakes than our successes, and in my opinion good leaders are ones who own up to their mistakes.
How are you committing to change the culture, not only at Havas, but in the industry?
Talking less, listening more.
What’s next for LinkItBlack? How can the industry get involved?
As of now it’s kind of taken on a life of its own. It’s been amazing to see all the different creative ways people have Linked it Black on their own websites and profiles. And it’s humbling to hear from recruiters and hiring managers who’ve come across diverse talent directories, or made a referral as a result of seeing the initiative. If you’re interested in participating, it’s super easy. Check out linkit.black for some tips — or go out and create your own initiative!
