An Advertising Hero Among Us — Meet Charlie Tercek
They’re almost like fairytale creatures — those people who claim to wholeheartedly love their job and believe in the work they do. Yet, Charlie Tercek is living proof that these individuals actually exist. He is not found on an illustrated page in a story by Perault or Brothers Grimm, but he lives right here in Los Angeles, CA. Fairytale creature, he is not, fairytale creator in the world of advertising and television, he is. Charlie Tercek’s life began humbly in 1960’s New York where he later started his career in creative writing and advertising.
Becoming an “ad guy” allowed him to access the world of accessing, people in particular. A few years of being in the advertising industry, however, did not always leave him feeling satisfied. In a search for work and brands that were more aligned with his longing to feed consumers honest products and messaging, Charlie entered the world of lower pay for a higher pay off in working with brands he truly believed in. He went on to work with companies and services such as Disney, IBM, and Barnes & Noble. With his new philosophy and conscientious clients, Charlie created one of the most successful campaigns of his career with one of the largest and well-known companies in the world. With the intention in his heart to connect with all ages, in the confusing time of the dawn of social media, Charlie was able to launch a successful campaign for Disneyland that brought people back to the fairytale. In the midst of high-tech messaging and access to endless information on phone screens, he was able to bring the more contemporary, distracted audience back to the original magic of good-hearted stories.
After filling his glass with plenty of advertising experience in New York, he decided to pursue one of the most remarkable things a human can come by — a dream. Charlie had always imagined himself working as a television staff writer. Most people fall into a lull after remaining in the same job that had served their soul for most of their life, but Charlie reminds us that our passions, interests, and dreams are always changing and evolving. As a newlywed with fire in his belly, Charlie moved across the state to California and dipped his pen into television writing on hit series Sabrina, the Teenage Witch. I know, enchantingly cool. Chasing his heart’s desires did not stop with staff writing as he now works as a high school English teacher while pursuing his master’s degree at Loyola Marymount University. Teaching, he admits, feels a lot like advertising in the sense that lesson planning and engagement in the classroom can be approached just as a pitch for a new campaign that will leave a lasting and enjoyable impact. Now, there’s a classroom we all ought to be in.
