My first gig out of ad school was Jr. Art Director at J. Walter Thompson, San Francisco. It really was like Mad Men — weeks mulling over concepts and long bacchanalian lunches. After two years there, I got lucky. A Senior Copywriter, who had worked at some of the best agencies in the country, asked if I'd like to partner up and open a creative shop. We built a healthy little business working with the marketing departments of big companies like Chevron and See's Candies. We also had the profound satisfaction of helping smaller companies build real brands and watching their businesses grow. For the past decade, I've been a one-person shop offering communication strategy, messaging and visual design.