President To President: An Interview with a Chief Nourishing Officer
A few weeks back I got an email from our former President, Colleen Craig, suggesting I sit down with Matt Stiker. Anytime I get a message from Colleen suggesting I meet someone, I know it is about something spectacular. I sat down with Matt Stiker from Garrand Moehlenkamp at Forage on Washington Avenue, to have lunch and discuss Maine. As we got talking, we realized we had a lot in common, from a passion for theater, alumni of the same high school and a taste for Netflix thrillers.
Matt discussed with me, a recent passion of his and wanted to know if Maine Ad + Design could help him in anyway. As you read #6 below, I welcome you to really think if this a way that you, or your agency could provide positive and inspiring stewardship in our community. I am so thankful Matt reached out to MADE and I know our community of members will respond. Thank you for the time and the sharing Matt.
Read on….
1. Where you from and where do you work?
“Where you from” seems like such a simple question to ask, and yet for me it’s a complicated answer. I was born in Buffalo, NY and lived in several places in that state, along with Columbia, Maryland, and Dallas, Texas before moving to Maine right before my senior year of high school. I graduated from Falmouth High and then from UMaine Orono. My dad was in the radio business – if you remember the TV show “WKRP in Cincinnati,” we basically lived the theme song, “town to town, up and down the dial.” During the 80s and 90s, he ran several of the stations here, as well as ones in both Boston and Portsmouth. And in the mid-80s, he was president of the Portland Ad Club – still has his plaque and gavel. But enough about him. My career has taken me to the other Portland, to Amsterdam, to Seattle, and most recently to San Francisco. I’m currently President (&Chief Nourishing Officer) at Garrand Moehlenkamp here in Portland.
2. What brought you back to Maine?
About a year and a half ago, I published an article on LinkedIn about the changing role of account management in agencies, and how I felt it was contributing to the decline in agency/client relationships, as agencies were elevating the more tactical role of project management (no offense to PMs) and de-emphasizing the more strategic role of their account leads. Brenda Garrand, who founded this agency 30+ years ago, used to work for my dad at one of his stations here, so I’ve known her since I was a teenager. She called the day after I published the article and asked if I’d ever consider coming back to Maine. The timing was great - my dad is here, my brother is CEO at Stonewall Kitchen, and all of my family is on the east coast. And I was really psyched to join this agency at this point in its life cycle.
3. What makes Maine a great place for an agency?
Everything. The fact that we’re NOT New York or Chicago or LA is a good thing, as some of the best agencies in the country are not only independent as defined by their ownership, but also independent as defined by where they are, how they think, who they attract, and what kind of work they do. Portland’s always been a bit iconoclastic, tucked away as we are in the most northeasty of states, and the fact that we’re finally being recognized as a creative hub for food and music doesn’t mean it hasn’t been here all along – it just means that others are finally taking note. And all of us in the ad community benefit from all that creativity swirling around us constantly.
4. What do you love about Garrand Moehlenkamp?
I love the fact that we’re doing something I’ve never seen another agency do well. We’ve identified a particular category in which we want to focus – food and beverage – but more to the point, we’ve carved out a distinct position about how CPG brands need to think and behave given the dramatically changing landscape and opportunities in the category. We’ve had enough of “disruption,” we think it’s the age of “nourishment.” I also love that we’re located in the old Nissen Bakery building – on some days you’d swear you can still smell the bread baking. Plus – the people are some of the best I’ve ever worked with.
5. Where else have you worked?
Agency side, I started my career at Hill Holliday, then returned to Maine where I worked for a time at ST Vreeland, and following that worked at Wieden & Kennedy, Kirshenbaum Bond, Publicis Seattle and McCann San Francisco. Client-side, I’ve held marketing roles at adidas, H-P, and a couple positions in the hospitality field.
6. Is there a project or idea you have that you can share?
One of the biggest challenges our industry faces – certainly even more acute in Maine – is lack of diversity, notably with people of color. I’ve recently started volunteering at The Telling Room on Commercial Street, a not-for-profit whose focus is on empowering youth – in many cases refugees, immigrants and people of color – by helping them learn to write, express themselves and “share their voices with the world.” I’m hoping that by doing this, and inviting others in our industry to join me (thanks for the forum, MADE!), that we’ll be able to demonstrate to these young people that advertising not only provides a viable career path, but it allows them to express themselves and participate in a broader cultural conversation that our industry is a big part of. And in the process, we’ll be expanding how we as marketers represent our clients. Check them out at thetellingroom.org or hit me up at mstiker@garrand.com if you’re interested in learning more.
7. Favorite spot to get lunch since moving back?
I’m all about the specials at Terlingua.