Today we’d like to introduce you to Andrew Irving.
Hi Andrew, so excited to have you on the platform. So before we get into questions about your work-life, maybe you can bring our readers up to speed on your story and how you got to where you are today?
I was in my late 20s and didn’t have any direction in my life. I was working at Carl’s Jr. flipping burgers and finally decided that I was going to make a change and study fashion design at Los Angeles Trade and Technical College. When I went to sign up, the fashion program was fully booked. So, I signed up for the only other thing that was interesting to me, which was the graphic design program. I loved it, and I was good at it. I had some good teachers and guidance but dropped out after a year. My first job in graphic design was designing video box packaging for adult films. Little did I know that this would be the perfect training ground for what I would do later in my career—designing movie posters and television campaigns. My boss at the time was friends with a guy who owned an advertising agency that specialized in movie posters. I asked him for a job, he gave me a test, and he hired me immediately. After a few years, I become the creative director, overseeing the CBS and UPN accounts at the agency. I eventually left that agency and went to another, and another, and another, and another, before deciding to start my own. Three years ago, I founded Rhubarb agency in response to the changing entertainment industry, with Netflix, Hulu, and Amazon dominating the television space.
Would you say it’s been a smooth road, and if not what are some of the biggest challenges you’ve faced along the way?
It hasn’t been a smooth road—it’s been riddled with challenges and mistakes. But with each misstep, I learned to be better, and the so-called mistakes have always been amazing opportunities for growth.
As you know, we’re big fans of Rhubarb. For our readers who might not be as familiar what can you tell them about the brand?
Rhubarb is an advertising agency, which specializes in entertainment marketing. We work with the biggest brands—Netflix, Amazon, Hulu, CBS, among others. Entertainment advertising is a niche, but there is a lot of competition from some extremely talented competitors. What sets Rhubarb apart is that our business model allows us to work with artists all over the world, which is more and more important as entertainment gets more global. We also develop genuine relationships with our clients, where we can have honest conversations and true collaboration.
What matters most to you?
What is most important to me personally, as well as professionally, is genuine, honest, effortless human connection. It doesn’t get more basic and beautiful than that.
Contact Info:
- Email: [email protected]
- Website: rhubarbagency.com
- Instagram: rhubarbagency
- Facebook: rhubarbagency
- Twitter: rhubarbagency
Image Credits:
Illustration by Akiko Stehrenberger (The Boy Who Harnessed The Wind) CGI by Dmitriy Glazyrin (Alta Mar) Photography by Kurt Iswaienko (Altered Carbon, Kevin Hart) Photography by James Minchin, CGI by Dmitriy Glazyrin (Utopia) Photography by Steve Schofield (Flack) Photography by Reese Sherman (photo of me in Joshua Tree)
