Brian Toombs: Roku Brand Studio & "The Lesbian Bar Project"

It was the early 90's when 19 year old Paul Nicholson was pursuing a degree in music. He was an exceptional saxophone player who quickly realized he didn’t quite have the musical passion to become a starving artist. He decided to learn audio engineering, establishing his own studio and also began DJ’ing nights and weekends. However, Paul found himself most inspired and invigorated, not from the music itself, but from the art of crafting CD and album covers. He had no formal graphic design training or experience, but he did have a determination to learn.

A Chance Encounter with Destiny

A chance sighting of a simple ad reading “Mac Artist Wanted, $5/hr” would change the trajectory of Paul’s career. Paul wasted no time to head down to the local penny newspaper office where he met the hiring manager, who immediately asked for his portfolio. “What’s a portfolio?” Paul asked - she shrugged Paul off and sent him on his way. Unfazed by the rejection Paul went home, pulled out a Rolling Stone magazine and began measuring ads to figure out how to replicate them on his computer.

Persistence Pays Off

He soon marched right back into that office and said “I have a portfolio now.” Still unimpressed by his attempt, Paul was denied the job a second time. “Look, I’m going to call you,” Paul said to her, “Even if you don’t want to pay me I just want to watch what you guys do.” So he called. He called every single day for 2 weeks at 10am on the dot. And then, on the 14th call, Paul’s “Goodmorning! Do you need any help today?” was finally met with a “Yes.”

Paul spent the next 14 hours that day cutting pictures out with exacto-knives, but observing and watching the mac artists work. At 2am that night, Paul decided to shoot his last shot for the job, “Listen, just let me come in for 2 weeks. If you like me after the two weeks then hire me and pay me the $5 an hour, if you don’t I’ll walk away and I won’t ask for another thing”.

Not only did Paul get hired after the two weeks, but it was only 4 months later when he was promoted...to be the boss.

Embracing Technological Revolution

The newspaper was only the first step on the ladder Paul would keep climbing to the top. It wasn’t long before he was recruited to an Advertising Agency, Franklin Spier, as a Mac artist. “This was at a point when print ads were still being hand drawn in some cases and ran through a wax a machine,” Paul explained that he watched as the traditional print artists began being replaced one by one with new Mac artists.

“I learned a huge life lesson at a young age, don’t allow yourself to become a dinosaur, always keep up with the trends and latest technology. The people in this business that thought technology was a fad - they refused to embrace it. And then they all lost their jobs. I saw this happen and it made an impact on me.”

Paul was coming into the agency business on the precipice of a technology shift that would revolutionize the way everything was done in the creative industry. Paul had the foresight to become extremely tech savvy and highly proficient in leveraging technology for graphic design and production. It was when a gentleman by the name of Len Fogge, took over Franklin Spier that Paul still describes as “the best thing that ever happened”. Len saw the importance of Paul’s forward thinking work ethic and not only quickly promoted Paul within the agency - he soon brought Paul along with him to the new, relatively unheard of television network, Showtime.

Building Showtime's Creative Empire

Paul spent the next few years building Showtime’s in-house Marketing Production and Technology teams from the ground up, adding oversight of all video and digital production along the way. Over the past 25 years Paul generated more than $100 Million in savings for the company by spearheading and leading initiatives to build internal production capabilities and facilities with the targeted goal of dramatically reducing or eliminating spend with external resources.

A New Chapter

Now Paul, like so many Creative professionals and executives, is starting over. And while for some it may seem daunting - Paul has never lost his fire to keep learning, growing and following his passions. “At Showtime I was managing a large team spanning responsibilities that included Campaign Management, Marketing Operations, Post-Production, Print Production, Key Art Finishing and physical production shoots, plus all of the technology used to do this work, including the company’s MAM and DAM systems, project management systems, custom software development and facilities management. While all of that certainly kept me and my team busy, it was also very rewarding and exciting. I’m not one to sit still and there is still so much I want to do. I’m looking forward to bringing all my years of experience to a new place."

“If I’ve learned anything over these years, it's to always lean into your passion first - the job, the money, the titles - those will inevitably follow.”

Subscribe to our Creative Humans Newsletter for more exclusive conversations with top creative industry executives.

As Senior Vice President, Creative of Paramount Brand Studio, Dayo Harewood has spent his career embracing an unconventional path and forging his own way. From music videos to broadcast commercials and promos, he has created award-winning branded content for the world's biggest celebrities, brands, and athletes.

Dayo's journey in the entertainment industry began in the world of music videos, where he directed and produced over 150 award-winning music videos, commercials, and live concerts with top-tier artists, including LeBron James, Drake, Pharrell, John Legend, DJ Khaled, and Diddy, just to name a few. This experience allowed him to test the waters, hone his craft, and discover his unique creative perspective.