Listen, I was tempted to just copy and paste the write-up from the home page—because, let’s face it, this is already a lot of copy for a website, and there’s a pretty good chance you won’t even read this. But then I thought, “What about the people who actually do read this?” So, here’s a little extra.
When I was five years old, I went missing for about an hour. Not in a park, or at a mall, it was smack-dab in the middle of a tiny one-bedroom apartment on a warm Christmas Eve in Honolulu. My family looked in every nook and every cranny and found nothing but panic and dread, and were probably thinking that this will probably be re-enacted someday in a television program that ends with my face and a 1-800 number. But then, for reasons that I cant remember, they decided to look in the bedroom closet just one more time.
And there, nestled deep within that fairly shallow closet, they saw a tiny foot sticking out of a moderately sized, cardboard box. For the life of me, I can neither explain or even really remember why I had decided to take a nap in that box at that particular time, but I did, and I closed the flaps.
SOME RANDOM NUMBERS
Ryan Gerber has worked at so many places that the exact number sits somewhere between "a fairly distinguished career" and “well, you know, a lot.” There are the prestigious places that only need letters, such as W+K and R/GA, who you might letter-drop at a dinner party or work into a carefully worded, yet, casual email exchange. Then there are the places you trauma-bond over, usually with other ex-employees, that get referenced to as “character-builders” or are preceded by words like “Those Fuckers!” or "Never again!". And then, there are the occasional ones, well, you just kinda forget about until a thing you made gets shown to you and it takes longer than it should to remember, "Oh yeah.". It happens. This is why that + sign next to the 99 is so important.
All this to say: I've worked a lot and I like to work and I'd like to work with you if you'd have me. Also, I don't always speak in the third person, but it felt appropriate given the large and seemingly important number.
This is the number of times I’ve died. I know—dramatic. But it does make for an excellent conversation starter at particular types of gatherings or in the occasional client (cough: healthcare) presentation. Nothing derails a lecture on work-life balance faster than explaining that one time you got a new aortic valve.
Not to brag—but let’s be honest, I’m about to. I’ve lived and worked all over the globe. Starting in Hawaii and Guam, with stints in Manila and LA, then SF, NYC, Shanghai, and various stretches across Europe, Australia, and Asia. Sure, it might sound like a basic weekend itinerary for a seasoned influencer, but spending this much time living and working in different parts of the world does give you some interesting life (and work) perspective. Which bodes well, when it comes to the thing you’re probably here for—the creative work experience thing.
Is the approximate "Answer to the Ultimate Question of Life, the Universe, and Everything" It is also the age I was when I made this music video. See what I did there?
Founder, CCO
Modest Creative Company
2023—NOW
Founder, Creative Partner
Horses & Mules
2015—2023
Film Director & Writer
Various Places
2013—NOW
Freelance Creative (Art+Copy)
W+K, R/GA, 72andSunny, Beats by Dre, Deutsch, Farm League, TBWA\Media Arts Lab, Publicis, AKQA, Wolf Ollins, D&G, Grey, Highdive, 3AM, YardNYC and a whole bunch of other places.
2014—2023
Creative Director
W+K
2010—2014
Creative Director
R/GA
2007—2010
Adjunct Professor
Art Center
2014—NOW
SERIOUSLY, YOU'VE MADE IT THIS FAR