the

book Of

david.

This is a story best told in verse — 3 of them, in fact.

Chapter One is story of the Advertising copywriter, creative director, ad junkie, over-caffeinated idea-obsessed creator. Mentor. Leader. Perusing these pages would reveal I’ve worked at agencies big and small, won awards grand and inconsequential, and ran brands ranging from major banks and luxury cars to pickles and fresh fish. I’m in the Modern Museum of Art and display a framed and signed commercial script from Johnny Cash. It was the first work I ever produced.

Chapter Two of the tale turns to a more interesting (and historic) time in American culture. This yarn is about a (still) over-caffeinated idea guy who saw an opportunity to reinvent himself by taking the helm of the creative work for NBC news. We’re talking the #1 morning show, nightly news broadcast and Sunday politics show, not to mention every news show on the second-fastest growing network in all of cable (MSNBC) during the most unprecedented news-cycle in history — the 2016 election and the absurdity formerly known as “political discourse” that ensued. To form this chapter, it took some doing. I learned an entirely new lexicon (Chryon, anyone?), adjusted to delivery times in hours as opposed to days, and acclimated to the subtle but vital differences in tone of TODAY, Megyn Kelly Today, Nightly News with Lester Holt, and Meet the Press. Not to mention I oversaw a 30+ staff largely comprised of members of the Writers Guild of America. In a word: Challenging.

Which brings me to Chapter Three — a winding narrative with twists and turns this protagonist never sees coming but somehow manages with deftness and deference. This is my Signet Jewelers story. One that began at a stock price of seven bucks a share and climbed to an altitude of $112 in a matter of 18 months. This chapter carries traits of previous pages (the coffee drinking, for sure), but the work has a different meaning. It carries Purpose. And from that, a few Great Place to Work™ and Best Workplaces in Retail® accolades. My struggle in this chapter has been to put a jewelry company the entire world knows — and yet has never heard of — on the global map, and tell its tale of responsibility, compassion, progress and preservation for our one true gem, our planet. It’s the old fable of Mother Earth withstanding Father Time. It’s a family love story.

This site offers a glimpse of my story and aims to showcase the tales of all three careers. If you'd like to know more, email me at david@penmanforhire.com.