5 Minutes with… Michelle Lamont
Almost 18 months into her time at Cartwright, creative director Michelle Lamont describes each day spent at the small agency as “going to hang out with your friends and make cool stuff.” A copywriter turned creative director, Michelle is embracing the sense of ‘creative audacity’ that fuels the agency, and having fun in the process.
Prior to joining Cartwright in LA, Michelle spent six years in New York, working with the likes of Joan, Pereira O’Dell, 360i, and Wieden+Kennedy most recently, where she joined as a copywriter before progressing to associate creative director. Shaped by her years of experience spanning different agencies, Michelle is on the lookout for the “smartest, best and funniest” work that she can find.
Speaking with LBB’s Abi Lightfoot, Michelle discusses transforming a good idea into a great one, learning to trust her instincts, and the agency’s recent work with Coca-Cola.
LBB> You’ve been at Cartwright for just over a year – how would you describe your time at the agency so far, and how does it differ from the places you’ve worked before?
Michelle> It’s just a really fun place to work. One of the best things about a small agency is that every day pretty much feels like going to hang out with your friends and make cool stuff. I’ve loved every place I’ve worked (such a privilege to be able to say that!), but Cartwright really is something special.
LBB> Did you always envision yourself working in advertising? What did your journey to your role today look like – did you follow a linear path or more of an unconventional one?
Michelle> I’ve been a prolific writer and reader all my life, but I flirted with a lot of other career paths. For a while I thought I might want to be an emergency room doctor, actually, though it’s probably lucky for everyone experiencing an emergency that I didn’t do that.
Looking back, I think my fate was sealed at an early age. My parents worked in marketing, on the brand side, and I remember my dad coming home one evening and telling us about a campaign an agency had pitched for his company’s bottled water brand, about how their water was wetter than other water. My 11-year-old mind was blown right then and there at the dinner table. Until that moment, my only understanding of what a job was came from seeing clips of Office Space. I couldn’t believe coming up with awesome, insane ideas like that could be an actual job you got paid for. And now it’s my job. Dreams do come true.
LBB> You were at agencies including Wieden+Kennedy, Joan, and Pereira O’Dell prior to Cartwright. How has your background spanning numerous agencies shaped your perspective on and approach to copywriting?
Michelle> I’ve had the opportunity to learn from some of the most incredible copywriters and creative directors in the industry. I think one of the biggest things I’ve taken away from them is that good work is usually two things: true and weird.
True, because everybody assumes, rightly or wrongly, that marketing is lying. You will get attention if you say something undeniable, instead of something unbelievable. Most ads make promises, and they’re usually promises that can’t be kept. “Our product will clear your acne, fix marriage and solve all your problems!” No it won’t! Making a statement, taking a stand, saying the truth: that’s much more impactful.
And weird, because you want to make people really think. And if you can’t do that, at least make them say, “Wait, what?”
LBB> How have the demands and expectations of copywriting changed since you first came into the industry? Where do you notice these changes most clearly?
Michelle> When I first started in the industry, the manifesto anthem spot was king. The Chrysler Super Bowl ad with Eminem had just come out and absolutely changed the entire game. (Side note: I recently mentioned this ad to a junior creative and he had never heard of it, which confounded me. I immediately forced him to watch it. It’s still one of the greatest examples of copywriting I’ve ever seen.) And if ads weren’t ninety seconds of wall-to-wall dramatic copy, there was a very specific type of humour that dominated, and the media landscape was still largely TV, OOH – the traditional stuff.
Now that streaming and social media dominate so much of our media consumption, there’s a much more varied landscape in terms of where and how ads show up. I still love a 60-second TVC, but it can be really fun playing with more unexpected copy placements and a more casual, human tone of voice.
LBB> What are the aspects of copywriting that help to turn a good idea into a great one?
Michelle> Don’t play it safe. Resist the urge to kill your best ideas because they’re too out there. I really think the biggest sin in advertising is being boring or predictable. Everyone finds ads boring and predictable anyway. A good idea will say something everyone likes, but a great one will say something that a few people really don’t. Having the courage to do that means you’re actually saying something real and worthwhile.
LBB> What are some brands that are currently bringing their A-game to the copywriting space, and what can people learn from them?
Michelle> I’m really enjoying the Buffalo Wild Wings work right now. It’s so stupid, and I mean that as the absolute highest compliment. It always makes me laugh and I hope they’re paying that voice actor a fortune.
As for what I think we can learn from that giant, dumb winged buffalo (and again this is, believe it or not, a compliment), it’s probably this: Find a voice. Speak like a person who is talking to other people. Be funny or be serious, but be real and be weird and be yourself.
LBB> How would you describe yourself as a creative and as a leader?
Michelle> Honestly, I’m just flying by the seat of my pants. Trying to help identify and shepherd along the smartest, best and funniest work I can. Nothing in this business is really objective, at least as far as the creative is concerned–it’s just learning to know and trust your own taste. That’s what I try to do, and what I hope to teach younger creatives to do.
LBB> How do you navigate the responsibilities of being both a parent and creative lead at Cartwright? What are the most rewarding and/or challenging aspects?
Michelle> I feel like I could answer this question better if I could get more than an hour stretch of sleep at a time, but alas. My daughter is two and my son is six months old, so I’m definitely still figuring out how to ‘have it all’. It helps that I have an amazing husband who makes it possible for me to juggle everything. Both parenting and creative directing involve a lot of gentle guidance, figuring things out on the fly and trusting your instincts. I have not yet had to change anyone’s diaper in the ad world, but I guess never say never?
LBB> Outside of advertising, where do you typically go for inspiration?
Michelle> Outdoors. I love a good walk. No music, no podcast, no phone, no destination. Walking is so completely and totally underrated–they even did a study on people’s brains that showed how going on a walk just lights your mind on fire (in a good way). I’ve considered a walking desk, but it doesn’t hit the same without the sun and the birds and architecture. Feels like cheating. It’s gotta be an outdoor walk and it’s gotta last so long that at the end of it my feet really hurt.
LBB> Lastly, what have been some of the highlights or key pieces of work from your time at Cartwright so far?
Michelle> We launched one of Coca-Cola’s new limited flavours, Orange Cream, with a sparkly orange ice cream truck. It was such a fun and silly project with so many nostalgic visual cues. Just eye candy. And mouth candy. And ear candy. Because when I brought up putting one of the most famous (and famously expensive) pieces of music in the world on it–Mariah Carey’s “Fantasy”–everybody looked at me like I had five heads. But dream big, because that track made it onto the final spot. And the YouTube comments were raving about the song, let me tell you.
The other piece of work I’m super proud of was our 2025 March Madness work. Piecing together a bunch of college fight songs to make one lyrical masterpiece was such a unique copywriting challenge. And then adjusting it on the fly as teams were eliminated from the tournament was such a cool opportunity that required a 48-hour rewrite, reshoot and reedit. I’ve never done a sprint like that in my career. It was exhilarating, probably kind of like being an NCAA basketball player, except not at all.
And as always, some of the best and most exciting ideas we had didn’t make it out of Google Slides purgatory and into production…yet. Stay tuned.
