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A Maverick Whose Agency Left an Indelible Mark on Advertising
NEW YORK-It seems only appropriate that Chiat/Day was born on the beaches of Los Angeles in 1968. The West Coast was home to a mindbending social revolution, and against that backdrop, Jay Chiat ushered in advertising's own countercultural revolution. In an industry established in the shadows of Madison Avenue skyscrapers, his upstart shop basked in the California sunshine, awash in creative audacity, youthful swagger and disdain of industry convention.
Chiat was the agency's relentless, driving force for the better part of 25 years, stepping back only after he was forced to sell Chiat/Day. Along the way, he became one of advertising's most influential pioneers-perhaps its last great entrepreneur-- who delighted in bringing about provocative change. His richest legacy was C/D's brilliant portfolio, which came out of an agency environment in which creatives were driven to improve on their best work.
In keeping with his paradoxical nature, Chiat was at times blunt, harsh and abrasive-befitting his roots in the Bronx-and also generous and nurturing of talent. For all of his...