In This Episode:
The Intersection of Art, Commerce and Media
As a kid, Rick Robinson was always interested in signage, lettering and symbols. Which grew into a passion and career focused on strategic art and out-of-home (OOH) advertising. He is a public speaker, author, sculptor and former marketing executive for Billups. When this episode was recorded, Rick was still serving as partner and chief strategy officer for Billups. While he has since left that position to pursue consulting and other new ventures, his passion for out-of-home marketing remains strong. And when Rick talks about OOH, he’s not just speaking to billboards like many think – we’re talking vehicles, hotels, events, airports, malls, city centers and so much more.
A frequent AMIN Worldwide presenter, Rick is well known in the industry as a marketer with passion and creativity, with an intense focus on strategy — a unique combination of talents. And we’re thrilled he agreed to join the show to chat about what makes him tick and why he’s driven to hone in on the intersection of art, commerce and media.
He got his start in 1987 as a local salesperson for Ackerley Airport Advertising in Central California, moving on to business development manager at Gannett Outdoor SF & LA, and gaining industry notoriety as national creative director for Outdoor Systems in the late ‘90s. Rick jumped to the agency side in the new millennium opening MacDonald Media’s LA office in 2001 and building its West Coast roster over the next 13 years. So he has no shortage of stories for us. Listen in for a great perspective on the ever-increasing importance of the digital screen.
“Are you earning your right to be there as a message? If you’ve added to the people’s space, then you have. It goes back to even the more core. It’s not about me. It’s not about the brand. It’s about the public.”
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About Rick Robinson
A member of the Outdoor Advertising Association of America (OAAA) Hall of Fame, Rick Robinson is a life-long Out-of-Home (OOH) media advocate. His 34 years in the business have been driven by passion across multiple disciplines. In 2014, Rick took on a partnership with Billups, now the largest independent OOH media agency in the country. Portland-based Billups plans and buys OOH media for Molson Coors, Nike, AMC, RE/MAX, Brand Jordan and over 350 other agencies and brands. Rick left that role for his consulting venture in July of 2021.
His industry achievements include helping launch the now renowned Tall Walls on The Sunset Strip, serving as a two-time OBIE judge, founding chairman of the OAAA Creative Committee, authoring the OAAA-published book “The People’s Space,” co-chair for the 2013 OAAA National Convention in Los Angeles and the recipient of one of the industry’s highest honors — the OAAA 2017 L. Ray Vahue Marketing Award of Merit.
Rick’s volunteer work includes the role of board advisor (former president) for Art Share LA. He’s also a steel sculptor in his free time and blows off steam racing stock cars with his father in Northern California. Learn more about Rick on his Primitive Pop website or LinkedIn page.