About

ABOUT ME

Ages ago, my mother taught me the alphabet and I basically took to it and never looked back. I love to write; it is a great way to solve problems, or to cause problems, if that’s your goal; it’s exploration, it’s meditations, it’s a hug, a boost, a slap in the face—it’s incredibly versatile, in other words. Goethe said that “architecture is frozen music,” which is a really powerful syncretion of two of his favorite art forms, and, you’ll notice, to make this beautiful observation he used writing. Right? How else? Writing is thinking, feeling, believing, hoping–all the complexity of human consciousness–made physical. So, yeah, I’m into it and I believe in its possibilities. 

I’ve worked at agencies from Marketplace Consulting to Weiden + Kennedy, with stops at Hill, Holliday and Ogilvy & Mather, and freelance gigs at all sorts of places. I found that, universally, everyone at every agency was interested in making great work. The level of interest varied, of course, as did the definition of “great work,” but over time I have learned that the best path forward is a magic blend of collaboration and strong advocacy for that idea you weren’t expecting. 

A quick note on A.I.: all the work on this site is the result of collaboration with super talented art directors, filmmakers, clients, illustrators, designers, and other artists. However I, personally, have relied heavily on A.I. from the get-go. I’m talking about Alger Intuition, of course, my own particular blend of thinking, feeling and guessing. Intuition in general gets a bad rap these days, coming off as imprecise and mystical. But my meaning is this: even the simplest word has, within it, variation in color and tone, depending on the use. Now, put together three, four, a dozen, a hundred words and then share this creation with a stranger–if there is to be successful communication, it will be through intuition, by the writer and then by the reader. It is amazing that we ever understand one another. But we do! We do! So let’s keep doing it.