Subject: Phil Meunier, Creative Chief Officer at SID LEE
Format: Interview

“You should never meet your idols. Like Gods, they should remain just out of reach, so that they can continue to inspire you”, says Phil.

But I tend to disagree - at least in his case. Renowned maverick, co-founder and chief creative officer of worldwide advertising agency SID LEE, Phil stood strong on my top 5 list - and our exclusive hour interview was more than enough to light up my inner sparks.

While it's true that meeting someone you look up to holds the potential for disappointment, it also goes without saying that one can only respect, admire, envy (or even dislike) those mortals among us who succeed against all odds.

I ask Phil to brand himself, using three keywords: "Generous, human and... alien. I'm like this adorable little green monster. When people first see me coming out of the ship, they're like: Ahhh!” he laughs, "but then they realize I'm just funny and a little different."

Wise, kind and genuine, Phil is nothing that you would expect from a creative hotshot. While some still perceive him as the cold, callous and ego-centric Don Draper of our world, he is everything but; defying the modern ad-man myth in the flesh.

“Did you know that some consider you to be a sexy fox?” I ask. To which I receive a lighthearted laugh. "An old lady once came up to me and said that she thought I was very attractive. I was flattered, obviously - and then she suggested a different word: charming." Indeed, Phil says that everything lies in the energy with which you approach things. "I like being positive, and people are drawn to that." Instead of a fox, Phil sees himself as more of a wild pony: shaggy mane flipping through the wind, short, silly, with a casual laid back appearance – but very hard working.

“It takes a sprinkle naiveté, talent and a lot of sweat to get ahead. Naiveté in business is especially important: you have to allow yourself to be surprised. Otherwise, you just end up feeding a soulless beast.”

So, if you want to know his golden secret, it's this: instinct. Phil’s gift is the ability to see past appearances and read people without words, which is probably a key factor to his agency’s success: he knows exactly which oddball combinations to mix to make the magic happen.

Like a farmer, he says he’s lucky enough to have a little plot of land - and that it brings him great joy to be able to invite all sorts of plants, animals and wildlife to live there together in harmony. Phil believes that creative souls need the right amount of sun, water - and especially the right soil - to flourish to their full potential. He tells me that he's seen the same people wither away in one spot, but explode with bright colours in another… and that it’s all about the right environment.

But it's also about finding a balance between "le fun, la foi et le foin”. Phil takes out his phone, excited to shows me a picture: his friend, arm in arm with his girlfriend, the pair barring the largest grins you've ever seen. He tells me about how they’ve recently opened a juice bar called The Love Shack - and Phil’s eyes say it all: this couple represents the essence of what matters: what you're working towards has to put a smile on your face.

La foie is faith: faith towards your goals and objectives. Knowing that you're on the right path and trusting yourself to get there. And finally, le foin: money. Three ingredients that he would have advised his twenty-year-old self to consider twice, and insight he now shares with his 18-year-old son, through whom he cannot help but see himself.

“It takes a while to know what you'll need later down the line, but my experience has taught me that if you find balance between those three ingredients (fun being the most important!) it doesn't matter if you stumble and fall, get bruised or scratched up, because you're on the right track.”

The most fun Phil’s had in business was when his agency began to branch out internationally (2006-2011), when co-founder Jean-François Bouchard and he realized what they were creating. Flying creatives across the world for meetings and presentations, buzzing around in sync and all at once… the excitement of it all was a huge thrill.

“Now, when we take a breath and look back, we’re just amazed. We never thought SID LEE would amount to this. Never.”

But that doesn't mean that he’s a stranger to hard times, either. With gentle modesty, Phil also knows that the agency truly defined itself it went down, several years ago.

“There’s nothing like hitting rock bottom (especially when you didn’t see it coming!) to make you re-evaluate your position. When we lost everything, we had to think about who we were, what we stood for, and what we truly wanted.” Or, as he says in perfect french:

So, in that, Phil’s biggest life lesson has been resilience: to never give up. It takes a great deal of bravery, faith and optimism to pull yourself back up, so it also comes as no surprise that the man also cultivates an intricate inner world, practicing solitary sports, such as surfing, where he rides the waves alone, or with someone he appreciates, to clear his mind. A peaceful state, which he calls his blue mind, helps him renew himself and often leads to the birth of many great ideas. Indeed, although cool, calm and collected on the outside, Phil spends his time standing still in the eye of a hurricane. A big hot mess that he attempts to control on the daily - but he's also realistic: while he knows not to manage on hope, he also knows that you also can't control everything.

“The hardest part of my job is knowing the unknown. To walk around the office, knowing that the next few months are going to be tough and that the people I run into in the hallway might lose their job... to be the only one to knows what's going on.”

So, while we tend to hold the elite in high esteem, let us not forget that none of us are immune to vulnerability. It’s what makes us kind. Building a business like his from scratch doesn't come with an IKEA instruction sheet, so you have to count on your values to light the way. And Phil isn't the type to give up on people he believes in: “It's happened that I’ve had to let someone go, only to hire them back for a better job later down the line.” While we could easily pull the judgment trigger on the ad-man, what we might also take for granted is the fact that his agency is a unique playground that allows for talented people from around the world to thrive doing exactly what that they love.

"We can't hide the fact that advertising is a way of telling a pretty lie. But there is always an angle: a way to put things. I would never build an agency on accounts I couldn't get behind. I've even walked out of meetings and turned down several cigarette accounts - even though they were worth a lot of money - because it was so hard for me to quit. I just can’t picture myself walking by someone's desk, brushing past the design of fighter jets or guns… And forget anything that has to do with violence. Especially towards children."

Not everyone is always going to love you for what you do, so you have to pick your battles. But a sure bet is that there will always be people to respect you for making decisions with integrity. On the flip side, you can't always be Mr. Nice guy, either. Phil says he's gotten in trouble for (nicely) telling some people that he didn't think they had what it takes - and that they might consider pursuing a different career.

“Sometimes, you just have to be honest.”

It’s true, you can’t tiptoe around everyone, but the surprising fact remains that he’s also that mysterious stranger lurking in the bar's shadows. The man who, by the end of the night, reveals himself to be a genie, granting you three wishes. During the SID LEE land internship selection, Phil tells me he didn’t interview candidates, but instead, sat at the bar, waiting for those who had been turned down. A shy guy, who was disappointed not to be picked, ended up showing Phil his work - without a clue as to who he was sitting next to - and is now one of the agency's top copywriters, with a skyrocketing career.

Phil says that the most interesting and the most creative people are usually those who don't make a fuss about showing it off. "Those who are humble about their work are often the most talented. And those who renew themselves effortlessly and who need no one are usually the most interesting."

“Creativity is an attitude, a perspective on life and a work ethic. It's not a dress code. At award ceremonies, those who dress up in crazy stripy clothes or who speak first in a crowd are often the least interesting. I always look forward to hearing what the last person to speak has to say.”

Such gatherings, the advertising world itself, or perhaps even his position, have taught Phil that there are two kinds of people: givers and takers. Those who drain your energy, who cut you off while you're speaking or who use you to take up more space. And those who give you energy, generously and sincerely, without a hidden agenda.

"I've had people follow me to the washroom - which is why I don't stick around public events for too long anymore. Once, this guy even tried to introduce himself while I was peeing, wanting to shake my hand over the urinal!"

While you still had your cock out? I ask.

"Yes!" He laughs.

“It’s part of it, but then, as an individual, it's rare that someone will just give me a little a little something, a little nothing, a flower on the edge of my desk, just because." Phil cups his hands together and puts them down on the table, revealing an invisible flower in bloom. He didn’t seem sad about it, but I can only imagine how lonely that must be at times. But then he smiles: "Some of my most gentle moments are when my yoga teacher walks by and leans her feet on mine, just to relieve some of the tension. It's nothing, but it's everything. And while it’s true that there are a lot of takers out there, and that I've lost a lot of friends over it, I find great energy and replenishment in watching creative teams flourish.

Phil's greatest accomplishment, outside his family and the agency, was a project he put together for Quebec's 400th anniversary called Le moulin à images. Invited to write the visual script for the project, he composed it just like a symphony but, instead of jotting down notes, he used images. Phil says that the emotional charge of seeing it all come to life, as well as how it had moved the people around him, was a truly incredible feeling and that he was grateful to dabble in this medium with which he was not familiar.

His next big project? To find the first government accredited school for the Study of Creative Science and Innovation in Montreal, no less. Currently, underway with his first test class of students, he's already excited at the prospect of guiding those odd pegs that just don't fit inside the box. Finally… a degree that art students might stick around to finish.

So, if the man inspires you, take a look at those who have inspired him: surf legend Jay Adams, whose poster was enough to leave Phil parched in his thirst for life at a young age. David Carson’s cutting edge graphic design. Guy Laliberté's instinct. Robert Lepage's generosity. Jacques Languérant bursting culture. Jake Burton’s vision. And Jilles Chouinard of Patagonia.

All things considered, and without a doubt in my mind, Phil is a giver and a maverick of the best kind. We salute you.

Written by Lara Binamé