Justin Kramm has always been drawn to the messy side of creativity. As a kid, he discovered that humor could break tension in a room faster than any argument. As an adult, that instinct carried him through a career spanning global ad agencies, scrappy in-house departments, and hundreds of freelance projects. Now, at 46, Kramm has become a voice for a different kind of creative leadership: one that prizes honesty over polish, quick pivots over endless revisions, and the willingness to laugh when things go wrong.
“I’ve worked everywhere from Amsterdam to San Francisco, for agencies people idolize and for teams no one has ever heard of,” Kramm says. “What I’ve learned is that every place eventually feels like a mess. But chaos is where creativity comes from.”
A Career Forged in the Trenches
Kramm’s résumé is stacked with the kind of assignments most copywriters dream of. He worked on the first Motorola phone preloaded with iTunes, a precursor to the iPhone. He created campaigns for major nonprofits, including the Ad Council and its anti-meth campaign. He helped launch Save Our Snowman, a satirical short film about climate change that was shared by the United Nations and nominated for a Webby Award.
That project became a turning point. “It proved to me that if you embed a serious message in a comedic story, people will actually listen,” Kramm says. “Climate campaigns usually preach. We made people laugh, and they still got the point.”
Moments like this sharpened his perspective on what advertising should achieve. He believes that the most enduring work doesn’t just sell — it connects people, often through humor, humility, or even shared mistakes.
Lessons in Failure
Kramm is just as candid about the projects that flopped. He remembers Liquid Death’s clever “Waterboy” draft campaign, which vanished from the news cycle when Tom Brady announced his NFL comeback on the same day. He recalls the Motorola ROKR phone, which failed spectacularly but paved the way for Apple’s breakthrough.
“These things taught me that failure isn’t the enemy; it’s data,” he says. “The faster you move, the faster you learn. Brands that can admit they messed up and keep going are the ones people trust.”
That perspective has made Kramm a sought-after mentor for younger creatives who often feel paralyzed by the fear of getting it wrong. He tells them to look at artists who tried and bombed, like Garth Brooks releasing his strange alter-ego album or Jeff Bezos congratulating the Fire Phone team after a disaster. “You have to take swings,” Kramm says. “The misses are what keep the hits coming.”
A Global Creative Mindset
Kramm’s approach to building teams reflects this ethos. He values speed, openness, and unexpected voices. He has hired a freestyle rapper for his ability to think on rhythm, a 12-year-old “Chief Kid Officer” for insights on what children actually care about, and freelancers from Croatia, Ethiopia, and New Zealand who sent him ideas at odd hours.
“If a great suggestion comes in, I act on it immediately,” he says. “I don’t care if it comes from a seasoned art director or a teenager experimenting online. Good ideas can come from anywhere.”
This openness has made him a magnet for collaborators worldwide. Writers, designers, and comedians often reach out because they sense in him something rare: a leader who encourages imperfection as the path to originality.
Building Shitshow Creative
In 2023, Kramm channeled these experiences into Shitshow Creative, a purpose-driven agency that began as a parody post and quickly became real. While the agency now serves brands across consumer goods, technology, sports, and nonprofits, it primarily functions as a platform for Kramm’s philosophy.
The name is provocative, but the idea behind it is straightforward. Chaos isn’t something to fear. With the right leadership, it becomes fuel for momentum. Clients come to Shitshow not for polish, but for perspective — the reassurance that mistakes are survivable, and that humor can transform even a corporate crisis into connection.
Late Bloomer, Lasting Impact
Launching an agency at 46 was not what Kramm had planned, but it has become part of his message. He speaks often about the danger of writing off people in midlife. “We’ve glorified youth culture for decades,” he says. “But the wisdom that comes with age is just as valuable. Sometimes starting later means you’re finally ready.”
He points to Grandma Moses beginning her painting career in her seventies, or Frank Lloyd Wright sketching the Guggenheim spiral at eighty. “The spark never goes away,” Kramm insists. “Sometimes you’re just tired. What you need is to light it again.”
That message resonates with clients who feel drained by the noise of modern marketing. Kramm reminds them that creativity is not about keeping pace with every trend. It is about rediscovering energy, risk-taking, and joy — the elements that make people pay attention in the first place.
A Thought Leader for the Next Era
Kramm’s career is a quiet rebellion against the myth of perfection. He believes the future of creativity belongs to brands and leaders who are willing to act like people: flawed, funny, and real. His success with Shitshow Creative is proof that audiences crave honesty more than polish.
“Brands are terrified of being ignored,” he says. “But the way to stand out is not to look perfect. It’s to show character. That’s what people remember.”
For Kramm, this isn’t just theory. It is a lesson written through decades of campaigns, failures, reinventions, and one viral joke that turned into a company. He has built his career on the conviction that chaos, handled with humor and purpose, is not a weakness. It is the source of everything worth making.
To learn more about Justin Kramm and his work, visit https://www.justinkramm.com/.
