Watch the full episode of The B-Side with Chris Colter (left) and Sam Geer above.
Sam Geer and Chris Colter are two of the most awarded and revered media agency executives in adland. They also know how to win a pitch or two. The dynamic duo, who will soon be leaving Initiative to join Accenture Song, speak to Dan Krigstein in an absorbing episode of the B-Side vodcast series by the Growth Distillery in partnership with B&T.
There are few more successful agency partnerships than Initiative managing director Sam Geer and strategy chief Chris Colter.
The pair – alongside CEO Melissa Fein – have led the agency to unprecedented success in recent years, winning swags of industry awards and new business success along the way.
Geer and Colter have known each other for most of their careers and have often worked in tandem.
“We have got a very ‘ying and yang’ style relationship, there’s mutual respect, we’re amazing friends, but equally we’ve got such a unique skill set that complements each other that we know is pretty magical,” Colter told Krigstein at a live vodcast recording at this year’s Cannes in Cairns.
When asked what makes media strategy guru Colter special, Geer said he possesses a “big, beautiful brain” and “thinks differently to anyone else I’ve ever worked with and it’s so consistent”.
Geer’s strength is that he is a charismatic presenter and decisive leader who brings energy and positivity to the team. He lists Mat Baxter as a mentor that has had a huge impact shaping his career, and inspired him to “give back” by mentoring others.
“It’s testament to your personality and character that you’ve always got a “build people up” mindset,” said Colter about Geer’s strengths as a leader. “One of the reasons why [Geer] has been so successful is that you don’t lead from the front, you bring others with you and you elevate them underneath you.”
Fein, Colter and Geer, who stunned the industry when they revealed they will be joining Accenture Song to lead its media division, led Initiative to a bumper 2023, where the agency claimed the second most media account wins. Initiative was recently chosen as Campaign’s Global Agency of the Year, and in 2022 claimed the B&T Awards Media Agency of the Year.
On the back of such success, Krigstein described the pair as the “pitch hit squad” and asked them where agencies go wrong in pitching.
“Something they get wrong is that they try to be who the client wants them to be as an agency… and they change their story and who they are. It smells like desperation, clients can see it a mile away,” Geer said.
“What we have been good at is that we understand our brand as an agency and we don’t change it for different clients that come along.”
Watch the full vodcast above to hear more about the duo’s views on pitching, what they dislike about each other, Geer’s biggest insecurity, the importance of accountability and “psychological safety”, and advice they would offer younger versions of each other.
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