Your job sounds very grand, but what exactly do you do?
Everything. I have to pitch for contracts, come up with the idea for the ad, convince the client that the idea is good, make the ad and then sell it again. It can be a nightmare. For example, I recently made a TV commercial for a well-known dog food which the client has now decided they don' like?the ad, I mean?and that's after I went to the States to film it.

So, how long have you been away from America in total?
For about eleven years, all of which has been in this part of the world. I was based in Kuala Lumpur, then I worked in Thailand for about two and a half years, and finally I came to Japan to work on Coca-Cola.

And how does Japan compare with the rest of Asia?
I think that in some of the other markets, because you're a Westerner they welcome your expertise, whereas in Japan they're already doing quite well on their own so they don't feel they necessarily need your help.

Did you have any idea of what Japan would be like before you came here?
Um, no, not really. I knew that the professionalism was high, so I expected that, and I knew that things were decided in a group. But you never really understand how a place works until you've been there a while, and I don't think I was really prepared for how Japan works. I mean, there are good parts to it, but there are also very frustrating parts to it. Dealing with that frustration is probably the hardest thing for me.

What do you enjoy most about living here?
Workwise, it is the clients' desire to see the best possible ad; they want very high quality. Obviously there's all the stuff like it being a convenient country to live in, but I think that the emphasis on producing fine work is the thing I enjoy most.

Do you get to travel much in Japan?
Yeah, mostly for work. I've shot commercials in Kyoto and some other places. Have you noticed any difference in the people outside of Tokyo? Yeah, in some of the smaller places where we've shot, people seemed much more curious about us and, I wouldn't say friendlier, but somehow more open to us.

Any favorite places in Japan?
Yeah, Kyoto...I bet everyone says that, don't they? We shot some tea commercials there during that season when they put platforms out over the river and everyone sits on them and has kaiseki. It was just spectacular. If you could change one thing about Japan, what would it be? I think it would be to make the young people more pro-active. I don't mean they should be more aggressive, just be able to think more for themselves.

Do you think that is likely to happen?
Not for a while, no. I think that large corporations are skeptical of change, so young people who join them know that to get along they have to do what they're expected to, and that means following the rules.

It's strange because when you walk around Shibuya or Harajuku, the young people seem full of get up and go.
I know. I'll tell you when we see it most is when we do research and focus groups. We'll have a group, say, who are aged 17 to 20 and they're all vibrant and full of life; then you get the 22-year-olds and up and it's like night and day. The change is amazing?they've bought their suits, they've got their jobs, they've got the company pins on; in a really short time they fall right into line.

What's the most embarrassing thing that's ever happened to you in Japan?
Ha! There are thousands and thousands of them. Every day can be an embarrassment. You know, sometimes I start laughing out loud in the middle of meetings with really conservative businessmen and they look at me like, "What the heck is he laughing at? What's so funny?" That happens all the time. Offices here are just so quiet; no one laughs or talks or anything. It's kind of spooky.

So what are your plans for the future?
Well, we're embarking on a project to buy equity in a Japanese agency, and that will give us a lot more clout in the Japanese market. Because of this, I plan to stay in Japan for a while yet...although I do want to go back to the States eventually.