Community Highlights: Meet Tucker Loosbrock of Tucker & Stephen

Today, we’d like to introduce you to Tucker Loosbrock.

Hi Tucker, thanks for sharing your story with us. To start, maybe you can tell our readers some of your backstory.
I have my parents to thank for always encouraging me to try everything so I could figure out what I was into. And my then-girlfriend and now-wife to thank for patiently supporting me the entire way.

Because of them, my career has been a lovely hodgepodge of different experiences that all seemed to have influenced the next.

I was first an American Correspondent for a magazine in Spain. Then a publicist for a Hispanic agency in Chicago. I even tried my hand as a runner and trader’s assistant in the chaos of the Chicago Board of Trade while attending a portfolio school at night. This eventually led to me becoming a writer and creative director in NY’s advertising and content space and then Denver.

Of all these experiences, the 13 years I spent in NY were probably the most influential on my life and career. Being exposed to that diversity of people, cultures, and the overall bizarre situations that only NY can deliver, as well as collaborating with other creative people from around the world, is a constant source of inspiration and teaches you a lot about yourself.

I was also lucky enough to work under some great leaders who sent me on productions in places like the mountains and beaches of Columbia, football pitches in Manchester, film studios in Bangkok, and everywhere in between. I also got to work with NBA players, launch sneaker and apparel lines, and collaborate with some of my favorite artists and film directors.

All of this eventually gave me the confidence to strike out on my own in 2018, with my art director partner of 7 years, to launch our own creative studio and brand consultancy.

I’m sure it wasn’t obstacle-free, but would you say the journey has been fairly smooth so far?
There have been plenty of struggles, from dealing with COVID-19 to intense burnout. One in particular I dealt with for many years (and I think many creative people do in general) was imposter syndrome. In a job where you are constantly putting your work up to be subjectively picked apart by co-workers, clients, and even the public, it can take a toll on your ego if you’re not used to it.

For my first few years, I was so terrified of failing and being sent back home to Chicago that I worked all hours of the night to convince myself that I had explored every possible way into an idea instead of just trusting my gut. I would go into every meeting expecting to fail so that it wouldn’t be a shock if it happened. This eventually led to burnout, which led to stale ideas.

One day, I finally took a step back and realized I wasn’t curing cancer or saving people from burning buildings–I was telling stories and making ads. I got into this industry because it’s fun, and I collaborate with cool people.

I still have my failures from time to time, as is the nature of our business, but I’ve found the job a lot more enjoyable once I stopped worrying, which has led to far more successes.

Alright, so let’s switch gears a bit and talk business. What should we know?
I started Tucker & Stephen with my long-time partner, Stephen Petronis, in 2018.

We’re an advertising, branding, and content studio and consultancy operating out of Denver and Brooklyn. Our model is built to minimize the typical bloat by providing a custom-tailored approach with the right cast of talent to efficiently handle every brand’s unique challenges.

Instead of companies having to pay for layers of leadership or people with a minimal role, we carefully evaluate every business problem, timeline, budget, and creative taste to assemble a team of specialists to focus only on our client’s needs. These are all pulled from our network of the industry’s best strategists, copywriters, art directors, designers, tech ninjas, directors, photographers, artists, and creators. All passionate people who love to think, make, and create.

We love meeting and collaborating with new people, so if you’re a freelancer or someone needing marketing or branding solutions, we’d love to talk.

We’re always looking for the lessons that can be learned in any situation, including tragic ones like the Covid-19 crisis. Are there any lessons you’ve learned that you can share?
Right before Covid hit, our business was doing so well that we were turning away work and believed we had this whole thing figured out.

Once COVID hit, nearly all of our clients slashed their budgets, halted work, or canceled all production. We then had to pretty much shut down for over a year. In a way, it felt like the universe was putting us back into our humble places.

While we managed to survive, this taught us a valuable lesson about keeping your ego in check, staying hungry, and always having a plan B you can quickly pivot to if needed.

Contact Info:

• Website: tuckerandstephen.com, tuckerloosbrock.com
• Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/tucker-loosbrock-b446469/

Image Credits
Stephen Petronis and Tucker Loosbrock