In the beginning there was Doyle Dane Bernbach.

For the passionate creative people in the early sixties, it was the only place to be.

Mainly because it was the only place to be.

Roy enjoyed tennis. We traded many fun volleys at each other.

MY OFFICE WAS NEXT TO HIS. Roy shouts out: ‘Bob, need your help! I can’t open one of my flat files!”I walk in, he points to the file. I easily pull in open.
It’s lined with 12-15 acrylic cube NY Art Director Gold Medal Awards. He lingers a long smile at me. “One day, you may get... one.”

The one thing I remember most about Roy Grace is the fun we had working together.

No matter what the problem we were given, we always came up with an answer.

I worked at Doyle Dane Bernbach as a TV Producer with Roy Grace on and off for 15 years. This was back in 1968 and I was 25 years old when I started. I probably spent more time with Roy Grace and copywriter, John Noble, than I have spent time with some members of my own family. I worked with Roy on the accounts of Alka Seltzer, Volkswagen, Mobil and American Tourister. I produced at least 100 commercials with Roy.

I first met Roy Grace in 1968 when he was the Vice President – Art Supervisor on Volkswagen at Doyle Dane Bernbach.

Bob Tucker and I had just transferred from Sales Promotion to National Advertising at the agency, working as an art director/copywriter creative team on VW.

We were in awe of Roy’s work. When Bob and I showed Roy our work for approval, we hoped he would say more than just “Yes.” We wanted him to really like it.

Just about every day for 15 years, Roy and Diane had lunch together. I tried to join them as often as I could, because if I wasn’t there, they just had too much time to figure out all the things I wasn’t doing right.

The conversation was always interesting. Family, politics, DDB. Every so often the conversation would head off in a direction, and Roy would light up and say, “I’ll never forget this…” and he’d tell a story about Nick or Jess, Bill Bernbach, or some other old friend.

the fact that roy was the best television art director in the history of advertising... was only the tip of his iceberg

what most people didn't know was how many other things roy had mastered... he was an accomplished carpenter, electrician, mason, plumber, cartoonist, fine artist, writer...

In my twenty-one years at Doyle Dane Bernbach, I worked with Bob Gage, Helmut Krone, Bert Steinhauser, Bill Taubin, Charlie Piccirillo, etc., etc., etc.

But I never worked with Roy Grace.

In January of 1981, having just graduated from Art Center College of Design in Pasadena, I went to New York to begin my career. Before leaving, our department chair had asked us each to make a list of the top ten places we wanted to work.

I wrote Doyle Dane Bernbach ten times.

I had the privilege of working with Roy Grace for 10 years—during the Grace & Rothschild era. I’ve never laughed so much in my career, learned so much in my craft, and respected a man so much in my life. Roy was my mentor, often my partner, and always my friend. I think most of us who worked at G&R over the years would agree about what made Roy so unique.

I never worked with Roy at Doyle Dane. Of course, I knew of him, but I was never put on an account where he and I were in the same meeting. His reputation was huge, and perhaps a little intimidating.

When I got the opportunity to join G&R as their first Director of Planning, it was such a perfect job. But I was still a little nervous around Roy.

I remember the ad that made me want to work for Roy Grace and Diane Rothschild. It was “Can you spot the Range Rover in this picture?” I saw it in the brand new One Show Annual and knew this was the place for me. I wanted to do work like this—smart, witty and classic.