James Othmer

As an Executive Creative Director at Young & Rubicam Advertising in New York, James P. Othmer developed brand visions and award-winning creative material for some of the world’s leading corporations, including AT&T, Accenture, Dannon, Citibank, KFC and Colgate. During this time he also developed an acute sense of the absurdities of modern life. First came his widely-praised 2006 novel The Futurist, then came ADLAND: Searching for the Meaning of Life on a Branded Planet, a funny and sneakily profound book that bestselling author Daniel H. Pink says is “destined to become a classic of its kind—a must read for anyone brave (or insane or aimless) enough to toil in the fields of modern advertising.” His newest book is Holy Water, a hilarious, satirical and poignant book that takes a look at a man at a crossroads—and how bottled water just might be key to his salvation.

He has spoken to groups as diverse as university students and fast-food franchisee conventions, to gatherings of C-Suite and new media executives. A refugee of the corporate world with many more tales to tell, Jim combines the storytelling wit of David Sedaris with the unflinching corporate insights of Malcolm Gladwell.