Sean Smith, new executive creative director and partner at Solve, brings larger agency and big brand experience to client work and leadership at the independent Minneapolis-based branding and advertising agency.

Smith has developed campaigns for brands including Domino's, Coke Zero, Under Armour, Samsung, Volkswagen and Acura. He's worked at Crispin Porter + Bogusky in Boulder, Colo., 180LA and MullenLowe in Los Angeles, and Merkley in New York, among other agencies.

In joining Solve, Smith said he "fell in love with the founders and their visions for where they want to go," a model he said combines creative work and speed in addressing clients' business needs.

"It's the marriage of the ability to craft things beautifully when the opportunity arises to do that but also to make things very fast and effective on a regular basis," Smith said.

Smith leads projects for a handful of clients and works with Solve managing creative directors Hans Hansen and Eric Sorensen. Hansen and Sorensen founded Solve in 2011 with fellow senior creative industry leaders John Colasanti and Corey Johnson. Advertising Age named Solve "Small Agency of the Year" in the Midwest in 2013 and 2016. The agency has 50 employees.

"It's a great opportunity to come into a place with such accomplished partners but still have a seat at the table and a voice in the process" at a growing agency, Smith said.

Smith, an English major at the University of Utah, was working for his father's construction business when the short stories and screenplays he was writing got him his first job in advertising.

Q: How is your experience elsewhere coming into play at Solve?

A: Even though [Crispin] was a large agency, they operated like a start-up company. Speed was incredibly important to them. That has informed my approach to the business. That complements the experience and the talents of the people here, that ability to push ideation and innovation at a rapid pace.

Q: How important was working at a smaller agency?

A: The excitement of working in a smaller shop is it forces you to wear lots of hats and to grow continuously. Smaller agencies can evolve faster. Smaller agencies usually tend to deal with smaller budgets but a lot of the work I'm most proud of was on very small budgets.

Q: What's your approach as a creative director?

A: My style is to be as involved or not involved as needed. If a team is killing it and doesn't need a lot of creative direction, I don't believe in micromanagement. But I also believe in leading by example. I'm happy to sit down and concept with anyone at any time of day to work through ideas.

Todd Nelson