Some of the world's most successful authors, actors, and directors kicked off their careers in advertising.
Many approached the ad industry with enthusiasm — rising to the C-suite and creating some of the most iconic slogans of all time. Others saw it as a means to an end, staying until they got their first big break indulging their true passion.
We gathered 16 of the most surprising names that began their careers using their innate creativity to sell products.
Laura Stampler compiled an earlier version of this report.
Sir Alec Guinness
The Obi-Wan Kenobi actor got his start as an ad man.
Guinness took a job as a junior copywriter at Ark's Publicity in London when he was only 18. However, from early on, his dream was to move into acting.
His first big role was as Osric in a production of Hamlet at the New Theatre in 1934. After the war, in where Guinness served in the Royal Navy, he found success as a screen actor, according to The Historical Dictionary of British Cinema.
Salman Rushdie
Salman Rushdie might have received numerous awards for his literature, but he failed a copy test at JWT 40 years ago.
"The only question I remember was they asked you to imagine that you met a martian who mysteriously spoke English and you had to explain to them in less than 100 words how to make toast," he told the IAPI during the Advertising Effectiveness Awards.
But Rushdie did snag freelance copywriter gigs for a decade at Charles Barker and Ogilvy & Mather, creating the tagline "That'll do nicely" for American Express and "Irresistibubble" for Aero bars, according to Digiday.
Rushdie also came up with Fresh Cream Cake's "Naughty but Nice" tag-line.
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