Paul Silverman, Legendary Creative Director of Mullen, Dies at 69
Paul Silverman, the wry, pun-loving short story and copy writer whose conceptual brilliance powered the emergence of Mullen, died suddenly at his home in Manchester, Massachusetts on August 10. He was 69.
Mr. Silverman began his career as a feature writer for Lebhar-Friedman Publications creating discount store advertorials by gathering material from the range of national newspapers then available at Harvard Square’s iconic Out of Town News. In 1973, he brought this specialized skill to Superfine Productions, Jim Mullen’s six person agency in Marblehead, Massachusetts. Each served clients in a copy/contact capacity, Mr. Silverman in discount and retail accounts and Mr. Mullen in boating. As the agency expanded its client portfolio, Mr. Silverman persuaded Mullen to rename the company. “Do you know what names like Superfine Productions or Ideas Unlimited say to a client?” he asked. “They say ‘small’.”
In 1981, Mullen Advertising entered its first Hatch Awards show with Mr. Silverman and his creative partner, Steve Haesche, topping every important category and winning best of show. “There was a message in that” said Mr. Mullen, who immediately named Mr. Silverman Creative Director, a position that metamorphosed into Chief Creative Officer by 1999 when The Interpublic Group of Companies acquired the agency. By then, Mr. Silverman’s writing and creative stewardship had built Mullen into one of the country’s premier creative agencies and among the top twenty-five in overall billings. Throughout his 26 years of leadership, the agency garnered hundreds of advertising awards and Mr. Silverman was named a Legend of Advertising by The Wall Street Journal. He retired in 2002 when his Interpublic contract expired, returning to his first love, the art of writing expressed in short stories.
Since that time, Mr. Silverman published over one hundred short stories in a wide range of small press publications, and was a four times nominee for the Pushcart Award, established by Anais Nin, Buckminster Fuller and other great writers to honor “the best poetry, fiction, essays and literary whatnot” that appeared in small literary magazines. His stories are gathered online at www.paulsilverman.com .
Paul Herbert Silverman was born in Boston, Massachusetts on April 23, 1940, the only child of David and Ruth Silverman. He grew up working in his father’s Roxbury delicatessen, retaining forever the arcane ability to pick up exactly one-quarter pound of sliced meat. He received a Bachelor of Arts from Boston University in 1962 and, the following year, a Masters degree from Brandeis in the History of Ideas. In 1981, Mr. Silverman married Teresa Power of Great Falls, Montana. In addition to his wife, Mr. Silverman is survived by a daughter, Miranda, currently an account executive at the Boston agency MMB.
On his web site, readers will also find Mr. Silverman’s tribute to the small publications that championed his work. “Each one has its own distinct color and flavor”, he wrote, “Without them, the short story wouldn’t stand much of a chance…”