Would you like to have your profile featured? Click here to contact Erik Hauser.
Neal M. Burns Professor, Director, Center for Brand Research Department of Advertising and Public Relations,  The University of Texas at Austin, Austin, TX
		Education: University of Chicago, University of Illinois B.S., McGill University, M.Sc. Ph.D. Books Reading: Currently on my iPad . . . Man Who Invented the Computer (Jane Smiley);Travels in the Scriptorium (Paul Auster); Cryptonomicom (Neal Stephenson); Black Swan (Taleb); Purple Cow (Godin); Chaos Scenario (Bob Garfield); My Stroke of Insight (Jill Taylor). Favorite Quote: “Don’t make the same mistake even once.” (My father’s favorite words to me-wish I had listened.)  Or. Yogi Berra,  “It’s deja vu all over again?”		Inspirational Figures:  My Aunt Mary, Donald Hebb, Keith Reinhard, Carolyn Cooper Garrett Relationship Status:  After several missteps  (OK, many for those of you counting)  now -  for about 25 years - in a wonderful relationship with a woman who challenges me, loves me and keeps my attention. I dare to ask age:  Old enough to have known not to answer any of these questions — born the year Clark Gable was dating Joan Crawford.

Ihort bio of career path:
Liked psychology, human behavior and the reasons for choices.  After exposure and involvement in neuroscience and space travel I stumbled –was actually pushed - into marketing . . . And nothing became more satisfying intellectually than the challenges of advertising. I responded positively to taking chances with something called a career – was lucky, had the good fortune of wonderfully supporting friends, colleagues and clients and, I’m still here.

Define your leadership style and the feel of the agency:
In my agency life — about 25 years – we were fiercely competitive, research based, creatively driven and believed in exquisite client service. I was never as good a boss as I wanted to be — often too demanding and argumentative — but what can you do when you’re always right.

Toughest challenge overcome in your career?
Keeping focused through the turmoil of my personal chaos.

Favorite assignment completed to date?
It changes depending on what phase of my life I was in . . . successfully implanting electrodes in animals; being involved with NASA/Project Mercury (nothing ever has been more exciting or fulfilling); star and building a successful agency; winning an Effie; working on Harley; winning Sofitel and National Car; working with a brilliant graduate students on their research and to see them smile as they see and accept how brilliant they are and that they are ready to forth and kick ass; being a father (although I am not yet quite done with that assignment).

Your vision of where we will all be in 10 years (non-apocalyptic):
In the absence of any major world conflict . . . In a world dominated technically and economically by China with improvements in organ transplants and pharmacology that will increase  productive life span significantly.

Best describe your agency: 
The Burns Group was small, instantly successful, fun and characterized by rapid learning and the importance of new business and about 20-30 people who were like family  actually some were! The best of times at Carmichael Lynch was with a group of strong players and we seemed to win almost everything we really wanted.  The work was superb, incredible creative, smart insights -- Lee Lynch initiated and the rest of us maintained a culture that made it seem as if it was the best place in the world to work.  It wasn’t always like that – no relationship is – but when it was, WOW!