Starting an advertising agency is difficult even in the best of times. Starting one in the worst of times—the Great Depression of the 1930s—defies belief. Yet in Leo Burnett’s case, that is exactly what it took—belief, and a lot of it.

For most creatives there is always something else out there. Something for which their “gift” could be more usefully employed than simply selling—say—KFC. The holy grail for copywriters is writing a highly successful novel. There’s a legend of Australian advertising who achieved this and so much more.