Charlie Rutman: Still Smiling After All These Years - Lunch at Michael's

By Lunch at Michael's Archives
Cover image for  article: Charlie Rutman: Still Smiling After All These Years - Lunch at Michael's

Originally Published June 20, 2003

Surrounded by a veritable "who's who" of the publishing and advertising communities, Charlie Rutman and I sat down for a long overdue Lunch at Michael's Restaurant. Unlike most executives who are at the peak of power as one of the most influential media directors in the advertising business, Charlie rarely has a restaurant lunch, preferring instead to take an hour for a heavy workout followed by a light lunch at his desk. As President of Carat USA, Charlie oversees more than 500 people and manages several billion dollars in media investments for Pfizer, Radio Shack, Hyundai, CBS, Adidas, New Line Cinema, and Midas Automotive, among others.

For those of you who know Charlie, if you create a visual image of him in your mind, I guarantee the image will be smiling. He's one of those people who seem to have a permanent smile, and he agrees that there is very little that upsets or angers him. "When I wake up and am alive and breathing," he says, "I'm happy. I'm naturally high on life and am rarely in a bad mood." Charlie was deeply moved several years ago when a friend of his daughter was involved in a car accident and paralyzed from the neck down. Although he did not have a close relationship with the parents, he visited the hospital and connected with them, subsequently becoming close friends. "It was a religious experience," he commented to me, "and helped me realize there are no entitlements in life."

Charlie is actively involved in Carat Cares, which engages Carat employees with patients at Ronald McDonald House. It was organized to honor Carat employee Steven Cohen, who passed away from cancer. Steven was a 23-year-old junior employee who, Charlie recalled, came to work every day even after having chemotherapy. At the funeral, Steven's father commented to Charlie that the support Steven received daily at work did more to keep him motivated than all the doctors combined. When it comes to helping people, Charlie admits he doesn't know the word "no." That attitude, Charlie believes, reflects the general "can do/wanna do" personality of the Carat organization. It also reflects Charlie's ability to connect to others and explains his close relationship with Carat employees, clients, media sales executives, and of course his daughters Lindsay, 22, and Chelsea, 15. He and Audrey celebrated their 30th anniversary last month.

Charlie looks back at his almost 28 years in the media business (he turned 52 on June 6), and comments: "I have gotten to do more, see more, and experience more than I ever could have dreamed of when I was growing up in Queens." Charlie's father was a diamond dealer "who carried his office in his pockets and worked seven days a week." Charlie looked around Michael's from our vantage point at table 7 and pointed to Ralph Lauren, George Green of Hearst, Pamela Fiore of Town & Country, Jill Selig of Oprah, Beth Brenner of Self Magazine and several other industry leaders. "This is a business that's still about people, relationships, communications, and the ability to make personal connections, just like my Dad's business," Charlie said with a smile. Although he acknowledged that the consolidation of media buying and selling organizations has changed the business, he believes "the basic game hasn't changed."

He does, however, express concern about the recent inclusion of corporate purchasing and procurement people in the media evaluation process, and the increased emphasis on media auditing. While he has no disagreement with the trend, he points out the "contradiction between shining a light on price in a world of .1 percent improvements when clients are also pushing to better understand the qualitative aspects of media." Charlie points out that Carat employees share tremendous pride in their work and, while it sounds old fashioned, he believes many "would rather do a great job than collect a pay check." He singled out network group head Andy Donchin, spot TV director Mary Barnas, regional broadcast director Dennis McGuire and research director Joanne Burke as executives who "are driven as much by pride as a pay check" and he believes "their attitude becomes contagious throughout the organization."

Prior to joining Carat in January 1998, Charlie headed up the consolidated media account for The Coca-Cola Company at DMB&B, and he spent 14 years at Backer & Spielvogel/Bates as the Manager of that Media Department. Charlie had the advantage, he says, of working with "real gentlemen," early in his career such as Jay Schoenfeld, Mark Buttita, and Steve Leff, and he believes that Carat under the leadership of David Verklin reflects a comparable commitment to "answering every phone call, respecting every person, encouraging creativity, and being open to new ideas." Although Carat's success has been well publicized and several Carat executives have been recognized for their industry leadership, Charlie says he constantly cautions his group: "If we ever start believing our own headlines, kick us."

Charlie Rutman may be reached at contact@jackmyers.com.

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