My time with Sal DeVito. RIP Big Boss.

Sal liked to sit in the back of a room and cross his arms.?Watching and listening. Taking it all in. He’d sit there quietly with an aura of power. Whether it was in his huge office at 100 5th Avenue (at the very back) or in a conference room during a presentation, or at the back of a restaurant. (Face the front door, no one behind you. Like an Italian Boss. You gotta always see who’s comin’ at you.)? ?

He was, for the most part, a quiet man.?But when he spoke, you had to (shut-up and) listen intently.?He’d notice if you weren’t.?

Often, he’d stare deep into your soul before he spoke. He'd say, "Sit down." And then he'd just stare at you for a few moments. It was terrifying. Is he angry with me? What did I do? Am I getting fired?

Back in the early years, everyone was afraid of Sal. His students, his creative staff, account people.?Even a few of?the clients. I certainly was scared shitless of Sal for a long stretch in the old days. Sal had a temper in his younger years, and it was legendary. It fueled the fear when you walked into his office to present work.?

And don’t ever make the mistake of re-showing an ad to Sal that he had already killed.?And say something to the effect of “I know you killed this one….but here’s why I think it works…”? Only new employees tried that move. There was almost nothing that bubbled up the anger quicker.?Because what you were really doing was questioning Sal's judgement.?And questioning his judgement was disrespecting him. And Sal did not take kindly to disrespect.

Just before he was ready to get really angry (e.g., Sal says: “Ummm, I killed this pieceashit ad already, didn’t I?...)?he would get tight-lipped and slightly red-faced.?And at that point, your best bet was to just bolt for the door.?(He had extremely light skin, so at least the red was easy to spot.)

The other thing that made him almost just as angry, was when you said, “I think I got something great here…” before you presented.?That was also a Top Ten “Never” in the Sal Book Of Unwritten Rules.?Again, he will tell you if it’s any good.?Not the other way around.?You will not start the conversation by telling Sal it’s good.?

So one day at DV back in the early days - on Spring Street - I broke this cardinal rule for the first time ever. (And never again since.) I had come up with a concept that I was 90% sure Sal would think was funny. So I walked into his office with a layout and said – “Sal, I know you hate when people say this, but… I think I have something you’re gonna really like….”? I could see his lips were already tightening. A bead of sweat rolled down my forehead. (If not in reality, in my mind.?But probably in reality.)

I put down the ad in front of him on his desk. I’m pretty sure my hands were shaky.?It had a Daffy’s dress shirt on the left side with a $20 price tag?- It said, SHIRT underneath it.?Then there was the exact same shirt on the right side from a department store, with a $68 price tag on it. That one said BULLSHIRT underneath.?

He stared at it for an infinite amount of time - 30 full seconds at least - with no reaction. Deadpan face the whole time.?Sal then looked up at me and said flatly, “Lemme think about it.” ?So I walked out of his office, crestfallen. I was positive I had finally done what I thought was a good, solid “DeVito/Verdi” ad - and Sal didn’t even react. No laugh. No smile. Nothing.

I sat in my office sulking for about a half hour.?When my door opened a crack and Sal poked his head in on his way out to lunch.?He said, “I just wanna say…. (*cracking a smile* ) .... I fckn love that ad. Hehehehe. 'Bullshirt.' Hehehehe.?Let’s show it. Hehehehe.”? If you knew Sal, you know he would on rare occasion pull out that quiet giggle. I had reached the mountaintop.

The ad ended up getting produced and winning some awards - and I still think about that moment, decades ago, all the time.?To get Sal’s approval.?To get that wry smile, that quiet laugh - to feel like you did something great, even just for one moment.?That was a feeling that has never been matched in my career. That was everything.

If you knew Sal, you also knew that the whole temper and “ad burning” thing was mostly just for show, for keeping up the badass persona.?He was more about integrity and friends and killer work and the inner circle that he could trust. And building an ad agency with Ellis that took a stand, and created great work, and made a difference.?An agency where creativity mattered the most. DV still stands for that today.

As the years went by, Sal mellowed quite a bit. Sal and I became close friends and he began stepping back at the agency. Ellis and Sal gave me creative lead on a few clients.?Still, Sal would peek into my office every now and then – “Slosberg….whatcha workin' on?”? I’d show him my campaign for that week or month. A few times, I actually got that giggle when I showed him what I was producing.?Other times, I got the deadpan stare. (Am I reigniting the ire after all these years?...) Other times, Sal would offer great suggestions.?

Some of the campaigns I have done at DV over the past 20 years have been pretty good.?Some very good.?Maybe even a few great ones.?But there was nothing in the world like getting Sal’s approval back in the day. Nothing.?

Sal was so wise and tough and stubborn and real and generous and hilarious and warm - he had a huuuuge heart.?Family and friends were so important to him.?We used to go out for drinks, late night, all the time...and just talk about life. When we hugged after a night out - he wasn't a tall man - my arms wrapped all the way around him, and he tucked into me like a little kid.

I will miss him so so much.?He was like a second dad to me. My heart goes out to his wife Pat, his son John and daughter-in-law Paula, and to the extended family that loved him so much.

I picture Sal in heaven, sitting in the far booth in the back - getting a bowl of pasta with no butter and no oil, fresh-chopped garlic on the side – tipping 100% - surveying the place. Keeping an eye on the front gate, making sure no one comes in that’s gonna disrespect him.

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