April, 2026.- In the competitive world of 2026 new business, Lou Amodeo stands out as a strategist who masters both the long-term art of “hunting” and the immediate adrenaline of “closing.” Following a successful tenure at DEPT, where he drove multimillion-dollar revenues, Amodeo joins HAVAS Chicago with a clear mission: to elevate the agency’s narrative and connect with brands that, having lost their cultural compass or hit a growth plateau, are seeking creative reinvention. His approach is anchored in the innovative “High-Low” model—thinking like a brand and acting like an influencer—a duality that allows clients to build solid long-term platforms without sacrificing the relevance and agility demanded by the pulse of social media. For Lou, it’s not about choosing between the big idea and fast content; it’s about integrating both under one operational roof.
In this exclusive interview with Roastbrief, Lou Amodeo reveals how he is applying Artificial Intelligence not just as a production tool, but as a systemic “brain” that frees teams from mundane tasks so they can focus on what truly matters: creativity and strategy. With a philosophy that links agency success to the personal growth of its talent, Amodeo advocates for a pitch culture that is transparent, human, and free of unnecessary chaos. Discover how this “hunter” of opportunities is strengthening ties with the search consultant community and transforming HAVAS Chicago’s dynamics, proving that in the age of automation, the true competitive advantage lies in the ability to be genuinely curious and deeply human.
- The Hunter and the Closer: Kat Ott described you as operating as both “a hunter and a closer.” How do you balance these two roles, and what’s your philosophy on moving a prospect from initial outreach to a signed client without losing the human connection in between?
Balancing the hunter and closer roles starts with recognizing that new business runs on two clocks. Hunting is long‑term; you’re building relationships and nurturing opportunities that may take months to mature. Closing is short‑term; it’s the sprint when a pitch is live and the team needs clarity, confidence, and unity.
To balance both, I’ve learned not to get pulled too deep into every pitch. I always want my fingerprints on the narrative, but if I spend all my time rewriting every slide, I lose the ability to hunt. My job is to be the consistent thread: shaping the story, supporting and trusting the team to bring the work to life, and staying close to clients while keeping enough distance to keep the pipeline moving.
And the human connection is the throughline. Whether I’m opening a new relationship or helping close one, I show up curious about the person, the pressures they’re under, and what would make their day‑to‑day easier. People know when you’re genuinely interested versus running a script. Curiosity sharpens the work, but more importantly, it makes the relationship real. Those real relationships carry you from first outreach to the win and well beyond.
- The High-Low Model: Havas Chicago’s “High-Low” model—”think like a brand and act like a creator”—has been central to recent wins. When you’re out in the market pitching, how do you articulate this model to prospective clients? What’s the most compelling part of the proposition, and what questions do you get most often?
“High‑Low” is our operating model designed to solve the tension modern marketers face: the need to build long-term brand platforms while showing up in culture with real-time relevance. It’s rooted in a simple philosophy: think like a brand, act like an influencer.
In practice, that means we combine deep strategic platform thinking with the agility, authenticity, and cultural IQ of creators. Clients love it because they don’t have to choose between big brand ideas and fast, socially fluent content. They get both, integrated under one model.
The most common questions we get are around how the teams work together, how quickly we can produce content, and how we identify the creators and cultural signals that inform our thinking.
This approach was central to winning the Stanley Steemer pitch. We introduced “The Steemer,” a new character who personifies the brand’s deep‑cleaning promise. The Steemer became a distinctive brand asset with the ability to cut through in film and behave like a cultural character in social, exactly the kind of High‑Low duality clients are looking for today.
- From DEPT to Havas Chicago: You joined Havas after a successful run at DEPT, where you helped drive more than $45M in new business revenue and unified multiple agencies into a global organization. What drew you to Havas Chicago specifically, and what opportunities do you see here that you couldn’t pursue at DEPT?
DEPT® was an incredible chapter with great people and opportunities. I didn’t leave because anything was lacking. I came to Havas Chicago because it offered something specific: the chance to help shape the future of a creatively led agency that has big ambition.
Here, I get to build the growth strategy with leadership. That means defining our narrative: where we’ve driven impact, what we uniquely bring to the market, and how we tell that story in a way that feels distinctly “Havas Chicago.” It also means defining our Ideal Customer Profile based on culture, brand behavior, and what today’s CMOs actually need. Legacy brands seeking reinvention, brands that have drifted from culture, and brands with flat or volatile growth are areas where we have momentum and creative oxygen.
The “matchmaking” part motivates me, too. On one side, clients under pressure need partners who get their world. On the other, our teams want to do career‑defining work. When you put the right people in front of the right brand at the right moment, the chemistry is real.
And the leadership team sealed it. Kat, Frank, Chase, and Angelo are sharp, driven, and committed to building the best environment for great work. That energy felt like home.
- AI in Growth Operations: At DEPT, you spearheaded AI adoption across growth operations, and your department ranked first in AI fluency across a multi-thousand-person workforce. How are you applying AI to new business development at Havas Chicago, and where is AI genuinely moving the needle in the pitch process?
My vision for AI at Havas Chicago goes far beyond prompts and outputs. I want us to build AI systems, workflows, and autonomous agents that meaningfully change how people spend their time.
Agencies burn too much energy on the mundane: scheduling meetings, taking notes, assigning tasks, recapping conversations, and chasing clarity across channels. These drain people mentally and make it harder to think creatively.
One goal is to automate low‑value, high‑friction tasks. If we can free up a meaningful part of someone’s week, that creates more time for better thinking, collaboration, and ideas. But the bigger ambition is to make AI an extension of how we operate. Imagine a Havas Chicago AI “brain” that knows our clients, tone, narrative, strengths, and best work, then helps with everything from case studies to RFIs to early strategy development.
Longer term, I’m excited about autonomous agents that can “hire” other agents, systems that adapt as work evolves. That’s where real operational transformation happens.
Too often, agencies see AI through a production lens. I see it as something that should make people’s workdays lighter, clearer, and more focused, so they can solve client problems with creativity and confidence. If it isn’t improving the daily experience of teams, it’s falling short.
- The Consultant Ecosystem: You strengthened relationships with the search consultant community, building a $100M consultant-sourced pipeline during your tenure. How do you cultivate productive relationships with search consultants, and what do you think separates an agency that consultants want to put forward from one they hesitate to recommend?
For me, it starts with treating people like people. Search consultants have pressure, expectations, and reputational risk. I show up curious about their perspective, needs, and context.
The second piece is understanding what they evaluate. Consultants absolutely evaluate agencies, but teams matter just as much.They want to know who will be in the room, whether we listen, whether we’re prepared, and whether we feel like a low‑risk, high‑trust recommendation.
Consultants hesitate when an agency looks great on paper but the team dynamic doesn’t show up in the room. You can’t fake chemistry or curiosity, and you can’t fake being easy to work with.
So I focus on relationships built on consistency and trust. When consultants know what kind of experience their clients will get, they want to put you forward.
- Growing the Agency, Growing Careers: You mentioned that your goal is to “grow this agency and grow careers.” How do you see these two objectives—agency growth and individual career growth—as connected? What does that look like in practice as you build out the new business function at Havas Chicago?
Agency growth and career growth are the same idea seen from different angles. When someone finds their voice, gains confidence, or realizes they’re capable of more, that energy changes the room. Clients feel it, and so does the agency.
My role is to create conditions where people can shine. That means opening doors, setting clear expectations, coaching when needed, and protecting people from unnecessary chaos. People have called me a fearless leader, and I think that’s because I try to step into hard moments first. When people feel believed in and safe, they grow faster.
The pitch culture I want is fun, clear, collaborative, and human. Pitches don’t have to feel stressful. When expectations are clear and people feel comfortable being themselves, that’s when real collaboration and risk‑taking happen.
Matching people to the right opportunities is critical. I spend time meeting with team members, asking what excites them, and listening closely. Patterns emerge: categories people love, brands that energize them, work that makes them come alive.
The systems matter, too. Making space for younger talent. Debriefing every pitch. Bringing clarity to the process. Celebrating wins in a meaningful way. These habits compound.
How do I know it’s working? When tension drops. When people laugh more. When new voices take the lead. When the work stays serious, but we don’t take ourselves too seriously.
When people grow, the agency grows.
