Rhonda Landreth-Smith makes it simple, memorable

Cheryl Metivier

Even if she had never won a single award nor received a single accolade for the numerous creative projects she has spearheaded, just the opportunity to engage in conversation with advertising maven Rhonda Landreth-Smith and get a glimpse into her mind would be sufficient to leave one inspired.

Her depth, drive and humility are sobering and refreshing, even though a random Google search of her name will reveal a range of articles and images about her mark on the advertising industry and her numerous achievements and awards.

Over the last 14 years, Saltwater Studios, the agency she owns and at which she is the creative director, has won 43 gold and 89 silver awards – the first Gold 4th District ADDY award (first ever by a Trinidad and Tobago agency for Radio), Legends of Advertising ADDY in 1999, the coveted Charlie Award at 4th District (best in print overall) in 2020, Best in print overall (Newspaper Advertising category) in 2019, and Judges' Choice #D Newsday Magazine in 2012.

For Landreth-Smith her work and play are synonymous, making it difficult to compartmentalise the professional and non-professional “Rhondas.”

“It’s not work, it’s like a career, a passion and a love all rolled into one,” she told WMN.

She’s disciplined, that’s clear. And her daily routine focuses on maintaining a holistic balance which includes career, spirituality, physical fitness, and taking great care about what she consumes.

Always mindful that the opportunity to successfully sustain herself in a field about which she is passionate is a tremendous blessing, and one which she does not take for granted, Landreth-Smith said she commits daily to her strength and weight training, while ensuring that her spirituality does not evolve into just a label that she slaps on. Her spiritual walk, she said, pervades all aspects of her life, including the manner in which she conducts her affairs professionally – maintaining integrity in the conduct of her business.

Professionally, Landreth-Smith told WMN, she entered the industry at the bottom of the ladder as a copywriter over 26 years ago, and discovered an intense love for it. She put in all the required work, fought against a tide of resistance, discrimination, and other challenges to emerge as the advertising executive she is today. And, as if to reverse the injustices she endured, she continually “pays it forward” by being generous with the knowledge that she has amassed over the years, ensuring that her recruits have every opportunity to learn any aspect of the industry which places them in the best position to succeed.

She said one tangible result of her approach to mentoring her team members has been a low attrition rate within her agency, and of course a level of commitment that is reflected in their achievements and awards over the years.

“I felt almost called upon to give, to be of service and to share my knowledge and expertise, and now, they are some of the best in the business.”

To hear her describe her relationship with her “team,” paints a picture of a cohesive organic unit. Landreth-Smith said her spiritualism and reliance on her instinct extends even to her team selection. She is not guided strictly by the impressive resume or academic prowess, and she proudly boasts of having some of the best in the industry, even though many of her staff had no background in the field. Several of her mentees have been recipients of many awards under her tutelage, and she continues to personally invest in them. Together, they ensure that their campaigns remain relevant for their clients and their target audiences.

She said while people on the outside looking in view and define her success in linear terms such as awards and commendations, she defines her success in much deeper terms. She has dabbled in most things creative including music, theatre and fashion, but the strongest pull has always been the space that she now occupies. She said she and her team have achieved so much they can justifiably be proud of, but she said what stands out for her are those moments when it looked like all was lost yet they were able to come up with a creative concept that set the agency apart.

“Don’t get defeated when it looks like things are not working out the way you hoped. Eventually, a path reveals itself and it may not necessarily be what you had intended, but it may turn out to be better than you ever imagined,” she advises.

Landreth-Smith holds herself to the highest standards and identifies herself as her most strident competitor. She expends no energy looking outward to see what others are involved in, she competes against her last biggest achievement, and aspires to meet and exceed the expectations of her clients. Her novel view of what defines an entrepreneur also informs her tenacity and work ethic.

"I always think of me 'the entrepreneur' as an athlete. In much the same way that an athlete takes care of the body, soul and mind, to be able to calibrate to be able to be the best version of yourself every single day."

She said she is oddly uninterested in attaching herself or her title to the success enjoyed by the clients she represents. She insists that the quality of the work she does can fully stand on its own and should be the basis on which she grows her business and develops her craft. In an industry which is male-dominated and littered with egocentrics, the name Saltwater Studios is conspicuously well hidden, with the walls in the corridors of its Port of Spain office rapidly running out of space for ADDY and other awards.

Landreth-Smith said balancing humility with confidence at the height of one’s professional career is not an easy accomplishment. But her constant focus on her spirituality serves to keep her grounded. Her meditation and daily diet of inspirational readings and podcasts help to “calibrate body and mind,” with Jay Shetty and Gabrielle Bernstein among her favourite authors.

“I’m also a follower of the Mind Valley group (Visham Lakhiani),” a new movement of young people who appear to embrace positivity and to be in pursuit of enlightenment.

The uncertainty which is a feature of any entrepreneurial undertaking necessitates the presence of a solid spiritual foundation.

“It’s what sharpens my mind and helps me to navigate life’s uncertainty.” In the communication field, Landreth-Smith said, a sharp mind is critical, even more so in the area of advertising.

“Having the capacity to think on one’s feet, to be aware of one’s environment and be mentally agile can potentially be deal breakers."

She’s family-focused, and her face lit up when the topic came up. Explaining that she came from humble beginnings, she said one area of greatest satisfaction for her is having the ability to adequately provide for her loved ones. Poverty notwithstanding, she credits her parents with instilling a work ethic that has persisted throughout her career – a mindset that has transcended generations.

"My mother is a very determined woman, and I feel that most of what we've achieved is because of her drive, and her wanting to better herself. My dad was also a very dutiful person, so I grew up with certain principles, one of them is that no matter what you do in life, you do it well and to the best of your ability."

As an elder sibling, she has assumed the responsibility of blazing a trail and making a way for her younger brother who is one a mentee in the agency and is excelling in his field. As an aunt she feels a strong sense of obligation to present her best self to her seven-year-old niece, and teaching her that growth is a never-ending process.

"If you enter a room and you're the smartest, then you're in the wrong room. I want to experience persons who are more established and accomplished than I am...and do some more travelling, see the world, experience other forms of creativity, maybe photography – maybe produce a digital magazine. And I would really like to get deeper into mentoring women and young people, which I can maybe package digitally for wider access.

“Awards yes, but an opportunity to do an international advertising campaign that has impact and can affect humankind for the better, something ultimately amazing, impactful and memorable. Something that would create a positive ripple effect in the world."