Tom McElligott, Steve McElligott

Like his father, Tom McElligott, Steve McElligott was “an English major who needed a job.” Tom, a founder of Fallon McElligott Rice in 1981, applied his verbal skills to phrases such as “Diary of the American dream” for The Wall Street Journal in the 1980s before retiring from advertising in 1988. Two years later, the agency shortened its name to Fallon.

Steve, 32, won a Silver Pencil at the 2003 One Show for his spots advertising Jay Mohr’s former ESPN Mohr Sports show and is considered a rising star at BBDO in New York, where he works as associate creative director on FedEx Kinko’s and DirecTV.

Steve says he became intrigued with advertising at a young age when he happened upon his father’s rubber stamp that printed the word “bullshit.”

“I just stamped the word ‘bullshit’ all over myself,'” he recalls.