It's a little difficult to pin Florence Babbitt down for an interview, but not for the reasons you'd suspect. She isn't wrangling a shoot on three continents or in pre-production for an eight-spot campaign. Rather, she's dealing with something potentially far more hazardous - jury duty.

Given her 30-year history in advertising, you'd be forgiven for thinking she might view sitting in the juror's box as a welcome respite from conference calls. But even though she's relishing the benefits of the freelancing life (namely, free time) it's hard to keep her away from a good project. "I'm enjoying it when I'm not on a job, and enjoying it and working like a maniac when I am."

"She's a consummate pro," says Modernista! director of broadcast Charles Wolford, "and one of the most likeable people you'll ever meet." Having worked with her at FCB Chicago in the '90s while Babbitt was SVP, director of broadcast, Wolford picked his former boss to shepherd Modernista!'s first work for Budweiser in late 2003 (which encompassed eight spots and three production companies), and most recently, a four-spot campaign for Cadillac ("Heart", "Crest", "Trickle" and "New Job"; the first Modernista! work to appear for the client). "She was sort of an icon for me when I was in Chicago," he recalls. "I didn't know her that well then but I really liked her and respected her, and her reputation."

Born and raised in Des Moines, Iowa and graduating from the University of Iowa with a post-grad business degree, Babbitt moved to San Francisco with her boyfriend, an advertising/journalism major, and followed him into the field. Starting in the PR department at J. Walter Thompson's San Francisco office, the creative director at the time recommended her for a "jack of all trades" position, covering talent, traffic, screenings and elements of production. "I basically did it all, and learned through trial and error."

After a brief move to Aspen, Babbitt returned to JWT in more of a production capacity, but learned the basics during a stint at San Fran agency Botsford Ketchum. In 1982, Babbitt made the move to FCB in San Francisco, where in a short span of time she moved up to being a head of production with Steve Neely. During that 11-year period, Babbitt was part of the team behind some of the most famous pitchmen of the '80s - the California Raisins. "Literally within two days of airing, it went crazy."

Moving to FCB's Chicago office in 1995, Babbitt gained valuable experience in hands-on client relations via the agency's work for Gatorade. But even though she found that process stimulating, an offer from Publicis & Hal Riney in San Francisco brought her back to the Sunshine Coast as SVP, director of broadcast. And it was there, after the day of reckoning birthed by the burst of the dot-com bubble and the events of Sept. 11, that she arrived at a crucial turning point.

"In 2001, it all fell apart," she recalls. "I literally did four or five rounds of lay-offs... people would be scared to death when I walked into their offices." With her own two-year contract not renewed, and mourning her father who'd passed in the same time frame, Babbitt took it as a sign for a significant life change. "I didn't have to be a title anymore," she says. "I went away for about eight months. And I knew I never wanted to be in an agency again."

But the work would continue. Her first independent job was a project shoot in Malaysia, Singapore, Korea and Thailand for Peter Friedman and McCann Erickson and a freelancer was born. In addition to the McCann and Modernista! projects, she's worked on campaigns for Nationwide Insurance and the Discovery Channel via Dallas' TM Advertising. She says the work over the years has been amply awarded, but "I left all my awards and honors in boxes at Publicis and Hal Riney that said "free to a good home".

"My forte has always been putting the right people together, and making sure they're allowed and able to bring as much to the party as they can."

AGENCY BRIEFS
Who's your dream director? Take two passionate Icelandic boys. Add an insane, brilliant Dane, a very tall handsome South African, and top it off with American style - an overly bright wonderful surfer dude. And then finish with the lovable Frank Todaro.
Who should play you in Advertising: The Movie? Think Meryl Streep in The Devil Wears Prada.
What's the world's most underrated invention? The word 'no'.
Which could you go longer without: your Blackberry or toothpaste? When prepping eight spots with three production companies and four editors, mouthwash works. When I'm not working, the BB doesn't exist.
In five words or less, describe the perfect conference call. Short. Sweet. And over.
The buzz word or term you are sick to death of hearing: Branded anything.
Describe your first cell phone.Remember the scene from Wall Street where Michael Douglas is walking down the beach? Pretty sure that was it.
In one word, describe your relationship with creatives. Like non-committal sex. Everyone has fun, gets what they want and when it's over, it's over. Oops, that's one word run amuck.
What time do you usually show up at the office? What time do you leave? Never. And never. I just get out of bed and I'm there.