Scott Gelber Shares how Luckie & CO. Delivers Compelling Adversiting through Craft & Storytelling
RCB President Jeff Stone and Rotarian Tom Luckie with Scott Gelber
This week, the Rotary Club of Birmingham (RCB) welcomed Scott Gelber, CEO of Luckie & Company. He shared how the storied Birmingham-based independent, full-service advertising agency is built for brands that want to move faster, think smarter, and create work people care about. Gelber made the case that advertising is equal parts craft and storytelling, arguing that, with the average American exposed to roughly 10,000 brand messages a day, breaking through requires a simple formula: desirability, distinction, and disruption. He illustrated the point with case studies from national brands.
Gelber expressed concern for AI's growing role in production, explaining that as content creation gets cheaper and faster, a strong creative idea will matter more than ever. Luckie, he said, is investing heavily in AI tools while maintaining that great work starts with genuine insight and storytelling, not technology for its own sake.
Bio for Scott Gelber
Scott Gelber has spent 30 years in the advertising industry helping brands grow through clear thinking, collaboration and a grounded understanding of how strategy, creativity, media and technology work together to drive results.
He’s worked across categories including automotive, finance, healthcare, luxury, CPG, dining and entertainment. Throughout his career, Scott has helped teams and clients adapt to change — building new capabilities, using technology and data more intelligently, and finding more meaningful ways to connect with audiences. Over his career he has worked on such prestigious clients such as Mercedes-Benz, Novartis, Pfizer, White Castle, BIC, AstraZeneca, Florida’s Natural, Citi, Blue Cross & Blue Shield of Alabama, Rivian, Arby’s, Alabama Tourism and Myrtle Beach Tourism…to name just a few.
He believes strong leadership is about more than setting direction — it’s about creating an environment where people can do their best work. Known for being approachable, thoughtful and steady under pressure, Scott focuses on bringing out the best in teams and simplifying complex challenges.
He joined Luckie & Co. late last year to challenge the status quo, accelerate growth and push the independent agency model, bringing a no-silo approach to solving clients’ business problems. In just a few months, Luckie has landed new business in a range of categories, reaffirming the agency as one of the preeminent in the Southeast region.
Outside of work, he and his wife are proud cheer and dance parents, spending weekends supporting their two daughters’ competitions while embracing all the energy, excitement and chaos that comes with it.