Bear This In Mind
I finished The Bear a few months ago, and I keep thinking about it in the most inconvenient places. Like when I’m staring at a blank screen, juggling deadlines, or arguing over a button color that no one will ever notice. It’s not a show that changes your life, but it does make you notice the chaos behind the craft and the obsession it takes to make something work.
After letting it simmer, I realized I walked away with three unexpected conclusions.
- It reminded me of Whiplash, one of my all-time favorites. (watch it, ok?)
- I kept thinking of the good and bad experiences inside a creative agency.
- I am a terrible cook. Right. Let’s dive into the second takeaway, shall we?
A kitchen is a creative agency with knives.
The chef sets the vision, the taste, the pacing, and the standards. But the chef alone cannot make the restaurant run. Without the sous chefs, the line cooks, the prep staff, runners, and dishwashers, nothing works. The show captures this again and again. The chef guides, corrects, and pushes, but the real magic happens when the team rallies together.
The sous chef translates the vision into actionable steps, keeps stations coordinated, and catches small mistakes before they become disasters. Line cooks specialize. They prep, cook, and plate, but they rely on guidance and trust that their work fits into the bigger picture. Every role matters, and each one is essential to the final experience.
Swap knives for MacBooks and Figma files, and suddenly agency life looks familiar. A principal can set the vision, but the work only comes to life because producers, account leads, designers, writers, and developers execute, troubleshoot, and push back when needed. Success depends on clarity, coordination, and trust, not a single visionary at the top.
The Bear nails this dynamic. The tension, the invisible work, and the moments when the team silently rallies to make something exceptional all feel real. While feeding people is undeniably more important than launching a homepage, the mechanics feel surprisingly similar. The stakes may differ, but the rhythm, the pressure, and the obsession with detail hit the same nerves.
Great kitchens and great agencies share this truth. People fall in love with the thinking behind the work just as much as the finished product. The chef, the sous chef, the line cook, are all vital, and none of them could do it alone. Collaboration under a shared vision is what makes the difference.
So yes, The Bear mirrors agency life in ways that sting and thrill at the same time.
The show has been living rent-free in my head for months.
Above all, it reminded me that the most meaningful work happens where people care a little too much, assume their roles, and push together through chaos. Even if there is less screaming and no one actually yells “Yes, chef” after you nail a presentation. Though honestly, it’s not the worst idea.
Michael is the Creative Director and co-founder of FoxFuel Creative. He loves British music, vintage German cars, and American history, and his sarcasm knows no bounds. #DreamBig
