Giant Spoon reposted this
This week we lost someone who holds a massive place in the story of Giant Spoon. Alan Cohen passed away after an eight-year battle with PSP (Progressive Supranuclear Palsy), a rare neurological disease. I met Alan when I was 24. The day he walked into the office changed the course of my life, as he did for so many who crossed paths with him. Alan’s vision was crystal clear, his conviction unwavering, and the power of his will unmatched. But what made him extraordinary wasn’t just his brilliance, it was the way he saw people. He could instantly spot potential and talent, and then bring you along for the ride. He would push you, expect greatness from you, empower you, and fight for you. He was demanding but intensely loyal. His trust professionally and his friendship personally were one and the same, given wholeheartedly and without conditions. Through Alan, I met some of my most trusted collaborators and lifelong friends. He connected people from advertising, retail, music, and every creative corner he explored. At work, I watched him walk into countless boardrooms, look at a 200-page presentation on the wall, and instantly reimagine it from scratch, sharpie in hand, pulling threads together into a single, powerful story. The stories he told for agencies and brands changed the course of businesses and helped redefine how we all think about advertising and brand building: ruthlessly innovative and culture obsessed. Alan was one of the founding forces behind Giant Spoon. We couldn’t have started without his name, reputation, and vision. His charisma opened doors, his ideas shaped our DNA, and his fingerprints are still all over the way we think about marketing today. It doesn’t feel right to dwell on what the disease took from him but to celebrate what he gave, an immensity of impact and a boundless joy for life. And he wanted to enjoy life in fully. He traveled, saw every concert, stayed in the best hotels, long lunches at the coolest restaurants, shopped for new products, obsessed over design and packaging, and knew every cool neighborhood in great cities from New York to Tokyo, Berlin to LA. After spending time with Alan, the world looked different, more textured, more interesting, more worth noticing. Every object became art to be studied, appreciated, and collected. He called friends constantly, and filled birthdays and holidays with boxes of gifts he had curated from around the world, each item chosen not just because he loved it, but because it made him think of you. There are people who move through the world and change everyone they touch. Alan was that person. It’s impossible to overstate the ripple effect he had on lives and careers. He made you better, and launched you into the world to do great things. I owe Alan an immense debt. He was one of a kind. Rest in peace, my friend. The world is less fun without you. The family requests that donations be made to Cure PSP (https://www.psp.org/donate) in Alan’s memory.