Meet Lesly Pyle | Advertising Copywriter | Author | Mentor | Philanthropist

We had the good fortune of connecting with Lesly Pyle and we’ve shared our conversation below.

Hi Lesly, what do you attribute your success to?
My brand, if you can call it that, is “Pyle of Memories.” It was never intended to be a brand though. It began humbly as simple short stories on social media all tagged with this message for friends: “#PyleOfMemories is a series developed for #DementiaAwareness as a reminder to write the good stuff down before it’s lost forever.” I started this because my grandmother had dementia and in one of her more lucid moments she asked me to write a memory about her. That was when it dawned on me that memories can disappear in a blink so I better start writing down the things I never want to forget. And I wanted to encourage others to do the same.

People started following the series and urging me to turn it into a book. So I did. But I didn’t have any desire to make a personal profit from it. I wanted to donate all the proceeds to dementia research. And to give it even greater fundraising potential, I got 35 fellow writers to contribute personal memories of their own. The book launched in September 2023 and became an Amazon bestseller (in the humor category) in the first week. Humor? Yes, even though the subject is sad, and there are some somber moments within the pages, most of the stories are funny. I love the balance. It feels more like real life. And that’s why I believe it’s been successful. The stories strike such a chord because they are so relatable.

In 2024, “Pyle of Memories” made its first donation to Lauren and Seth Rogen’s caregiving and dementia research foundation, “Hilarity for Charity.”

Let’s talk shop? Tell us more about your career, what can you share with our community?
Well, it just happens that someone else asked “How did you get where you are today professionally?” recently. So I wrote a very short origin story that answers it head on. Here’s that #PyleOfMemories entry:

***

“Adifest Destiny” by Lesly Pyle

This is a story about a precocious child who grew up in Oklahoma and dreamed of working in television. And I don’t mean on TV shows (though I did love MacGyver’s creative problem-solving skills). My real obsessions were TV commercials — and unattainable crushes (like MacGyver’s Richard Dean Anderson!). And though I was only 9 years old, I was developing some creative problem-solving skills of my own.

Cut to 1987.

My big brother and I were latchkey kids. He was in sixth grade and I was in fourth. Our dad was out of the picture and had been for a while. Our mom supported us by putting herself through beauty school, becoming a manicurist, and working her perfectly painted fingers to the bone. While she was finding her footing, we needed help from welfare. But my mother refused to abuse the system. She bought only essentials with her ration of food stamps, so my brother and I lived a mostly sugar-free childhood. We only got to have soda after Little League games in the scorching Oklahoma summertime.

But this was winter. And I was jonesing for a fix.

My fourth-grade teacher hated me. I don’t know why. Maybe because I was a creative spirit who followed the rules just enough not to get a note sent home in my Friday folder. But I’m grateful for her, because she proposed the best school project ever: the talent show.

Most kids had figured out what theirs was by now — piano-playing, baton-twirling, ventriloquism. But what was little Lesly Pyle good at? Not singing. Not dancing. Not pulling rabbits out of hats (though I did have some tricks up my sleeve). I sucked at all that showmanship stuff, but I was good at one thing: getting my way. Which was hard to demonstrate in an elementary-school auditorium in the single minute each student had on stage. Unless I wrote a 60-second TV commercial — and acted it out in front of a live audience. And I knew the perfect product to pitch. The one I couldn’t have all winter. Unless it was for a school project.

Coca-Cola.

Classic!

And I knew the perfect cast for my commercial. The cutest boys in class. Brad and Josh were blonde, athletic, and willing to play along for the price of a can of Coke and an A on an assignment. Deal.

I don’t remember the exact script, but the basic story was that whichever boy brought the Coke to the girl first got the girl. So, ya, it was terrible. But it did achieve two things: I got a six-pack of soda and a real thing relationship — if only for 60 seconds.

Cut to 2004.

At age 26, I wrote my first commercial that aired on TV. It was also terrible.

Cut to present day.

After clawing my way through the notoriously brutal ad biz for more than two decades, I’ve written hundreds of TV scripts. Most of which died, for good reason, at the hands of creative directors or clients long before they had a chance to hit your eyeballs. But some survived that actually weren’t terrible, and you’ve probably seen them. None for Coca-Cola, though. They have AI for that now. And the negative press to prove it.

As for little Lesly Pyle, how’d she turn out?

I’m grateful I can now afford to buy my own soda. But I rarely do. My mom was right, that shit’s terrible for you.

I’m grateful I can date without bribery. Though I’m picky about who. That shit can be terrible for you too. (But if MacGyver called on a phone he fashioned from bubblegum and popsicle sticks, Lord knows I’d pick up.)

I’m grateful I can make a living doing what I always dreamed. And that shit, y’all, ain’t terrible at all.

***
All of the #PyleOfMemories social media stories follow this format (so do the ones in the book that were written by me). It’s so funny to me that people have started to recognize my voice and style. Sometime’s they even refer to them as the “cut to” stories. Being a marketing professional where our jobs are to make brands memorable, I dig that some stuff just sticks. You just never know what’s gonna be that thing that does!

Was it easy getting here?

Nope.

Do I believe I’ve been sculpted into who I am today by every moment of adversity (and lack of sugar) along the way?

100%.

Any places to eat or things to do that you can share with our readers? If they have a friend visiting town, what are some spots they could take them to?
I love food.

Here’s a few places I’ve tried and loved so far in Dallas:

The Mayor’s House in Bishop Arts.

McRae’s and Casa Linda Salvadorian in East Dallas.

Mot Hai Ba (which just earned a Michelin star) and Ngon on Greenville. Both Vietnamese.

Thai Opal in Northeast Dallas.

This might seem lame but if my visiting friend came from a sad land that didn’t have Trader Joe’s (gasp!), I’d take them there. I vow to never live in a place that doesn’t have a TJ’s. I NEED their Cinna-Dragons gummies, among the many other unique staples on my shelves. (Even though I never developed a true sweet tooth, I don’t think I can live without this spicy candy).

As for what to do? I love walking around White Rock Lake and the Arboretum.
But I hate driving around Dallas so I don’t venture too far from home and work. Seriously, Dallas Drivers, would it hurt to use a blinker?

Shoutout is all about shouting out others who you feel deserve additional recognition and exposure. Who would you like to shoutout?
First, my two grandmothers, Nonna Sarah and Grandma Jeanie, who both passed away from complications related to dementia. Without them, this never would have gotten started in the first place.

Second, everyone who encouraged me to turn the #PyleOfMemories social media series into a full-length book.

Third, all of my co-authors who donated memories of their own: (in alphabetical order by last name):
Brian Bacino, Rob Baker, Dustin Ballard, Jamie Barrett, Alexis Bingham, Michael Burbo, Kate Catalinac, Greg Christensen, Andy Coulston, Cameron Day, Suzanne Finnamore, Michael Folino, Debra Fried, Jeff Goodby, Gerry Graf, Brandon Harper, Ty Hutchinson, Thomas Kemeny, Kenny Lee, Miles Nored, Susan Otis, Allison Pyle, Eric Pyle, Mark Radcliffe, Ethan Rios, Russell Rowland, Rich Siegel, Jon Soto, Matt Stiker, Luke Sullivan, George Tannenbaum, Laura Tannenbaum, Julia Tucker, Suzy Watson, Jack Westerholt.

Fourth, Jon Soto, again. In addition to writing a chapter, he designed the cover. (There’s a funny story in the book about the day we tried to photograph the balloons that ultimately became the cover image. What an epic and hilarious fail!)

Lastly, everyone who bought a copy, shared it in their own social media channels, and wrote a kind Amazon review to help our cause.

Website: https://www.pyleofmemories.com

Image Credits
TRG Studios