The issue will be more with him with you if he is the senior in the relationship. He should be making you feel part of the team but that is obviously not happening. I remember the unnerving experience of being an account exec caught in between clients and a stroppy creative team so I know that you will be the one having to work at the relationship.
This would be my 3-pronged attack:
1) Put yourself in his shoes. Are you doing something (or not doing something) which is aggravating the situation? Or is it work overload or another concern on his part? Ask one of the colleagues he does get on with, what is their way to get him on side. Understand what makes him tick and through what you can connect with him.
2) Creative people respond well to those with passion about their work and knowledge of an account. You are in a good position to help the creative head look good in front of the client by providing him uptodate info about the client’s products and what is going on in the marketplace (but do not inundate him – find out whether that would be useful). In terms of being passionate about creative work, maybe he feels you do not understand the creative process enough and have not been exposed to enough work to appreciate the creative perspective. I am currently reading Steve Harrison’s How to Do Better Creative Work and although he has a specific way of seeing things (who would expect anything less..!), he does give an good insight into the creative process. Also I think adverblog is a great way to keep up with new campaigns and the ways creativity is developing.
3) Be patient in your expectations. Things will not change overnight but if you show your worth and use chemistry to connect, things will get better. And remember you are not the first to encounter problems. How do you think cartoon stereotypes come about? See below – of course these "cardboard cutouts" don’t really exist....!
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