Volvo V70

A little story about my Volvo and in the end it will give you something to relate during this award show time of year. Promise.

I loved my Volvo wagon. I'm a mom, what's not to love?

One day it dies in the middle of an intersection. Someone has to push me to the side of the road. A week later it dies again. This time I have my 2 kids in the car, it is 95 degrees out and the tow truck driver arrives 45 minutes later. He doesn't have room in his cab for all 3 of us so he leaves. Yep.

I get a new transmission. Two weeks later the car dies again. This time on the side of Laguna Canyon Road. For those of you not familiar, Laguna Canyon Road is a beautiful stretch of highway that leads from Irvine to the beach. It has no emergency lane.

A couple of days later I am headed to Ontario to judge the District 15 ADDYs. A lovely Saturday drive about 50 minutes away from my house. As I am pulling into the parking lot, you can guess what happens. My car dies AGAIN.

Four times in two months. I just about lost it. No wait, I did lose it. Total frustration, tears. And now I have to go in and judge a slew of pieces in an award show.

Some advice: Never judge an award show in a foul mood. About halfway through I had to excuse myself from the judging. I couldn't focus, I had no idea what to do about the car and I needed a beer really bad.

My point to you. You never know who is judging your work and what happened to them that day or the night before. Now I'm not at all saying that judges aren't worthy and don't take the process seriously. They certainly do. I am saying don't get too stressed over not winning every award show you enter. There are a lot of Volvos out there on the road.

A few answers

Answers to a few questions I was sent recently. . .

When is the best time of the year to apply for jobs as a copywriter?

At first, I didn't really think there was a season for copywriter jobs, but when I thought again about your question I changed my mind. I can tell you the season when agencies and recruiters are flooded with other candidates - graduation time. This may not translate to a hiring season, but it certainly would be the time when you are competing against a larger than average pool of candidates.

I wrote a post a while back about two seniors about 2 months from graduation and they were already making their rounds across the country on informational interviews. They wanted to beat the graduation rush and that was pretty smart.

Do you have any advice for a copywriter trying to get a job without a partner?

Have a great book. That's it. The best books get the job, partner or not.

Does your level of creativity determine salary and/or title?

Not title. Right out of school you are a junior until you prove yourself otherwise. (I am assuming you mean juniors here). Now salary, perhaps a bit. If I think a person is super, super good and that they may be considering other opportunities, then of course I want to entice them with a higher salary. We just interviewed Jeremy Carson, an CSULB senior three days before his graduation. His book was fantastic. Right now he has more than one employer courting him and I can bet you the highest salary has the strongest chance of landing him.

Do all ‘juniors’ have to start as juniors?

Uh. Yea. But that you put 'juniors' in quotes I am guessing you mean someone who maybe is older than the average student or had another career before getting in to advertising, then are they really a junior when they start? I met a guy at Brandcenter recently who went to portfolio school, became a copywriter then went back to school to get his masters as a Creative Technologist. He asked me the same question. He isn't a junior due to his previous years in the business, but he is a junior in terms of just graduating with a different degree.

I would image each recruiter has the discretion to make the hire at whatever level seems appropriate. I'd hire that CT from Brandcenter as a mid-level person, his experience as an agency copywriter would be a big plus.

How long should I wait for a response before realizing that they are just not into my book?

Well, always remember that no response does not necessarily mean they aren't liking your book. It usually means the person is way too busy with way too many books to look at to either check yours out or to get back to you once they do. Wait a decent amount of time after sending it before following up. Then wait a decent amount of time after that before sending one last communication (email/vm) that says something like, "I recently sent you my portfolio, which I am hoping you've had a chance to review. I am very interested in working at ________________, yet above all I'd love to hear your feedback on my work. May I get a few pointers from your perspective that would make my book better?

No person in their right mind could ignore that. A genuine request for feedback. Then, in getting their feedback, you'll also get a clearer answer if they like your book. Or not.

Should we try to get the Creative Recruiters direct email, or just send via the 'general way', like whatever their website provides us with?

Try to get the creative manager's direct email. My HR forwards me anything remotely creative, but you don't want to take the chance that other HR people don't or that your email gets lost in the shuffle.

Glamour Don't

Let me stress this point, and if I've written about this topic before you'll now know why I feel this is so important.

Do not. Do not. Do not set up a portfolio website where each individual piece of work has to be opened separately (translate: slooooooowly).
This is killing me.

I've stepped up the amount of portfolios I have been looking at this past couple of weeks, so I am seeing all sorts of varieties of portfolio websites and how people feature their work. If anyone one wants to make a fortune, they should interview 10 creative recruiters, ask them what the best portfolio format is, then sell that as a template to the entire creative community.

Back to the don't. Some people (who shall remain nameless) show pdfs of every piece of work they have done in thumbnails. Then you click on the thumbnail and the work pops up and enlarges. Just the one. You then have to click that pop up closed and click on the next pdf. And so on, and so on.

Some of you are smart enough to have a similar set up but when you click open one, there is a magic NEXT button and you can click through the entire set of work. Thank you for that.

It is exhausting to click each file. On top of that, there are some where the pdf doesn't just pop up it kind of pops up a gray box that magically resizes it self before your eyes, then the work shows. Multiply this by 10, 15, 20 pieces of work and you'll get my drift.

Make showing your work easy for the recruiter. There are 100's more books they have to look through and don't make frustration be the reason yours gets tossed.

Translation

A junior contact of mine, Ryann Flynn, contacted me the other day to help her decipher what creative directors really mean when they pass on hiring you. She had a couple of great interviews (or so she felt) and was ultimately told she wasn't hired.

1st place: told her she was "very talented with a bright future" but that her not getting the job was a matter of "agency culture"

2nd place: told her and her partner they "loved" their books and liked them both very much yet they have "decided to go in a different direction"

It got me thinking about how hard it is for a recruiter or creative director to tell someone you're passing on them. What's my take on what these statements mean?

Here a few translations that may help:

Deciding to go in a different direction = we hired the other team
It's a matter of agency culture = not sure your personality will fit in
Your experience isn't what we are seeking = it is, but we're passing on you
We have no jobs open right now = we do, but we're passing on you
There is a hiring freeze = there is a hiring freeze

I assured Ryann that no creative director would tell you they loved your book if they didn't in fact love your book. And if you are told you are talented with a bright future, you can be assured you are and you will. No one hands out statements like that without meaning them.

Have Faith

Graduation is upon us. Those of you in your last year of school are studying for tests, finalizing your books and, thank god, attending your very last classes.

It's been so long since I've graduated college that I forget what it felt like in those last few days. I can't remember if I was nervous though I'm certain I was relieved. I was so far from having a clue about what I wanted to do that the idea of being fearful didn't enter my brain. I started that summer like any other summer, set on doing a lot of nothing and getting very tan while doing it.

Yesterday I spoke with a young woman from Savannah College of Art & Design. She is nearing graduation and she's a bit scared of what comes next. Her name is Amy Troche-Walsh and I'm sure she is feeling a lot like a whole bunch of you who are closing in on your graduation date.

Amy has nothing to be worried about. She has a very strong book (she's an art director doubling as a competent copywriter). But, I imagine whether you feel you are good gets overridden by whether you feel you are good enough.

The nervousness of going out into the great beyond is natural. Will agencies like your book? Will you get interviews? Will you get a job? Will you get a decent salary? All those questions are natural. Just have faith. Have faith that your book is solid (that's what all those years of school got you). Have faith people will like your work (see my recent post about something for everyone). Have faith that a job will come through at a salary you can live with.

You are just beginning. Beginnings are always good and always a bit scary. Good people with good books will always find their way. I have faith in that.

Putting the Art in Art Direction

Last week I attend a senior portfolio show at Minneapolis College of Art & Design. I love this school for many reasons: it's located in a wonderful cultural city that fosters the arts in so many ways; it's the perfect size for a college campus, not too big, not too small; and its advertising program prioritizes artistic fundamentals.

These are the exact artistic fundamentals that I loved in Megan Baxter's portfolio. She was the first graduate I met and I ended up chatting with her so long that I didn't have enough time to see all the students (bummer). She did a series of posters that are a true example of putting the art in art direction.

She described how she created them and I was in awe. Mostly because I wondered if any of my senior art directors (mine or anyone else's for that matter) were tearing up pieces of paper or cutting out letter shapes with an exacto all in the name of a good layout. Kinda doubt it.

Portfolios from schools like MCAD or SCAD or SVA have a different feel than others. I truly believe it's because they stress the arts first and "advertising" second. Students spend a full year in their fundamentals classes learning letterpress, silk screening, book binding, drawing, painting and so on.

These are the skills that come through in their advertising work. Like Megan's posters. She could have done these on the computer. She could have done the backgrounds in photoshop and the type in illustrator. Most people do. But she used her hands and tools other than a computer. The result: purely artistic.

Brandcenter Portfolio Review

I spent last week at VCU Brandcenter's Senior Show. Me and about 100 other creative managers and recruiters from across the nation. Good times all around.

Brandcenter is just plain cool. Another place that made me want to quit my job and sign up for school. And, any chance I have to meet and chat with students makes my day. There was such great work and so many students to get to know, both which made for a very worthwhile trip.

Now when the recruiters left the session each day, most of us wound up at the hotel bar to catch up and share thoughts on all we'd seen.

Did you see Hope Jordan's Richmond Ballet work? Happen to chat with Don Sticksel, the copywriter turned Creative Technologist? (we recruiters discussed CT's at length this trip). What did you think of that nice copy in Colin Quinn's Victoria's Secret campaign? At the end of the day, we were like chatty school girls (+/- a drink or two).

You'd think with 100 recruiters and 97 students there'd be a feeding frenzy and hiring battle amongst us. There surprisingly wasn't and I loved being able to compare notes on the students with recruiters from the top agencies in the U.S. Remember there is usually only one of us at each agency, so we tend not to commensurate very often.

What came out of these late-night discussions was reassuring to me and, I'd imagine, to all the juniors out there. At the end of the day, some of us liked the same work; some of us disliked the same work; a few loved a particular student and others did not; those I connected with, some found they didn't; and so on.

Everyone's tastes are different. I can like a student or one of their campaigns, while the recruiter next to me can hate it. I can not get a concept, while another recruiter thinks it is fabulous. And it's OK. That's what makes recruiting (and showing your book) so great. There is something/someone for everyone. All of our respective agencies have different needs. In turn, the recruiters are all looking for something slightly different in their hires.

Juniors, take note. A recruiter who is looking for someone with just your style or tone or ideas will find you. As well, another may pass you up. It all works out in the end. And, for graduates of VCU Brandcenter I guarantee, it'll end well.

Pie

There comes a time in every creative's (read: employee's) life when it becomes apparent it's time to move on from their current agency.

Now this can happen for a variety of reasons, reasons that don't really matter for me to make a point. All you need to know is that it happens and it will happen to you too. Know too this is not a bad thing.

Whenever someone gives me their notice I tell them, on behalf of the agency, I am bummed. Unexpected replacement of staff is a more-than-slight pain. I also tell them, on behalf of me, that I am so excited for them. Taking the next step career step is such a good thing and I love when people make it happen. I call it putting another slice in the pie.

Every job you have is a slice of pie. Over the course of your career, you can have 4 big slices or 8 smaller ones. Just always remember that it's not the entire pie in each career decision or move you make. This takes some of the pressure off when you agonize if you've made the right decision to go somewhere else. It's just a slice moving further down the path of making you whole.

You will always be learning and growing with each place you go. Even if the place turns out to be not all that stellar. You learn from it and move on. In the end, you are building your career.

Go forth and make pie my friends.

Happiness

Sometimes portfolios make me happy for reasons other than the good work inside. Now, don't get me wrong, I love love love when the work inside is great. But sometimes a book will affect me for other reasons right when I land on the site, before I see even one lick of creative which is cause for genuine happiness.

Like a really, really cool format.

Like a fun, sparky style.

And, like this recent one, a thoughtful insight into others' creative work.

Michael Wilson's portfolio made me instantly stop and call him up. Not send him an email. We're talking serious dialing of a phone. I really, really liked how he presented his work and wanted him to hear firsthand how it impacted me.

What he does that is not only unselfish but generally interesting, is show a collection of other people's creative work (before you even click through to anything he's done). And, he gives a short paragraph on why he finds each piece interesting. That enables recruiters like me to get a glimpse into how Michael seeks out creative inspiration, how he describes what he likes and how he is pretty daring to put his personal preferences out for everyone to see and judge. A trait that will serve him well in this industry.

I clicked through 4 or 5 links on that page before I ventured on. And by then, I felt like I already had a nice experience on the site. I learned a few things and saw some really neat stuff I hadn't see out there. Before anything else.

Now, to top it off, Michael had some very nice work to back all this up. I am proud to say he's been hired to be our summer intern this year. So I am even happier than I was before.

Coming around and going around

In our industry it is a well-known rule, every person you cross paths with once, you'll cross paths with again. The sooner you learn this, believe this and act on this, the better.

First learn this. Learn that every person comes into your career for a reason. That co-worker you kinda can't stand. That creative director who is uber-ridiculously-detail-obsessed. That sweet receptionist who offered you a glass of water while you were waiting.

It's no accident that particular person crossed your path at that exact moment in time. Now your job is to treat them with respect (even if it is merely respecting their ability to be a jerk) and respond always with professionalism and kindness. Your are building bridges early on in your career, it's much too early to tear any down.

Next believe this. Believe that any encounter with someone teaches you something. That ucky co-worker teaches you how to interact with difficult people. That polite receptionist teaches you that courtesy is title neutral.

Believe that you are going to spend your entire career meeting and mixing people who'll range from sweet as pie to big fat ugh. They teach you how to be a better person, a better creative, a better manager, a better whatever. You don't learn all this work stuff on your own. You learn it by having experiences (the harder, the better) with others. Those experiences are what help you grow in your career.

Lastly, act on this. Act like the person you've crossed paths with will be back in your life 10 years later. Because, in this industry, that's a given. Act like you would if, in 10 years, this person will be your boss. Or your HR director. Or your partner. I guarantee if you use this mentality, you'll always come out ahead.

Everyone remembers kindness and respect. Just don't ever, ever, ever forget that people remember disrespect and bad encounters even longer.

Hello Katie

When you are sending out emails to a bunch of creative managers/recruiters/creative directors at the same time in the hopes of getting an internship/job/freelance, please review your note for accuracy. You are most likely copy and pasting your note into a bunch of different emails. This is just a friendly reminder to double check that you've changed the name of the person you are sending it to.

Today I got: Hello Katie.

The other day I got: Dear Lisa Cecilia Gorman

I know it saves a ton of time, heck I do it too. Not a huge violent offense, although it serves to remind me that I might not be the one and only special agency where you want to work; I am just one of many special agencies you'd like to work. Including the ones where Katie and Lisa work.

Once I got an offer letter from an agency -- not my current one ;)-- that was addressed to me, then about half way through the letter it said, "and Erin we are so happy to bring you on board." Erin? I was kinda bummed. Again, slight offense. But, just try and do due diligence.

The Next Generation

Yesterday I was honored to speak at the 4A's Transformation 2010 event. All of the presenters focused on areas that are undergoing or should undergo transformation to grow and strengthen the advertising industry. I, of course, wanted to represent juniors in the industry.

My topic: It's the next generation who will transform advertising.

I told the crowd, "There is no doubt that innovations in media, technology and every other topic in this conference will transform advertising. No doubt. But, those changes cannot happen without the properly trained minds to put them to use.

The next generation is critical to our industry. I’m here today to stress the importance of embracing young talent. And to plead with each one of you to play a role in fostering the next generation. For longevity of the enterprise.

Let's transform history by investing in our future."

And based on the feedback I got after speaking, there are a lot of people in this industry that care about junior talent as passionately as I do. It's my hope the momentum continues and the industry does better to embrace and nurture the next generation.

What does creative look like?

A question I have been asking lately is "How'd you know you were creative?" In essence, what does being creative look like? I ask this because when I was young, I never knew that anything I was doing would be considered creative, much less be anything I could base a career off of.

I suspect there are a ton of young people who, just like I did, do all sorts of things in a creative fashion without ever realizing the potential of that creativity. For me, it was an insane interest in visual images from magazines. I'd spend hours and hours cutting out faces and cool type and interesting shots, then an equal amount of hours arranging and re-arranging them onto a wall-size cork board.

Here's what people are saying:

I doodled everywhere, on every paper when I was in grade school.

I've hand made cards ever since I was young.

I was always drawing cartoons and making comics.

People were always coming to me to write something for them, usually something funny.

I loved drama and performing.

I was drawing and painting all the time.

We might be called creative at a young age if we had a paintbrush in hand. Or if we were drawing cartoons. People tend to use the word creative to something tangible and "art-like."

It's when we do the not-so-obvious creative things like doodling or making crafts or ripping up magazines that we may not be called out as creative.

Yet it is and we are.

Pay attention to the subtle signs of creativity from when you were young. My guess is they're steering you toward a career where these skills can flourish.

Great Online Primer

Check out this very cool website from Aquent. At first you don't really know what it is. The design is black and white, kind of template-y. But once you start clicking, you see that is a primer about the online space. Definitions of interactive components and a (very cool) list of what jobs you'd need to create it.

It's the best primer I have ever seen to explain what people getting into the industry might really want to know about career possibilities. (Not to mention how super smart a staffing agency was to create something like this).

Here's a sample of the information Aquent provides.
Interactive Design:
Interactive Design is the process by which an idea is nurtured and cultivated to become a truly awesome online experience. Any experience, from a Web app to a full site, depends on it. The key to this winning formula is equal parts beauty, functionality and practicality, built on a solid layer of code to make it accessible and engaging.

You’ll need:

Interactive Designer
Interactive Designers are masters of the balance between form and function. They can design user interfaces that engage (and retain) visitors. They know what the latest tech can do, and they utilize every last drop of designer-y goodness to deliver an experience that is both easy to use and totally gorgeous.

Front End Developer
Front End Developers are the folks behind the curtain, utilizing the latest Web development standards and solid hands-on technical skills to create sites that function properly across a wide variety of browsers and platforms. They connect with Quality Control to ensure flawless execution. They make it work.

Interactive Copywriter
Interactive Copywriters are a rare breed of Copywriter. In addition to being funny, modest and gorgeous, they understand the intricacies of writing for the online world. They know how to write something as simple as a killer tagline, or as complex as an entire blogs worth of content. Quite useful, indeed.

Project Manager
Project Managers are the baking powder for your Interactive cake: you need one if it's going to rise. They coordinate the details of design and development, working directly with clients and resources to ensure on-time delivery. They also handle budget and staff management, taking even more off your plate.

User Experience
Developing fantastic user experience (UX) requires: user research, interaction design, information architecture, visual design, and usability testing. UX covers all of these, so your website or application is engaging and intuitive (oh and best of all increases sales, better conversion, and more).

Brilliant.

Lemonade

I've never been laid off which, in advertising, is rare. Watching Lemonade, a short documentary about being laid off from a job in advertising, made me feel two conflicting emotions: depression and inspiration.

Depression first. I am the person doing those layoffs. Big fat ugh. I'm the one saying, "Can you come into my office for a minute?" knowing full well I am about to let the person go. Seeing how that feels from the other side hits a chord and not a fun one.

Then inspiration. Suddenly I want to be laid off. All this talk about finding your true self and living to your fullest is heartwarming. We all have a grander purpose in life beyond our jobs in advertising. I loved seeing people go after it. Very jealous.

Have a watch.

Just plain cool

Small Tip

When a creative mails in a portfolio to our agency, it gets routed to me. Even when it is addressed to someone else, it will make it's way to my desk. A creative manager is the person who filters the candidates before anyone else sees them. So anything even remotely creative-related comes my way.

The other day a candidate mailed me a portfolio packet. A day later another copy of that same packet was left on my desk by the HR Director who was so kindly forwarding me the creative's work. Couple days later another copy of that same packet was left on my desk by a creative director who was so kindly forwarding me the creative's work. Kid you not, a day after that, another copy was left on my desk by another creative director who was so kindly forwarding me the creative's work.

Ugh. You do not need to mail the same agency 4 or 5 times over. I know you are trying to hit as many targets to up your chances of being noticed, but I'm not so certain this is a good strategy. Also, the amount of paper and postage it is taking to mail so many pieces must be time and cost consuming (and don't even get me started on the paper waste).

Couple tidbits:
The ECD is not opening mail unless it is really important. His assistant is weeding through it and sorting out the things that are essential for his eyes and turning the candidate-related stuff over to the creative manager.
The HR Director is sorting through their mail and turning the creative candidate-related stuff over to the creative manager.
The Creative Directors are most likely opening their own mail. At bigger agencies, they may have assistants doing it. Sending one to them might prove helpful. But ultimately they'll turn the candidate-related stuff to the creative manager to follow up on.

Be selective and targeted with to whom you send your information. Your follow up with the correct person (the creative manager) is what's really important.

Zac Ryder

I am most proud when the juniors I hire move on to bigger and better things with regard to their careers. The end product of my work efforts is a person, not a portfolio.

Zac Ryder was a junior copywriter trying to get his foot in the door when I met him back in 2004. His relentless pursuit of a job was endearing (which in some cases borders annoying, but not so with Zac). He called, he emailed, he said he'd sweep the mail room, he offered to work for free and, eventually, I hired him as a junior writer.

It's one of the best hiring decisions I've ever made. Zac spent three years here at Y&R and contributed beyond his years and experience from day one. Seriously, he was concepting on new business pitches and presenting to our executive team right out of the gate. His passion was infectious and he had the talent and drive to back it up.

When a creative gives their notice, I'm happy and sad at the same time. Happy that the person is taking what they've learned at our agency and building the next part of their career from it. Sad for obvious reasons. I am very proud when a creative takes the next step with a portfolio filled with a few years of great work from the opportunity they had at our agency. Zac Ryder continues the trajectory of his career and makes me very proud indeed.

Up the Ante

I care about the up and comers. Not in a motherly type of way. I care in an honestly concerned, somewhat obsessive kind of way. Every one of us should be that concerned. The next generation of talent is who will transform advertising. It’s imperative we do everything possible to teach them, push them and guide them along the way (we may think we’re doing that already but I assure you, we aren’t).

This quote hangs in my office, “The core responsibility of management is the next generation.” We must be overly and obsessively concerned with those entering our beloved business. Otherwise any transformation this industry sees will be slow going and far less revolutionary.

As a creative recruiter, I’m drawn to entry-level talent. They have a freshness about them that’s contagious. I spend a lot of time meeting with students, speaking at schools, basically finding any way I can to help shepherd their careers. If I can affect one student‘s passion for advertising and help cultivate their talent along the way, my job is done. Being exposed to so many students, recent graduates and entry-level talent is starting raise my eyebrow in more than a few ways.

First, anyone can get an advertising degree with relative ease. Diploma in hand proves nothing about your talent. Diploma + portfolio certainly helps a creative’s cause, but what about the thousands of others who aren’t entering through a creative portal?

Now, imagine this.

Imagine if they had to pass an exam. Lawyers have to. Doctors have to. Lawyers and doctors have to prove they are worthy of the profession they are about to enter. They prove it by knowing what’s most critical about their industry. Those tests establish a minimum entry into the field. Advertising, not so much.

Heck, there are even the most basic careers you can get certified in: massage therapy, career coaching, personal training, nurse assisting. Quite the opposite: you can be in advertising and not know a click about the industry (well, I guess you could watch Art & Copy and call it a day); or not know what your production/broadcast/media departments do (trust me, the majority don’t); or not understand how agency work impacts clients’ business (frightful, yet wholly possible).

Let’s change that.

In order to transform advertising, we must change that. Let’s mandate every senior pass the “Ad Exam”. We come up with select questions about the industry: history, media and technology advances, the science and art of advertising, the finances and operations of an agency, the best and worst work, and so on. Fail? Well, study up and try again in 3 months. Students currently have no skin in the game (unless you count an upwards of 6 figure tuition bill). The Ad Exam solves for that.

Second, part of what is holding us back is a general lack of understanding, at a junior level, of how an agency operates. How can we transform advertising when a chunk of those working in it haven’t a clue how the gears work? We are so eager to make those new hires and get jobs filled, we don’t take even a minute to train them in the most basic things.

Imagine if they had to complete a residency. Again, like doctors who, after 12-16 years of school must work another 4 years completing on-the-job training. They aren’t real doctors until their residency is done. Even hairdressers have to do their fair share of shadowing, stuck in the shampoo sink for a few months before they can actually cut someone’s hair.

What if new hires spent weeks working in other departments before they were even allowed to start the job for which they were hired? Pessimists will say there’s no money for training, no time to commit, no resources to wrangle it. I say we’re raising a generation of talent that knows little about what they are doing (or worse, why they are doing it).

Let’s change that.

Let’s mandate every entry-level new hire must complete an agency residency. They aren’t promotable until they do. I know a traffic person who became an account supervisor within 3 years of starting in this business. How is this possible? A year in traffic is an excellent primer on how an agency works I agree, but getting to be an account supervisor takes years and years of experience. Someone may be good at what they do, but promoting them before they’ve had enough real-time experience is a disservice. Through residencies, we at least assure that entry-level talent has the basic tenets to use as a foundation for their career.

There is no doubt that innovations in media and technology will further transform advertising. Just look at the past 5 years and you’d agree. But, those changes cannot happen without the properly trained minds to put them to use. By upping the ante to get into the advertising game, we’d transform a whole lot more than the level of talent and creativity. We’d transform history by investing in our future.

Holiday Advice

21 pieces of very worthwhile advice. Give yourself a gift this year: read it and heed it.

My favorite: Be bold and courageous with your work. When you look back on your professional life, you will regret the the things you didn't do more than the one you did.

Happy Holidays.

Transforming Advertising

I received this email from the 4A's a few weeks ago. You'd better believe I have a few transforming ideas about advertising. Each and every one of them involves juniors. Look out for my response next week.

Dear Cecilia,

Like you, I’m tired of hearing from the same industry thought leaders talking about the same so-called thought-leading things at industry conferences. What I really want is to hear from you: If you had just five minutes in front of the entire advertising community, what would you say about transforming advertising as we know it?

I’ve started a new program called 4A’s Transformers, and we’ve just opened up our call for entries for anyone—inside or outside advertising—to share his or her transformational idea about advertising. For winning Transformers, we’ll give you five minutes on the conference mainstage at Transformation 2010, our annual meeting, which will be held February 28 through March 3, 2010, at the Hilton San Francisco Union Square.

What’s the catch? There is no catch. I’ll pick up the tab for your travel and hotel stay at the conference (roundtrip coach airfare and one-night at the Hilton). All you need to do is dazzle me (and the 4A’s Board of Directors) with your brilliant idea for transforming advertising.

You’ve been blogging or twittering about what you’d do if you were in charge for years. Now’s your chance! What are you waiting for?
Nancy Hill

Please

When you send an email to a creative recruiter, please make sure to say if you are a writer or an art director somewhere in your note. So easy, but I am telling you frequently not done.

I save pretty much every email from a potential candidate. That way, when I do need to fill a particular position I can just scroll through the collection of names and books and links I have and quickly (key word: quickly) see who might be a fit. All too often, I come across a note from someone from a year prior who I don't remember and there is nothing in their note that indicates writer or art director.

Sometimes I don't have the time to click through the link and locate your resume and figure it out. Make your position part of your email signature, it's so easy and oh so helpful.

Cecilia Gorman

Creative Recruiter

Thought and Meaning

A couple of nights ago I attended a Graphic Design portfolio review at Cal State University, Fullerton. Overall, I was pleasantly surprised by the work. There were a few gems amongst them and I am very happy that a local college is producing some worthy design graduates.

A recurring conversation I had that night involved the story and meaning behind what the students had designed. While reviewing a set of logos, I asked one student, "What do those circles mean?" She was silent for 10 long seconds. She didn't know. Or at least didn't know enough to be able to communicate it to me. To end the awkward silence, I suggested what I thought it meant, yet what I think it means and what the designer intended it to mean are two totally different things so that wasn't much help.

We ended up having a long discussion about what the company stood for, its values and reason for existence and how those very important facts tie into the makings of a logo. That holds true for any piece you set out to design. Another student had a random heart beat line going across the spine of a book jacket. Again, I asked "What does that mean?" Silence.

A huge part of finding out about a candidate is learning how they think. I can see your work. I really can't see how you think or got to what you ultimately put on paper. This discovery is fascinating and it is what sets you apart from every other designer. Know why you designed something. Know why you put a circle or a color or a texture into your work. Meaning cannot be extracted from design.

Range

I met a junior art director yesterday who had a portfolio with a very nice range of work. This is key when putting together your book. Essentially, if your book consists of photo + headline for most all your pieces you should rework it. Artistic range goes beyond that and shows you can create layouts with a varied amount of looks.

Sean Leonard is his name and he attended University of North Texas. When I complimented his range, he told me that at UNT students are not allowed to use stock photography in any of their work. Wow. Imagine that constraint. That's fantastic!

When you can't use stock photos you are forced to rethink how you will convey your idea visually. What Sean learned is essential. He learned to explore texture, line art, typography, hand writtten graphics, water color, as well as taking his own photos, all in the name of making him a better art director. Anyone can pick a photo and overlay a headline. Heck, I can do that.

Any junior art director needs to show they can think beyond a conventional photo and can execute a variety of graphical treatments on the computer. I appreciate that instructors at UNT teach this way, it really shows in their graduates work.

Another great read

Anthony Kalamut, the Program Chair of Creative Advertising at Seneca College School of Communication Arts passed this link on to me. It falls into the "must read" category for juniors.

"How to get a job in advertising (a good job)" is posted by Scott Goodson, the founder and CEO of Strawberry Frog. It is a discussion between Kalamut and Goodson providing insight into preparing youth for a career in advertising. It struck me because my last post touched on a similar topic. Personality, passion and pursuit being of the essential traits for a young creative looking to break into the business.

Kalamut covers five major pillars in this conversation:
1. Passion
2. Opportunity
3. Honesty
4. Youth
5. Optimism

Good stuff, have a read, take something away.

Show it

A simple reminder about interviews.

Exude interest: in the company, in their work, in actually wanting the job.

Exude personality. You'd think this would be a given. But, interviews are nerve wracking and sometimes you forget to just relax and be you. Remember your personality is what defines you from the next candidate. If an agency has asked you to come in, they already like your work and now it's just about you as a person.

Exude interest. Wait, I already said that.

Exude passion: for learning, for the industry, for creating great work.

We recently interviewed a young woman who, at first glance, seemed quiet and reserved. Once she began showing her work, she lit up. She was descriptive about each piece in her book and clearly proud to talk about her ideas. Not only that, but she expressed whole-heartedly her genuine interest working at our agency. And with every subsequent contact I've had with her, she reiterates how much she'd like the position. Add that to her very strong talent and she got herself an offer.

Personality, passion and pursuit. It all adds up.

Back it up

If you are a junior copywriter making the rounds with your portfolio, you'll be asked at some point for long copy samples. Most of you have a book full of work written with a headline and a couple of sentences of body copy. You need to be able to back that up with a few longer pieces that show you can actually write. A paragraph, a story, anything longer than 3 sentences.

This is akin to an art director showing they can design to back up their ability to concept. I don't want to see a book chock full of work that is essentially a photo with a headline. I want to see layouts that show a range of skills. This art director book does just that. I see the evidence that she can design, which backs up her ability to art direct. I need to see similar evidence for a copywriter.

I received a copywriter book a short time ago. The writer had interned at some amazing places: Crispin, Fallon, Energy BBDO. Impressive and obviously his concepts warranted these places being interested in him. Cut to his long copy section.

Let me explain. First, I was a couple classes shy of being an English major. Second, I love to write. Both make me hypersensitive to the correct use of the English language. The proper cadence, sentence structure, grammar and usage are mandatory in my book, lest we not forget spelling. Well, not so much in this one.

Please, please, please elevate your ability to craft a sentence, know the difference between possessive and plural, and master grammar. I'll forgive the occasional typo (although some recruiters don't), but I'm stringent on the others.

The Next Generation

I have a quote scribbled on a Post-It in my office. It reads, "The core responsibility of management is the next generation. For longevity of the enterprise." Big words that essentially mean mentor the young ones, they're the future of our industry.

I usually do this by telling stories about all the mistakes I've made over my career so students stand a chance of not making the same mistake themselves. Seriously, there are people out there that DO NOT want you to send that nasty email to your boss when you are pissed about something. Or drink beyond comprehension at the office Christmas party. Nope, we don't want you to do that. Again, cuz we have. And it kinda sucked (for both physical and political reasons).

Check out this list from Ernie Perich, president and creative director of Perich Advertising + Design in Ann Arbor, MI. It makes those who've been in advertising more than a decade nod slowly and sigh out, "ohhhhh yea, I wish I'd have done that too."

My personal favorites:
4. Travel every chance I got
15. Lose more graciously
21. Confront tough issues way sooner
37. Realize there’s always time to do something about the things I regret not doing

Glamour Don't

This is an entry into the series I call "Glamour Don'ts." Meaning what not to do with your creative portfolio.

It weighs 8 pounds. Eight. Pounds. Maybe that doesn't seem like much when you're talking say, a newborn baby. But in portfolioland, I'm used to measuring in ounces.

If you have a portfolio this heavy, please make every attempt to show the work in person. Carting around your actual print samples (must be a few coffee table books inside this one) is not fun for me. Better yet, take a photo or two and showcase your work that way.

Either way

Before I write this, know that I wholeheartedly can go either way on this. Sometimes I yell out, "No, never." Other times, it's "Ok, cool."

Jr. Art Directors who can write. I know you've seen it. A portfolio filled with art direction, design and. . . copywriting samples. Folks, I just don't know what to do with that. Sometimes I just want to stick to the point and see how you can art direct. Help me out here. I'd love to know how other creative recruiters feel on this one.

Recently a jr. art director was in showing me their book. Amidst were radio and tv scripts. (ignore the fact that I am retarded and pretty much hate reading scripts from jrs). That day, I was only in the mood to accomplish what I set out to do: find a good jr. art director. I didn't want it muddled up with a half-writer. Do I judge their copywriting abilities with equal measure? Do I not consider them if their writing sucks?

I guess that's why I prefer online portfolios labeled by section. That way, if I am focused on just art direction that day I can choose not to look. Or, when I am curious and have the time I can see what other talents this person might bring to the table. There may come a time when I need them to bang out a headline or two and I full well know that writing ability would come in handy.

On your shelf

I came across this book recently, albeit it's been out a few years. It's called "The Art of Looking Sideways," by Alan Fletcher. You should own it. It's one of those books that you'll read once and be completely inspired. Then you'll put it on your bookshelf and forget about it for a little while. Sometime later you'll pick it up and thumb through it again. And put it away. And pick it up again. And put it away again. Pick it up. Put it away. Over and over, for the rest of your career.

In the Meantime

While you are pounding the pavement searching for your dream job, spend some time getting your name out in a different way. Enter CMYK's contest for young aspiring creatives. They are currently soliciting work from recent grads to be featured (possibly on the cover) in an upcoming CMYK.

Don't underestimate this exposure even if it won't help pay your bills. Adding "Featured in CMYK" to a piece or two in your book would be a great thing to add to your resume.

And hurry, the deadline is October 18th.

Coolio

As you can imagine, I get a big boatload of portfolios sent to me. If they arrive via email, they may have to sit and wait patiently until I find the time to check them out. Then sometimes, when it turns out to be a cool one, I get bummed I didn't look at it sooner.

Like this one. These are the kind of portfolio websites that make it fun to check out work. Cuz it's not always the funnest thing to do everyday. Usually it is, just not always.

Instant Ad Legend, as the portfolio site is called, is the collective work of Sara Kujundzic and Ruchir Sachdev recent graduates of Miami Ad School, Hamburg. It's such a nice change from what I tend to see in portfolio sites. On the home page, you pick which ad legend you'd like to be: Bill Bernbach, David Ogilvy, Leo Burnett or the ever famous, Bruce Lee and are taken to what appears to be their office. Each are decorated with subtle tribute to the legend (Bill's "I put the B in DDB" poster). Overall, just plain coolio.

Beyond the fact that they have a nice collection of work, my favorite part is the thumbs up, thumbs down and WTF! buttons you can click on for each piece.

Don't feel obligated to go to this extent when creating your portfolio site. Buuuuuut, this is a creative industry and all. And if their website wasn't enough, here is a matching video.

File under: Things I wish I'd written

Today's Blog post from Alex Bogusky gives some great insight into the definition of success. I'm envious, I wish I wrote it. You should read it.

My favorite parts:
"We all get caught up with other people’s definition of success and societies' definition of success that we lose our own."

"Don't ever believe there is only one answer. There are literally millions. It’s a beginners mistake to think there is one right answer. Or that a great answer doesn’t have an even greater solution if you keep thinking. Some people make this beginners mistake for their entire career. So have lots of ideas. And make multiple leaps of logic. And then test your theories. Be linear when necessary but remember great thinking is not linear."

"Finally, have fun. If you’re not having fun you’re doing it wrong. So use your internal fun meter to alert you to the need to make changes. Lot’s of small changes are better than great big ones. So figure out ways to have fun and stay on path wthout having to change jobs all the time. The most successful people I know are very rarely the people with a zillion jobs."

Interesting 4.0

This video is part of the "Did You Know?" series about the ever-changing media landscape. Watch it then file it away under informative and interesting. Perhaps a bit here and there might help with a school assignment or a creative discussion.

Thoughtful 6

This is a collaboration worth talking about. Basically, it turns internships around. It's called the Thoughtful 6 and I found it showcased on the D&AD blog today.

A small, 3-person design shop in the UK called Thoughtful joined forces with graphic design educators at Stockport College. Instead of offering an internship or two on site at their office, Thoughtful established an on-campus program called the Thoughtful 6. The three principals went to Stockport College once a week for 3 months, working with a class of 30 graphic design students. After this initial period, they selected six students to join forces with the agency. Those six students worked on real agency projects and walked away with a condensed, authentic experience without ever leaving campus.

I would imagine placing design industry folks within a college environment taught quite a bit more to everyone involved (students, college administrators and agency folks) than a conventional internship. The school gets insight into real-world projects and how their curriculum may or may not be teaching the right skills for what's current in the industry. The agency folks get to see how a graphic design college is molding future recruits and then be able to provide essential feedback to make college programs better. And, most importantly, the students get a wonderful "internship" experience far beyond typical intern placements.

Jr. to Owner

Is this the career progression you envision? Jr. Art Director (or writer, account exec. . .) Sr. Art Director > Creative Director > Agency Owner. That's a long way out and most of our career telescopes can't focus that far. But rest assured, it happens. Maybe it will to you.

Every agency owner has a "used to be" story. They used to be a jr. account executive. Or they used to be a sr. art director. And now? Through perseverance, focus, passion, dedication, conviction, and a boat load of smarts, they own the place. They've risen through the ranks (albeit much higher than the average joe) starting out in this business just like you and me. Remember that when you are nervous going into an interview or finding your hand shaking while making a presentation. Everyone in this business was junior once.

If you see yourself owning an agency someday, find a few role models and learn how they made it happen. Take BD'M in Minneapolis. Started a few years ago by three partners who turned the dream of owning an agency into reality. Monday they were named Best Small Agency in the 4A's O'Toole Awards. Three guys, once junior, now owners and making it happen.

Put being new to advertising in perspective. It'll help when you are overwhelmed with trying to find your first job. Or you don't know whether to leave that job to take another. Every person in this business started in the same square one. Every agency was once a couple folks with a dream. Trust that you'll get there.

Smart

Miss Jessica Menda, I applaud you. Your website made me smile and was a very smart "Hey, I want a job" thing to do.

Jessica took JetBlue's all you can fly in a month pass and is using it as her own personal recruiting trip. As she says, "31 days, a JetBlue all All-You-Can-Jet Pass and the search for adventure and a paycheck." From September 13th through October 1st, Jessica is jumping from city to city setting up interviews with agencies.

Her site shows you the dates she'll be in each city, you can find her on a map and track her adventure on twitter. We can all be ever so slightly envious that someone is spending one very cool month traveling around and meeting creatives across the nation.

Crunch Gym

Crunch Gym is giving away $10,000 in their Crunch Gym Shorts contest. Best 3-minute-or-less video about their mission statement, "No Judgments."

As a few Miami Ad School students have found, it is a perfect way to show off your creative chops. Go the site and vote for your favorites.

Here's a "making of" for one of my favorites (I have a thing for "making of" videos, they tell such a bigger story). You can see the final version on the Crunch Gym Shorts site. Way to go Drew, Alicia and Michelle. Enjoy.

Torn

I just got stood up. Or dumped. Not sure which and not sure how I feel about it.

A young junior art director was to start here Monday and just contacted me to say he can't. Apparently Crispin called and trumped my offer.

One the one hand, I am really bummed. We are crazy busy and this junior was going to be a huge help on a new account. I really liked his book and thought he'd be a great fit. Plus, it kinda sucks to go through all the interviews, approvals, and paperwork it takes to finally get someone hired to have that fall through. So from a business standpoint, bit fat ugh.

On the other hand, I am a sucker for juniors and get weirdly proud when good opportunities abound. This young guy had two great agencies vying for his talent. How cool is that? I can't help but feel happy that good things are still happening on the hiring front in advertising.

On a side note, I'm fairly flattered it was Crispin scooping this guy up. It pays me a somewhat backhanded compliment when I head upstairs to tell finance and HR why he is not coming.

Rule of 5

Remember to follow The Rule of 5 when hearing feedback on your creative work. I'm kind of tweaking the intent, but I'm sure you all have heard a similar rule.

When you hear less-than-flattering feedback, think this: will this feedback matter in 5 hours? So if it is something you disagree with or it really hurt your feelings, ask yourself if, in 5 hours, whether the comment will still be off base or still be bothering you. Yes? No?

Then ask yourself if the feedback will matter in 5 days. Same thing. Ask yourself if, in 5 days, whether the comment will still be off base or still be bothering you. Yes? No? A few days can take the edge off most comments and allow us time to reflect and consider what's been said.

5 months? Your ego will certainly have repaired itself 5 months later (hopefully). So consider if the feedback was really, truly off base. Often with a little time, we come around to see another's point of view. And then we can actually consider it.

Lastly, 5 years. Will you remember feeling bad over someone not liking one of your concepts or picking apart a layout or two? My guess is I highly doubt it. What we tend to remember 5 years later are all the positive things people say to us. All the things that help shape us into better people, better creatives. The not-so-good things, well, they may be hard to get over but they're certainly worth trying to forget.

Keeping a bit of perspective on the words and advice (and opinions) about your book surely helps. Take the good things to heart and give yourself time to take any worthwhile advice into consideration.

Pre-Trip

Last week I met with a junior team about to graduate from Creative Circus. Allison and Angelle spent a few days between San Francisco and Los Angeles doing a series of informational interviews.

When I agreed to meet them, I missed the part that they were still in school. Once they arrived at my office and we started chatting I understood that they still had a month to go before graduation. In an instant I added up the cost of the trip in my head: airplane tickets, hotel rooms, rental car, food. No cheap I imagine. As I coming to a dollar figure, I realized that it really didn't matter how much that trip cost these young woman. Their decision to get their faces out in the industry a month ahead of everyone else was worth more than the money they spent.

I will say again that recruiting young creatives from out of state is a challenge. Even if they have solid books, I would have a super hard time getting someone to approve the money to fly them out for an interview (although there were those 2 random times when I wanted to hire juniors without meeting them, their work was that good!). So having them travel to me during their interview junket solves that big ol' problem right there.

And, although I currently don't have open jobs for them, having met them in person ahead of time gives me some hiring perspective when those jobs do in fact open up.

Setting up a trip to meet a slew of agencies is pretty smart. Setting up said trip before you even graduate is even smarter.

Total Gush

I am about to do some world-class gushing, be warned.

Maybe I live under a rock and all you folks out there know this man and the work he does, but oh. my. goodness. He rocked my world yesterday. Sir Ken Robinson. He gave a TED conference speech asking if schools kill creativity.



First off, he is an incredible public speaker. I am super jealous of that. His cadence, humor and openness are enviable. Second, he makes outstanding points. Please take the time to watch it. What he is saying is so important to the creative industry we work in.

His main point is all children have creative talent and the education system tends to squash it. He references Picasso who said all children are born artists, the problem is to remain artists as they grow up. Sir Robinson argues that there is a hierarchy in education where the most useful subjects (ones aimed at getting you a job) are up at the top and the less useful subjects (music, art) are at the bottom. As a result, highly talented, creative children think the thing they were in good in at school isn't valued and often quit pursuing it.

He concludes that in order to move into a future where innovation and creativity reign as problem solving forces, we need to radically rethink our definition of intelligence. And the school system that currently defines it.

After being totally in awe listening to his speech, I was even more amazed at his contribution to a huge number of organizations that foster creativity in education. This man has spent his career concerning himself with teaching, mentoring, growing, helping people all in the name of creativity.

When I grow up, I want to be Sir Ken Robinson.

Big Ad Gig

It was bound to happen sooner or later. An American Idol-like contest where the prize is a 30-day freelance gig at an ad agency. All you have to do is create a video declaring "I deserve a big ad gig" out in a public space (a little embarrassment never hurt anyone).

Your video submission in conjunction with the quality of your portfolio could land you at CP +B, Ogilvy, Saatchi & Saatchi Wellness or Atmosphere Proximity for 30 days. Oh yea, and it's paid.

The harder it gets to find a junior job, the more daring you have to be to land one.

Wondering

This may sound pessimistic, but I'm really only curious. Yesterday on LinkedIn, I noticed an intern we had a couple of years ago had "Instructor" listed as their current title, teaching at an area art school. How, may I ask, does an intern go from recent graduate to art school instructor in that short of time?

Again, just totally and completely curious. Curious what class he's teaching. Curious if the students know he is fresh out of school. Curious how he got the job and where he has worked between graduation and this teaching post.

I am on the fence about how I feel about this. On one hand, maybe the guy is a wizard at some mad skill (flash or photoshop or the like) making him totally competent. On the other hand, he was a student less than three years ago and I wonder what the heck he is qualified to teach.

This is along the lines of people who are teaching at ad schools and became a teacher straight out of college. I wonder about that too. Listen, I am by no means an expert on the education front. I teach because I love, love inciting passion in students about this great industry. I am not qualified to judge the reasons or qualifications of other instructors.

I just kinda wonder.

Niceness

I just read a headline on Ad Gabber that said, "Being Nice Will Kill Young Creatives."

The article says, "It's true being nice just to be nice doesn't help anyone. In fact, according to this video for the Denver Ad Club, it can cause a person to drown. Of course, no one in advertising is ever nice just to be nice. In fact, going into advertising offers the perfect platform for a person to rip the shit out of another person and toss it of as simply "critiquing the work."

So, so true. Yesterday I was chatting with another Advertising instructor. He normally rips the shit of of his students with the full intention of making them better creatives. We were talking about how this somewhat harsh method was really for the best of the students. Being tough pushes them and results in better creative. The sucky kids won't care and will end up hating the teacher, but the good ones will care, will work harder and will create better work.

We all know what we mean when we use the word nice. How was your date tonight? Nice. How do you like my new haircut? It's nice. Nice is the word we use when we can't think of something more substantial to say.

Is that really what you want to hear about your portfolio? Sure, being nice to you (with regard to your work) spares everyone's feelings. But, back to the Ad Gabber article -- Being nice will kill young creatives.

Keep that in mind when a creative director or an instructor rips your idea apart. In fact, seek out criticism. I always feel bad when I don't like work in someone's portfolio and they are sitting right in front of me waiting for my response. I will always try to give some suggestions as to how they could rethink or rework or even just start over with their idea. I might feel bad that I didn't praise the work, but I do know better work may come out of my advice.

Mostly, I think I am too nice. I struggle with what to say about a book that I don't think is strong. Usually, it's "you have a good range of work." Which is true without being judgmental. Starting today, I will taper that practice. Of course manners and politeness won't be tapered. But everyone deserves honesty and genuine feedback and maybe my being too nice in that regard is the exact opposite of being helpful.

$162,500??!!

I recently tried to book a junior art director for a 9-day stint. My staff person went on vacation and we couldn't be without the resource for that many days. I had a few people I was considering, quite a few in fact, as the pool of available people has been getting bigger and bigger. It felt great to have so many options.

One thing that is hard to contend with when recruiting junior freelance is proximity. If they don't live in Southern California, it makes it fairly difficult to book them. It's not like I can offer to fly them in or put them up in a local hotel. Heck, I can't even do that for senior freelance anymore. If a junior creative lives in another state, I pretty much have to rule them out.

Two weeks ago, though, I lucked out. An out-of-area junior was going to be in Orange County visiting family and was available to work the exact days I needed. She had a strong book, which made me all the more thankful it would work out. Then we got to the part about rate.

I offered an hourly rate, a bit on the low side. Not low if you are a junior and out of work. But low if you want to say, buy a house. My offer was turned down. The response was that she was currently getting $650 a day freelancing. Six Hundred Fifty Dollars. A day.

Grab your calculator, multiple by 5 days a week, then again by 50 weeks a year. Yea. That's no typo folks. It's an annual salary of $162,500. So either she is really f-ing good and should not put the word junior anywhere near her resume --or-- the agency who hired her at that rate is printing money down in the basement and shoveling out the top floor window.

I am going to go with she is really good. But my gut tells me, no junior can command that rate and get away with it for very long. A few years ago, I would certainly believe it. But not in today's economic climate. Every freelancer who contacts me has offered to cut their day rates, substantially.

If you are going to freelance, get your rate in line with your title. Or your title in line with your rate.

*6 years later I am adding a comment to this post. First, I am incredibly stoked people are still finding, reading and commenting to me on this topic. Next, let me clarify a couple things: this post was written with regard to fresh-out-of-school talent. Like their resume ink hasn't even dried yet. Ones that warrant bookings for $25-$35 an hour. Based on the number of healthy, heated comments I (still) get over this post, I am sure there are many, many creatives out there who feel they are worth more than some of the day rates out there (which of course are higher to cover taxes, insurance, unstable bookings, and so on). My point above was that if you are pulling $650 + a day, you probably aren't very fresh-out-of-school any more.

Creative Orchestra

That's what I'm talking about. An agency consisting of just one department: creative. A department consisting of just one level: junior.

Hey Creative Orchestra, when you're ready to hop the pond and open stateside, Sign. Me. Up.

Brandcenter Grad Advice

I absolutely love Jake Dubs' list of the 11 most important things he learned in Ad School. Every ad student on the planet should have a read.

I wish I could say which of the 11 was most, most important (they all are).

I wish I could say he was off base in some regard (he's not).

I wish I could say I wrote it (insight that good makes me jealous).

Elliot Looney

Any one who gives a Commodores album (custom screenprinted) as their leave behind rates pretty cool in my book. Introducing Elliot Looney, a graphic design graduate from MCAD.

Meeting Elliot last week made me feel good, not only about him but about the future designers entering our beloved industry. Elliot was a big ol' bucket of enthusiasm. It was so cool to hear him talk about his work and how excited he was to search for a place that could put his skills to use. He was practically oozing passion out his pores on top of being genuine and humble. All graduates spend a ton of time showing their book and talking about the work inside, maybe that gets a bit rote. Not so with Elliot.

Why that makes me so happy is because that shows me passion, energy and enthusiasm for this business is still alive (sometimes I do wonder). I look forward to more grads like Elliot getting into the system, doing great work, learning, growing, moving from place to place and injecting our industry with every ounce of their talent and excitement.

Check out his work. It's unique, collage-y, vibrant stuff just like the man himself.

MCAD

I toured Minneapolis College of Art & Design last week and came away very impressed with their offerings. If you are considering graphic design schools right now, put MCAD on your list. Here's why:

They have a very strong curriculum; the course descriptions had me wishing I could go there. MCAD gives equal weight to teaching the real-world application of an art/design/advertising degree above and beyond teaching technical skills.

For instance, there's one class called Creating and Running a Business. From marketing yourself to estimating projects and invoicing clients, it's teaching job skills that I'm sure are a god send to beginning freelancers. Maybe this class is standard at other schools, but from my perspective the "how to run a business" ability is often lacking at the graduate level. We just think they'll learn business sense on the job. Yet for new graduates who, in the current economy, might be hard pressed to get hired, starting and running a freelance business may be their only option.

Add to that a hip city-wide art community, a just-right-sized campus, an impressive faculty list and some of the coolest hands on workshops I've ever seen, and you've got reason to consider MCAD.

Amazing

This is, by far, the most unique portfolio website I have seen. Ever.

I instantly want to know more about this guy. After all, isn't that the only purpose of a portfolio website?

Spare Me

I highly dislike Carbonmade as a place to house your creative portfolio.

The navigation stinks. If I have to click 100 times up, down and sideways to see all your work, I guarantee I stop after about 25 times (and that's generous).

In Reference to Previous Post

My recent post called "Keeping Pace" – now that I re-read it– could possibly be taken two ways, one of which I didn't intend.

I quoted Brandcenter Director Rick Boyko who said, "we don't teach from the past." And I thought this was an excellent example of an ad school being progressive within an ever-changing industry. Brandcenter is focused on teaching what's current in advertising, branding and media. I applaud them.

What I didn't intend is that "not teaching from the past" meant not teaching the foundations of advertising. It's essential to know the basics before you can learn the complex.

The commenter on my original post said it perfectly, "there are some fundamentals that are essential to mastering commercial communications -- whether in print or online. Understanding how brands work and their relationships with consumers. Understanding the power of empathy. Knowing how media and creative must fuse together (contact + content). The importance of a clear brand idea (and not just an executional idea). These are essential concepts that all successful advertising people need to understand, whether they are entering the business or veterans of the industry. One cannot dwell on the past, but must learn from it to thrive in the future. As somebody once said to me, there is no such thing as traditional media...only traditional thinking."

Every school should teach you the fundamentals. The best schools are teaching you what to do with them.

The London Project

You gotta love ingenuity in the face of desperation. Six Creative Circus students are nominated for D&AD pencils and really, really want to travel to London to attend the show. But that really, really costs a lot of money. Money they don't have.

Check out this video that leads you to their website called The London Project. A pretty cool idea to get people rallying around their fundraising efforts. Or at least to get people like me talking about their brilliant idea.

Made me smile. And take a look around my office to see what I can send them; I narrowed it down to my 3-foot-high dancing chimp sign.

Keeping Pace

I came across a quote today from Brandcenter director Rick Boyko. He said, "We're not teaching from the past at all. . ." He's saying this in reference to Brandcenter's commitment to "develop a curriculum that keeps pace with where the industry is going."

Not teaching from the past. A very simple idea, but extremely difficult to execute. I call it simple because when you think about it, each and every school in existence should not teach from the past. To graduate truly educated people who are current in the latest technology, culture, innovation, business acumen, whatever, it's essential to teach what's current in the industry. Ok, easy.

Very difficult because staying abreast of (forget ahead of) industry changes, then authoring it into a school's curriculum and finally teaching it, may in fact be near impossible. This morning I was complaining how hard it was to keep with all the changes going on in technology. Imagine needing to do the same with advertising curriculum before it becomes obsolete. You'd need to update practically every semester.

A basic example from a few years back is when some schools held tightly to Quark when the entire industry was moving toward InDesign. I'm still shocked when current students tell me they've only learned Quark (ignore the fact the programs are practically identical). When I hear this, I'm less shocked about the student than I am about the school. Keep in mind this is a rudimentary example of a more profound condition.

Being up to date should not be optional in our educational system. Following in Brandcenter's footsteps, not teaching from the past should be everyone's mandate. As a result, every ad school graduate would be a much more productive creative contributor from day one.

No man is an island

When choosing a college, I'm sure your decision is based on quite a few things: reputation, placement percentage, location, tuition, and so on. Yet I've found, after surveying a large group of advertising and design school grads, there is one other thing you may want to consider. I've never thought about this, but it makes perfect sense.

Consider the other students who go there. Now you probably have no way of doing this on your own. You can't really ask every other applicant to show you their portfolio and have them assure you of their commitment to doing well at school. Fairly, if not totally, impossible.

But, what you can do is judge the caliber of the work done by graduates of the school. When passion, creativity and accountability are at the forefront of the curriculum, it is evident in graduate portfolios. Great work will consistently come out of great schools. Not occasionally, consistently.

Look to see which schools top the Gunn Report for best advertising schools that year. Find who is repeatedly on that list. I guarantee you, these are the schools where students are passionately committed.

This is important, because your education isn't a solo deal. You don't just go in, work hard, do some creative work and get handed a degree at the end. You work together with other students and their talent and drive just might affect your portfolio. How? These are the people you'll be partnered with on assignments, people you will need to count on for group projects, and that makes them the same people you'd want to be serious about doing good work.

Being surrounded by passionate and committed people is essential at an agency. It should be equally essential at school.

The Big Things

Big Mistake: no showing a job interview.

Bigger Mistake: no showing a job interview for a position someone referred you for.

Biggest Mistake: no showing a job interview for a position someone referred you for, the same person you asked to be a reference on your resume.

Must Read

As a reward for perfect attendance, I am giving a book to two students tonight (hey, whatever works). If you haven't got a copy of either of these, go out and get them.

Paul Arden's "Whatever You Think, Think The Opposite" and "It's Not How Good You Are, It's How Good You Want To Be." Short, inexpensive, easy-to-read books aimed at those with a creative mind.

He makes great points:
Do not seek praise. Seek criticism.
Don't be afraid of silly ideas.
Sometimes the clever thing is not to be too clever.
There is no right point of view.
Rock the boat (something my boss does brilliantly).

These, my friends, are words to live by. Embrace them wholeheartedly.

Am I missing something?

You land your first advertising job. Now think of missing work two days straight without calling your boss. Think of deciding you just don't want to complete your client's project. Think of no showing a big client meeting. Can you even imagine someone doing that? Sounds silly that I'd even suggest it.

Now switch the word job with school and imagine missing school two days straight without calling your instructor. Or deciding you really don't want to complete an assignment. Or even no showing a mid-term or final. Does that sound just as silly? It should.

Think of school as your first job. Think of your instructor as your boss. Think of your assignments as your client's projects. Got it? That same responsibility expected at work applies in the classroom.

I can't even imagine a creative in my department just not showing up for a big meeting. Or not coming to work without telling anyone. In the same sense, I can't even imagine a student not showing up for a mid-term (sickness & death do not apply). Or being absent without sending a note why. Am I expecting too much? I hope not.

I'd like to think that students who treat school as a dry run learn a sense of discipline and responsibility. The same discipline and responsibility any creative department on earth expects from their employees.

Pop Culture Engineering

Miami Ad School differentiates itself with its tagline, "The School of Pop Culture Engineering". Sounds cool. Sounds current. Sounds like they get it.

This is what their website says: Miami Ad School students win more awards than students at any other school in the world because our students are exposed to the latest in global pop culture. They learn all the crazy trends, fads and forms of communication.

Crazy trends, fads and forms of communication. I read that and it made me want to go there. I write this as a word of advice to check what your ad school's tag line is. "Tag line" as in what do they stand for? What do they proclaim loud and clear that they are going to teach you? And, does it sound current and like they get it?

The times they are a changin'. Make sure you are being taught (whether at school, on the job, or elsewhere), the strategies shaping the future landscape of brands and advertising media.

Looking for Replies

One of the first questions I ask students when starting a new class is "Why did you pick this school?"

I always get a variety of answers: it was close to my house; I went online and found it: one of my friends goes here. With so many ad schools and colleges to choose from, how do students narrow down their choices and then ultimately pick which one to go to? Is it location? Reputation? Tuition?

I would love to hear from any student out there either currently at an ad school or those long graduated. Please reply and tell me how you decided to go there in particular. If you had to choose again, would you make the same choice?

Yes, but are you happy?

I was part of a creative panel last night, presented as part of CSUF's Comm Week. Students had the opportunity to ask questions of industry professionals about how to navigate a career in advertising. The panelists were me, a CD copywriter, an Art Director and an Interactive Designer.

We got the usual lot of questions: what do you do on a typical day? how did you start in this business? who is the person who's had the most influence on your career? what is the typical starting junior salary? Standard for this type of event.

Then came one question that caught us all off guard. "It sounds like you have all had great careers and have gone far within the industry," asks Dustin, an aspiring creative. "But, are you happy?"

We instantly laughed. Yet I noticed it was that nervous kind of laughter when something hits a chord. Are we happy? After all this, a long and fun career in advertising, are we where we thought we'd be? Is this what we thought we'd be doing? Ahhhh, Dustin, you've asked the million dollar question.

A question everyone should be asking themselves. Not after a 20-year career. Not after 10 years in. But now. Are you happy now? In this job, at this agency, doing this work, every week? Yes? No?

I know my answer.

Cite Right

Two things that I would love to have in every portfolio and for some reason tend not to see very much:

1) Citing your partner(s) name. It gives me an insight into their work as well as yours. And is just the right thing to do. Wouldn't you want to be called out in someone else's book?

2) Citing every contribution you personally made to the piece. If you took the photography, say so. If you are an art director and wrote the headline yourself, say so. Knowing the extent of your skills is so helpful, it gives me a deeper perspective on what you bring to the table.

A little bit scared

A student told me the other day that he is scared going into each of his advertising classes. Not scared like is the boogey man hiding under my desk. More like scared that if he didn't show up and perform his best in each class he'd miss something crucial to his career.

I was impressed. Feeling a bit scared is good for everyone. Think about it. Being scared heightens your senses. As a student, you'd listen more intently and try a little harder. If you attend each class believing you know everything, you probably miss out on a lot of content. But, if you go into each class believing you don't know everything and being scared you might miss something, you'd act like a sponge, trying to soak every piece of information in.

I always go back to the competition thing. That every other student in your ad classes is your competition. Look around, do you see any one in there scared? You'd know them because they're the ones who never miss a class and participate as fully as they can. And those guys are your competition once you graduate.

A dose of fear is a good thing. It keeps overconfidence in check. I can tell you every single person working in advertising is a bit scared right now too. Scared of being out of a job. And the ones who take that fear seriously become more present and engaged in their careers.