It’s sometimes okay to “stretch the truth” to get ahead of the game

Some of us were lucky enough to be invited back to an agency after a visit for “a coffee and a conversation”. Some of these came from an outstanding resume and portfolio, but in my case it was the fact that I bombarded them with e-mails and customized LinkedIn invitations. The junior level employees were almost always eager to help with tips and New York life advice.

Most of the advice was similar to what Deb and the rest of the amazing advertising staff has been pushing into our brains for years, be persistent, be confident in yourself and your work and outwork everyone around you. Others had some tips I never really thought about.

Although I won’t share all of my newly obtained knowledge, I will share one piece that may increase your chance of getting in internship in the city of your liking ten-fold. Alter your address on your resume to a more local address in relation to the agency.

For example, if you want to work in SF and you have family or a close friend that lives in the area, put their address as your current address. A junior account executive from Miami changed her address on her resume to her Aunt’s in Brooklyn, and immediately got ten times more responses towards applications and cold e-mails. If they say, “come in tomorrow” make something up to give you a few extra days that will give you time to figure out travel plans.

It’s not lying, it’s “stretching the truth”.

-Alek Weltin

5/14/2017

privilege + the creative class

“At the end of the day, we have the incredible privilege to offer an informed opinion on something and get paid for that.”

A few months ago, after a class visit from 72andSunny’s Alex Morrison, I wrote about the privilege of the advertising industry. This profession isn’t easy, but it offers an incredible opportunity to shape culture, communicate and learn.

Listening to 72andSunny CCO Glenn Cole discuss “the creative class” on Friday morning, that lesson took on a more complex meaning.

What is the creative class? It’s the fast-growing and powerful group of professionals who deal in ideas. Advertising, design, and technology are culturally and economically powerful industries. They’re also overwhelmingly white. 

As Glenn told our group, “the access to the creative class is where it’s broken.” Opportunities like this past week of agency visits aren’t available to everyone.

It was incredible to hear that 72andSunny is committed to improving that access problem and that throughout New York, agencies are pushing at the conventions of advertising to better its cultural impact. It’s an exciting time to be entering the agency world.

As I do, I’ll remember my responsibility not to mistreat the privilege of this industry, nor to forget the privilege that got me here. 

Rachel Benner. 05.14.2017.

Before I embarked on this trip, I thought a lot about the last time I visited New York City: as a sixteen-year-old theatre kid. To be honest, I didn’t think the two experiences would have much more in common than the landmarks and street signs.

After experiencing my first professional pitch, however, I’m thinking about my two New York experiences a little bit differently. 

Advertising, after all, requires some theatrics. You don’t just need to have a good idea to win the pitch. You need to be polished, well-rehearsed and energetic. You need something unexpected, engaging or personal to bring your audience into your message.

Some things are true in the conference room and on the stage.

Rachel Benner. 05.13.2017.

Asking

I came to New York seeking answers. I wanted to know how the ad industry works, where the magic comes from, how people get involved. I got some answers. Great ones by smart people. But what I learned above all else was how to ask better questions.

I landed in the city armed with my usual collection of prompts: What are you reading right now? What advice helped you early in your career? What do you wish you had done differently?

Don’t get me wrong, these questions can lead to interesting answers. But this week I practiced the art of responsive questions tailored to the unique cultures and processes of different agencies. The responses I got blew me away. I heard new wisdom. I got answers I couldn’t find in any of the advertising books on my shelves. By asking questions I didn’t expect to ask, I learned things I never realized I didn’t know.

Hannah Lewman 05.14.17

Keep it simple.

If I were to choose one professional takeaway from the past week, it would be this. At R/GA, creative directors reminded all of our pitching teams to do the minimum required to share ideas, especially in a presentation format. If you include too many unnecessary details, you lose your audience.

The same goes for a strategist briefing creatives. Later in the week at 360i and 72andSunny, I had two different conversations about the importance of a straightforward, strong direction. Research is complicated, but the ability to distill it into a single strategic direction is the real challenge.

As a student, this is difficult. Academia rewards pages of subheads, diagrams and theoretical explanations. You have to tell your reader that you know what you’re doing. Not the case in advertising. Here, you’re judged by your ability to show your direction and move the team forward – simply. 

Rachel Benner. 05.13.2017

W+K Visit

We’ve heard this before on a smaller scale, but hearing it from W+K Monday morning resonated with me for a few reasons:

• Before we found advertising, we all were doing the same things we just didn’t know what to call it or what title to use. Don’t forget this when you feel overstressed from it all; you’re a pro at your own craft.
• Big ideas can still be a soda can, a jersey, a popup shop, etc., just as long as you connect and communicate it to the audience.
• Always be aware, be observational to what’s around you, be curious and own your own perspective of it.

Remember your strengths in coming up with good ideas to solve problems whether your future lies in advertising or not.

-Macaihah B

In a city surrounded by inspirational art and fashion, Paige and I decided to go somewhere where it was consolidated into one place - The MoMA.

We went on Friday since we overheard that it would be free of cost to the public, but when we arrived we found out this wasn’t true. As I was waiting in line to figure out the cost, a woman approached from behind me and said “are you alone?” Slightly confused I said “Huh? umm no I’m with a friend, why?” Her response? “I’ve been a member here for 25 years, it’s ridiculous what people are paying nowadays, come with me and I’ll get you in.” I want to thank this woman over and over again but she let us in and I never saw from her after that.

Whats so intriguing to me about art is how subjective it is; it’s about the story, the era, what was going on in history in that moment that made some of these pieces relevant. It makes me think about a few things:

• How do I tell my story? How do I show my artwork to other people?
• I know for a fact had I created some of the simpler pieces I saw there, I would criticize it and probably toss it in the trash. My point is that these people were willing to share and show their work no matter how good they thought it was.
• Seriously thank you to that woman for standing up for the arts snd believing that inspiration shouldn’t need a cost.  
• Art is the story you tell through every brush stroke.

-Macaihah B

Squeaky Wheels

Everyone needs grease, that’s extremely apparent. Most have to ask for it, and they should. A shopping cart without well-oiled wheels is a glorified basket. To navigate the purpose of the cart, all of its parts must function.

But- a wheel must be cautious of how much grease it squeaks for. At the end of the day, the wheel must be able to execute its primary function- an agent of movement. To be ‘grease greedy’ leads to gluttony and an inability to function as a part of the vehicle.

Too much grease ruins the wheel. The squeakiest wheel loses focus of its original job. It becomes spread thin and lacks the focus and ability to provide service. A wheel that cannot aid in movement must be replaced.

The properly greased wheel remains with the cart.

-mac mullen

Love

Yesterday morning, a motley crew of Ducks descended into the impossibly hip Urbanspace food court on 45th and Vanderbilt across from the Roosevelt Hotel. Despite hangovers of varying intensities and the weight of a non-stop week resting on our shoulders, spirits soared and filled the chamber with more than just aromas from burrito vendors and donut miracle stands.

That something more was love. I don’t care how insanely sappy that is. There’s no other word to describe the banter, the keel-over laughter between scoops of peanut butter acai bowl (shout out to Liquitiera - flame sauce!) and the stories shared in reminiscence of an unforgettable week. Gassed as we all were, I felt only a few small notches dialed down from my astronomically high state of energy that the week granted me.

But it wasn’t just New York’s bustle that gave me the boost. Never in my life have I been so proud to be a Duck, to be one of a group of razor-sharp, passionate and compassionate people on a mission to learn and grow together, into the next stage of life. I don’t want to think about the moment where we cease to be united by a common place, be that Eugene, New York City or the shitty ass Newark airport. In the end though, when we Ducks fly across the country and world to make things happen and establish separate lives for ourselves, I know and I feel with every butt-shaking bone in my body that we will be bound by that same LOVE.

- Cameron Kokes 5.14.17

How DAMN. Prepped Me For NYC (and life)

1. BLOOD.
Not everything is as it seems.

2. DNA.
Be proud of what makes you, you.
Use assurance for confidence.

3. YAH.
Define your purpose in your surrounding.
Own your space.

4. ELEMENT.
At some point you will be in
‘The Zone.’
You worked hard to be here, don’t lose focus.

5. FEEL.
You must rely on yourself.
Annoyances and distractions are opportunities for growth.

6. LOYALTY.
Don’t underestimate your contacts.
They are the catalyst to your career.

7. PRIDE.
Reflect on where you could be.
Seize your moments.

8. HUMBLE.
People like to talk about their experiences.
Be a sponge.

9. LUST.
99¢ pizza only applies to cheese slices.
Be wary of misdirection.

10. LOVE.
Growth comes from challenge.
Don’t do the easy shit.

11. XXX.
People are self-motivated.
Be wary of your surroundings.

12. FEAR.
A fast pace manifests anxiety.
Slow down and enjoy the details.

13. GOD.
You don’t get this incredible experience anywhere else.
Enjoy it.

14. DUCKWORTH.
Reflection is key to retaining information.
Reading backwards is the best tool for editing.

-mac mullen