SMILE.
People don’t smile in New York.
That’s the first thing I noticed as I rode the subway fresh off the plane. As I took in the scene, I saw the expressions of those around me were resigned in the face of the daily commute. I took this as a personal challenge. I made it my mission to smile at my co-passengers, and not stop until I got a smile back. And I did.
And I felt better.
Aiden Long
5.8.17
Knock Out.
Life’s kind of like a game of knockout. The ceiling is low, but so is the rim. If you miss, rebound + put it back up.
This analogy works for advertising. Great work comes from pivoting into a better position. You know like Kobe Bryant with that turnaround jumper in the low post? pivot, pivot, pivot, pump fake, shoot…bucket.
Great work comes from refinement.
–
Chan.
Persistence is key
Although Wieden and Kennedy blew my mind, Sound Lounge altered my perspective on the industry. Ever since I switched my major to Advertising, my focus has been on the big wigs; 72, W+K, RGA, ect, without giving much love or recognition to the smaller agencies. After Sound Lounge explained their different relationship/approach they have with clients, I realized that we still have a ton to learn about the different types of agencies.
There are thousands of agencies, don’t get hung up if you don’t hear back from the ones with worldwide recognition. Rome wasn’t built in a day, and neither will your portfolio, or your career. Persistence is key, keep it up, we got this.
Alek Weltin
5.9.2017
Takeaways from Boxed
Two of the most important takeaways from listening to Jackson Jeyanayagam, Chief Marketing Officer and UO alum (class of 2000) at Boxed today:
1) It always comes back to the people. Understanding people and being able to get along with people is supremely important in this industry, and if you can do those things well you’ll go far.
2) One of the books he recommended that he really liked was “How to Win Friends and Influence People” by Dale Carnegie. He said that he has reread it multiple times and used the lessons from it quite a bit in his career and daily life. I know it’s a classic and historically important book, but i haven’t read it myself. But now after today I am looking forward to reading it and learning that wisdom for myself.
Ben Neal - 5.8.17
Some insights from Wieden and Kennedy today. I learned a lot about the industry and some tips from professionals. My favorite being “finding a healthy balance of rigor and chaos.”
Seeing the inspirational work that Wieden has done re-instilled the passion and drive that I have for advertising.
Still in awe that I have the opportunity to visit agencies that create such beautiful and inspirational work.
Sydney Humble
5/8/2017
NYC Since 2003
I traveled to New York for the first time at the age of eight. The year was 2003, P.I.M.P. by 50 Cent played on the radio, and I was at the budding start of my awkward phase. I emerged from the plane in denim on denim topped with the freshest bucket hat (reference photo above). I was with my great Aunt and mother, who together wanted to introduce this gawky third grader to the world outside suburban Portland, Oregon. My sense of style has since changed (although I wouldn’t be opposed to running it back every so often) and NY has seen some change of its own. Bellow are just a few examples:
2004 - Sister city relationship established with Brasília, Brazil.
2006 - April: One World Trade Center construction begins.
2007 - Beaver José, the lone Bronx beaver, was spotted in Bronx River.
2009 - January: US Airways Flight 1549 ditches in the Hudson River after both engines fail; all 150 passengers are successfully evacuated.
2009 – I return to New York, but as an 8th grader and decked out in Abercrombie.
2011 - September: Occupy Wall Street begins.
2017 – February: Williamsburg Bites A BROOKLYN FOOD TOUR begins (the best day 2017 has probably seen)
2017 – May: UO Creative Week begins, and I return in 18th grade or whatever a senior in college is. Visiting agencies is now more exciting than visiting the American Girl Store and I’m no longer ordering off the kid’s menu (although that would be nice sometimes). My time here has already reminded me that perspectives change, but the childhood excitement of being in a big city doesn’t always have too.
Mary Beth Carroll
The Art of the Rejection Letter
I got a rejection letter today. Luckily, I’ve already accepted a position somewhere else, but that doesn’t lessen my desire, for every position I apply to, to want my services and skills. No one likes to be told they’re not good enough, but one thing I will say is that CP+B has it down.
“Many thanks for your time and interest in the work we are doing at CP+B. We greatly appreciate you taking the time to send us your resume/portfolio. At the moment, we cannot offer you a position, but we do wish you the best of luck with your search. Thank you again for thinking of us.”
Wow, I was blown away. What a nice way of telling me I’m not quite good enough. And I mean that in all honesty. I’ve applied to more places than I can count, and was rejected from just about all of them. So often, the response from those places was either rude, lacked thoughtfulness, or was simply unsatisfying. How hard can it be to write a four sentence response that details that while you may not be the right candidate, they appreciate your interest and time? I mean it’s a little thing, but it makes a difference. It would take a copywriting intern ten minutes to write something genuinely thoughtful, and yet so few places take the time to write something like that.
So, in closing, to any agency people that may read this, I implore you to take the time to review your rejection letter your agency sends out. It’s a minor thing, it takes very little time to perfect, and yet to us it can make a world of difference. No one likes to be told they’re not good enough, but if you can do it in a thoughtful way it makes the sting much less painful.
Also, p.s. @students, don’t take rejection personally. We are competing against some of the most talented and wonderful students in the world, some of whom have years of experience on us, and if you’re truly hungry your time will come and you will have a long and successful career.
No love lost between me and CP+B, and I hope y’all can say the same about every rejection you may receive as well.
Peace out.
Caleb Couturie. 5.8.17.
The beginning.
We kicked off our agency tours with a visit to Wieden+Kennedy NYC. They opened their doors to 108 students and welcomed us with open arms. They presented their work, hosted a Q&A panel, and even challenged us with a week long assignment. My main takeaway comes from the Account Manager, who sat on the panel. He said that since account managers work on the front lines, they get yelled at by the creatives, and sometimes even the clients. However, he did express that the process is rewarding and definitely worth it. Since I am pursuing account management this was a particularly eye-opening statement for me.
Emily Sarale
5.8.17
Run until you find Casey Neistat
Living a creative life means that I’ll have to embrace passions outside of the professional world. Running has gifted me perspective, creativity and an awareness of my body and its limits.
I haven’t run since my marathon in September, but this week I will run every single morning. YouTube’s golden boy, Casey Neistat, exemplifies everything I believe a storyteller should be. Casey and his New York based Daily Vlog was half of the reason I ran my marathon in the first place (the other half being fellow runner Steve Prefontaine).
Between all of the fantastic agency visits, the invaluable dinners with faculty/peers and lots of caffiene, I will find a way to find one person in a city of 8.5 million. Some may say that challenge is like searching for a needle in a stack of other needles, but I have some kind of dumb feeling that running into him is all but a certainty.
Being one of the younger members on this trip, I have an added element of freedom and exploration that I’m sure I’ll be chasing for the rest of my professional career. Casey and Pre have gifted me that outlet for freedom and creativity in the form of running. When the sun rises over the Westside Highway each morning this week, that’s where you’ll find me. That’s where I’ll find my network. That’s where I’ll find Casey Neistat.
James Vos- 5.8.17