NYC Round 7
I cannot believe this was my seventh time visiting next york. Every time I visit, I fall in love with something different about the city every time. I think this time, it was unique to see the city come alive when the weather gets nice, especially after it’s been raining or snowing. I loved seeing the warmth of the sun pollute the streets, and see the streets be filled with people. I thought that it was unique to see people on the trip who have never been to NYC before, see the city of for the first time.
Will Nielsen
By my last agency visit, I was even more ready to move to New York. At Radical Media, we were treated to an extended visit with the C.O.O of the company, in which he truly made us feel welcomed. Multiple employees offered insights from their experiences in the industry. To top it off, a few of us rode the elevator with Derek Cianfrance and I was lucky enough to take a portrait of him with my film camera. It seemed the city was finding every way possible to convince me of moving there.
- Phillip Quinn
One Show
I was so excited to go to the one show for the first time this year, it was such a neat event to meet other people who are going through the same thing that we all go through, the creative rut. I also talk to people about their creative process and what they do to succeed throughout the duration of the campaign. During the award show, it was amazing and inspiring to see the work that had been nominated throughout the ceremony, and also hear the comedic jokes from the award announcers, kudos to the Swedes for winning all the gold!
Will Nielsen
Space is important
Towards the end of the week going to Mother, Squarespace, and Spotify. I had a similar pattern going to one agency, and two brands. All of their offices were unreal. They all had a unique aesthetic and they all endorsed creativity. Mothers office all resided in the kitchen, with photos of all their mothers and neat bookshelf on the center floor. Squarespace’s offices were as curated as their website. Filled with many co-working spaces and round shaped all around. And Spotify’s office had many features that endorsed music as much as possible. I’ve come to realize that it’s very essential to create a unique, and opening atmosphere if you want a healthy employee lifestyle.
Will Niesen
Space is important
Towards the end of the week going to Mother, Squarespace, and Spotify. I had a similar pattern going to one agency, and two brands. All of their offices were unreal. They all had a unique aesthetic and they all endorsed creativity. Mothers office all resided in the kitchen, with photos of all their mothers and neat bookshelf on the center floor. Squarespace’s offices were as curated as their website. Filled with many co-working spaces and round shaped all around. And Spotify’s office had many features that endorsed music as much as possible. I’ve come to realize that it’s very essential to create a unique, and opening atmosphere if you want a healthy employee lifestyle.
Chiat day blew me away. The front desk was illuminated by a neon light and golden letter-shaped balloons that spelled “CHIAT” were tied to a railing. Before long, we were greeted by Doug Melville, who inspired me the most on this trip. He told us wild stories of his past careers and left us 7 tips from his mentors, my personal favorite being from Tommy Hilfiger. Along with the stories, Doug showed us a video the agency released a few months prior to our visit. Within seconds of the 4-minute commercial starting, I recognized it as my favorite ad, the Apple HomePod video directed by Spike Lee. I was so honored to be in the presence of such prestige talent. It was a day that will continue to encourage me to find a place in this industry.
- Phillip Quinn
One Show
I was so excited to go to the one show for the first time this year, it was such a neat event to meet other people who are going through the same thing that we all go through, the creative rut. I also talk to people about their creative process and what they do to succeed throughout the duration of the campaign. During the award show, it was amazing and inspiring to see the work that had been nominated throughout the ceremony, and also hear the comedic jokes from the award announcers, kudos to the Swedes for winning all the gold!
5 Insights from Wieden+Kennedy
Visiting Wieden+Kennedy on Monday of the New York trip was the perfect way to kick off our week in New York. I learned so much from the many professionals who were part of the panels that day and a lot of their advice was resounded in agency visits later in the week. Here are five pieces of advice that I got out of the visit to Wieden+Kennedy:
- Everyone in an agency is creative and their voice should have weight. Even people who are outside of the traditional art director/writer partnership should have a say in the creative process.
- Starting as a designer can help art directors become really good at what they do. Along with this, learning how to do a little bit of everything will be really beneficial in the art direction field. Motion design is also becoming more and more important for AD’s to know to do.
- The best tip for copywriters is to constantly think about how to make their writing shorter. Also, it wouldn’t hurt to get really good at Google slides to help out art directors.
- You never want to get “good” at advertising because it’s boring. Get good at culture instead. If you can get good at culture, then you will always be relevant.
- You have to let an agency’s culture develop itself. You can’t force it. Be comfortable with having uncomfortable conversations, but realize that you can’t force an entire company to take part in a culture you assign.
I was so thankful for the generosity that we were shown at W+K as well as the rest of the agencies we visited throughout the week. Most of all, I felt inspired knowing that each and every one of us is constantly working to make ourselves better, even after we’ve been in the industry for years. It reminded me that we are all a work in progress.
Emily Foster
5.15.18
year three
Going into this I was convinced I wasn’t ready. I didn’t know what to expect, what questions to ask, shoot, I didn’t even really know anyone going.
All I knew was that I was inspired by the blogs and portfolios of the uonyc2017 group and I wanted to experience it for myself.
I am so glad I did. This experience helped me become more confident in myself, learn more about my peers, and find the cultural hub I hope to one day call home.
Monica Samson | May 15th, 2018
HUGE
As I reflect on my time in New York and all the wonderful agencies I was able to visit, one agency in particular stuck out and made me even more excited to find my place within the advertising industry. HUGE is a mid size agency that takes up one and a half floors in a building in Brooklyn. As soon as I stepped in the door I knew I would like the agency. They had cool tech everywhere and a maker space that housed three 3D printers and any other craft supplies you could think of. During our discussion with some writers, designers, and strategists at HUGE I found that I might be interested in an area that I hadn’t ever considered before: user experience. I never realized how interesting the idea of user experience was, but the way these people talked about it really intrigued me. I don’t know much about coding or digital design, but as a strategist I feel like I might be able to excel is user experience strategy and conceptualization. The idea of how people interact with something that you create is very interesting to me and I feel like it is often an area that is overlooked, especially by the typical consumer. I was really excited because I hadn’t really been interested in this area before visiting HUGE and I didn’t realize how important this area really was in the industry. I loved this agency and I loved how they thought, worked, and communicated. I am now going to spend some more time learning more about user experience and what I could do to help this area of advertising grow in the future.
Casey Kromer
May 15, 2018