Mission

Here I am about to board a plan to NYC. I’m excited, nervous, scared, and overjoyed with this opportunity. One of my friends who went on the trip last year gave me one piece of advice, “go into this trip with a specific list of goals, if you don’t the city will swallow you up.” I took this advice, tweaked it and came up with one goal.

I find that I do better on trips when I don’t have a solid plan and just go with the flow. My one goal on this trip is simple - discover if NYC is a place I could live.

This one goal would encompass many post-grad decisions so I figured it to be the most important.

Stay Tuned.

Madison Hamilton 5.13.2018

Breakfast with Bob

If you talked to anyone in my life and told them I woke up at 6:00am to have breakfast (that wasn’t required), not once but two times, they would think you were joking. This breakfast was not only good because of the food, but the company was great as well. I got answers to questions I didn’t even know I had.

If you’re from the 2019 trip and reading this do yourself a favor and go to breakfast at 6:00am. 

Madison Hamilton 5.13.2018

Trust Your Gut

First introduced during our trip to Wieden+Kennedy, I heard the phrase, “Trust your gut.“ It’s a generic phrase that I hear all the time, and I’m sure other people do too. When in doubt, trust your gut. When you’re stuck on a test, trust your gut. When picking out a present for someone, trust your gut. But how does trusting your gut help you land a job in the advertising world?

Midway through the week, I figured it out. 

It doesn’t have to be just when you are making a decision between which job to take, which job to apply for, or which city to move to. I found that your gut can be most affective in your day to day activities. 

Mid way through the week, I was stressed and over-stimulated. I needed a break. Luckily I had a free afternoon and decided to walk from Chelsea to Soho, experiencing the city as I went. This time for myself helped me reset and start getting back to my naturally calm, positive self. Ready to go back to the hotel, I wanted to call a Lyft in order to avoid the hectic hustle that is the NY subway but I didn’t. Something inside me said, “You’re only here for three more days, just take the subway and continue experiencing NY.”  As I stood waiting for my train, a gentleman walked up and asked me for directions. I helped him the best I could and realized we were going to the same destination. We sparked up a conversation and I began networking with him. I had one of the best networking sessions on my trip with him and it never would have happened had I not trusted my gut feeling.

Moral of the story, trust your gut because you never know what opportunities your gut will give you. If you stay in your comfort zone, you won’t grow. Reach out of your comfort zone just enough to feel uncomfortably comfortable and the world might surprise you. 

-Katherine Luttrell  05.09.2018

On Innovation

Last year, almost every agency I visited hinted at an industry in crisis. No one said it explicitly, but people talked about the threat of in-house teams, client turnover, and the challenge of finding the right channels as legacy media undergoes changes of its own.

This year, the conversation was different. Agencies talked about adaptability, innovation, and questioning the norms that led businesses to the rough waters they found themselves in during 2017. This reminded me of some advice Dagan Cohen, the creative director of What Design Can Do, gave me: businesses are most likely to make incredible innovations when they’re in trouble. This seems absolutely true of the advertising industry. The things agencies are doing to adapt are brilliant, unexpected, and exciting. I can’t wait to see where these innovations take them. 

Hannah Lewman 05.13.2018

HYBRID.

“HYBRIDS ARE WELCOME.”

Hearing this on the first day was a moment I needed and cherished throughout the rest of the week. I find myself a born creative who loves to make things, create with my hands, bring color and life to something lacking, but I also find myself torn when it comes to labeling myself. I label myself as a hybrid art director to signify that I’m an art director who can do so much more than make something look amazing. However, when searching for jobs or internships you need to label yourself as one thing.

My big insight for the day came when I realized that when applying for these jobs, don’t get hung up on the job title. Be aware and curious about the company and how it functions. People who are nimble and ready to jump in and help when needed are indispensable.

Even if you’re not a hybrid, be curious and go learn a new skill. The more you know, the better.

Be curious. Be fearless. Be flexible. Be a hybrid.  

-Katherine Luttrell  05.07.2018

Beginning Thoughts

During my car ride up to Portland and my flight to New York City, nerves are beginning to kick in. However, they are quickly meshed with an overwhelming excitement to finally see the advertising world of New York City! Currently, I have a good understanding of my passions, my area of focus, and what New York City life is like. I know that after talking to some amazing people at different agencies, my perspective and knowledge might change, slightly shift, or grow.

Preparing for the week, I had three goals in mind.

1) See what the day in the life of an art director is at different agencies.

2) Decide whether or not New York City is a place I want to live.

3) Decide if the agency route is the right fit for me.

While at agencies, I hope to be able to ask and learn about what art directors do at their specific agency. I want to be able to envision myself in their shoes and see if that position fits.

I also want to get other perspectives. I don’t only want to talk to the creatives, but I also want talk to other people in the agency to see what their experience is like within their specific agency. Coming into this trip with little agency-life knowledge, I hope that this trip will help open the door into the working life at an agency. Will I like it? Will I be able to see myself in that kind of environment? I can’t wait to find out! Onward.

-Katherine Luttrell  05.05.2018

Notes from Droga5

There were so many amazing panelists on the Droga5 visit. I particularly took to Tulani, a strategist who made the the switch from account management a few years back. Tulani was incredibly sharp, passionate about culture, and made everyone who asked questions feel valued. I cannot wait to be surrounded by such bright minds like herself. 

Looking back on my notes from the visit made me laugh because it is such a jumble of ideas, comments, and questions. Even in the mess of chicken scratch handwriting, the agency’s culture and people are reflected in it. Here are a few notes:

“Account Management fulfills ALL career desires”

“Fluidity through every department” 

David Droga’s story (my personal favorite of the trip) - “David Droga was one of five children. His mother would write Droga1, Droga2, Droga3, Droga4, and Droga5 on the lining of her children’s underwear to keep track of which pair belonged to who. That is where Droga5 gets its name.”

“Every account manager has a ‘honeymoon period’ with their client.” 

“We are trying to break away from the ‘film first’ mentality and moving towards the ‘digital first’ process of campaign development.

-Avery Wright

Still Mind Blown

Yesterday I went to TBWA Chiat Day and I was completely mind blown. Doug Melville, if you’re reading this, you have changed my life forever. And if you really are reading this, hire me please? 

Last night I went to my first broadway show and of course I saw Mean Girls and wore my hot pink velvet puffer. I can confirm, this show definitely deserved its 12 Tony Award nominations. All I have to say is, You Go Glen Coco! 

I am finished with my agency visits and I’m ready to explore now. I can’t wait to walk the Highline to Chelsea Market and indulge some deliciousness. Also, can I just say I wish the Saturday Market in Oregon was as cool as the Artists and Fleas. Best place to get jewelry, hands down. On Saturday, I will be staying an extra night with an alumni and I can’t wait to visit her recommendations. 

internet brunch

keeping up with culture is exhausting, i know. that meme you tagged me in on facebook? someone tagged me in yesterday on instagram. besides that, i saw it two days ago on twitter. and if i used the site, i’m sure it might even have debuted earlier on reddit.

and that’s just memes. viral videos, celeb gossip, entertainment news, tech disruptors, app updates, yodel kids… whatever it is, there seems to be a lot of it.

two years ago i was directed by my dear friend hannah to a little ol newsletter that tackled the daunting challenge that is curating culture. developed by big spaceship, internet brunch is a bite sizable, comprehendible, daily email that catalogues culture and distributes it those seeking to stay in vogue.

what started out as an internal email developed by a team member inside the agency quickly spread through clients, other agencies, and now anyone with an email address. i don’t recommend, i insist, sign up for this. if we’re going into a field that ebbs and flows with culture, you need to keep up with the current.

sign up for internet brunch here: https://www.bigspaceship.com/internet-brunch

also, if you don’t have twitter…. get on it.

@kyle4prezident (5.13.18)