Big Apple Bonds
Diving into this environment primes your mind and person for change and cracks open new opportunities. Take them.
Specifically, take chances with the people within this UO Ad family that you’ve never interacted with. Last year, this meant Macaihah and I trying to find our way to Droga, ending up 2.5 miles away with 13 minutes to make the visit, cramming into a cab and sprinting in the door just before the golden doors clamped shut. No better way to bond than to feel Tom’s “you almost fucked up big time” stare burning shame into the back of your necks.
Sometimes it’s a journey somewhere off the beaten path with people you’re only just beginning to know. Ambling through Central Park with Benson Wink and Steph Hastings on the way to Sylvia’s southern food in Harlem, I could never have told you in the moment that these would be the budding moments of two friendships I know will last my lifetime.
Whether by chicken n’ waffles or mutual creative inspiration, this trip will forge bonds more meaningful than One Show awards or job offers. Do your best to seek and sustain them.
- Cameron Kokes
Making a couple lists, Checking ‘em twice.
When I was little, I was really good at two things: making lists and asking lots of questions. Now I am 22. I am better at a few more things, but I still make lists and ask a lot of questions. That’s why I’m a strategist in advertising. Ever since I found out I was going to New York in March, I have been making lists upon lists, double checking to make sure I have everything covered. While I have completed my lists of agencies to visit, coffee dates to attend, and addresses and emergency contacts to remember, there were two lists I had a hard time finishing this last week: places to see and foods to taste. As a strategist, everything I do in my free time is just as important as the opportunities I experience in the agencies I visit. My job is to understand people who are different than me and reach a human truth. That means I have to go see the sights, taste the food, and talk to a stranger or two along the way. The catch is I only have a couple hours each day for six days to cram in as many experiences as I can. So I’ve done my research, asked some of my New York connections, and put them through the budget filter to reach these final two lists. Will I make them all in this trip? Probably not. But am I excited to try? Definitely. Emily Garcia, Strategist5.2.2017
So close we can almost touch it.
The NYC experience is one unlike any other in college. A look into what a future in advertising truly looks like, by a city that sprints. This experience creates a mysterious, anxious sensation prior to embarking. No idea what to expect, but excited for what’s ahead.
How to cope - Sleep, prepare, and workout. Having gone on the trip last year, this is my (still in progress) developed method for success. Sleep prior to being in a city that values work over rest. This creates necessary awareness during visits. Preparation both in school and for the trip eases the nerves and stress afterwards. Research and develop questions as part of your pre-preparation (one element I wish I did more of last year). Finally, working out is good compensation for all the Dim Sum consumed in Chinatown. While all my respect goes to Cam Kokes for waking up at the crack of dawn to run around Central Park, I will hit the rec all week, then enjoy some good old NY food comas.
5.1.2017 - Steph Hastings
Pre-Med to Ad
Carrie Bradshaw may have said it best, “So maybe it won’t look like you thought it would in high school, but it’s important to remember that love is possible. Anything is possible. This is New York.”
Four years ago, I was a biochemistry major on the track to becoming a plastic surgeon. Today, I am an ad major, computer science minor and off to discover the tech industry after graduation.
(But first I need to pack and it doesn’t help that my floor is currently not visible…)
So yes, Carrie, it absolutely does not look like I thought it would in high school and I guess *anything* really is possible.
To you, New York, I look forward to our reunion and seeing you through a lens other than my awkward middle school self. There is so much opportunity, innovation, creativity, magic and well, concrete for us to explore.
See you soon!
Hailey Geller, Media Planner
5.1.17
The farthest I’ve been
I am a college student who went to school in the same town that they were born and raised in. At times, this has made me feel like a goldfish stuck in a tiny fishbowl. I could swim to the edge but there was always something in my way. Money, time, resources… everything is shaped into a convenient glass that would allow me to admire these infinite possibilities but keep me trapped in the safe finite possibilities in our town.
Don’t get me wrong, I love this state. I will always be thankful for this town for shaping me into who I am today. No matter where I go, the rare Oregon sun reflects in the freckles sprawled across my face, the sound of rain forever stuck in my eardrums, and the pine trees that keep me rooted.
No matter how much I love my safe town, this fishbowl is becoming too small for me. In less than a week, I will be just a tiny goldfish in the grand ocean of New York City. For once, I will be swimming in unventured water.
I am ready to be scared. Inspired. Invigorated.
Let’s go.
Amelia Inouye
04. 30. 2017
Looking for takeaways:
The last time I visited New York City, I was sixteen years old and deep in what I now refer to as my “theatre kid days.” For six days of spring break, I joined a horde of other exuberant and theatrical adolescents for just about every tourist-y activity you can imagine. Six days of inside jokes, sore feet and show business: the best kind of chaos.
Four years later, I’m looking forward to a very different kind of trip. I know that at times New York will still feel like a thrilling, chaotic blur, but I’m going to challenge myself to look for something more. With each agency visit, stunning view, and unexpected experience, I’ll challenge myself to distill the chaos into something worth remembering: a takeaway, if you will. I hope this blog will be a place where I can share those lessons on professional advertising, city culture and life.
With the energy of a theatre kid and the focus of a strategist, I’m ready to pack my bags. Here we go!
Rachel Benner
04.30.17
Been there, haven’t done that
…yet.
I’ve been to New York many times. As a kid, I spent summers with my family on Long Island where my Dad grew up. In high school, I played in a basketball tournament in the city. And, most recently, took a bus into the city from Connecticut for a fleeting 5 hours (experienced Times Square, the One World Observatory and the 911 Memorial ). But there are still items to check off that bucket list…or rather, things I haven’t done yet. Maybe these experiences were meant to wait until the right moment - perfect for a trip like this.
The Short List:
- Grab an early morning coffee at a local cafe (people watching)
- Get pushed in a SoulCycle class (basic but inspiring)
- Go to a Broadway Show (a must see)
- Take the Staton Island Ferry (at night)
- Eat at Katz’s (famous Jewish deli)
Cheers to opportunities for discovery, unplanned experiences & making more memories in the city of dreams.
Meg Winters 04.30.17
Mob Often, Make Time For Yourself
Together, we are a unit. Throughout most of this upcoming week in NYC, as individuals we’ll spend a lot of time with our UO Ad family. Buddying up, going places as a group, planning stuff together - all great, all necessary. That being said, taking the time to be alone in a place like New York City is also a must. There’s no other city in the world that combines as many diverse cultures, messages, peoples, types of food and art. Obviously there’s no right way to live this, but allow yourself the time and space to absorb these things as YOU experience them. Form your own perspective on what you ingest, and reflect on what it means to be in NYC.
Each person can do this differently. It could be as simple as talking a walk around the block at the Roosevelt. Maybe it’s a moment you take at an agency to write down your own impression of what you hear and learn.
As far as the eagerness to hop on the RUNNING train, be advised. I said “running” and not “jogging” for a reason. This locomotive departs at 6am, and goes at one speed. I’m not trying to stifle anyone’s step, just giving fair warning that my slice of solitude doesn’t involve waiting for anyone or chit chat at every corner. No shade to anyone, just trying to defend my own me time.
Running is just one method of making that time. Find yours.
Cameron Kokes
Talking Takeaways
Today, my team had the incredible opportunity to chat with Chris Puma and special guest Rachel Landau, both copywriters at Huge. We talked about a lot and got some great takeaways:
1) Treat everything as a learning opportunity.
Whether it’s your first internship or walking down the street, observe. We work in the intersection of brands and real people living their lives. We can’t forget about the “real people” part of that equation.
2) Everything in your book should have a purpose
Each project should be able to stand alone. Make sure you also have a couple of talking points as to why you chose the project and why it’s significant.
3) Always ask questions
Asking questions shows your investment and creates an interaction. Also, people like to talk about themselves.
4) Take a walk through New York
The city moves fast, but take some time to go for a walk and see the different parts of the city.
5) If you’re looking for a good sandwich, go to Num Pang
It’s already on my to-do list.
Thank you Chris and Rachel for your time and thoughts. See you in NYC.
Jesse Summers 4.27.17