Majors and Minors

Translation believes that it is essential to creativity that you are something outside of strat, production, creative, account, or media planning. They want to emphasize that each individual on team can bring their own nerdy/impressive knowledge to the table, because you never know when someone will have an insight about the problem. As a junior, I was taking notes on agency culture and beliefs this whole week. I want a place where I can do my job well but also where I can have open conversations about my own passions. 

I think that learning the hobbies and interests that make people tick is incredibly interesting and it really says a lot about the individual. If all you do is talk about the current problem and ad culture at work, is there room for new, spontaneous creativity? I guess that the open bars in so many of these agencies can help with that. Regardless, I’m going to try to encourage these conversations in future team projects. 

Noah Andrews

5.12.18

What if it isn’t good?

What if the idea is trash? What if it creates total backlash? These shouldn’t be questions if you are working with a great team. Noah Wilskey from Translation said it best: Take big swings, but check yourself and each other. A large part of this idea of morally checking work is diversity. I really appreciated this week how there is an open atmosphere for anyone, even the new intern who is just there to bring extra dongles, to not only speak up but challenge the team to think twice about the work. 

Let’s not give women and people of color equal pay and representation in advertising just because it is the obvious and right thing to do, but let’s do it because it helps the agency, and more importantly, culture. I learned this week that no matter how intelligent you are, or how many Adweek articles you have read, you only have your perspective. I can think something is ok, but that doesn’t necessarily ring true for someone else. Diverse thoughts and people are the source of great team creativity and collaboration. So check yourself, always, but check each other as well. It’s better for our work and for the people who view it. 

Noah Andrews

5.12.18

WAIT

One thing that stuck with me throughout the trip was what was said at the Flock Takes Flight event. A question was asked of how we could all be advocates and one of the insightful flock women provided us with the acronym WAIT, meaning Why Am I Talking? It is a clever reminder to allow those around you to speak and actually take the time to listen to what they have to say. Make sure you are giving them the time they need to speak and the support they need to be heard.

-Jenni Hooper

5.11.18 

Your People Pt 1

If there’s one underlying theme I have found to be most important as I hop agencies each visit, it continues to boil down to one thing. That is: the “perfect agency” you’re looking for is only going to be found when you also find where the people are that understand you most. When I think about the time in which I feel at my most creative, it is undoubtedly when I have the opportunity be in a room of undeniably individual, collaborative, honest conversationalists with diverse stories. This is because you, and only you, have an experience that is so uniquely your own, you are the only one who can speak confidently on behalf of yourself. That being said, this is a two way street. As a storyteller of your own experiences, the environment you’re trying to be in has to reflect as a place where you can say what you feel is important because it is followed with acceptance. With every idea, speak and be greeted with the mentality that if your words are spoken with respect and honesty, then you will be rewarded with an environment that is willing to help you understand if you are wrong, and work with you on your journey to getting it right. 

Your agency is where your people are because your people understand you at your core and are willing to be part of what you want to create before they know you as a strategist, art director, or an account manager. Even more so, they know you as a person, what you believe in, what you love, and how you want to make the world a better place. These people are who you’re around when you are at your most stressed, most happy, and most curious, so be around people that challenge your knowledge, can broaden your perspective, push you to chase your side hustles and passions, and most importantly, remind you that at the end of the day you are only human and your work is going to be ten times more effective if you understand yourself before joining an industry that bases itself on trying to solve other people. 

May 11, 2018.

Going Global

Two tips I got for working overseas or on global accounts to help you adapt/understand these markets that are new for you.

1. Listen, listen, listen and listen more.

2. Be more precise.

-Jake Wilmink

Search Bars

As I’ve worked on projects, I almost always start on research. The brand’s background, their beliefs, what they are trying to convey and if it’s feasible for them to do that. Sometimes it works, and sometimes I feel like it’s a hole that will never end with something useful. 

The folks over at Translation believe in research as well, but they take it on in a different way. They hit the twitter search bar before google or case study sites. I think that everyone strives to have a cultural insight that can propel an idea or campaign forward, but I love the thought to just type in the client’s name into different social media outlets and see what people are saying. For me wanting to work with accounts, it’ll be extremely helpful moving forward to start doing brand social research in addition to the typical cultural research to present and sell ideas that are more bulletproof than before. Audience knowledge is client knowledge.

Noah Andrews

5.11.18

Photo Show

I am learning more and more all that this city has to offer. Around each corner has been a new discovery, small and big. Yesterday I found myself at a photo show displaying photos taken in the late 80s and early 90s that are just now, roughly forty years later, being developed. Some of the people in the photos attended the showing now in their old age and were viewing themselves at 18 years old. This is just one of many interesting things happening in New York.

-Jenni Hooper

5.10.18

The little things

Through all of these visits we have heard amazing stories of amazing people and how they got to where they are. Some people think it’s luck and the right place at the right time. I’m sure some of that is involved but truly it’s obvious these people simply were open to opportunities and change. They took every opportunity they had to meet new people. They took every opportunity they had to do little things for their peers and friends. It all just reminds me how important it is to enjoy what we are doing and take risks. Don’t live in fear of what people are going to think because a lot of these people were rejected by the companies they now run. You never know who you are encountering out in the world. Some person you meet one day could be the next person to change your life. Step out of every comfort zone you have for the opportunity to better yourself and the world around you. You’ll be surprised at who you meet!

-Jake Wilmink

Big vs Little

Being in New York and being able to see a few agencies has really opened my eyes on agency life. The culture between a large agency and a small one is so different and amazing to me. Being in a large agency you see how busy but controlled everything is, while a smaller one is more laid back but focused. I liked both environments a lot and can see myself working in both scenarios. The biggest take away I’ve had is that at smaller agencies, everyone is involved in all parts of the client. Accounts are also strategist, strategist are also creatives, and creatives are also accounts and I find that very interesting and great way to build a professional profile.

-Tyler Kastan