August – 2009 – Junior - Celebrating life at the bottom

Monthly Archives: August 2009

The Monday Morning WHIP // 41

WHIP41
Hola! Unfortunately Stan (http://branddna NULL.blogspot NULL.com) is a busy man this week. So he got Bill Bernbach (http://www NULL.conelrad NULL.com/daisy/images/william_bernbach_1965 NULL.jpg) to step in to take his place. Enjoy!

Morning juniors! I’m in Sydney today, judging at an award show. So I’m afraid I don’t have time to give you my usual motivational arse kicking. Instead, I’ll leave you to ponder this piece of wisdom from Mr Bill Bernbach;
“The creative person has harnessed his imagination. He has disciplined it so that every thought, every idea, every word he puts down, every line he draws, every light and shadow in every photograph he takes, makes more vivid, more believable, more persuasive the original theme or product advantage he has decided he must convey.”

WHIP | Tags: BERNBACH, WISDOM

The Monday Morning WHIP // 40

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Are you passionate enough about what you do? It’s a legitimate question y’all. It’s easy to sit in your room all day and design/write/photograph/animate/create whatever you want, but can you do it from nine to five, five days a week, for an entire year? Would you feel less passionate after doing it as a job? Or more? Consider what Stan (http://branddna NULL.blogspot NULL.com/) has to say and give it a good think. You’ll find living life and spending the majority of it working so much easier afterward.

One of the hardest things to come to terms with as a creative is understanding that what we do is a job.
Sure we might get to have fun at work. And wear t-shirts and jeans and turn up to the office a little later than office workers do, but none the less it is still a job.
This same maxim applies to sports people too.
Your average footballer may appear to live something of a charmed life, but playing football is their job. It is what they get payed to do. And if they don’t perform they will lose that job.
So how do you ensure you get past the day to day grind of the workplace? How do you accept the problems and struggles of work and push on to great heights?
One word – Passion.
I’ve used that word many times in my Monday morning ramble and for good reason. Without it you’re wasting your time.
So as you wipe the sleep from your eyes this Monday morning I’d like to leave you with this quote from Collingwood footballer Harry O’Brien:
“If you are not passionate about something, you are not going to be successful. I am passionate every time I pull on the team jumper.”

WHIP | Tags: FOOTBALL METAPHOR, PASSION, WHIP

The Interview Series // 18

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It’s a big interview. Very big interview. Can’t believe how big this interview is. Get it? We are mimicking that Cannes Lion winning ad for Carlton Draught, The Big Ad (http://www NULL.youtube NULL.com/watch?v=Mv5U0W8FDDk). Everyone knows it. But does everyone know who made it? We do! It’s Ant! Hello Ant! (http://www NULL.antkeogh NULL.com/) He’s made many more ads (http://www NULL.youtube NULL.com/watch?v=C03k3YScMHc) since then, possibly some (http://www NULL.youtube NULL.com/watch?v=0QsGcOnju-I) better (http://www NULL.youtube NULL.com/watch?v=_RqrdRqAr1Q) ones (http://www NULL.youtube NULL.com/watch?v=1xozDXxwvcw), but we’re the kind of dudes who like to hook in our readers with a popular reference to something well-known to get you all excited. Are you excited? You better be. We’ve used up our word-count trying to hype this interview. Wanna know some trivia? Ant was in Kenny (http://en NULL.wikipedia NULL.org/wiki/Kenny_(2006_film))! That crazy movie about the dude who cleans toilets. He also thought his folio was terrible when he started out. There’s more trivia than that, but we can’t fit…

Junior: The information super highway told us that you were a talented illustrator as a child. Apparently everyone expected you to study fine art or become an illustrator. WTF? How did you end up in advertising?

Ant: Yeah. I went to University (RMIT) wanting to be an illustrator. But even back then RMIT was pretty advertising-centric. The illustration side of things was a little rigid at the time so I think I lost a bit of interest in that. So at the final year show I had some ads on the wall and a judge said your headlines are funny, you should try advertising. Then I visited (designer) Mimmo Cozzilino (http://mimmocozzolino NULL.com NULL.au/) and I think he said a similar thing and sent me onto Bruce Baldwin at the Campaign Palace. But basically my folio was pretty terrible at that point, just an even mixture of ads, design and illustration because I’d barely even laid eyes on an award book and didn’t really know what was possible. Then I worked for a year designing a magazine while at the same time doing Copyschool. That’s where I really learnt a lot about ads and met some of the people I could go and bug to give me a job.

Jr: And look at you now! Mr. Creative Director at Clemenger BBDO in Melbourne. How did you break into the industry. What was the first agency you worked at?

A: At Copyschool I teamed up with another writer. We offered to do briefs on spec for Y&R and then they produced our stuff which went onto win an award or two. After the awards they ended up offering us a job but we’d already taken a job at a smaller agency. Arhh! We stuck with the small place.

Jr: You stuck at the small place?! Eek. How’d you go getting through those first years in the industry? We all have a little trouble. What was your experience?

A: Yeah the first year actually wasn’t as scary as you would expect because Copyschool (which, back then, ran for nine months) actually got us used to working under pressure. I guess the learning curve was about actually making the ads. And that tiny agency that employed us? A year later, they retrenched us and then went out of business. So hopefully that’s encouragement for anyone having a tough time. I was retrenched from my first job.

Jr: Getting retrenched happens to the best of us! What advice do you have to kids just landing jobs and starting their creative careers so they won’t get fired like you did? (Editors note: Joke! Smiley face.)

A: Heh. The best advice I heard was, “Get in somewhere and then make yourself invaluable.” You see it a lot in a business – there are certain people – it might be a traffic manager or a receptionist – you can tell the place would fall apart without. Those people usually get taken care of.

Jr: You’ve had the opportunity to work on some amazing brands in your career – Carlton Draft (http://www NULL.youtube NULL.com/watch?v=Mv5U0W8FDDk) springs to mind – it seems like everyone in this industry would kill for that kind of opportunity. How did you get to be in that position?

A: Well yeah it took a long time before I got to work on that, like ten years or so. I used to work on some accounts and think this just so isn’t suited to me. It’s funny because people now say, “Oh you get to work on beer. Beer is easy and fun.” Well, you know, Grant (Rutherford) and I made that opportunity. Carlton Ads weren’t like that when we started working on the account. Until a few years ago, beer ads in Australia were very serious affairs. More like Winfield ads. Get on youtube and have a look. (http://www NULL.youtube NULL.com/watch?v=kcoebOqFsTs) Most stuff I worked on wasn’t a great account beforehand. But I was lucky because I got to create a campaign from the ground up. By writing the “Made From Beer” idea we were able to create a space where we got to play in an area very close to our own sense of humour. That’s why I’ve stuck with it for so long. We also enjoyed doing Barry Dawson The Cougar (http://www NULL.youtube NULL.com/watch?v=K7zZbTC6UCA).

Jr: How do you stay inspired?

A: Look at other people’s genius stuff. Not ads so much. Good ads are few and far between but occasionally I get really excited by something, like the Skittles ads (http://www NULL.youtube NULL.com/watch?v=3yPaLq1EpQw) for example. When you first see them they kind of give you a giddy thrill.

Jr: Ah yes, this is a good segway. So you’ve built your career in advertising as a copywriter – yet you’re also a talented and recognised artist. At what stage did you decide to switch to the other side and become a writer?

A: Oh after a few years I started working on my own doing both writing and art. At that time I became interested in screenwriting. Also there weren’t many writers around and I felt it was a good way to be more in control of the idea. So next time I teamed up, it was with a Creative Director who was an Art Director (Darren Spiller at Mojo) so I became, by default, the writer. And from then on I was a “writer”. I went to Y&R then George Patts now to Clems. Except now I’m on my own again, back to doing both.

Jr: You’ve had a successful career in advertising, won many awards, and worked with talents. How does this compare to the success you’ve had as an artist?

A: Well I haven’t really had a great success in the art world yet although I would love to. But I certainly enjoy it. It’s pure and I tend to keep it away from my advertising. The trap in some respects is I had early success in advertising. And that tends to encourage you in that direction.

Jr: Every creative has a side-project. What are yours? We know you’ve got ‘em. We stalked you on Google.

A: Well I have my painting as I said (antkeogh.com (http://www NULL.antkeogh NULL.com/)) but I also have some feature screenplays on the go. I was in that film Kenny (http://www NULL.youtube NULL.com/watch?v=I0vE4ygyv6g). I’ve made some short films. For a long time I was in bands and had a little bit of stuff on the radio.

Jr: Yes! So many fingers and pies. That’s what Google told us. Do you find the creative processes similar?

A: Well, in a sense I probably get to use many of those other skills making ads. Any film medium is especially like that – words pictures, sound. For example I’ve used my musical skills to make Carlton Draught’s “Big Ad (http://www NULL.youtube NULL.com/watch?v=Mv5U0W8FDDk)”. The more knowledge you have the easier it will be. Computer skills are handy. I taught myself Flash and Dreamweaver although I’m a hack. To answer the question though, in advertising the creative process is highly conceptual and very tight. All about the “idea”. And people have to “get It”. In that respect, it’s great for teaching you how to think. What people call an idea in other disciplines often just wouldn’t cut it in an ad agency. I’ve heard a designer call something “a concept” which was actually just a typeface. With my own stuff I don’t try to be so conceptual and can be far more obscure.

Jr: How important is it do you think to have something else outside advertising?

A: It certainly is for me. If advertising is wearing me down, which it easily can because that particular creative process is often about rejection and is getting more and more bogged down with “process” such as research. It can take a long time to get something up. When that happens I can get creative fulfillment from other projects.

Jr: Thanks Ant. We owe you beers.

A: Cheers and good luck juniors.

ADVERTISING, THE INTERVIEW SERIES | Tags: ANT KEOGH, BIG AD, CARLTON DRAUGHT, FILM, JOB HUNTING, THE INTERVIEW SERIES, WRITING

The Monday Morning WHIP // 39

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When unrelated links form in your mind that offer no immediately perceived answer, you gotta ask questions (http://en NULL.wikipedia NULL.org/wiki/Question). There are many forms a question can take, ie: Rhetorical, Descriptive, Causal, Relational, Dichotomous, Nominal, Annoying, Frustrating and Off-Topic, just to name a few. Remember! There are no silly questions, only annoying ones. Always have a purpose that is selfless and constructive, otherwise those in the immediate area are allowed to whisper behind your back. In an aside, always be a courteous listener. No one likes annoying whisperers either. So if you see Stan (http://branddna NULL.blogspot NULL.com/) on the street, become smarter and ask him a million questions – just not annoying ones.

Big thank you to everyone who came along to the Junior Event last Wednesday. Great to see so many people scribbling away furiously in their notebooks (http://notemaker NULL.com NULL.au/collections/rhodia-boutique-collection-at-notemaker-australia) during my rambling talk.
Only one problem – No questions!
This may well be the fault of the Junior team, who had me drawing names out of a bucket before I could even catch my breath.
But…
If you make the effort to come along to hear someone give a talk, don’t be afraid to shout out a question at the end.
It’s about taking the initiative.
I always say to the people I work with not to invite me to meetings if they are in a hurry, because I always ask questions. And lots of them. That’s what creative people do.
QED – Question everything done.
So next time you attend a Junior Event, stick your hand up at the end and ask a question.
Because if there’s something you want to know, you’ll never know if you don’t ask.

WHIP |

Junior Event // 09

12-08-09/01
Remember when we said we had shit to give away? Well we weren’t jerking you around! Look at all those happy faces. All thanks to our friends at Rhodia and Notemaker (http://notemaker NULL.com NULL.au). Our resident whip-cracker, Stan, (http://branddna NULL.blogspot NULL.com) taught us a life-lesson or two. If you missed out, you can view his presentation sans the english narration here (http://www NULL.slideshare NULL.net/BrandDNA/staying-creative).

DRINKS | Tags: BRANDDNA, DRINKS, JUNIOR EVENT, NOTEMAKER, RHODIA, STAN LEE, SWEATSHOP

The Monday Morning WHIP // 38

WHIP38
Do you know what a good idea is? We hope so, for your own sake. Our good idea was asking Stan (http://branddna NULL.blogspot NULL.com) to write these Monday Morning Whips. Lucky for you we did. Otherwise you would have missed this week’s – where Stan tells us what goes into building the perfect folio.

How many pieces of work should you have in your portfolio?
This is a question that has most kids perplexed.
When I am asked this question, which I often am, my answer is always the same:
As many as you want. As long as they are all great ideas.
Sadly many people mistake quantity for quality when it comes to putting their folio together.
I really don’t care how many pieces you have, as long as each and every one of them is folio worthy.
And therein lies the problem.
Whenever I ask someone why they have a half-baked or uninspired idea in their folio they always seem to have an excuse.
Don’t make excuses for your work. Make it better.
A good folio, my young friends, is often defined not by the ideas it contains, but by the ideas that were left out.

Hey you lifeatthebottomers! See Stan speak this Wednesday at our JUNIOR EVENT. Don’t be shy. We don’t bite. Especially when we’ve had a few drinks. We’re also giving away plenty of goodies from our friends at Notemaker (http://www NULL.notemaker NULL.com NULL.au) and Rhodia (http://notemaker NULL.com NULL.au/collections/the-australian-online-shop-for-rhodia-stationery).

WHIP | Tags: FOLIO, JOBS, WHIP

The Monday Morning WHIP // 37

WHIP
Have you got a piece of paper from a University? We do. When you went to your first job interview, did you take it off your parent’s wall and cart it in with your book? No! Don’t be silly! They’re useless – a certificate to say, “I have a massive HECS debt, lived on centrelink paid for baked beans and drank lots of beer for three years.” Whoops, hope we didn’t steal Stan’s (http://branddna NULL.blogspot NULL.com) thunder. This week he’s gonna shake the shit out of you spoon-fed uni grads still whinging that life is hard. Suck it up and read on.

I’ve been asked to contribute in the development of a Postgraduate Diploma for advertising people.
The academics involved are interested in my opinion on the skills gaps that students encounter when they get their first job as a creative person.
Thing is, I don’t think a skills gap is the greatest problem that graduates face. I think the biggest problem for kids today is one of unrealistic expectations.
So to help you overcome this, I have compiled a list of the 3 things you should expect to encounter when pursuing a career as a junior creative.

• As a junior you should expect to struggle to get a job.
• You should expect to get paid a shitty salary.
• You should expect to get very few opportunities to showcase your talent.

After you come to terms with these expectations, only then can you can you work to overcome them. Because, as I have said many times before, a piece of paper from a university is just that – a piece of paper.
It is not a guarantee of big bucks and superstardom. Only passion, persistence and drive can help you achieve that.

See Stan (http://branddna NULL.blogspot NULL.com) our resident WHIP cracker in person at the next JUNIOR EVENT – Wednesday August 12. He won’t be talking about how to get a job, but how to still have one 10 years from now. It’s going to be rad.

WHIP | Tags: JOBS, SALARY, UNIVERSITY

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