DEAR JUNIOR – Junior - Celebrating life at the bottom

Jan 17, 12

Dear Junior Series // 07

Reinventing yourself in this business ain’t easy, let alone getting a foot in the ‘Planning Department’ door. But if there’s one thing we’ve learnt, it’s that where there’s a will, there’s a way. Remember Mark Pollard (http://www NULL.markpollard NULL.net)? He’s been a busy boy since we last spoke. Having departed from McCann Sydney to move to Saatchi & Saatchi New York – he has just started a new gig at Brooklyn agency Big Spaceship (http://www NULL.bigspaceship NULL.com/). And, he’s even managed to take a bit of time out to pen us a “How to get into planning” guide. So, if the grass seems vibrantly greener on the other side of the agency and you fancy yourself as a Planner, Creative, Producer, or whatever really, read this — there’s lessons for everyone.

So, you fumbled your way into an agency through a friend of the family, the front desk, an intern programme, or a job in account management or production, and you want to move into planning. Planning seems interesting (you get to learn and say smart stuff) and you’ll probably earn more as a planner, right? You’ll go to work in your planning outfit and project your important voice in meetings in-between awkward pauses that you deliberately make to keep the room off kilter. Maybe you’ll develop a hint of an English accent to really keep everyone guessing and in awe of your thinking. The world will take you more seriously and you might be able to upgrade your shitty television. Oh, and you won’t have to pay as much attention to deadlines and costs. Dream job.

I love planning. Well, I love the idea of planning – specifically, my idea of what planning is. In planning, you get to learn about people, business and ideas. You get to impact culture if you’re in the right agency with the right clients. You get to wrestle with problems and hopefully invent something. I believe strategy is ideas and I get an adrenaline rush out of ideas. So, I completely understand why you would want to move into planning. The catch is that making the move is hard: there aren’t a lot of planning jobs around (especially junior roles) and it can be a bit of a game to cross over.

I got my break in planning at Leo Burnett when Todd Sampson was head of planning. I was a digital producer elsewhere – back a few years ago, being a producer meant you did strategy, account management, project management, finances, functional scoping and user experience – but I was burnt out. I was working long hours doing a whole bunch of stuff, but I knew I only liked part of it. So, with my firstborn on the way, I quit my job and was fortunate enough to freelance as a digital producer at Leo Burnett thanks to Louise O’Donnell, Andrew Robertson and Nicole Still. It was, and still is, hard to find digital brains, so I felt I could maintain a freelance producer role for a while (come in, do the work and go home, right?).

At this time, I didn’t really know what planning was. Digital was so tangible – you drew up wire frames, had something made, watched what happened and improved it. I knew I liked working things out and I knew I liked what I thought strategy was. Fortunately, Mr Sampson gave me a shot as a bit of an experiment – take someone who’s grown up digital and help them develop planning skills. That is how I crossed over. And, having watched others cross over since, here are a few tips to help you hungry little planners-to-be make the transition.

The first and main point is that you need the planning director to want you. It’s like dating: if you’re too keen and available, you may seem too easy and not enough of a chase. You have to strike the balance between enthusiasm and desperation. If you read ‘Obliquity’ by John Kay, (http://www NULL.johnkay NULL.com/) the indirect way is most effective, so do everything you can to build a reputation that makes its way to the planning director ahead of your request.

Second, make the request. This can be difficult as some agencies are extremely hierarchical and perhaps your boss will flip out at you if you do. If you’re in an agency like this, try to move to a new one. Even though CEO’s will often say “we’re all the culture”, “we” really aren’t – a fish always rots from the head. Build relationships with the planning team. Ask to help with research, show initiative. Ask about books to read. Ask to do a planning course. Persist politely.

Third, ask for access to projects currently in the mix and put a one-page response together. If you follow the guts of this article, How to do account planning (http://www NULL.markpollard NULL.net/how-to-do-account-planning-a-simple-approach/), I’m sure you’ll put a dent in some good thinking.

Fourth, get a new job. It’s very hard to reinvent yourself in agencies. I’ve seen it time and time again. People get looked over for certain roles or pigeon-holed with certain tasks only to leave the agency and do brilliantly elsewhere. At the very least, a new job offer may get your current agency to re-consider you. However, from what I’ve read, the counter-offer situation rarely lasts long anyway – the employee tends to leave within the following year.

Five, build your external profile with interesting projects. If your agency has a lot of brands that sell to mums, set up a blog about mums and their online behaviour or do a study of the trends in ads aimed at mums from the past decade. Find an angle, build it and promote it and use it as proof of your dedication.

Six, time it. In change management the experts talk about a ‘critical state’ needing to happen before change happens, and, in planning departments, someone resigning could be your critical state.

Things that may turn planning directors off include: being aggressive and angry, talking about yourself and your desire to become a planner while showing no actual initiative, email nagging, saying blatantly dumb things (weird, unusual, unexpected are all good) and acting like a know-it-all (that can come later). Most will look for a period of effort and consistent contribution. Planning directors want smart people in their teams – but they also want people who fit their personal style, their clients, their projects and add a slightly different twist to the team.

Good luck.

Also posted in ADVERTISING, PLANNING | Tags: BIG SPACESHIP, MARK POLLARD, PLANNING

Mar 09, 11

Dear Junior Series // 06

As a junior it’s easy to get pigeon-holed, stuck working in catalogue-land, ramming product into every millimetre of white space. One of our readers wanted to know how they could break the cycle of their daily humdrum. So we got in touch with previous interviewee Eric Quennoy, ECD at W+K Amsterdam, and asked him.

Junior: Eric! We heard you started out doing Myer catalogues – how did you move up and out? What advice do you have for creatives who aspire to do much, much more than just your average junk mail?

Eric Quennoy: Yep, it’s true, I started my life as a copywriter writing Myer catalogues. And to be honest, at the time, I was just so happy to be writing for a living. It got me into the discipline of sitting at my desk and tapping away at my keyboard and, even more importantly, finding my voice.

Of course, it didn’t take long before I got completely bored with it and saw the greater opportunities that existed beyond. I was lucky that there were countless other briefs always floating around, so I continued to hassle my Creative Director to let me have a crack at those. I think it was a radio ad for a Myer Bedding Sale I wrote that opened the floodgates for me.

I guess if you truly want to get out of the catalogue cycle, it’s up to the creative to make it happen. Find the people that are doing the stuff you want to be doing, and see how you can help out. Don’t be afraid to hassle. Any decent CD will be happy to have more heads working on a brief. At the same time, you should also be constantly working on your book, coming up with fresh ideas for the clients you have or clients you’d love to work on.

And finally, mini-golf at lunchtime. That really helped me to get through a few ultra tedious ‘Back to School’ catalogues.

Tags: Eric Quennoy

Jan 27, 10

Dear Junior Series // 05

Dear Junior: an attempt to ask industry leaders the pressing questions that us, the quarrelous and unfriendly youth of today, are interested to find answers to. In our fifth installment, we’re talking Women in Advertising. Rather than write an intro ourselves full of the male bravado you’ve come to know and love, we hired an intern to do the job for us. Here’s Crystal with her very best intro.

Chaka Khan once sang, “I’m a woman in a man’s world”. She was chanting about the wonderful world of showbiz but it’s fair to say the wonderful world of advertising is only the far less glamorous sister. It’s a sausage-fest no matter where you go! And being part of that can be fairly difficult when you’re sausageless. As if the industry’s not tough enough. That’s why we asked our good ol’ female buddy, Mel Peters, digital creative director at Lowe Sydney (http://lowesydney NULL.com), to give us her best advice on being a lady in a man’s world.

And girls, or boys for that matter, if you want to pick her brain some more, reach her at mel.peters@loweworldwide.com (mel NULL.peters null@null loweworldwide NULL.com). No spammy spam please.

Junior: Do you personally find it tough to be a woman in this industry?

Mel: No I love it! It’s all about standing out with great ideas and that’s something I’m passionate about. A lot of people have been comfortable with male creatives because that’s what they’re used too. However, good ideas will always cut through no matter who you are.

Jr: Has there been a particular incident where you know your gender has worked against you? What about for you?

M: It’s how you look at things. For example, working on car accounts, I was the only female creative on the team. In this situation I always added a valuable and different perspective to briefs. I was able to approach the brand with really powerful insights that led to award winning creative. Taking the car ‘beyond the metal’ was a big part of creating innovative campaigns that engaged and empowered their audience. Female creatives can do amazing work on even the most ‘blokiest’ of briefs. There really is no boundary to what you can work on.

Jr: Why do you think it’s more difficult for women?

M: I think there has been a limited number of role-models and Senior Female Creatives in the industry and for young female creatives on the rise, this can be daunting. I’ve worked with strong female Creatives like Fiona Davidson and Paula Keamy who are both fantastic role-models. It is important to find these role models and seek advice along the way. Women have a great opportunity to lead in senior creative roles today and I see more and more talented young women choosing ‘creative’ as a positive career path.

Jr: Is there any other advice you have for women in or wanting to get into the industry?

M: Understanding your audience is key, and women are the primary purchase decision-maker for many brands in Australia. Female buying power hasn’t fully been tapped into in Australia, and there is a great opportunity for female creatives to lead this. Women are also powerful communicators, and as we continue to move into the digital world with influence marketing and social networking changing our traditional communication habits, women in the industry will bring great insight and creative ideas to the table. Ultimately though, it’s all about great thinking and powerful ideas.

And just cause she can, here’s Mel’s tips to success:

01- Believe in your ideas. Gain confidence in your thinking by exploring your ideas thoroughly before you talk to others around you.

02- Present, present, present your work. This is so important. Grab as many opportunities as you can to showcase your ideas yourself and get in front of clients, as often as you can.

03- Look for female mentors, if not in your agency, outside it. Some may have blogs or twitter feeds that will give you insight and spur you on. You can follow me here (http://twitter NULL.com/its_mel).

04- Hit the streets and do your own market research. Get to know your audience inside and out and become an expert in the briefs you get. If your agency celebrates big ideas based on powerful insights, you will shine.

05- Don’t be afraid to think of yourself as a brand and sell yourself. Getting your voice and point of view out there is a great place to start. I see many juniors who have put their folio online and started a blog. It’s a great way to make sure you are heard and noticed.

06- Have fun and enjoy what you do. If you love it, everyone will know.

Also posted in ADVERTISING | Tags: ADVERTISING, DEAR JUNIOR, SUCCESS

May 20, 09

Dear Junior Series // 04

steph

For some, finding a job can be as difficult as drinking a pie through a straw. It smells good but no matter how hard you suck, you never quite get to taste the meaty broth. You suck and suck until a piece of corn gets stuck halfway and you have to get a new straw and try again. For others, job-hunting is as easy as eating a pie with your hands. The difference was that person number two knew that eating a pie with a straw is for retards who don’t know how to eat. Steph Loupelis had hardly finished uni and she was already gobbling down a big, juicy cherry pie with both hands, landing herself a job at MTV. Clearly this was someone who knew how to eat a pie/get a job. We asked her a couple of questions about landing a job at MTV, and not about eating pies.

Junior: So you work at MTV? We’re pretty sure there’d be kids camping out to get a job like that. How did it come about?

Steph: By chance actually! I was working at my mum’s restaurant and got chatting to a lady whose daughter worked at MTV in Melbourne (at the time there was only two people working at MTV Melbourne. So it was definitely a fateful soy latte!). I told her I was about to graduate from Professional Communication at RMIT, and had no idea what I was going to do with myself. I had majored in PR, but had been so busy working two jobs throughout uni to pay my rent, I had no time to do an internship or work placement - which apparently put me well behind other graduates (looking back I realize this is total BS). She suggested I call her daughter to have a chat about career options for inspiration, which I did.

When I called, I found out that they were actually looking for an entry level sales coordinator at MTV Melbourne and would I be interested in applying? Hell yes. Even though I had no “experience”, they were after someone with a solid degree, knowledge of the media industry, and a good personality fit for MTV.

About three months after our initial conversation I was offered the position and the rest is history!

Jr: Wow-ee! Definitely a fateful soy latte. So what does a normal day at the office involve for you?

S: It’s crazy! After two years as a sales coordinator, I’ve recently become an account manager and look after some major media agencies in Victoria. This definitely keeps me busy until all hours. The day involves meetings with agencies and clients to discuss briefs, communication with our internal departments to ensure the best response on these briefs, the management and servicing of campaigns and then the post analysis. Then there’s the organization of events, entertainment, parties… The list goes on.

At the risk of sounding like a total loser, it really is one of the coolest jobs in media! You work incredibly hard, but you get to play hard when you’re done.

I’ve taken clients to the last three MTV Australia Awards (and of course their famous after parties) in Sydney, plus concerts, parties and countless super cool MTV events in both Sydney and Melbourne.

Just last week I went up to Sydney on a Wednesday afternoon to take some clients to a taping of MTV’s local music show The Lair, and watched De La Soul perform in front of an intimate crowd of Jager-shotting celebs, partied into the wee hours and then was back at my desk in Melbourne at 9am… I love my job.

Jr: We certainly would too if we was you. OK, so this line intrigues us, “I had no time to do internships/work placements etc which apparently put me well behind other graduates (looking back I realize this is total BS).” Why didn’t an internship or work placement put you behind in the job-hunting challenge?

S: I guess what I meant here is that I loved studying public relations, but throughout uni was constantly being told that if I wanted a decent job in PR after graduating, I’d need to do internships/unpaid work placements to get a foot in the door. When you have real life bills to pay, this is not always an option! After leaving uni and entering the industry, I realised that a lot of the time it’s more about personality and work ethic, and the experience comes naturally through learning on the job.

Jr: If you had any advice for graduates looking to get in anywhere, what do you suggest is the best way to go about it?

S: I think it’s so so important to take a step back after graduating, and figure out your priorities after removing yourself from the whirlwind that is the final semester of final year! It can be such a stressful time, and there can be a lot of competition and pressure to deal with.

My advice would be to have a think about brands/companies that mean something to you. Brands that somehow speak to you in a way that you appreciate and support. I always had in my head that I wanted to work somewhere cool like MTV, but had no idea they even had an office in Melbourne! A little google-ing can go a long way, and this is where a bit of research and brand knowledge will definitely help you in situations where you’re being considered for jobs. This way, if you bump into someone in the street or get chatting to someone at a café, you have the confidence and background knowledge to set yourself apart from everyone else. And you’d be surprised how often you’re asked about what brands embody “you” in job interviews. It’s a really good way for potential employers to gain valuable insight into both your personality, and what kind of industry/brand knowledge you have.

Basically, be yourself and try not to get disheartened when your ‘career’ isn’t progressing as you had planned in your head. The most important thing is to be confident and passionate about who you are and what you do, and the rest will all just fall into place.

Also posted in TELEVISION | Tags: DEAR JUNIOR, JOB HUNTING, MTV, PUBLIC RELATIONS, TELEVISION

Feb 26, 09

The Dear Junior Series // 03

simon

Getting a job. For some people it’s the most exciting thing in the world. The thrill of the chase! Picking your favourite studio, agency, magazine, firm, whatever of your choice and banging down their door until they give you a desk and some pens. For others, its a scary, dangerous and intimidating journey. The interviews, the phone calls, the waiting, the pain! Well, we hear you friends. So we’ve asked someone who actually does the hiring for a little bit of inside info on what to say. That someone is Simon Hakim, the Managing Director and all-round forward thinking guy at The Surgery (http://www NULL.thesurgery NULL.com NULL.au).

Junior: There are many juniors out in the world desperately trying to get a job right now, but having no luck. From the many years of hiring people, especially juniors, what advice do you have to help them finally land a job?

Simon: Basically, people should approach a prospective job and its company with some kind of plan.

I’ve been to lots of meetings of late with young and senior folk wanting a job in advertising and/or with The Surgery. After all the coffee, beer and talking, there seems to be one inherent theme that constantly worries me.

Yes we know you want a job.
Yes we know you want a job in advertising as a suit, creative, public relations person or as a digital person.
Yes we know you are qualified, have experience and think you’d be perfect for a role with The Surgery.
Yes we know you’ve done this before. Or haven’t done this before but think you’d be good at it.

But by the sounds of it all, you just want a job. You don’t really know why, other than you’d be good at whatever it is you are applying for. You just really want to work there or you kinda just need the money.

I won’t employ someone who doesn’t really know what they want or can offer me or my clients.

I want someone saying:

“You guys could soon be the hottest creative agency, but your work can be improved, and I’ll show you how to get there” or;

“I want to be creative director in five years time” or;

“Here are three ideas for three clients you have and this is why I think it would work and what the benefit to them would be. When can we present?”

Be proactive. Understand what you want and where you are going. Have a plan. Be creative and come up with ideas that benefit the agency or their clients. Give them a reason to employ you.

Also posted in ADVERTISING | Tags: COMMITMENT, DEAR JUNIOR, HUNGER, JOB HUNTING, RECESSION, SUCCESS

Feb 11, 09

Dear Junior Series // 02

mail

Animators! They’re a crazy bunch. Sittin’ by their computers all day manipulating dimensions and shit. What a life. Bah! If you can get it that is. Well that’s exactly what our friend Cam Gough (http://dirtypuppet NULL.com/) did. He left his secure job at a studio to pursue his dream of working for himself. At only 25. What a legend. So this week, we ask Cam why the hell you would take the plunge, and ask for some tips for when (or if) we do.

Junior: Everyone wants to quit their job and work for themselves, no matter if they’re into photography, film, animation, design, writing… Hell, whatever. What’s your story? Why did you do it and was the transition as smooth as you would have liked?

Cam: I was reasonably satisfied with the job that I had, but I was craving more. I had always taken on freelance and independent projects outside of work hours, but found myself enjoying freelance a whole lot more than my daytime work. After gaining enough experience in a studio, and with my roster of freelance work slowly expanding, I felt that I was at the stage where the jobs that were once just small side projects could fuel a career in themselves. I knew there would be a market for what I do.

When working as part of a Animation Production team, you often have a task, or certain tasks to complete, and your work is then passed onto the next person who has their role and so on. I felt that the working process was sometimes a little convoluted, and managing the pipeline became too much of a task in itself, and like most people in the creative industry, I had a desire to work on the most creative and satisfying work possible. So it was time to move on.

I had two options, attempt to move on to a different creative studio, or start my own. I figured that if I tried to start my own, as long as there were low start-up costs involved, worst case scenario was that I would be exactly where I was anyway – with a folio and experience, looking for work at a different studio – so why not give it a shot. I had confidence that the quality of work I could produce and facilitate had a place in the industry and the strong passion for what I do would make working hard at it, well, easy.

It’s been just over a year now, and I can’t really imagine working for someone else. Things kind of fell into my lap one after another with the few contacts I had made, but the most fortunate thing was probably having other friends in the industry who were in a similar place. They were great to bounce ideas off, gave me advice on working for myself, shared studio space and pushed me creatively. I think I’ve been pretty lucky in how smooth the transition has been and I’m very appreciative of it.

Jr: Can you give us ten key points to consider before any one of us was to quit our job and go it on our own?

C: Here we go…

01 – Love your work, be passionate about it, don’t turn your passion into a ‘job’
02 – Constantly push yourself, there are lots of people trying to do what you want to do
03 – Don’t ever burn your bridges, contacts are everything
04 – Have a backup plan
05 – Only promote the sort of work you want to attract
06 – Don’t sacrifice quality of your work regardless how big or small the job
07 – Quality work should always shine through in the end, the right people will recognize it
08 – Find a good balance between jobs that are good for your reel and jobs that are good for money
09 – Don’t over commit to a job that you may not be able to do
10 – Don’t sell yourself short

Have a look at Cam (http://dirtypuppet NULL.com/)‘s reel below. It’s reely amazing. Shit. Did we just say that? Losers.

Also posted in ANIMATION | Tags: ANIMATION, DEAR JUNIOR, FREELANCE, STUDIO, TIPS

Feb 04, 09

Dear Junior Series // 01

todd

New Series! Woooo! We’re calling it ‘Dear Junior’. It’s where we ask a prominent industry senior the questions of our audience. In this our very first, we’re kicking proceedings off by asking the burning question every junior wants answered – what will this recession mean for us? You may have seen him on the ABC’s Gruen Transfer (http://www NULL.abc NULL.net NULL.au/tv/gruentransfer/), and when he’s not talking shop with Wil Anderson (http://www NULL.wilanderson NULL.com NULL.au), he’s busy being the CEO of Leo Burnett (http://www NULL.leoburnett NULL.com/), Sydney. Thankfully, Todd Sampson sets us straight on doom, gloom and when to have children.

Junior: As Gen-Y juniors, we’re yet to experience any kind of recession. With this one set to be one of the worst, what can juniors looking for jobs expect? Is it all doom and gloom?

Todd: ‘Junior’ is an odd term because it is not necessarily related to time in the industry or your age. Some of our youngest and least experienced people have created our best ideas. It is certainly not a time of doom and gloom – in fact for the creative industries it can be just the opposite. Now more than ever there is a need for smarter thinking and creativity in business – it may now really be the last way to get a competitive advantage. Will it be harder for young people entering the industry? Yes, but good people are always in demand. In fact, they are particularly in demand in this market because they are the ones that will help pull us out of our issues.

Jr: What about those with jobs already?

T: They should continue to make themselves indispensable through work ethic and ideas. One of the advantages of being at the lower end of the salary scale is that you are generally not the first to be considered for retrenchments. If a company is being forced to reduce the costs in the salary line they will look at the top level first because they can save more money by losing less people – this ultimately means less disruption to the business. Hardworking, dedicated and smart young creatives are the heart of our business.

Jr:How can they keep their job, or if they’re getting itchy feet, is it a bad time to move on or up?

T: If you are good and have options then go for it. If you feel you are not being appreciated and you are not developing well enough then maybe it is time to move. Leaving without a job in this market is stupid, leaving with one is still risky. One of the biggest challenges in managing Gen-Y is this inherent sense of entitlement and the lack of desire to earn their way. This recession will be a good thing for this generation because it will not only give them a very low interest rate (3%) it may also force them to settle down and earn their way. While experience is not a predictor of success in this business – it is still important.

Some final advice from Todd:

I am not big on dishing out advice, but for what it is worth here are some thoughts:

Build a brilliant book with diverse ideas across all channels, focus on digital, be easy to work with, understand how businesses work, get a great mentor, learn from those above you and your mistakes, maintain work life balance, slow down, PR yourself and your work, learn to present brilliantly, focus on the opportunity not the money, don’t move around a lot and have children early. Good luck.

If you have a burning question you want answered, send us a witty and interesting email to wtf@lifeatthebottom.com (wtf@lifeatthebottom.com).

Also posted in ADVERTISING, WRITING | Tags: BUSINESS, GLOOM, JOB HUNTING, RECESSION, TODD SAMPSON

home //
wtf? //

drinks //

junior-jobs //
interviews // whips //