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Tag Archives: WHIP

The Monday Morning WHIP // 57

Hey everybody! We’ve got ourselves organised for 2010. This year is gonna be great! Stan (http://branddna NULL.blogspot NULL.com/)‘s back with more weekly whip’s, we’ll be posting a new interview every week, and we’ve got a handful of new columns to surface over the next month. But enough of that hoo-hah–listen to Stan! Get to work! Do stuff!

I thought I’d kick start the year with a little tale about how getting off your arse and simply creating stuff on a regular basis can help get you a foot in the door of whatever creative industry you aspire to be a part of.

About 18 months ago I was at a brekky gathering in Sydney, where I met Annik Skelton (http://annikskelton NULL.com/). At the time she was doing some mundane job that she thought would involve creativity but didn’t.

Like many of the people I meet nowadays we hooked up on Twitter.

Over the course of last year she has kept me, and I’m sure many others, entertained with her surreal Twitterisms (http://twitter NULL.com/neekatron) and seriously off the wall blog posts. The girl can write, no doubt about it.

Seems I wasn’t the only person who noticed, because late last year she was hired by new Sydney agency Tongue (http://www NULL.campaignbrief NULL.com/2009/12/tongue-lashes-out-on-hiring-an NULL.html).

In the agency press release about the appointment they described Annik as, “a well-known Twitter personality, notorious for her tongue-in-cheek commentary and unique methods of story-telling.”

So there you go kids. Next time I tell you to just go off and create something, do it. Because the more stuff you put out there, the better chance you have of getting to wherever it is you want to go.

WHIP | Also tagged ADVERTISING, COMMITMENT, HUNGER, JOB HUNTING, JOBS

Tag Archives: WHIP

The Monday Morning WHIP // 56

whip 56
Holidays are almost here! And that means no more Monday mid-morning whippings from Stan (http://branddna NULL.blogspot NULL.com)! For a little while anyway. But remember kids, just because he isn’t posting, doesn’t mean you can’t be doing. This week Stan’s got three words that could change your summer – hell your 2010, if you let them.

Just Do It. I’m sure you know which brand those three little words belong to. As a tagline it is one of the best. As a way of live, it cannot be bettered.

Many of us, myself included, have moments of self doubt. We may be reluctant to commit, hesitant to act and probably spend way to much time wondering what if.

Which is fine if the only person depending on you is you.

But imagine if every decision you made impacted on a group of people. And imagine if the actions of that group of people impacted on thousands of people, maybe more.

Now you’re imagining life as a member of the SAS. An elite group of soldiers whose job it is to do the jobs that others cannot. They put their life on the line each and every time they go to work.

Their motto – Who Dares Wins.

With the holiday season almost upon us, I want you to grab a big fat Sharpie pen and scrawl the motto of the SAS on as big a piece of paper as you can find. Then I want you to stick it on the wall above your bed.

Then every night over summer, while you’re lying there thinking about what you should have done, you will have a constant reminder that lying there thinking about what you should of done just won’t cut it.

WHIP | Also tagged INSPIRATION, SAS, SUMMER

Tag Archives: WHIP

The Monday Morning WHIP // 54

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Most advice we juniors receive these days is so predictable. It’s always the same old cliches spoken by the same old people who have nothing better to tell us than, ‘Be your best’, ‘Believe in yourself’, ‘Think big’, or, ‘Never give up’ — Goodness me! That guff helps no one. Lucky for you Stan (http://branddna NULL.blogspot NULL.com/) doesn’t think that way. His advice is always practical. ‘Make phonecalls‘, ‘Have realistic expectations‘, ‘Don’t expect lots of money‘, and now some advice you’ll likely need — ‘Take the job’.

A young art director came to see me for some advice last week. After many months of job hunting and folio showings, she had been offered a position at a small agency.

Thing is, she wasn’t completely sure that she should take the job.

I asked her the name of the creative director and, as I expected, it was someone I had never heard of.

Next I asked her whether or not she had hit it off with the creative director and she said she had. She then went on to say how he had been very encouraging of her and her work.

So I asked her why she had come to see me. Turns out she wanted my advice on whether or not she should take the job.

This is quite common amongst aspiring creatives. As you can imagine, most kids want to work at big name agencies and hot shops. Can’t blame them for that.

But the reality is that creative opportunities are few and far between. So if you get offered a job at a shitty little agency no one has ever heard of, my advice is to take it.

Just don’t stay there too long.

Treat it as an apprenticeship. Use it to build your craft skills. And make good use of studio equipment to build a folio good enough to get you a job at a better agency.

Because you’ll learn a lot more actually working than you ever will sitting at home fine tuning your folio.

ADVERTISING, WHIP | Also tagged JOB HUNTING, JOB INTERVIEW, WORK

Tag Archives: WHIP

The Monday Morning WHIP // 52

That’s right everyone. Keep working. Don’t stop. We’re with you all the way. No matter who says your work is shit, off-brief, derivative, uncool, forced, uninteresting, lofty, idealistic, beige, untrue, wallpaper, too long, too short, too big, not big enough, square, round, pointy, or plain. We don’t care. Just keep doing your thing. And listen to everything Stan (http://branddna NULL.blogspot NULL.com/) says…

Apparently I’ve been churning out these Monday Whips for over a year now. If you were there for the first one, and still haven’t landed a full-time creative gig, don’t panic.

As I wrote sometime ago, landing a job where you get to use your creativity for a living isn’t easy. But then you probably already know that by now.

So I’ll reiterate what I say to every young hopeful that comes to show me their folio:

If being a creative is what you want to do, what you really want to do, then you will eventually become one.

You must however steel yourself for what could be a long and frustrating ride.

People will criticise your work. They will question your ability. You will often wonder yourself whether or not you’ve got what it takes.

Hang in there, is all I can say.

Stay focused. Stay passionate. Stay hungry.

Because sooner or later you will happen to find yourself in the right place at exactly the right time.

Until then, keep working on your folio. Working until it is the best damn folio anyone has ever seen. Ever.

ADVERTISING, WHIP | Also tagged FOCUS, FOLIO, HUNGER, INSPIRATION, KEEP WORKING, PASSION

Tag Archives: WHIP

The Monday Morning WHIP // 50

It’s been an entire year since we launched Junior. We’ve had a rad time doing it and have met some incredible people along the way. So seeing as it’s our one-year anniversary, we thought it fitting to re-post Stan (http://branddna NULL.blogspot NULL.com/)‘s very first Monday Morning WHIP. It’s also a good reminder to re-look at all of them, because they’re just as pertinent as ever. Especially this one, which is about being persistent, staying patient, remembering to live your life, and to learn as you go. Because as the famous saying goes, “Quitters never win, and winners never quit.” Remember, Stan doesn’t do this for anyone but you. So if you like getting these inspiring snippets from Stan’s mind every week, let him know how much you appreciate it and send him and email to wtf@lifeatthebottom.com (wtf null@null lifeatthebottom NULL.com). We’ll pass it on.

Making the transition from aspiring creative to working creative isn’t easy. Never has been. Never will be.

It takes a combination of four things; talent, work, persistence and luck. Yes luck.

Talent is a given. If you haven’t got any, there’s not much chance you’ll ever crack a gig. So if you don’t have talent buy yourself a suit and go work as one.

Getting a creative gig takes work. A lot of work.

Don’t think that because you’ve got a degree you’re guaranteed a job. You’re not.

It takes work. A lot of work. That’s where persistence comes in.

If being a creative is what you want to be, what you really want to be, then you’ll get a job. Eventually.

But getting that job takes persistence.

It might take you a month. It might take you three months. It may even take you a year.

In essence, it takes as long as it takes.

I’m temped to tell you not to despair, but I know you will. I did!

But if being a creative is what you want to be, what you really want to be, you have to keep on keeping on. No matter how long it takes you.

Because sooner or later you’ll be in the right place at the right time to land a job.

It may not be your dream job. It may not be at the place you always saw yourself working. But your first job is a result of talent, work, persistence and luck. A lot of luck.

WHIP | Also tagged COMMITMENT, LUCK, ONE YEAR OLD, PATIENCE, PERSISTANCE, STAN

Tag Archives: WHIP

The Monday Morning WHIP // 49

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There once was a time in the history of modern advertising, when mad men were actually mad, and the industry produced characters larger than life. People like Charles Saatchi (http://en NULL.wikipedia NULL.org/wiki/Charles_Saatchi), Ed McCabe (http://en NULL.wikipedia NULL.org/wiki/Ed_McCabe), Bill Bernbach (http://en NULL.wikipedia NULL.org/wiki/William_Bernbach), and George Lois (http://en NULL.wikipedia NULL.org/wiki/George_Lois), who in particular once said, “I know what the fuck I know, and you know what the hell you know, and I’ll tell you what I think, and you tell me to fuck off.” Stan (http://branddna NULL.blogspot NULL.com/) knows the things that made these characters larger than life can make you successful too. You just have to find heroes worth following.

On Sunday I went to see The Damned United (http://www NULL.youtube NULL.com/watch?v=LYzsswqPk6s). It’s a film about one of the most charismatic men in English football, the late Brian Clough (http://en NULL.wikipedia NULL.org/wiki/Brian_Clough).

The only person I can compare him to is Don Draper from the TV show Mad Men.

Like Draper, Clough did not tolerate fools very well. What made him successful was a combination of his love of the game and sheer bloody mindedness.

These are characteristics you need to have too.

Of course you can have a career without them, but you’re going to need them if you want to get to the top.

Clough took a lowly team to the pinnacle of English football. And he did it his way. He broke rules, he ignored advice and he did whatever club management told him not to.

At the peak of his success he left and took on a new job at a bigger club. 44 days later he was sacked.

Did he let this stop him? Of course not!

Clough loved the game. And he believed in himself. That is an unbeatable combination.

If you have that combination, you too will succeed. But you need to steel yourself in order to succeed. Because the road to the top is tough. But it’s definitely a road worth travelling.

WHIP | Also tagged BRIAN CLOUGH, COMMITMENT, FOOTBALL METAPHOR, HUNGER, INSPIRATION, MADMEN, SUCCESS

Tag Archives: WHIP

The Monday Morning WHIP // 48

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There once was a particular member of the Junior team living in the global metropolis of New York City. He waltzed from agency to agency with a book under his arm, from Lexington Ave to Greenwich Village and everywhere in-between. His folio was passable and filled with wit, but really he hoped his charm and good looks would be the true deal-breaker. Meeting after meeting was quick and productive, but there was something missing. “You need more digital,” they would say, and of course he nodded and smiled. Then he met a writer from Crispin Porter & Bogusky, a young Australian chap, who told him over coffee in Greenpoint, “Every brief I get is digital.” So you see friends, the moral of the story is, as Stan (http://branddna NULL.blogspot NULL.com/) will attest, suck it in and fill your book with digital. No one cares about your fucking print or TV bullshit anymore.

According to figures released last week, online advertising spend has surpassed TV in the UK. And yet so many creatives think that writing TV ads is their ticket to success.

The rise of online has impacted a lot more than just TV advertising. In the UK this year spending on outdoor is down by 22% and press by 16%.

The numbers don’t lie. Perhaps you should consider them next time you’re working on your folio.

ADVERTISING | Also tagged ADVERTISING, DIGITAL, NYC, TV< PRINT, UK

Tag Archives: WHIP

The Monday Morning WHIP // 46

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As a human being it is easy to make excuses. No matter what your age, skill, or ability to talk about what you want to do. It is not a weakness confined to creatives alone, so don’t think of it that way. Think of it as a human challenge. A challenge you can begin right now. The first step, as Stan (http://branddna NULL.blogspot NULL.com/) knows too well, is preventative. Excuses disappear when you become hungry. Hungry for life, hungry for everything, always.

To make it as a creative you need to be permanently hungry.
Hungry to build a great folio.
Hungry enough to throw that folio away and start working on a better one.
So hungry that you’ll work for free – not that I’d recommend it.
Hungry for success. Hungry to create. Hungry to do something amazing.
Hungry enough to push through the pain barrier.
So damn hungry you’ll continue pushing even after you’ve broken through that barrier.
If you’re not that hungry, go and get a job as an accountant. (http://www NULL.hrblock NULL.com NULL.au/cgi-bin/articles/custom NULL.pl/nodeid:75/pages/Employment NULL.html)

WHIP | Also tagged FOLIO

Tag Archives: WHIP

The Monday Morning WHIP // 44

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Is this job cool enough? Will I be proud when I tell others its name? Are the people who work here good teachers or idiots? Is the boy/girl at reception handsome/cute? Will I get to work on the good stuff or will I just make coffee? Will I meet famous people? Will I be at work until 12am? Is there a good cafe nearby? Will this help me to get a better job later on? Will this job ruin my career? Am I getting underpaid? Is it open plan or a cubicle cave? Can we have beers in the office on a Friday? Is it the next big thing? Will I find a mentor here? Will someone please give me the answer? Stan (http://branddna NULL.blogspot NULL.com/)? Is it the one?

I went to see (500) Days of Summer last week (http://www NULL.imdb NULL.com/title/tt1022603/). As a connoisseur of the chick flick, I wholeheartedly recommend this film to you.
Its basic premise is a young man, smitten by an enchanting young lady called Summer, who he firmly believes is ‘The One”.
Whether or not she is, you’ll need to see the movie to find out. The search for “The One” however, applies to a lot more than just looking for love.
Most of you reading this are also searching for “The One”.
It might be a job as an art director at M&C Saatchi (http://www NULL.mcsaatchi NULL.com/). You may want to be a part of the Glue Society (http://www NULL.gluesociety NULL.com NULL.au/). And some of you I’m sure dream of getting involved with Droga (http://www NULL.droga5 NULL.com).
Sadly in life, as in love, you need to go through your fair share of up and downs before arriving at your goal.
But the reality is that many of you may not make it there.
Like the young guy in the film, you need to understand that “The One” may in fact be an unattainable dream. And that you need to live in the here and now.
A foot in the door is a foot in the door. No matter where or what it is.
Writing catalogue copy at some shitty little shop no-one’s ever heard of is way better than hawking a folio around waiting for Droga to call.
Why?
Because you’re working on real briefs. And every brief you work on is a chance to create.
And every chance to create is an opportunity to do something that has never been done before. And guess what – you don’t need to work at some big name place to do that.

WHIP | Also tagged JOBS, THE ONE

Tag Archives: WHIP

The Monday Morning WHIP // 42

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How lame is the internet? Yeah, totes lameski, we know. It makes us lazy. So lazy in fact that we don’t go to libraries anymore. Googler and Wikipediac are the modern resources of choice. To stand out these days, we gotta get old fashioned. So this week, Stan (http://branddna NULL.blogspot NULL.com) reminds us of the best old fashioned advice: Make phone calls.

As a junior the best way to get your folio in front of potential employers is to ring up and make a time to go and see them.
This isn’t always easy to do. In fact it can sometimes seem impossible. But take it from me, it is the only way to go.
If they tell you a person is too busy to see you, and that you should leave your folio at reception, don’t. If they tell you to send an email with some PDFs of your work, don’t.
A face to face meeting is the only way to go.
Why?
Because it allows you talk about your work and the thinking behind it. An email can’t do this.
When you meet someone in person it enables them to get a feel for you and your personality. This is important, as it’s the person who gets the job, not their work.
Finally, if you go into an agency you have an opportunity to ask questions. This is a great way to make an impression. And a good impression will always lead to bigger things.

ADVERTISING, WHIP | Also tagged ADVERTISING, FOLIO, JOB HUNTING, JOB INTERVIEW, JOBS

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The Monday Morning WHIP // 57

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The Monday Morning WHIP // 56

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The Monday Morning WHIP // 54

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The Monday Morning WHIP // 52

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The Monday Morning WHIP // 50

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The Monday Morning WHIP // 49

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The Monday Morning WHIP // 48

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The Monday Morning WHIP // 46

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The Monday Morning WHIP // 44

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The Monday Morning WHIP // 42

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