Wyld Creativity: My First Advertising Interview

Friday, June 18, 2010

My First Advertising Interview

Well I finally feel okay about it all.

I had my first job interview with one of the most incredible agencies in the world. They are called Publicis. Check out their cool commercials: http://www.publicis.ca/
I didn’t get a job out of it,so don't get too excited! But here is what happend:

I met with the Creative Director and they don’t have any positions available right now. That doesn’t really matter though because just the fact that I got to sit across from this accomplished creative director who has been at Publicis for over 10 years and have him look through my portfolio and tell me I have well thought out concepts and Ideas is incredible. I know that a job is what I’m after but I feel like I just climbed over a huge mountain. The meeting was incredible. The agency is something out of a movie. From the Street in Down Town Toronto on the outside it looks like any old historic building, there’s nothing written on the outside. When I went in and asked security how to get to Publicis, they told me to take the elevator to floor 2. So I went up to the second floor and when the door opened it was like being in a different world.

Imagine..a huge space…really long, antique picture frame windows with dark molding all across the wall, probably about 15 of them. Old hardwood floors that creek when you walk. A huge white marble reception desk with 2 friendly receptionists and the Publicis logo, large and silver being their desk. There are two beautiful chairs adjacent to the reception area and walk in area. The entire space infront of the long wall of windows is filled with very cool couches and marble connected side tables. They are arranged all over like little intimate gathering areas. All of the offices are of this large lobby/ meeting room.

I got to sit there for awhile because I was early, when I came in and spoke with the secretary the guy who was interviewing me happened to be walking right there just as I was checking in and we met as soon as I got inside and I was early and he was finishing up some things so he asked me to wait. So the cool thing is, I got to see all the different types of people who worked there. They were all different, but so incredibly friendly. The really awesome thing to see was they used the couches to meet and talk about projects but it looked like they were just hanging out, drinking their coffee and chatting. The atmosphere was just so incredible, People getting work done but loving what they do, that kind of feel.

SO when It came time for my interview, We went up this winding stair case to this area that looked like VIP in a night club, there were these T.V’s and bar stools and booths. We sat at one of those and started talking. I was so nervous but the Creative Director, Let’s call him CD was really nice and kept me at ease. I brought my portfolio and 2 big assignments I had worked on. He looked through everything really slowly and carefully. I was talking while he looked. When he was looking at my portfolio he asked If I worked with a Copy Writer on it! I thought that was awesome, I of course told him No, It was all my own and I think he was surprised by that. So that was good. He was really interested in everything he looked at. I told him about my silver medal, gave him a copy of my resume and we talked about my strengths. He was telling me that he could see me as a planner. This is something I hadn’t heard of before, not a lot of agencies have them. All I have ever known is the Art Director or Copy Writer role and I have always felt that these were kind of limited because one only involves words and one images and I am pretty passionate about both.

The Planner position when he started talking about it is so up my alley it’s crazy. The Planner works with the creative team and steers the campaign in the right direction. They help develop the Big Idea, the Feel for the campaign what it should look like or be about. The Planner gets to develop the concept of the campaign based on figuring out the primary objectives.

I think that this was a great meeting because I have been wondering forever if there was a team of people who brainstormed and came up with ideas and worked along side the copy writers and art directors and now I know that it exists in some agencies. The CD told me he would talk to some people to see if they had any positions in this department but he couldn’t make any promises so I’m not holding my breath but regardless I know that we made a good connection and I’m sure if anything pops up at this agency he will let me know.

He liked my creative too and if there was an internship I think he would have taken me on into that area as well. What I got out of this meeting was sheer encouragement. He told me he gets tons of emails and doesn’t answer most but he saw something in me that told him I was driven and persistent. Even during the interview he told me I was really driven and he could see that. I’m just so happy. He met with me because he was I was passionate about Creative. He saw my work and actually saw positive things in it and he saw potential in me and thinks I have something to offer Creative which means the world to me.

This was not a small time agency; this is one of the largest in the world. So I know now that I am one step closer to actually achieving my dreams and one step closer to working in an Advertising agency. If I could get my foot in the door at an Agency like Publicis the sky is the limit to what could happen next.

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The Story of a Prince and a Girl who Dreamed of finding Her Prince.

Once upon a time there was a young woman named Ruby; she lived in a far way kingdom where only the stars in the sky could light the way. The kingdom was tall and made of stone. Inside, it had all of the finest linens and tapestries with winding stair cases, golden mirrors and exotic flowers that stretched the kingdom’s stone walls. The kingdom was surrounded by a large creek bed and had a large wooden draw bridge outside the tall black iron front gates. Beyond the kingdom were many forests, pastures, rivers and hills.

The young woman lived in the kingdom with only her two servants Nigel and Jasmine. They had been with Ruby ever since her mother gave birth to her and have cared for her and loved her since the great royal war that took her family tragically away from her. Years had past since then and Ruby was a young woman now. Since the great royal war she had not seen another person beside her servants. The lands had been deserted as other kingdoms were destroyed and abandoned. No one knew this kingdom existed. It stood in a far off place that only one deserted over grown pathway in the forest would lead to.

Ruby spent her childhood growing up playing with all the animals in the forest, she had names for all of them and would spend her days dancing in the pastures and walking along the creek bed throwing stones into the water. She was content those days as she lived free and enjoyed every tree, every stone, and every pathway near the kingdom. She loved her home but she missed her family and many times she felt alone.

As Ruby grew older she began to stop playing in the pastures and instead she spent her days walking along the creek bed dreaming of finding love and not being alone anymore. Every night outside her balcony she would spend time looking out into the stars and making wishes that one day soon a wonderful man would find the unmarked path in the forest that would lead him to her kingdom.

Nigel and Jasmine were very old now; Ruby took time to care for them and tended to their needs. She would gather food from the garden and make them food to eat and get them blankets to make sure they were comfortable when it was cold. She was not sure how much longer they would live but one thing she knew was how much she admired they’re love for one another and she hold that in her heart for as long as she lived.

It was a warm fall evening; the leaves from the trees were lightly falling as the sun began to set. Ruby was standing on her balcony in her long white silk night gown. As the dark sky began to shine, a light breeze bustled against her gown and her long brown hair blew lightly in the wind. She stood with her hands on the balcony ledge and wished to the stars like she had so many nights before singing” Star light Star bright bring my prince home to me tonight” She stared up into the dark blue sky and began to talk more to the shinning stars.

Just as she was looking up into the sky, talking to the stars a man was following the pathway from the forest that leads to Ruby’s kingdom. He was beginning to approach the edge of the pathway he had began journeying on earlier that day and was about to step on to a beautiful white shiny stoned pebble walk way that would lead up to a draw bridge and to Ruby’s kingdom.

The young man had been travelling for months only eating what he could find along the pathway. Henry was a prince from the golden city of Persia. He was on an expedition when he was captured by rivals and taken to a far away land where he was imprisoned in a place he did not know. Months ago after many nights planning Henry escaped while the guards were sleeping. He thought he would be able to journey home by recognizing land marks but once he had fled the guards he realized that he was further from home then he ever imagined and much to his dismay he did not recognize any of his surroundings. He had been following the sun in hopes of finding his way home. Each day he walked further hoping that one day the pathway would lead him to his family.

Earlier that day Henry had been walking though the forest with large green bushes and fruitful trees around him when he saw a small unmarked pathway that was ragged and old. There were no fruit trees, only old tall trees and an old pebble pathway that seemed run down and abandoned.

He was going to continue to walk on the pathway he had been but something caught his eye as he walked past this abandoned trail. Henry saw a small red ruby attached to a ring lying in between some wet leaves. The sun was shining on it and it glistened and shinned at him. He bent down and lifted the leaves around it away and dusted the ring off and looked at. The ring was prestigious and fit for a princess. He thought about continuing on the main pathway road through the forest but he was drawn down this unmarked pathway. He wondered if this ruby red ring belonged to someone. He put the ring in his pocket and began to walk along the jagged unmarked pathway. He noticed that there were no markings along this pathway so it appeared that no one had walked this pathway for many years.

To Be Continued…

Wyld Creativity

Overcome.

Friday, June 18, 2010

My First Advertising Interview

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