O YE WANNABE CREATIVE

"Never apply to an agency as a designer, you will just be another "trash""....Is that statement true? I have always wanted to work in an agency, but from what i have heard is agency treat designers like shit. I hear art/creative directors live in they own class, create briefs n pass em to em juniors to execute em n then they go brag its they job. Designers have no creative input whatsoever, u just thea to beat deadlines. So i would like to know from anybody working in an agency, whats ua story"

I saw this on The art directors and copywriters of Kenya group page, hence this post. I definitely hear the cry of this possibly young creative trying to get a foot into the business. I have indeed heard this several times from several creative prospects. My question is this. What's with the hurry and the pessimism? Sometimes its good to learn from people who have traveled the same journey. So here goes.

When I completed my Bachelor of Arts in International Relations, I had an idea that I wanted to get into advertising but I just didn't know what kind of job I wanted in the industry. I had been exposed to advertising by my old man who was the marketing guru of his time and I really admired his work (Read: As Smooth as Embassy Kings). My first gigs in advertising were actually a hustle to get partying cash via auditioning for roles in adverts which we got informed about at Phoenix Players where I was regularly on stage. I started getting to know guys in the industry by asking questions and networking during shoots and wrap parties.

Enter tarmacking and I started knocking on doors. I remember walking into Century Advertising with t-shirt, torn jeans and dreadlocks which at the time were associated more with what we then called obohos and less of a cool factor. The Client Service Director agreed to see me and when I presented my case to be hired as an account executive, I could see him holding his laughter. Infact to this day I strongly believe that I must have been the focus of jokes at the Norfolk Hotel which at the time was a watering hole for industry heads and the marketing fraternity. So as you can guess by now, I was not hired.

Next stop? I decided to change my career direction to creative. No web at the time, so I got a hold of some books and studied the different advertising agency job descriptions and copywriter rested well with me. So I shave off my dreadlocks, buy a suit and head out to Scanad which at the time had a staff of less than 15 guys. I asked to see Bharat Thakrar and was told that he was in a meeting. I got the same answer everyday for 2 weeks. Yes, I sat at the reception everyday for 2 weeks. One day I got a break, and he decided to see me.

When I met Bharat he asked me why I thought I was a capable creative and I told him about my participation in commercials, my exposure to the industry from childhood and also the fact that acting on stage was somewhat connected to creativity. So the dude gave me some speculative radio work.(Oh yeah and to my agony Bharat told me to drop the suit and come to work looking like a creative. 4 years of dreadlocks sacrificed for nothing...boo hoo hoo). He was impressed and asked me to see him. So I got hired as a trainee Swahili Copywriter. I slyly dropped the Swahili part when introducing myself to staff and found myself doing English copy.

Now, this was no joyride. The Creative Director Andrew White had not yet come back to settle in Kenya and client service used to send briefs to him via fax (remember fax machines...he, he, he). So I used to get very odd jobs for months. Stuff like headlines for tiny sale sale sale ads or just being asked what's slang for this and that. I was getting frustrated but I just decided to keep learning. Of course there were occasions where some suits would just take all the glory for jobs that I was involved in. Nonetheless I stuck to it knowing that I would grow.

Andrew White finally settled in Kenya and I remember our first meeting. I walked up to him and really kissed ass telling him that he was the greatest creative ever and that all I wanted to do was to learn from him. Boy, did I learn. He made me write like 100 headlines for jobs - and I mean that literally. He was teaching me to be my best critic. He taught me stuff like if I type a radio script and it does not make me laugh out loud while typing, then its not funny. He threw me in the deep end and sent me to what I thought were intimidating production houses. Advertising boot camp this was. But within 6 months of working with him, I had already played great roles in some campaigns eg the Fanta Welcome to the World radio commercials which scooped tonnes of Loeries in South Africa.To cut a long story short, the rest as they say is history.

So how does this relate to the post? Well, I personally think that there are too many know it all rookies in the industry who do not yet know it all. You are not going to write an award winning ad with every brief you receive. Yes, you will be given the jobs that senior creatives do not feel like working on. You will sometimes find the odd Creative Director who will run away with your ideas. You will probably do this for a year or two. But do you know what? YOU WILL LEARN.

If you are trying to get into an agency, then focus first on learning and the rest will follow. No one walks into a company and is given all the golden clients as a rookie, it just cant happen. Clients also do not want to work with rookies. What you need to do is find a mentor within the agency, swallow your pride, become their shadow, drink what they drink even if you don't like it, get likeable and seek to learn. As opposed to thumping your chest and always challenging his or her ideas. They have been there longer than you so they probably know a thing or two more than you. Of course there is a chance that you may be better, but only time will tell.

There is also the aspect of patience. Rookies are in such a hurry that I sometimes wonder what their goal is. To be a Cannes Jury Member after just 1 year in advertising? Come on man, study the international creative greats and see how long they have been around and kept at it. Chill out and learn to develop your craft. The money will definitely follow if you are any good.

Here's another tip. If an agency is not hiring then ask them for a project and do it pro bono. That way you will be able to judge whether you are really cut out to be in the industry or not. The advantage of this also is that you will be building a portfolio and if that agency completely rejects you, turn the tables around and show another agency the work that you did training with an established creative.

Finally, have faith in yourself. For as he thinketh in his heart, so is he - Proverbs 23:7. If you have a negative mindset and create thoughts of defeat or that you will never get hired, then you probably wont. Its not rocket science.

If you come from Generation Y, this may sound like a lot of cow dung to you. I can't blame you though, its your nature.

Hey, that's just my opinion.