Grad School May Be in the Forecast...

Well, I was given quite a wake up call the other day at work. During a lengthy discussion with a fellow copy writer, he informed me that unless my portfolio is short of breathtaking, the odds of getting a job at an ad agency out of college is more or less nil. So...in what may end up being a constantly evolving post, I will attempt to flesh out the pros and cons of such a decision as well as document where I am in the process. But let's back up a little bit to set the stage.

My college career has been anything but set in stone. Department complications, time spent abroad, "fine-tuning" of degree tracks, the list could go on. Basically, I never envisioned myself attending graduate school so soon after graduation. Which brings me to the list of cons I associate with attending it now:

-It is expensive. This is unambitious point #1. I will be more than doubling my student loans by attending grad school.

-It is 'resource' consuming. I use this word as it better represents what I have to sacrifice to attend school. For one, I won't be able to hold a part time job. Estimated work load outside of class is approximately 70-80 hours I have been informed. Which acts as a double sword as I must not only work harder, trying to support myself is all but inconceivable. For more on what this means, please refer to previous dash.

-This is more of a segue from the last dash in that I have already been in school for five and a half years, do I really want to subject myself to another two years? Do I have the drive to succeed at such a level of intensity?(Not to neglect the level of competition.) Regardless, 80 hours is no walk in the park.

Our conversation continued as we discussed the importance that ad school plays in more than one ways—which seems like a good place to create my pros list:

-This business is all about your portfolio. Sure,I got some decent work under my belt at uni, but in reality, with the advent of affordable high quality equipment and software that was once reserved for large companies and those with equally deep pockets, agencies nowadays have come to expect students to have portfolios that compete on a professional level. I know I have the abilities inside of me to produce work that meets that criteria, I just may need a hand to help grasp it. All my contact thus far had indicated that grad school will really help me hone in on those abilities I have inside of me. For the small fee of $40,000. But you can't put a price tag on something like that right?

-This business is all about who you know. And what better way to know people than to be taught by working professionals in the industry? These places offer internships at some of the biggest agencies and the schools boast very high job rates upon graduating.

-I will be surrounded by driven people. We all (at least I hope) have experience the joy of being around/involved with people who are enthusiastic about what they do. At Winthrop, this was a mixed bag in my opinion as being assigned groups were always hit or miss. Sometimes you would be working with people who want produce the best work in the class, and sometimes you get stuck working with people who...well, you get the idea. Undoubtedly, if you were to think objectively about your personal involvement within the group, you would most likely acknowledge that you worked better/harder when you felt inclined to do so. Which for me is definitely propelled when my teammates are driven. Since the investment for Ad school is so steep, I imagine that everyone would share that mentality and help push the whole class to produce top notch work.

I will most likely update this list of +/-'s as new ones come to me. To date, I have sent off information to two schools: The Creative Circus, located in Atlanta, Ga as well as Miami Ad School. Now, I have heard good things about both schools so it is too early in the game to form a decision—not to mention I still have to send off applications and find out if I get accepted before deciding. I like the fact that second year students at Miami have the option to do their internships abroad at prominent agencies, however Creative Circus seems to incubate my learning style and may thus provide the opportunity to "make the most of education." I plan to schedule a trip down there to tour the school and sit in on a class or two and see for myself if in fact that is the case. If confirmed, I may have a winner.

I will indubitably be updating this post in the coming weeks/months to document where I am in the process as well as add new pros and cons to the list as they come to me.

To date I have received packets in the mail from both schools. The Creative Circus packet provides more of an overview of the program as well as some sample materials. Provided was the typical "hey this is what makes us stand out amongst the pack," student work examples, a Q and A pamphlet, stickers (the clear standout saying "How's My Kerning? (A play off off of the "How's My Driving" that is ubiquitous with 18-wheelers,) a CD with a virtual tour of the school and most notably—a brochure entitled "33 Interesting Facts about The Creative Circus & Harry S Truman."

Here is what I got.

Some subtle things I should mention about The Creative Circus that I have liked. For one, I got a phone call from an employee just two days after requesting for information. Secondly, that yellow sheet of paper in the top-right has "real" signatures from four staff members. I know, they probably all sat down one day and just toiled off some squiggly lines all at once—but it was a small touch that they didn't have to do that says to me they really are invested in their students. The tone of the materials included really connected with me in their quirky, offbeat delivery. All signs to date have impressed me and I look forward to finding out in person if the fit seems right. For a brief idea of how the place operates, check out this blog post about The Creative Circus. Could just be bogus propaganda but who knows...

Miami Ad School's materials were a lot more straightforward. The big difference being that they have included the application for admission into the school.

Rather bland—although the redhead is a looker huh.

Since I will most likely be pursuing a career of copywriting, there are four assignments I get to choose from to send in:

1) Develop a 200-word article with headline for "The Onion."
2) Write a 500-word anecdote about some "memory-making moment. Something you could use to break the ice at the First Quarter Student Mixer."
3) Develop ten "deep thoughts" that would be on par with something Jack Handey would have used on SNL.
4) Develop a campaign for RC Cola that identifies a target audience and then how to reach them.

I think that all of these provide some really interesting subject matter to choose from. Although diverse in nature, 2.5 of the choices (depending how you handle #2) involve humor. Regardless, I haven't decided which route to take...I love "The Onion," I am not a very good journalist writer. I have a feeling I do both #2 and #3 as one hits my sense of humor on the nail and the other I have plenty of material to draw from with all of the trips I have been on in my short life.

20 Albums that Changed My Life

A little bit of a lighter entry here. But I figured it would be a little bit more fun. I should also note that I intend this list to—at least the first 10 albums or so—be listed in loose chronological order of when I listened to them. This way I feel it gives you as readers a better idea of where my taste has evolved from. So without further ado...

20. Amy Grant-Heart in Motion. I am shameless—I'll go ahead and admit to owning this album. However this album makes its way on the list for being my first CD. So while the material is not exactly the best, it did more or less get me going on music.

19. NOFX-Punk in Drublic. Aside from all the clamoring over how "drublic" is pronounced, this album really opened up the realm of punk rock to me. Up until this point the majority of music i listened radio friendly and this was a big "awakening" to a lot of music that would influence me over the next few years.

18. Blink 182-Dude Ranch. Definitely not their best work by any means, however the content was essentially my bible throughout middle school and the first bit of high school.

17. The Get Up Kids-Four Minute Mile. Of all the "emo" albums I acquired over the years— this was the first and the best. Like "Dude Ranch", this album resonated a lot with what I dealt with growing up, but musically was much richer than the punk music that had been at the forefront of my life for the past couple of years.

16. Alkaline Trio-Maybe I'll Catch Fire. Not their best album again, but one that set the precedent and was something that touched a lot on what being a teenager is all about—just from the dark recesses of the mind.

15. Black Star-S/T. This was my first real introduction into hip hop and I loved it. Up until this point, my view of hip hop was that it was rap— and by rap I mean what I heard on the radio. This album taught me that hip hop could be lyrically deep, and yet maintain some of the smoothest beats ever to grace my ears.

14. The Fiery Furnaces-Blueberry Boat. A concept album by all means, this album gives new meaning to term "grower" for me. I can recall my first reaction to hearing this album (thanks Drew) as "This sounds like carnival music." I learned from this album to approach music with an open mind—and to enjoy benefits that that brings.

13. Interpol-Turn on the Bright Lights. A massive, epic album in all senses. This album again served as an important step in expanding my musical horizons. Probably a top ten album of all time for me (2002 was a great year for music.)

12. XTC-Oranges and Lemons. This album was important to me for a couple of reasons. For one, it told me that there were actually albums from this era that weren't completely dated. It also reminded me that pop music was not all trash as Partridge is a great song writer.

11. Jimmy Eat World-Clarity. I do listen to "Bleed American" more, however, "Clarity" was with out a doubt a standout album from my high school days. Tight musicianship, good song writing, and a great live performance has sealed this band into my vault of "No matter how bad you get now, I will always love you."

10. The Blood Brothers-...Burn, Piano Island, Burn. This album is the perfect example of post-hardcore in my opinion. Well-written, taught, explosive — when I need something to get my blood pumping, I pop this little gem in and get ready to take on the world. This album was so tough, it would literally force the band to take a slightly softer route on their next album as this one was too much for the band to play live. That's what I am talking about.

9. Bloc Party-Silent Alarm. I was lucky enough to get into this band on the forefront of their success by landing an advanced copy of their first EP. I waited for quite some time for the stateside release of this album and was not disappointed. Nothing spectacular can be found here but that really is what made this album so special to me—there is not a weakness. The slow songs offer up something good as well as all the faster tracks. This is a tight record.

8. Four Tet-Rounds. At a time where I was beginning to dabble in electronica, I stumbled on this album and was blown away. So much well-placed subtle details have resulted in an album that that continues to provide new layers for me. Jazz, electronica, and elevator music fans can all find something they will like on this album.

7. Radiohead-OK Computer. This album needs no introduction. If you like music you like this.

6. The Beatles-Sgt. Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club Band. Growing up, we all listened to The Beatles. For me, I let them sit dormant in my memory for years before returning to this album a few years ago. What a great record, innovative guys who we all know shaped so much of what came after them.

5. Third Eye Blind-S/T. Yeah, I know what you are thinking. How did this get into the top five. Well, as mentioned earlier—I am shameless—and I cannot think of a better pop album in my memory. Sure we all got sick of hearing "Semi-charmed life", but c'mon, "Jumper" is a great track. And I have to mention the beautiful poignant work of "Motorcycle Drive-by". Stop hating and embrace the freedom that can be found in admitting that well-constructed pop songs are great fun.

4. Ben Folds Five-Whatever and Ever Amen. I got this album for free from some kid who only got it because they had a few hits on the radio. This album is BFF at the top of their game where the fusion of goofy material (highlighted by "Kate" and "Battle of who could care less") is blended perfectly with truly stirring material (personal favorites are "Selfless, Cold, and Composed" and "Missing the War".) Oh Ben, where have you gone?

3. Radiohead-In Rainbows. This was a tough call for me. While OK Computer really is the quintessential Radiohead album, "In Rainbows", I believe, is Radiohead at the top of their game. Heartfelt, cathy, and most importantly innovative. What Radiohead has done with their music over the past 20 years I think we should all strive to accomplish in our chosen fields. A beautiful album.

2. Wilco-A Ghost is Born. Wilco is really important to me as they helped open my eyes to the realm of alt-county rock. Initially, I was not very impressed with this album. My love for "Yankee Foxtrot Hotel" was very strong and to switch gears on me was on par with a slap on the face. Like "Blueberry Boat" this album has taken some getting used to but really defines what can be accomplished when a band sets out to redefine themselves—as Wilco seemingly does on every album. My only discourse with this album is "Spiders". Or the noise on the end. Ruined what otherwise is a perfect album.

1. Broken Social Scene-S/T and You Forget it in the People. The true definition of the word "supergroup." Everyone who likes to listen to music can get something from these releases as the large array of contributors all have something to provide here. Words really cannot do this band enough justice. Please, do yourself a favor and check out some of these videos to experience the rich diverseness that I speak of. No other band has quite struck home on so many levels as Broken Social Scene has.

So I guess that sums it about. Questions/Comments? Let me hear you sound off on what I have here or go ahead and list your own (Thanks George for the idea!)

Left-Handers Unite!

Midway through week two now and I am beginning to get a better feel for the work flow.  Things started on a rather slow note as the start of this week proved to stay motivated and to stay on task even as some big deadlines loomed overhead.  Try as I may, I just could not get into what I was doing and Monday proved for the least productive day thus far here at McKinney.  Even collective brainstorming with my fellow creative interns had proven futile as nothing was getting done.  I think this lack of productivity can be blamed on a couple of factors:

1)  I get HORRIBLY distracted all of the time.  Sitting here at the computer—I can focus for maybe five minutes on something 75% of the time before I hit refresh on various blogs/message boards that I KNOW are going to either provide me with no new information or even more likely—new information that in no way, shape or form is pertinent to anything at all.  I am making a conscience effort for the coming days/weeks/months to really not allow myself to get distracted with trivial offerings (digital or not) and will really focus on not browsing the internet or things of that nature.  I mean—I enjoy what I do so it is not like it bores me at all—I just think that the problem lies more with a deep-rooted habit of continually bouncing from one thing to the next which is a complete hamper on productivity.  I managed to type off that last post in under an hour which for me set all kinds of work-efficiency precedents.

2)  We are young and inexperienced and just getting started.  In other words, there is this inclination when we get together to shoot the breeze and get to know one another better as this is all new to all of us.  I am hoping that a) soon we will run out of the "new" material to discuss with each other as well as b) we will get our act together and know when we need to get down to business and focus on the task at hand.

Moving forward with Monday, in the afternoon we had a "work flow" meeting with our supervisor that was a 101 crash course on the flow (for lack of a better word) of how ideas materialize into final products for clients.  As said, it was very brief and later this week there will be a more in-depth look at this process.  Even still I believe that to fully grasp this I will just have to see it in motion/experience it for myself—not sit through a meeting regarding the subject.

Tuesday would prove to be a very long and busy day for myself and our team.  As indicated earlier, we had a deadline to meet today.  It involved coming up with a name for a spring sale that a particular client would be having in the coming months.  A meeting had been scheduled that afternoon for the team working on this project and we were surprised to find firsthand that we—the interns—were the only ones assigned to tackle this assignment.  Exciting but at the same time rather nerve-wrecking.

Now, we had been briefed on the subject and felt pretty comfortable with the progress we made on the name, however when we handed our list of suggestions over to a head copywriter for opinions, he literally only saw one particular idea he liked and suggested we start over from there and come back tomorrow to go over these new results with him as well as the Group Creative Director (GCD.  AKA, the guy who approves every decision for client concerning all things creative.)  This was devastating to me personally as I had been over the brief multiple times—really picking it apart and immersing myself in who the target audience was and what they were looking for.  Nothing I had developed dealt at all with what this copywriter had envisioned.

So it was back to the drawing board then.  We labored the rest of the afternoon on ideas that were related to said theme and eventually had to go home with not much more than a list of ideas for each of us to figure out on our own at home.  Apparently homework still seeks me out 150 miles from home.

The next morning us interns arrived a bit earlier to consolidate our ideas to present to the copywriter as well as the GCD.  To my relief, he not only liked a few of our ideas, but also suggested we approach the subject from a different angle—essentially the angle we took the first time around but got shot down by the copywriter.  It was a small confidence boost knowing that I had not taken the brief the wrong way.  A couple hours of revisions later, we had a list of sale names that were to presented this afternoon to the client!  The work did not stop there however as we had to immediately switch gears and make some progress developing headlines for another client.  I relish the fact that they treat us like actual employees here.  We get constructive criticism from very seasoned employees and are treated as adults.  But we have this assurance too as whenever we have a question or concern, it is treated with respect as while we are adults, we are still learning the ropes and understandably we can't be expected to know how everything works.

Now, time to tie this entry back into the title.  I have noticed in meetings that a high percentage of people working in the creative department here is left-handed (in a room of 4 people, 3 were left handed.  This is not just a one time occurrence either.)  A few other things worth noting:

-Nine to five does not exist in the slightest sense here.  Most people don't come in until 10ish, and don't leave sometimes till well after six (I can only comment until that time since I have not stayed later than six myself but I can speculate on the subject.)

-People run on coffee.  Thanks to my mother, I have done my absolute best not to a dependancy on coffee.  When she comes to visit me, the first thing she does is check the cabinets for coffee and when none can be found, goes to the grocery store and makes the purchase.  This addiction she has scares me and I have thus sworn the beverage off.  Here, I fully grasp the fact that I must be in the minority.  That stuff is brewed around the clock, and people almost always have a cup in hand.  Perhaps sleep is not an option for these people I suppose...

-Stares officially end meetings.  Yesterday as we waited to end a conference room for a meeting, we approached the door and found the room still occupied.  Being new here, we just waited patiently outside the door assuming people would clear out when their meeting was finished.  Well, apparently they were just not doing much of anything because a "real" employee who was attending our meeting just walked up to the door (everything is glass here) and stared at people through the glass.  Literally not one minute later the room was vacated for us.

These are the "brand towers." This is where above story took place.

-The best way to motivate people still seems to be food.  At least for the creatives—allow me to elaborate:  While McKinney is a full-service agency, for a variety of reasons (everyone here is busy, technological limitations, etc) there are times that another agency is called on to aid with a project.  These agencies from what I have observed tend to be very specific to one task (web design, sound design, programming, etc) and very much want to be your "Go to guy" when you need assistance.  So there are all of these presentations throughout the week where a spokesperson will come and present their case as to why you should choose them.  As a full service agency, the business is split into departments (creatives, analytics, management, the list goes on) and only relevant departments are invited to these presentations as they are the ones who decide if their services can be utilized.  And what better way to woo people than with good food.  This roughly translates to me tagging along as I fall under the creative hood to all of these demo's where food is catered to us.  So two to three times a week I get free food in addition to learning/seeing something new!

Thursday proved to be a shining example of how unique my position is over my fellow interns in the form of my ability to devote all my time/resources to McKinney.  The workload was a bit lighter today and as such that allows me to work at my own pace to meet my deadlines as well as immerse myself within McKinney and continue to gain valuable insight into agency dynamics.

Week One Synopsis

With the completion of my first week at McKinney, I am beginning to get a feel for what my tasks will be here. However, the pacing over the duration of this week has been very sporadic. Monday was just initiation for the interns really and nothing more. A meet and greet of sorts into not only some of the staff we would see around, but the office etiquette, where things are located, etc. I realized and at this point believe I stand to get the most out of my internship as I can invest more than any other intern into my work here. Naturally it will be up to me to get the most out of it but I feel confident that will happen

Tuesday I hit the ground running with a couple of creatives to help develop new, interactive media for a client. I really enjoy the casual environment that is created at McKinney as I feel it fits perfectly into how I best conceptualize ideas. We got together in one of many conference rooms and really just threw around ideas that we thought would a) provide an inviting and engaging experience for consumers and b) be in line with the current positioning of the campaign. More importantly for myself, my ideas were really well received out of the gates and that led to a rather large confidence boost knowing that “hey I can actually do this (on some level.)” In fact, they liked one of my ideas so much that it made its way all the way to the client pitch.

Things took an entirely different turn on Wednesday as the people I was involved with got busy working on things that were a little bit out of my league in the sense that they were comping up designs and presentations that would be used to pitch our ideas to the client. I did my best to stay eager about finding work as I know it will be a great tool in helping me learn the in’s and out’s of the industry as well as stimulate my brain and fine-tune my craft. But for the most part it was to no avail with my contacts as they were all swamped. Things picked up towards the end of the day (I have noticed that everything here happens on a delayed schedule. In-house meetings, the start of the day, etc.) as I was told I could sit-in on a group meeting where the creatives collaborate with the account managers to get a feel for whether or not certain ideas make sense, are executable (in terms of the programming of say…an online interactive game in a web banner), in line with what the client is looking for, and financially viable.

Thursday I arrived a little later than I had been (11:30) all week since, as previously mentioned, things get started a bit later in the day—especially when haven't quite been synchronized with the office workload. That would all change upon arrival as my “manager” (One of the Creative Directors) put me in touch with some new creatives working on new headlines and body copy for a new client. My role in this project is just the same as the other employees working on this campaign currently: to develop new headlines and corresponding body copy for seasonal promotions for the client. Furthermore, another intern will also be working with on the same material as me so perhaps we will collaborate together to develop material.

Later that same day things took a more casual turn, as at 3 there was a staff-wide invited “I think that’s cool” meeting. This was an open forum where employees are encouraged to show up and discuss things going on in the world that they think are cool. The topics ranged all over the place from “computational art” (see Erik Natzke,) to “augmented reality” (I recommend checking out http://ge.ecomagination.com/smartgrid/?c_id=googaugreal#/augmented_reality to how this is being incorporated by companies,) or to things like Guinness Beer and sports rivalries. This session, something that McKinney does frequently are just a great way for people to think of new ways to engage consumers, to spark imagination, or really just to serve as conversation starters and was just another thing that I found really “fun” about the environment here. Shortly following this was “Thursday Open Bar.” You see, McKinney has a bar in-house and on every Thursday between the hours of 4-6 all employees are encouraged to make an appearance and mingle amongst each other.

Friday we would prove to be the busiest day of the week for me (I never thought after what had already happened that that would be feasible.) Early morning staff meeting to more or less brief the creative team (especially us (3) creative interns) into what direction our headlines and copy should be taking. We then dispersed and initially the three of us set out to tackle the task alone. But after working so well on Tuesday within the constraints of a team, I took the initiative to engage my co-interns collectively and I feel that served us better as together we are able to ask advice, brainstorm collectively, and just get a better synergy than could be achievable solo. Additionally, we (the interns) were briefed on another client and given a timeline into what needed to be done for them and by when.

So by the end of week one, I have already started work on three separate accounts. Not too much of a stretch as back at school I was accustom to juggling multiple projects at one time—only these seem way more important. I was as mentioned earlier very enthusiastic to have my work selected for a client presentation and am hopeful to repeat in the future. Upon reflection, I am a bit nervous and pessimistic about the fact that all my hard work over this semester may go in vain in the sense that it may never actually see the light of day. If you think about the fact that the likelihood of an intern producing work that is ultimately produced—that sort of thing is very uncommon here. However, the opportunity itself for me should more than suffice as just getting such positive responses from my peers is more than enough to drive me to try even harder in the future.

Seeing how things operate here at this point is still a bit overwhelming. I have realized just how much goes into running this advertising machine and I still have a lot to learn before my understanding matures beyond its current level of infancy. But to date, I have really been encouraged by how the business is run. The people are friendly and upbeat (while staying extremely busy,) the culture is engaging and insightful, and really I just enjoy being here (as I write this at 6 pm on a Friday afternoon.) I look forward to my time here and hope to come out of this a stronger, confident and more affluent pupil in this industry.

Hold me accountable

Well—after much deliberation—I have decided to start a blog to chronicle my time here in Raleigh. More specifically, my time at McKinney as an intern. Now, certain "restraints" will prevent me from divulging specific details but I will do my best to provide as much information as possible.

In addition to work related items, I will try to also post random bits and ends that I feel you as a reader might find compelling and interesting.

Again, please get on my case if this becomes dormant for more that 1.5 weeks.

So without further ado...