A little over a month ago I accepted a senior copywriter position at BBDO Moscow. Reactions ranged from “you’re crazy if you go there” to “wow, what a cool opportunity!” I arrived last Friday, and in my first week here, I haven’t even scratched the surface of the city. Honestly, this whole process of moving myself (and my cat) was the hardest thing I’ve ever done in my life, and I’m still FAR from getting “settled in” by any stretch of the imagination.
My first impressions of Moscow? It’s HARD. That’s …

I recently attended a recruiting event put on by an agency here in Chicago. I thought, hey why not. Free drinks, talk to some people, see what they are up to and maybe they will want to talk to me. This is what I learned from this event.
1. Over 400 people in Chicago are apparently looking for the same job.
2. Free drinks are cool only if you can actually get to them.
3. Put something crazy on your name tag, otherwise no one will remember you and/or talk to you (I …

Here are some of the best places to look for a job in the industry. Visit 1-5 daily:
1. Talentzoo.com
2. CreativeHotList.com
3. Twitter: don’t use websites like twitterjobs.com or anything similar. They are just aggregates that search for hashtags. Most creative directors that post job openings on Twitter do it like Luke Sullivan who tweeted something like: “Looking for a couple of copywriters. Send me your book if you don’t suck.”
You’re going to have to weed out a lot of irrelevant stuff, but just search Twitter for “copywriter” or whatever you’re looking …

One thing that really annoys me is when I hear copywriters say they don’t know anything about the art direction cause they’re “writers.” Just because you choose one discipline and have a partner that focuses on the other doesn’t mean you’re a savant. Every copywriter should know how to use Photoshop and Illustrator. If you don’t, learn. You probably won’t become a graphic designer, but you should have some insight into design. Art Directors: Take everything I just said and reverse it, because the same applies to you.
I’m not an …

I got a call from a friend the other day who was distraught about not getting the position he applied for. I didn’t realize this before but I guess not all ninjas are born into their profession. The application process is long and tedious. Many of them are denied simply because the appropriate paper work was not filled out correctly. I promised I would help him rebrand his image. I even said I’d make him a new logo he could use on all his ninja stars and nunchucks.
- Jamie Dos …

Interesting documentary about the business of advertising, focus on getting lay off, and life after the shock.

-Pablo Jimenez

Here’s a story about crushed advertising dreams. Now that I have a full-time gig, I feel alright about posting this. All the names and locations have been changed to protect the identity of those involved.
So I sent my book to this agency – a well known, but far away from my home agency. Maybe even a top 10 agency (in my opinion) and we’ll call it Agency A. Surprisingly I heard back. Their freelance coordinator/creative services something or other (we’ll call him “The Dude”) emails me and says, “I love …

During my first week at the VCU Brandcenter, one of the professors asked what we thought about the application we submitted to get in. In response to many people saying that the application had a lot of stupid questions, the professor responded, “Then why did you answer them? Instead, say that it’s a stupid question and write something else.” I asked a couple of other professors if they would have been cool with that and they all agreed that it’s refreshing when someone breaks out of the expected behavior. I …

A constant debate in my head is, “Should I try to go to a big agency? See how all that goes down or should I stay small? Should I stay where I am?”  I randomly read this article in Ad Age last week and it made me think about it in a different way. If the circumstances are right you have more of a chance to do something GREAT in a small agency. I know from being part of a small agency that experience you get is invaluable. But, when …

Creative veterans will sometimes plop down in my office chair and reminisce about the good ole days; lavish parties, free BMWs, drugs, booze it sounds like the life of a rockstar. They usually end the conversation complaining about how much being in advertising sucks now. Does it? Does it really suck? Here is a peak into my day yesterday.
9:15 Get off the elevator.
9:20 Turn on the machine and get more coffee.
9:45 Read on Agency Spy that the new Scientology spots have had a huge drive to the Scientology website.
9:47 …