The most rewarding campaign/TV production that I’ve been a part of was when we reconcepted a kidney transplant campaign that was originally bid per a $600k budget. Our client said he loved the idea but the budget could only be $100k max, so we got creative - went on a NJ/NYC roadtrip with our iPhones and filmed 20 patients ourselves. Their stories were beyond moving, and the campaign was also extremely effective!
Jordan McIninch
Account Supervisor
I've worked on a lot of emotional, powerful and fun campaigns, each rewarding in its own way. Although that work speaks for itself, truly the most gratifying and fruitful moments I've had were because of the tight-knit relationship I have with my teammate, Caitlin. People have said we have our own language, and I suppose it's true. After spending years working side by side (either physically or, in more recent years, virtually) it's like we share one big brain. The agency world loves to talk about the bond between creative partners but account team partnerships are equally as important, and every day I come to work grateful for mine.
Molly Magnarelli
Account Manager
My most rewarding experiences have always been behind-the-scenes. Everyone sees a campaign once it hits the market, but we get to see them ideated from birth and work to bring them to life. The words that form stories to give these ideas a heart and soul, the design that brings them to life, and most importantly, the teams that I've been a part of – working early mornings, late nights, and overdosing on caffeine and snacks (plus all the chaos, laughs, and many rounds of revisions in between). Being a part of the magic behind-the-scenes is the best experience I could ask for.
Bill Cutter
Creative Director
One of the most rewarding experiences in my career was teaching a beginning concepting class at the Creative Circus in Atlanta. We paired up the students in teams of writers and art directors, emulating the real world. I'm proud to say that for the first time in the school's history, first-year students were honored in the annual creative competition. And it's been great seeing them flourish in agencies all over the world.
Shawn Huddleston
Associate Creative Director
Having expressed myself artistically on a few freight trains in my artistic youth (statute of limitations long expired btw), it was a fun moment in my career to be inside one during a client visit and operate it down the track for 200 yards. To be fair, I didn’t have to make any awesome or risky decisions or anything and I just sat in the seat and put my hand on a thing, but it was cool to have that duality of experiences with the ol’ iron horse.
Michael Kinkopf
Production Designer
While this isn't necessarily the best professional experience I've had, it might be the most instructive. I was late to a photo shoot one day at my local college, where I worked in the photo lab. As I came in and explained to my boss why I was late, he stopped me and said, “The client does not care why you are late or about any excuses you may have. They paid for a job; all that matters is the result, the deadline, and that you respect their time." That has stuck with me through the years. No matter the time or resource constraints, make the job happen. People pay designers not just for their actual creativity and design work but also for their creative problem-solving. We are solution makers.
Lisa Biskin
Creative Director
Many years ago, my mother happened to be staying with my brother and his wife, and I happened to come by to visit, and we happened to be watching TV when one of my first big brand spots, part of a huge campaign, happened to hit the screen as though I’d planned it. We saw the spot spontaneously and simultaneously, and it was tremendously satisfying to be able to share my work without having to make a show of it.
Isabel Greenhalgh
Copywriter
When I signed up to be a copywriter, never did I think I’d find myself in any sort of danger (unless "danger" meant receiving blunt feedback or working a weekend). But there I was driving straight towards a hurricane, where our next shot was located, rather than away from it with the rest of traffic. We got maybe two takes and ended up editing out the pitch-black sky to match the rest of the spot. Now, no one will ever know the lengths I’d go for my job. That day serves as my reminder to roll with the punches, but always get what I came for.
Trisha Pierce
President
One of my best moments in the ad biz was watching our team on hands and knees at Children’s National Hospital. We were cleaning and preparing hundreds of plastic Dr. Bears at midnight for a morning launch of one of the coolest campaigns we’ve ever been a part of. Each person cared personally about the success of the campaign far beyond what could have been expected of them.
Matt Smith
Owner
I was scouting for a TV spot when I threw up on a client and it changed the way I see client relationships. While walking around the location, a hospital ironically enough, I started walking like a drunken sailor. My client, known for her bluntness, was the first to notice. As I emptied my stomach on her shoes, she got a wheelchair and pushed me to the ER, where I had just been scouting. She quickly got hold of the right people. And a barf bag. Any concerns about business decorum flew out the window, along with the protective shields we all carried as agency and client. It was a beautiful example of compassion and authenticity. (BTW, my diagnosis was vertigo due to nose spray. Go figure.)
At first blush, one agency looks the same as a thousand other agencies. We have art directors; they have art directors. We have strategic leadership; they have strategic leadership. We have a pool table; who doesn’t have a pool table? That's where the similarities end. We couldn't be like any other agency if we tried.
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Summer Fridays Every Friday off Jun-Aug. For real. Flex Fridays Unless something’s on absolute fire, consider it “you time.” Remote Studios We’ve become Zoom Masters, but see each other once a month. Matt Smith-isms Advertising gold. Every day. Whether you want it or not. Free Lunches We know how to hook up a sammich. And salads! Dogs out the ass Don’t bring your cat.
