Boba Fetting Freelance

Everyone knows Boba Fett. But to name the other bounty hunters, you'd have to be a pretty big geek (no shame in that, but it's true).

This is the problem you'll find if you start freelancing. There are very few Boba Fett-caliber freelancers in the industry. It's extremely hard to do award-winning work as a freelancer, because those aren't the assignments agencies typically give to freelancers. They're usually brought in to do supplement work. Or to fill a gap left by a departing team until the agency can hire someone else.

You can make a lot of money as a freelancer. And when you start interviewing, you should let agencies know you're open to doing freelance work (it beats sitting around waiting for the phone to ring). But unless you've already made a Boba Fett-sized name for yourself as an award-winner, you're going to be a 4LOM or a Dengar (again, no shame in that, but it's true).

GEEK CHECK: From left to right - Dengar, IG-88, Boba Fett, Bossk, 4LOM, Zuckus (out of frame). You don't want to be a freelancing Zuckus.

Talented Jerk vs Sweetheart Hack

Here's a great article by Sally Hogshead that tackles an interesting question. Obviously, it would be great if your creative director were both nice and smart. But what if you can pick only one?

Don't Discount the Laugh

I'm in a radio session today, working on a funny* spot. The script was funny when I wrote it, but by the time I get to the studio, I've rewritten it dozens of times. I've read it dozens of times and presented it maybe a half dozen. Then the talent reads it a few dozen more. And after awhile, I often find myself in that place where I'm going "Wait, is this really funny?"

Unless you're in a joke-writing class, analyzing humor can be counterproductive. If you have to explain why something's funny, it's not. Funny just is. Humor is based on surprise, so after the surprise has worn off, it's hard to keep that sense of what's funny. Because of that, the best gauge of whether or not something is funny is usually your first gut reaction.** Trust your gut. And when you present it and people laugh, point that out to them if they come back later and say it's not funny. When you hear 50 takes and one of them makes you snort in laughter, note that.

Humor can be structured and built up, and a script might go through months of painstaking crafting and revision. But you'll know if it's funny in about a half second.


*Yes, funny is subjective. For the sake of this post, though, pretend I'm talking about an idea that is indeed "funny."

**This is different from late-night slap-happiness funny--if it's not still funny in the morning, it's probably truly not funny).

On A Horse

One of my favorite parts of production is seeing how the director and crew figure out how to shoot things practically. Here's an interesting video looking at the fine Old Spice ad from Craig Allen and Eric Kallman at W+K.

Control Freaks

Years ago, as a student at the VCU Adcenter, I remember Jelly Helm admitting to our class that he was a little bit of a control freak. He said that if you asked the rest of the faculty, you'd find most of them were control freaks, too.

But the thing that's really stuck with me, is that Jelly believed that having control-freak tendencies was probably a big contribution to his success.

"Control freak" has negative connotations. Who wants to work for a tyrant and an ego-maniac, right? The thing is, I don't think Jelly is a tyrant or an ego-maniac. He just really cares about his work. He doesn't stop at "good enough."

Embrace your inner-control freak. Nourish it. You can be a control freak and still be nice and humble and respectful and open to other opinions.

But if you're an art director, have an opinion about the copy your partner's writing. If you're a writer, weigh in on your partner's layout and typeface. It's you're ad, too. Because when you show your book around and have to explain, "Yeah, my partner wanted it this way, but I didn't really agree," what you're really saying is, "I put this in my book, but I don't like it, so there's really no reason you should either."

The opposite might be true

A very short video on assumptions.

Just something to consider when you're concepting.

What Dave Weckl, Vinnie Colaiuta and Steve Gadd Taught Me About Advertising

When I was a kid, I wanted to be a drummer in a band.

Whenever we'd go to the music store, I'd pick up all the Zildjian, Tama and Pearl catalogs I could. They'd always feature photos of their spokesdrummers, and out of 20 or 30 per catalogue, I'd usually only know three or four.

So I'd try to figure out who these other drummers were and why they were supposed to be good. And that exposed me to a lot of new music I would never have discovered on my own.

Instead of thinking Alex Van Halen and Phil Collins were the uncontested best in the world, I learned about the guys in this video:

I bring this up for two reasons:

1. This video is awesome and should be viewed frequently and with great enthusiasm. Steve Gadd knows how to use the cowbell.
2. Being a wannabe rock drummer isn't too different from being an advertising student. You don't have Zildjian catalogs, but you do have the annuals, and sites like Creativity. Everyone knows the Goodbys, Wiedens and Boguskys. But there are tons of lesser-known creatives who have just as much talent, if not more. The best thing you can do is seek them out in the annuals, and seek them out when it comes time to look for work.

Working As A Team

"In true dialogue, both sides are willing to change."
-Thich Nhat Hanh

The Power of Story

Check out this short video on why Subway's Jared story was so much more impactful than their previous campaign, "7 under 6." It's why ad schools have classes that focus on storytelling. And the point he makes about the message being concrete, unexpected, and emotional is true of any good campaign or execution.

More on surprise in an upcoming post.

The Art of Presenting

"...It just doesn’t matter how good the idea is unless you can persuade the person on the other side of the table to feel the same way."
-The Art of Presenting
by Peter Coughter, Jr.

Some other great tips on presenting can be found in his article here.