Our New Business Director is leaving to become an acupuncturist.
He's a young guy, very highly-regarded... I guess he just wants to do something else.
It's always been a bit of a mystery to me what people do 'after' advertising.
I know a few former adfolk stop by here from time to time... would love to hear from you - I want to get the perspectives of some people who have left advertising to include in the final chapter of my book.
What are you doing now? Do you miss it? Or in retrospect does it all seem a bit silly? Please do leave a comment, or send an e-mail to simon dot veksner at bbh dot co dot uk.
Thursday, October 09, 2008
Life After Advertising
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46 comments:
Your new business director.
What a prick.
I bet the people who've left advertising aren't reading your blog scamp
Well, I know a couple who do read it, Campaign too. Whether that's out of curiosity or nostalgia, I'm not sure.
I know you asked in the present tense, but I'd like to respond to your blog in the future tense - I'd run a Chalet and Ski everyday.
i spent 4 years working as a copywriter, but not anymore. my undoing was going digital, when suddenly i understood there are other ways to sell good stuff besides advertising BS. now i'm translating books, freelancing (including lectures on creating ads), and making my own e-commerce project which i will never advertise on TV (i'm quite sure of that). also i still cringe at bad ads thinking "this could have been written by me".
re anon @ 12.03
I've been reading this blog for a while now.
Although I didn't leave the Industry of my own choosing!
Not thinking of quitting are you Scamp?
No, it's for my book. Final chapter is 'life after advertising'.
Everyone thinks about quitting and not having to take it from "the man" anymore. Doing something about it. There's the rub.
That David Puttnam seems to have done alright for a former account man.
what a brilliant idea for a final chapter. where DO you get your ideas from?
Some bloke who used to be an account man at BBH was in Corrie for a while.
The ultimate Corrie threesome:
Carla and Rosie Webster (Maria can watch and line up the powder).
Hey Scamp, reading that you were working on screenplays I was wondering how you were getting on with that? I think copywriters are pretty well suited to going down that road, from the skills I've learned anyway. Not that the film industry in this country is well suited to making anything good.
Well, you did want to talk about life after advertising... That's certainly where I hope I end up. Not that that industry isn't full of the smarmy untalented too.
I went to work in direct. It looks and smells like advertising but without the commercial shoots. It's really dull. the worst work always wins. If this doesn't pan out I am truly fucked.
Twenty years ago half of Wales was populated by ex-admen raising pigs,guineafowl and sheep. Blue Leicesters,mainly........
My screenplays? Ah. Let's just say they are 'still available'.
Acupuncturist?
More snake oil than the advertising industry. And, of course, proven to be no more effective than placebo. Whatever the mumbo-jumbo, happy-clappy hippies would have you believe.
So is he a moron who believes it or just an exploitative cynic?
I know of an excellent CD that quit to run an artsy magazine. He still does freelance on the side, but what really got his mind going was the that new prospect. Advertising burns you out good if you sink yourself in it for too long.
Some folks decide to do completely different things afterwards, like acupuncture. People that are more involved in the creative department, usually end up doing something highbrow or artsy. This not meant to be a maxim, is just a general observation.
As a tangent a lot of the people I meet in Digital are ex-Music Industry
I've started a second career without actually leaving this one. Writing poems is like writing ads with no planners, suits, clients or probably even punters. Plug: my book's The Brand New Dark (Salt publishing) published end Oct, extracts on Salt's site. Good luck with your book Mr. Scamp.
Mr Mark Waldron, I like your poems.
re 5.17
thanks
Mr Mark Waldron. I also like your poems. But you look tired. I'm worried that having two jobs is getting you down. Do you eat well? Regular exercise?
I answered the polls couple days ago with "finance", because that's my original training, but when I'm thining of leaving the industry these days, I dream of being a computer games designer.
my childhood dreams and the CW skills might come a bit handy.
rehab!
I left advertising 3 months ago.
I have never been happier.
Im doing different arty projects and teaching young creatives how to do tv.
There's a whole life out there!
I never knew.
I do miss the shoots and free stuff though.
tried to buy your book, mark, but it says its not available. have you sold out or something?
Hello 10.19.
Really pleased you want to get hold of the book. It's not out for another week or two but I think you can pre-order it on amazon?
What's your book, Scamp? The collected swear words of junior creatives? I note you've been keeping the best ones to yourself by deleting the choicest contributions.
Ask David Furnish.
Oi Iceland (the country)! Give me my bloody money back you Icelandic bastards.
I will have my own dog-training-school (honestly).
not quite different from advertising. pissing and shitting all over the place, but with a big difference: it's an outdoor job and if you really do your job properly you get respect ;-)
once again: I'm not joking. that's what I'll do.
i might leave my job to go and work in spearmint rhino.
there would be less tits and i'd probably get paid better.
There is nothing outside advertising. Nothing. Get back to work.
BBC - that's outside of advertising.
Richard Reed ex-acct guy at DDB set up Innocent. Dave Hiatt ex-copywriter at S&S and AMV set up Howies.Smart blokes. And nice too. Talk to them Scamp.
I suppose I've run the flake gamut. I left advertising in '02 to become a public school teacher in Baltimore. Burned out there. Then came back to advertising in '06.
Never again. They're going to have to pull my cold dead corpse from the agency to get me leave again.
I never even made it into Advertising but still read your blog all the same.
Not sure why.
Maybe it's for the comment sections when everyone calls each other pricks. I like that bit a lot.
I believe the answer is quite simple. Open a Pub. You may want to watch MadMen for another idea though.
I started life in adland as a digital designer and somehow squeezed my way up to CD - already over it though and now I'd like to do stand up comedy or make a sitcom - haven't got a clue how to go about the latter though and I think I'm only funny when I'm angry which I only seem to get from adland so it's a bit of a catch 22.
My copywriter went on to become a successful fashion designer here in the Philippines. She was an award-winning writer who just got sick and tired of being sick and tired.
I have worked as a digital designer then copywriter for a few years. I'm still very much in and getting into my late 30s ...so what's my next move, well I reckon either continue my road into digital and god knows where that goes. Then there's writing kids books (and illustrating them). Then there's truck driver, closely followed by painting pictures of stupid stuff and trying to get people to buy it for their kids. kthanksbye
have worked as a producer for over 20 years and loved it although i've seen the stress kill friends, and its resulted in 5 breakdowns for me..so now I reflect on what could be next because there has to be that...but how after everyday has been so varied and challenging and creative do you leave and feel good about the rest of your life which truthfully just might not be as interesting without the huge distraction of this ad life. Spa. Bed and Breakfast...all sounds nice but it will never bring that excitement back...obviously you can see i'm conflicted and i fucking hate digital production...
Hello! I am looking for some genuine advice. I've been working at an ad agency for 4 years out of college, 2 years in buying and 2 years in strategy and I'm over it. I have no work life balance and am severely underpaid.
I am having a lot of trouble finding alternative careers that I could use my expertise/knowledge in, but not be in an ad agency environment.
Any suggestions would be so greatly appreciated. Thank you!
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