On Shoots

I love shoots. You get to watch as your little idea baby comes to life. Sure they're stressful. Sure things don't always go as planned. But that's life. You just roll with the punches and hope for the best.

We're currently shooting the second installment of a new campaign for our biggest client. The first installment was shot in January. It was a good shoot and the spots turned out nice. But it's only four months later and this shoot has a completely different feel to it. It's looser, the energy is higher and the scripts are wittier. And it'll definitely show in the end.

Why do I feel more confident this time around?

Experience. We've shot this campaign once before and we've learned from it. And now we get to build on the foundation we set last time around. As the saying goes, "Those who cannot learn from history are doomed to repeat it." We've learned and it'll show in the finished spots.

Ownership. A lot of blood, sweat and tears went into this round of work. And a lot of battles were fought to make this next round the best it could possibly be. When that much heart goes into the work on the front end, there's a lot more ownership for making it awesome on the back end.

Energy. The energy this round is through the roof. From agency to client to director and casting, everyone is excited about this round of work. There was excitement last round, but it was nowhere near the levels it is right now. And when everyone is this energized, the work will be to.

Needless to say, I'm definitely excited to see how everything turns out. And hopefully when it hits the airwaves this summer, you'll all be excited to see it to.

On Trust

Trust is what makes or breaks agencies. Trust between the client and the agency. Trust between account service and creative. Trust between those at the top calling the shots and those at the bottom doing the work. That last one may be the most crucial. Because those at the top have the experience, but those at the bottom have the savvy.

Unlike in most industries, experience isn't the most important thing in advertising. Experience doesn't make you the best. It doesn't make you the smartest. And it sure as hell doesn't make you the most creative. It does however make you experienced.

Experience teaches you what flies and what doesn't. It teaches you how to roll with the punches. It teaches you the art of persuasion, how to handle clients and how production works. And that is all extremely important stuff to know.

Now savvy is just as important. Knowing the technology, being immersed in pop culture and finding unique ways to communicate with consumers is what modern advertising is all about. It isn't about print ads and TV spots. It's about social media. It's about having conversations. It's about bringing a brand to life. That's all relatively new stuff. And it's stuff that those just now embarking in their advertising careers are experts at.

So back to trust. Trust is born out of respect. As newbies to the industry we need to respect the experience that those at the top bring to the table. And as leaders in the industry, those people calling the shots, you need to respect the savvy that the young creatives contribute.

There's room at the table for both experience and savvy. One single creative doesn't have all the answers. One single opinion isn't the know all end all. Advertising is a collaborative effort. And I think most of us need to learn to both trust and respect all the talent and expertise at our fingertips.