Experience is a "dirty word".

The worst word in the creative business English Dictionary is that scab picker, "Experience". When you are starting out in business it's the one thing you need but almost always lack and when you have pantloads of it you are perceived as an overpriced, opinionated bag of pain in the ass who will be too difficult to manage.

Ever notice that most job postings want 2 to 3 years experience and not 10 to 15 years? The only solution for this kind of ridiculous job market is to get a new job every 2 to 3 years that way you will have the perfect amount of experience every time.

"IT doesn't WORK!"

I have been through many circumstances where a client makes a suggestion which is counter to the creative in their own spot and directly in conflict with what you are trying to produce for them. You politely respond, "I don't think that will work" and if you are smart enough, you will be able to explain why. (If you want to play the "Ego Card" you laugh, tell them to "shut up", or just say "no"). Hopefully after your explanation the suggestion has been tucked away in the forever forgotten pile of crappy ideas. If not, you have opened the Pandora's Box of creative issues. Are you just not talented enough to make it work? Are you too stupid to understand who you are working for? Are you not creative enough to defend your position? Not good. You do not want to be defending your creative, it should be the only absolute in the room. You ARE the creative.

As a young animator/producer, I used to think you could make nearly anything work, that was my job in a sense, give the client what he/she wanted no matter how ridiculous it seemed at the time. I was a young "MAKE IT WORK" Tim Gunn wannabe. Sometimes to my surprise it was actually successful, the client was happy that I used their idea and made it pretty as a butterfly just for them. But invariably, I would not be satisfied one iota, I would see their suggestion as a large nail in my creative tire. I almost never put those jobs on a demo reel and surprisingly most of the times the client did not return for the next offering. Big HMMMM.

The problem is this, a bad creative idea is a bad creative idea and it is your job to make sure those ideas don't screw the pooch. How else can you prove your expertise? In my crankcase old age, I actually suggest the "Ego Card" tell them to back off, that you were hired for the creative not them. Do it in an entertaining way, if possible, nothing like laughing like an idiot while they stare confused. Most of the times they want the outlandish, the "wack job", it is what the corporate world expects of us. But beware, make sure it is a creative difference and not a business difference, the client has a right to portray their product and brand how they wish. Know the boundary and understand the risk.

Yes, you can lose jobs this way and you cannot overplay this hand or you will be known through out the industry as some pariah or worse, a prima donna. Maintain balance, understand that you do not own creative thought, but be in control of what you have been hired to do. And certainly understand that living the creative life is all about risk, in and out and all about.

I Remember an Age before KNUCKLEHEADS

The first commercial I ever animated was the best experience I ever had. I was working for a creative director named Carl Graneth and he was the best. During the production of the spot, I had an unusual idea and being a good little animation director I gave Carl a call and tried to explain what I wanted to do visually. I hacked and stumbled explaining the idea and Carl stopped me in mid stupidity. He said, "Look, I am the creative director, I drew the board, I sold the client on the idea, my job is done, it's your job now, do what you think works." I never heard those words again. The spot turned out great, Carl and the client were both ecstatic, and I felt like my career was just about to take off. Win, win, win, all do to a creative director who trusted the decision he made when he awarded me the spot.

Being Creative

It always amazes me how "being creative" is at times a big circus act with elephants and even scary clowns. Years ago, I went to my first pre-pro meeting at an agency in Boston who were planning a Halloween commercial for particular store chain. I was young and naive, and had never had a professional animation type meeting before. My father always wore a suit when going to important meetings and I felt at the time that I couldn't go wrong being dressed properly. I couldn't have been more wrong. I donned my "wedding suit", the only suit I owned, and went to the posh ad agency offices confident that I had made a good and smart fashion choice. When I got there, I was greeted by the creative director and producer for the agency and we sat down in a large conference room. Their first question was, "Where is the creative?" Mr. Dapper and now confused (me), responded by confidently telling them that I was in fact the animation director. They had a nice chuckle with a "No really" attached then asked again if the animator was going to join us. Luckily, I chose to use my feet for some fancy foot work and not as a chew toy and told them that unfortunately the "creative" couldn't make the meeting and that I came in his place. They asked if they could reschedule since this was to be a "creative" meeting. I like any good producer/account executive/lawyer instantly agreed that tomorrow would be a better day and apologized for the confusion. "Ha, yeah, you guys saw right past my little joke, ha ha." They shook my hand with odd looks on their faces and I knew that they were equally confused. Why did this knucklehead show up and tell us he was the creative and then cancel the meeting as quick as he came? "WEIRDO" lingered in Bold Helvetica in the thought balloons above their heads, at least that's what I saw. I dodged a bullet, but knew I had to come up with something good to gain the agencies confidence once again. My suit had them convinced that I was a business bozo of some sort and about as creative as a used tissue. I decided that I had no other choice than to give them what they wanted. The next day I entered the agency once again this time dressed in a cut-off, ragged hoody ravaged in oil paint, tattered shorts and sandals. I walked into the conference room, grabbed their presentation storyboard off their cute little easel and tossed it to the ground and said abrasively, "Who did this piece of shit." I plopped down in front of the same two agency creatives who sat stunned, surprised, and yet with ridiculous grins upon their faces. The thought balloons above their heads read once again, "WEIRDO" but this time it was the right type of weirdo. Egotistical, brash, all elephant and scary clown. I won them over, "being creative". The meeting went swimmingly and I was instantly hired to "redo" their board which they gave up like an unwanted step-child. Got paid, and even though the spot never happened (too much money for the client", it had nothing to do with the "creative." Sometimes the act is just as important as the talent. Embrace your inner scary clown.

Observation No.1

Doing work on "spec" rarely pays off. Usually, you are just handing over your creative to someone to run "away" with it. The jumping through hoops in the creative business gets old quick especially if you are not getting the work. It is an age old problem that started when you first showed any talent whatsoever. Remember, "Draw me something!" or "You're good at art, can you help me draw this?" Freebies started early in life.