Hard-Learned Advice For ALL Young Creatives.

Young Copywriters, Art Directors, Social Media Managers/Creatives, Interns, Students, this article is for you.

I spent 25 straight years on the advertising front lines, in the trenches, in the “shit” as they said in Vietnam, covered in blood and guts and sweat and tears, holding presentation cases and drives with failed, rejected ads.

(Above: Me, except replace the trench with a conference room, uniform with ad creative attire, and guns with ads. I did, sometimes, fall asleep (left British soldier) in meetings due to lack of sleep.)

Those 25 years were spent at two start-up ad agencies, the last 20 years in NYC as the only staff copywriter.

I have not seen it all. But I have seen a lot more than you. I paid with countless all-nighters and several 31-day work-months and surreally moronic clients to learn the following shit. So, you have to pay, too. Presented in three parts: How To Handle Briefs; How To Concept; How To Present.