[art_director]

below is an exchange between a junior copywriter formerly of fallon and a person who contacted him. the e-mail has been sent around the ad world. i've gotten it three times in the past week alone.


> >>>Hello Colin,
> >>>I saw your portfolio on portfolios.com and I was
> wondering if you
> >>>wouldn't mind a little constructive criticism. I
> know when I was in the
> >>>ad world criticism was my best friend and that
> how
> it should be. I guess
> >>>I should introduce myself first. My name is
> Mxxxxxxx Mxxxxxxx. Now I
> >>>didn't have the opportunity to work at a creative
> shop like you do, but I
> >>>did get a chance to work for a while in the
> industry out here in Seattle,
> >>>WA as a copywriter. Now I'm in marketing.
> Always
> interesting the places
> >>>we end up. How did you end up at Fallon. You
> work
> looks young so I'm
> >>>assuming you're fresh out of school. I'll leave
> you with the following
> >>>and then hopefully I'll hear back from you.
> You're
> work has potential,
> >>>as does many other writers, but you stopped short
> with it. It barely
> >>>scratches the surface of it's potentional. I
> assume that's why I may
> >>>only be able to see these items on this website
> and
> not actually
> >>>produced. Best of luck and hopefully I'll hear
> from. I have plenty more
> >>>advice.
> >>>MM
> >>>
>
>
> >>
> >>Dear M&M,
> >>
> >>BMW billboards: Produced.
> >>
> >>Citibank outdoor: Produced, currently running in
> NYC, L.A., S.F., MIA, CHI
> >>& D.C. Being submitted to One Show this year. I
> consider it the equivilant
> >>of what AMV BBDO does for The Economist in London.
> >>
> >>Bahamas: Produced, being submitted to One Show.
> Allowed me to discover a
> >>new writing voice and work with a senior art
> director (you can see what is
> >>real and what is not by bothering to read the
> credits underneath).
> >>
> >>Dyson: Loved internally but client wouldn't buy
> it.
> Probably would win the
> >>Kelly award ala Crispin with their MINI spread
> last
> year. But you win
> >>some, you lose some. Makes a great non-traditional
> print ad one-shot. And
> >>it may be produced in the future.
> >>
> >>Maine Office of Tourism- spec student work. I
> decided after demonstrating
> >>my early ability to pen long copy and clean up in
> the Minneapolis Show
> >>with Wusthof ads, I'd do a repeat with Maine this
> year. Only this time I
> >>wrote 800 words for each ad instead of 300 and put
> it on newsprint.
> >>
> >>Stubb's: Student spec work. Bar-B-Q product? Yes.
> Vegetarian joke
> >>headlines or funny visuals of people biting off
> their fingers because
> >>sauce is so good? No. Sorry to disappoint.
> >>
> >>Green Party: Student work - Bronze pushpin in
> Minneapolis Show. The kind
> >>of smart alternative media that many "fresh out of
> school" creatives don't
> >>have in their book.
> >>
> >>Wusthof - CMYK #23, more importantly, was the key
> piece in getting me
> >>hired at Fallon (indeed, a "creative shop"). They
> like ads people can
> >>spend time with and treat the reader with respect
> and maturity. Tell me
> >>Mike, what kind of ads do you appreciate?
> >>
> >>Resume: Speaks for itself.
> >>
> >>How did I get into Fallon? By working my ass off.
> By
> listening to
> >>criticism when 1. I asked for it. & 2. By
> listening
> to people's opinion
> >>who I respected-who have done great work in the
> past.
> >>
> >>As a result, I am easily highest paid junior in
> the
> country. If you want
> >>the rest of my story, you're welcome to peruse my
> online diary at
> >>cmykmag.com. (A publication my work has appeared
> in
> 3 times).
> >>
> >>But hey, you're the expert copywriter (who oddly
> enough has spelling
> >>issues). But please, send me more of this great,
> non-specific advice my
> >>way. I enjoy the laughter.
> >>
> >>Warm regards,
> >>
> >>-Jokey Smurf
>
>
> >
> >Wow,
> >Amazing that head of yours still fits through the
> door. I hope you don't
> >reply to all your e-mails that way. Hate for it to
> get out that the
> >writers at Fallon are pricks. Used to be such a
> nice
> place back in the
> >day. I was actually writing to see if a few of the
> people around town
> >where right about how you've become a head case
> since
> you started at
> >Fallon. Now I know they're right. Tell Eddie I
> say
> hello and hopefully
> >not all the students are coming out of Brainco with
> egos and chips on their
> >shoulders as huge as yours. No room out here in
> Seattle for that immature
> >crap. Thanks for the proofing tips. You'll make a
> great proofer when
> >things wash out at Fallon and I have a feeling they
> will. (Side note: You
> >might want to check your own spelling errors.)
> Gets
> some class and don't
> >ever discuss your salary over an e-mail. You never
> know how is on the
> >other end. Didn't dump your creative side-kick,
> Tiger, on your way to
> >junior-hood did you? She can do better any way.
> Also, never would that
> >have one a Kelly and the Economist campaign will
> always be out of your
> >league. Thanks for the laughs kid, and good luck.
> I
> have a feeling you're
> >going to need it.
> >MM

[kaboom]

What the hell did I just read?

[Yose]

Someones Eulogy(sp?)...

[art_director]

yep, that's a suicide note.

the e-mail i've received three times has the addresses of all the people who've sent this thing around. while i'm not going to list the recipients i will say that opening any communication arts, one show, archive or d&ad would provide a list of these folks. in other words, this guy just made an ass of himself in fromt of the entire creative ad community. rumor has it he's now working at hunt adkins in minneapolis but i doubt that will last long.

such a fool...

[Baphomet]

Which of the two idiots are you calling the fool, art_director? I can only hope that the jacka$$ who provoked the junior copywriter is suffering similar hardships in keeping a job.

[art_director]

it's obvious the original post was baiting the junior writer.

the word around minneapolis is that this kid got out of brainco and had such a big head that people couldn't stand having him around. yes, it was low to bait him but given what a jackazz he was i have no sympathy. the kid is a fool and there's no room in this business for egos like his. people with such high opinions of themselves eventually get their due, some sooner than others.

this week i've been working for an agency on a pitch. the fellow who ran me through things is a young buck straight out of school. he carries an attitude similar to the one above. i think this is one big negative of the ad schools. sometimes they put out egos that have created thirteen ads and they think they're god's gift to the ad world. if i had a dollar for every one of the cocky ones who has already left the ad biz...

btw, i should note that i know of a number of talented creative that have come from the ad schools. unfortunately the number of them with any sense of maturity in their work and professionalism is low. i do not blame the students. i blame the instructors who are usually ad industry creatives.

[godzookie2k]

ouuuchhh. That sounds like someone I know really well actually. One of the most talented illustrators I've seen, but his rediculously large ego will keep him back. Remember guys, word gets around.

[art_director]

wow, illustrators that do that are even worse. zookie, you know how they can be the flavor of the month then 'poof' gone.

[Apple Pro Underwear]

geez, that was stupid. to let some guy provoke you like that, what are they 12?

anyway, i was aspiring to possibly major in being a copywriter/art director in my junior year at college, but i felt the atmosphere even in my classes were too competitive. there was no sense of community and friendship and only bravado and showmanship.

as of right now i am primarily a junior designer (i'm young), but occasionally i get to submit some copy... i'm glad i am not a part of the advertising biz anymore.

[art_director]

it's a very competitive business, no doubt. there are always going to be people like the fool above but they eventually quit or get fired.

[godzookie2k]

oh god yeah, that flavor of the month mentality is 90% of the illustrators out there. Actually (and this is off topic and deserves its own thread but) I had a very long, inhebriated discussion with some "Graphic Arts" friends of mine on whats better, being the fifteen minute flash in the pan making a truckload of cash and making a truckload of people see your stuff nonstop for a few months/years? Or working your ass off and getting respect, but maybe not the noteriety of a flash in the pan artist? Or even more, working your ass off and not getting any respect until you're dead.

I like the middle one.

[chris v]

Y'all are being too hard on him. I'm sure he'll do well in his future career as a plotter operator down at Tim's Quik Sign and Banner.

CV

[art_director]

Originally posted by chris v:
Y'all are being too hard on him. I'm sure he'll do well in his future career as a plotter operator down at Tim's Quik Sign and Banner.

CV

he just got fired from tim's. now he's flippin' burgers at boogerking.

[::maroma::]

Originally posted by art_director:
he just got fired from tim's. now he's flippin' burgers at boogerking.

But damn, those are the best damn boogers anyone's ever seen!