The best AWARD School idea isn’t in a folio.
Rob Morrison shares some very smart and very encouraging advice for industry newbies and hopefuls. When trying to get a start in the industry, few will hear much encouraging advice, so feed it to your dream career. It will reward you for being nourished when it needed it most. Here it is:
Just when you think you’ve heard the best AWARD School idea, something new and brilliant emerges.
Obviously, August is home to AWARD School graduation. A night where a fresh crop of young and keen creatives put their careers in the hands of the AWARD judges. At least that’s what the PR tells you. Each one desperate to win. Desperate to finish top 10. Desperate to get something on the wall.
But for a majority of the 200 kids across Australia, none of that happened. They paid their $2,500. They attended all 16 weeks, roamed the city to find tutor agencies and submitted a final folio. But then, nothing. No credit. No accolade. No job. Until now. Now there’s a badge every AWARD School graduate can wear with pride.
“Equal eleventh.”
I speak from experience. In 1990, I graduated from AWARD School without getting a piece on the wall. It wasn’t the judges’ fault and I’m not at all salty. My folio just wasn’t that great. I am one of the OG “Equal Eleventh” club members. Yet, I built a 30-year career as a creative. So, I figure it might be useful to share some rear-view mirror perspective.
If you’re a recent inductee into the “Equal Eleventh” club, here’s a handful of tips to help put the disappointment behind you and drive a career ahead.
#1 It’s only over when you decide
If you really, truly want to do this for a living, don’t give up. In the weeks and months ahead, lots of your AWARD School classmates will throw in the towel. They’ll decide it’s too hard. That the rejection hurts too much. Inevitably, an opportunity will appear when you least expect it.
#2 Don’t offend anyone
Adland is a small industry in a small town. But, crucially, it has a long memory. I’m still telling yarns of triumphs and tragedies from the late ‘90s. So, sure, that CD may have trashed your folio or made you wait an hour, but don’t bad mouth them to the next CD you see. And don’t whinge about bad briefs, annoying clients or short timelines. Because you will meet all these people again.
#3 Say yes to everything
Lots of creatives disagree with me, but I believe there’s an opportunity in every brief. So, when you get a chance, take it with both hands. On a B2B brief. Or social posts for a TV campaign. Or Google Ads. Or even just Meta Data (case in point, next year Cannes Lion will award a Meta Data Lion – no, I’m not kidding).
#4 Be smart with money
They say footballers and rockstars are terrible at managing money – their first paycheck goes on splashing cash. Well, I’ve also seen the same with young creatives (including me when I was first employed). If the last 12 months taught the industry anything, it’s “save for a rainy day”. Because it’s only ever a matter of time before the clouds roll in.
#5 Learn to talk tech
You don’t need to be an expert at AI or blockchain or quantum computing. If you are, your brain is probably not wired to be a fulltime creative. But you do need to understand them all. And whatever’s coming next. That way you can have informed conversations with clients, strategists and tech fanatics.
If you are a disappointed AWARD School grad then good luck with what’s next. And, if nothing else, remember you finished “Equal eleventh.”
Rob Morrison is a rarity in advertising – a grey-haired creative. Rob’s experience includes time as a Creative Director at Ogilvy, BWM (now Dentsu Creative), George Patts (now VML), Campaign Palace and Wunderman. He now runs his own consultancy – morrison.collective.
Here are two more opinion pieces from Rob Morrison:
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