I PRESENTED TO A CREATIVE DIRECTOR…AHH

Being a student/intern, I currently sit at the bottom of the creative ladder, looking up to the years of experience and knowledge above me with the hope that, in the future, I will land myself a role like that. In huge independent agencies such as Wieden + Kennedy, that can house between 100 and 200 creatives, an opportunity to sit down with the man at the top can be few and far between. Yet here I am (through the incredible opportunities the Diploma in Professional Studies at UAL (LCC) has offered) writing a blog post about doing just that. Presenting work to Tony Davidson, Creative Director and partner of Wieden + Kennedy.

The presentation was the finale of a few months of meetings, workshops and designing alongside 2 creatives at W+K and a group of my fellow DPS students and tutors. In the end, 4 teams presented 4 different concepts, sat in a boardroom in the heart of the agency and I’m not going to lie that in my head it was going to be one of the most nerve-racking things I’ve ever done. Oh, how wrong I was…

For one there was something about being surrounded by people in the same position as me that was comforting, I knew everyone felt the same and we were there as a unit, not in competition. Secondly, what was being presented were our concepts and knowledge is power. I believed in my idea and knew that my passion would sell the concept in the best way possible. Finally, we were very lucky to be in an environment where the ladder I mentioned at the start was seemingly nonexistent. We were all there as, what felt like, equal creatives. No idea was wrong or stupid, it was about letting others in on the idea and brainstorming to make the concepts the best they can be and ultimately I think we all came out feeling extremely humbled and in my case a bit giddy.

Regardless of the outcome (although we are all currently eagerly waiting for an email) I feel like I have taken so much from this experience. The biggest discovery is that the ladder isn’t always vertical and whilst clients will pay for the knowledge and experience of an established creative, for their expert eye and opinion, when it comes down to the core concepts and insights we can all be on the same rung. So I guess it’s all about self-confidence and having faith in your work. As DPS students we have all made it this far for a reason and we must trust that reason in order to get the most out of the opportunities we have in the year ahead.