Related Posts
Recruiters or direct application?
Rising Star
Additional Posts in Advertising
Anyone hiring a junior/mid writer in LA??
Chief
Recruiters or direct application?
New to Fishbowl?
Download the Fishbowl app to
unlock all discussions on Fishbowl.
unlock all discussions on Fishbowl.
Rising Star
This is my exact experience too, working across agencies of all sizes.
That’s definitely the norm at a lot of large shops.
There’s a lot of different factors at play. Some CDs are just ACDs who got an offer from a different shop but got the title as part of a counteroffer. There are some agencies where no matter how many awards you win or how good your work is you won’t get a good pay bump if you aren’t bumped up in title. So people may have a CD title but are actual amazing creatives who only have CD title to get paid what they are truly worth in the open market. Then you have the CDs who are problematic/poor leaders but have strong ties to a cash cow or are good creatively. They get the CD title but don’t really lead. It’s usually one of those reasons. But there have always been people who have aCD title that should never have gotten it. For example, there’s a world famous agency that used to pay their people very very well. Titles didn’t matter that much. If you did great work you were paid accordingly. At that shop was a senior AD who has literally won every award under the sun multiple times. I’m talking dozens of One shoe pencils stacks of Lions. Anyway, the agency sells out to a holding company. This Sr AD is called in a year or two after the buyout and is told he must either take a massive salary cut or take on a role commensurate with his salary. The role ECD. That’s how much he was making as a Sr AD. He never wanted to be a leader much less the entire agency. So here’s a guy in his early 40s jumping from AD to ECD. They negotiate and he’s put on a multi year plan to become an ECD. The thing is he already knew it. He was just buying time to make his next move which he did. He left and started a new agency.
Ok name the agency pls or the movie at least.
I’ve been an ACD for over seven years, but most days still feel like I’m flipping burgers and frying fries despite repeatedly asking for more leadership opportunities. Every agency jump resets me into the same ACD role instead of letting me grow beyond it.
Ditto, same here!
If everyone is on at least one higher step title wise than they should be, yes, this is the case. We have no juniors, now everyone is at least mid. People with three years are seniors, 5 and you're an ACD... Well, on 6-7 you're a CD where prev you'd be halfway through your senior stage.
Meanwhile I just now made ACD after nearly a decade in this industry haha
Yes but why not have more senior level creatives, no one complains about the absurd number of layers on the account side.
And they’re all like 25 years old!
I’m experiencing this too. Even as a senior I’ve never managed anyone, and finding that to be a barrier when applying to ACD roles.
😧
Even as a GCD, I’m often just a creative team on projects.
In pharma, there are also Copy/Art Supervisor and Group Copy/Art Supervisor titles (and often they don’t supervise anyone). Plus ACDs, and VP, ACDs.
Pro
Yep.
I had one direct report as a sr copywriter. 2-3 direct reports as an ACD.
Can confirm I’m a CD still doing a lot of the work even while managing. A factor in not having enough resources on clients