I know we’ve all worked with a CD who did nothing on a project then took credit and put it in their book. But today was a first - my partner and I have been on a months-long OOH train station takeover and a freelance CD who did not contribute to the project at all put work in his book that HASN’T EVEN LAUNCHED YET. Like we just sent files to the printer today and they’re going up next month yet he already has proofs up on his website...you can’t make this shit up.

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Posting as :
works at
You are currently posting as works at

That’s fireable

likefunny

*suable. Fixed it for you.

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Not that uncommon, unfortunately. At least the creative theft part. Though usually they wait a while to take credit. Posting it before the launch is even dumber and more sinister than usual.

There’s a story about a social art director who took multiple huge TV campaigns from an agency they freelanced at and put it all in their book - even claiming to be the CD on the work, despite it having launched months before they started. Sadly, they got away with it too.

Sorry to hear this happened to you OP. All you can do is hope people eventually find out that this freelance CD is a fraud. Not much else to do about it.

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I did! I escalated the situation and am totally staying out of it.

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Are we all talking about colin C.? Just naming the names of a lot of people, but if you know, you know.

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It’s not. Sad there are many more people like this :(

I would every-so-innocently go to the ECD or creative leader above them and ask, genuinely what the scummy CD contributed and also confirm that it’s ok to put in your book now or wait until it’s out in the world. When they say to wait just say, “that’s what I assumed but [CD] put it in their book which is extra crazy cuz I didn’t even think they worked on it so I wanted to confirm.”

likesmart

Relax. These things have a way of working themselves out. Just focus on you. Everyone on here is so obsessed with titles and credits. people who steal work, embellish their role or inflate their title are insecure. They’re not playing the long game and eventually the truth comes out. Advertising is a small pond young fish. Work hard and be nice to people.

But, publishing work before it’s released is a problem and needs to be addressed before a client sees it!

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Yeah, I mean I honestly just care about someone posting work that hasn’t launched yet. I’ll let karma take care of the rest

Gotta find their next freelance gig apparently. I would also go to the ECD and say you had seen the work up online and ask if it was ok to be posting. Innocent enough.. your ECD will most likely say no and ask where you saw it. Problem solved. Or they’ll know your angle but still appreciate the heads up.. people have been fired for less.

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When I see creatives do this, I shoot them an email and let them know I know. And it’s a small industry. And maybe they’ll do the right thing. This guy, however, seems like a d.
But sometimes people don’t exactly know the rules of the game. There are also a lot of delusional creatives who honestly think they came up with things they didn’t. I once had a guy who was rip shut over not getting credit for a whole campaign he claimed sprang from his screen saver idea. (10 yrs ago). He’d forgotten that I handed him that idea, based on a t-shirt design someone else had shown me months before. I showed him all the dated files, he quietly backed away.
Anyway, your CD sounds like a prick.

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That’s wrong on so many levels. Incredible that a CD would do that. He’s probably looking for a job and needed to update his portfolio.

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Yeah, that’s the part that feels so gross about it.

Chill out.

☝️ found the portfolio thief.

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Woah, a freelance CD?! That’s wild.

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