Is any one else getting the sense that there's this kind of creative threshold happening in the industry now? I have a lot of friends laid off that can't find any work and I honestly don't think they will. It almost feels like there's this unwritten line in the sand that some creatives didn't meet and therefore they are pretty much screwed out of a career. It fucking sucks to hear these stories from people.

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Absolutely there is. Jobs are more scarce now, there are a LOT of extraordinarily talented people on the graft. People who were “good” but not “great” creatives won’t find a place when they’re competing with top notch talent for the same spots. Heck even some great creatives aren’t going to find their place.

It’s not good for anyone. Even those talented people who find work. It’ll lead to frustration, if one thinks they’re better than the work they’re doing. Lack of fulfillment. Overshooting briefs. A general mis-match in hires vs. actual work.

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It's been very hard to find work through linked in , Glasdoor, & others. I'm exceptionally skilled and have a great online portfolio. Not sure why I'm not being snapped up.

I don't think there is a hidden line. The problem is more impersonal. Clients are putting budgets in places outside advertising. More advertising is now automated. So there are fewer creative jobs than before. This isn't a downturn, it's a secular shift. The creative agency world is going to be smaller than it was. That sucks, because it calls time on an exciting, creative and lucrative way of earning a living. Nobody is singled out or chosen by fate here. It's just over.

likesmart

I agree (and cannot STAND influencers)

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So we should all become PMs now?

likehelpful

I don't know. All I know is one day a few years ago this career lost it's lost term viability for a lot of folks. Like I still have a job but am I just delaying the inevitable replacement? Who knows.

likehelpful

I’d also add that ATTITUDE and ability to get things done are critical. People who are a PITA or who always create drama are not the people I want around me. The chronic complainers? Don’t want them. The ones who refuse to learn new skills? Don’t want them. The ones who are never willing to pitch in and help? Don’t want them. And we know who those people are because their reputations precede them.

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A lot of reputations are made from political power feuds and people feeling like others are coming for their jobs or challenging their power. So on the other side of that coin, make sure you work for a leader who collaborates equally vs being a dictator regardless of race or gender.

It’s really hard to give new people a shot. Right or wrong, lazy or not, hiring managers and ECDs will always defer to candidates they already know, recommendations from people they already know, or people who are already working at agency names that dazzle them.

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I’m far from the first to say this but I do think you’re seeing an industry contracting, or being existentially disrupted. I don’t think the advertising business as any of us once knew it, or the traditional job roles within it, are likely to come back in the same form.

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I was an animation major so am still connected with that world and yeah, word has it animators in LA who’ve been working in the industry a decade or longer have been in limbo for some time now. My friend who illustrated backgrounds for Titmouse said he hasn’t worked in 2 years.

likesmart

lol @ success being merit based

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100% ridiculous assumption

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Yep. I’m only 3 years in and I’ve pretty much accepted my career is over. Tooled and retooled my book. Haven’t worked in a year.

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Sure feels that way. Some of it is “macro”: a frozen job market where no one is leaving or hiring. But for creatives in particular, I bet a lot of it has to do with how those roles have changed in the last couple of years. It’s becoming a much more technical discipline.

You can’t just be good at concepting, writing, or art direction — you need to know how your work is delivered and discovered, and ideally how to facilitate that. The market wants writers who can use AI to the hilt, designers who can code and animate, and creatives who generally know their way around CMS, CRM, and maybe a little HTML/CSS.

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LOL what market is that? Please tell us so we can stay the fuck away

Honestly it started three or four years ago

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I’ve been hit up for freelance work from like 3 agencies in the last month while getting some interviews. Feels a lot better than it did when I first started a couple years ago.

Always was

I see this

Thanks for the perspectives in this discussion. The situation in the industry is complicated and helping people navigate it is more important than ever. The insights here affirm our understanding of the industry as well.

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