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Rising Star
1. Super weak that they're throwing you under the bus on this. Also weird that they're *admitting* to throwing you under the bus on this.
2. Hard to see how asset revisions that took less than an hour to do — and apparently didn't warrant being reviewed by a CD or above — could have a significant impact on a pitch.
Sounds like you are being made to be the scapegoat for lots of other bigger problems. Hard to course correct from that, but again, at least you know what's happening.
I thought our industry had moved on from those kind of aggressive CD put downs. Even if you did screw up, that's not how they should have expressed it to you.
Doesn't this person deserve to know why they're being put on the bench? You have no idea how the conversation started or ended.
Also, I bet they win the pitch.
Rising Star
CDs are the directors. The QBs, everything comes back to them whether they want it to or not.
If they didn’t bother to look at what you sent before the call that’s on them not you. They get paid to lead things so the buck stops with them.
I would do it. Don’t let them create a false narrative against you.
Chief
They’re the leaders. It’s on them. Defend yourself.
Pro
Yes. Absolutely rise up and present your side in a calm and unemotional way. I swear I would be so much further along in my career if I had done that, instead of being afraid and wanting to be a man about taking criticism. (I am a woman)
Oof. Red flag. You ride and die as a team. Sounds like you cant trust your cds leadership tbh.
The key is they said “no on trusts you.” Not that “he or she” cant trust you.
No on implies the wider team…which implies the cd didn’t stand up and take ownership as the leader of the project… which implies throwing a subordinate under the bus…
I’d bring up in a one:one. Make it productive conversation. Find steps to course correct for the future. Take control of the narrative.
Where are the traffic or project managers?
You read my mind. Weird. Might be a red flag 🚩agency it sounds like.
Your creative director has all the hallmarks of a person with some sort of narcissistic issue. Notice the “triangulation” method, which is to align a third person (or persons) against you (“no one trusts you.”) This, plus the lack of accountability for their role as a creative director, means it’s their issue, not yours. That creative director professionally traumatized you. Try not to let this person get you down. You are self-aware and talented.
Be aware that if this creative director truly has some sort of disorder, they **will** react aggressively and point everything back at you if you bring up anything they have done wrong. Brace yourself for this. You can never convince a crazy person that they did something wrong, they will always point it right back at you and make you doubt yourself.
Definitely start looking for a job elsewhere, it’s really hard to work with a crazy person because there’s no graceful way to deal with the issue without sacrificing a bit of your own sanity.
I agree with this take a thousand percent, unfortunately standing up to bullies just puts a target on your back when the next round of layoffs hit. Better to stay under the radar until something else comes along.
What kind of decent pitch team goes in without reviewing the work? Not just CD but Strat and Accounts should all be 100% dialed in and nailed down. Maybe you misunderstood, it happens, does not excuse them for not triple checking everything.
Honestly this agency deserves to lose the pitch if they allow this many layers of incompetent leaders to flourish.
They gave you an hour, and then never looked at the work despite being asked to? Then it was shown to the client with nobody taking a look? Screw that and them.
I'm sorry that happened and hope you're able to regain their trust soon. It may be worth talking through an action plan to better deliver in the future and use that opportunity to propose check-ins. I don't think you should "point out where they also messed up" necessarily because as a senior, the expectation may be that you can produce client ready deliverables with little feedback.
Rising Star
Maybe they were working on other stuff and didn’t have time to review your work. Take it on the chin and keep moving forward.
Yeah, that's on the CD. They gotta check everything and take the blame when shit happens.
You deserve better. I would find a new CD or a new job. You will never thrive under someone like this. Who cowardly doesn’t take accountability and instead blames people below them.
You could consider talking through your side of the story but if your CD has already decided not to take accountability it’s hard.
I mean you should definitely go up the chain on this. No non-toxic ECD is gonna be thrilled with a CD that leaves their seniors to twist in the wind then throws them under the bus. The literal job description of the creative director is to be the one who owns the final presentation. This person is straight up negligent
This isn’t on you. They made a choice to not review the deck. That’s their management that’s off, not your output.
TBH, I’ve never heard of A. People in charge of a pitch deck not reviewing it before presenting it and B. People in charge of a pitch deck blaming the people they were overseeing when they were they ones who were meant to be overseeing the deck.
They’re children. Don’t let their bad behavior bring you down.
Start looking for your next gig. You never know how things will progress from here on out, so cover your ass.
Wasn’t there a brief? Or some other provided documentation that you based your work on? A big piece of this may come down to who was aligned with the documented expectations.
Has there been times where my more junior creatives had made big mistakes. Yes. Was I upset. Sometimes. But did I take that out on them. No. That’s not productive. What is productive is being constructive and helping them understand why they may have not made the best choice so in a future situation they might handle better. But also it’s def your CDs fault for not checking the work.