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Bowl Leader
Lug sole loafers with a suit. Yay or nay?
Any thoughts on Decoded Advertising?
Chief
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Chief
AKQA NY - Do you guys exist anymore?
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Rising Star
No. Top creatives should want to help not do it for money.
Rising Star
AD3, I will never be too good to help a junior or someone trying to get into the biz. I was once that struggling creative. I have plenty of respect and haven’t forgotten where I came from and those that helped me along the way.
This also feels like it would be yet one more way to gatekeep access to mentors/top agencies/opportunities. Our industry has enough of that
Feels like yet another way to help privileged college kids (or 24 year olds who’s parents pay for their nyc apartments while they leisurely look for their *dream* job) get a leg up on their peers. The last thing we need in this industry. How about a biz model where agencies and top creatives donate time and money to provide these services free of charge for those coming from underprivileged backgrounds?
Yes, they are harder to come by comparatively. They are far more risk averse due to financial hardships, making them less likely to move to coastal cities where most of us live, be able to afford expensive universities or portfolio schools, and far less likely to know how to network or reach out to professionals (be it advertising or another lucrative market) compared to the aforementioned wealthy kids.
I don’t go sifting through LinkedIn for people, who seem underprivileged to mentor, I offer up my services by reaching out to teachers from my old school and from volunteer programs that provide resources to students. There are channels that exist for this type of work already in place.
This is a larger systemic issue that isn’t going to be solved easily. Yes, agencies can be doing more but so can folks like you and me.
I’m a freelancer but maybe in your case, might be helpful to ask yourself what you can do to push your agency in the direction you’d like to see them move in. Maybe provide some schools for them to connect with and push them to start outreach programs?
The problem has been identified, it’s about what you can do to solve the problem that matters most right now.
A good question! But I don’t think top creatives would do that. They get paid a lot so an extra $150-300/hour and the risk of doing a job that’s below their standards, and being shamed online/risk your reputation is not worth it. Plus taking that hour away from their partners/families is an additional burden with the busy lives they lead. Top creatives don’t have any time, and when they do, they’d rather get high to decompress from the pressure of their jobs.
One of the best things about our industry is the community, relationships, and the willingness of the the higher ups to help someone up the ladder.
Monetizing it sounds like a great way to ruin this
Y'all miss the list of creatives that have signed up to do free mentoring that went around twitter?
Lots of CDs and up offered their time
I'll try find it if you're interested
Please don't normalize this.
I guarantee if you reach out personally to 5 top CDs at shops you respect on LinkedIn, you'll find at least one or two that will spend some time with you. Especially if you're BIPOC. There are a lot of really good people who'd like to help in this industry. Will also tell you who the jerks are.
Chief
I’ll give them a penny for their thoughts.
Nah. Maybe presenting from a great presenter. But interviewing...just doesn’t seem worth it to me.
And I’d try to get the agency to pay.
This is my opinion, but I would not pay for or ask someone to pay me for coaching/advice. I would feel terrible because I also remember my junior salary.
But I remember what it was like at the bottom, trying to learn the game and make my way into the industry. I believe in kindness, helping others, and karma. I love when juniors and my peers reach out to me for advice or to talk.
I'm super open to it, sometimes I get busy, but if they keep trying to get in touch with me I will get back or let them know to follow up at a less busy time. It builds good relationships, too, because you’ll never know when you need that connection. 
If they want to pay for something, then I would direct them to VCU and Miami Ad School. At least that will get their foot in the door. 
Pro
You can’t guarantee that the product will yield results. On one hand, we’ve all had doubts about our interview skills. On the other hand, most of us navigate it well enough to get jobs - without paid coaching.
I’ve interviewed lots of creatives. I mostly judged how well I liked a person by their attitude and their book. Didn’t need them to be uber prepared for the interview in some sort of “coached” way.