Want to Work at Digitas? Brent Eveleth Talks Elastic Thinking, Boston, & More

Brent Eveleth, Creative Director & SVP of Experience Design at Digitas, shares what he looks for in prospective hires, what it takes to succeed at Digitas, & why Boston will probably never get the credit it deserves for its strong, creative community.

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Sinan Dagli & BSSP Give Kevin Garnett ​​​​​​​Another Shot in 2K18 Ad

The NBA Playoffs are here. But current players on lottery teams aren't the only ones bummed to be missing out on the glory. What about all of the retired champions, like Kevin Garnett, who can almost taste their past victories? Below, WNW Member and BSSP's Associate Creative Director Sinan Dagli tells us about NBA 2K18's latest campaign, "KG's Back."

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What It Takes to Work at Work & Co: Meet Co-Founder Joe Stewart

Work & Co's Founder and Design Partner Joe Stewart tells us how Work & Co was born from wanting to get his design hands dirty again, and the internal trust that exists with having agency leadership learning and building alongside you. Joe also offers great advice on what it takes to work there, as well as what he looks for in prospective hires and their creative portfolios.

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These Wolff Olins + PAOM Bandanas Support Organizations Threatened By Trump

One year into the Trump presidency, creative agency Wolff Olins has enlisted Print All Over Me and 10 artists to help design #bandtogether bandanas. 100% of the proceeds are sent to charities that have been threatened by Trump and his policies.

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How Agency Sullivan Operates To Deliver A Full Brand Expression

How Agency Sullivan Operates To Deliver A Full Brand Expression

MIKE O'DONNELL / EDITOR

As Partner and Executive Creative Director at Sullivan, John Paolini sets the tone and vision for the firm's creative work. Today, he is an active participant in Sullivan’s design challenges—closely working alongside strategists, writers, designers, and technologists to build brands that shape perceptions and change behaviors. We caught up with John to find out how his love of design was first formed and since evolved (Spoiler: It involves the theft of a 1982 TGI Fridays menu). John also shares what Sullivan is looking for in prospective hires, and what separates Sullivan as an agency. "Over the last decade, we’ve expanded into what we call brand engagement. Since we were already working across all these different mediums and channels, it was a natural evolution to start thinking in terms of the larger brand expression. But it was also a big and exciting shift that’s opened up many new opportunities for the agency.”

 

Tell us a little bit about your creative background. How did your path lead you to ECD & Partner at Sullivan?

My path started with the theft of a TGI Fridays menu in 1982. That was the first moment I remember being completely drawn in by a design experience, the stitched spine, speckled edge paper, its faux leather-binding, the gilded titled “The Unabridged Dictionary of Food & Drink.” I was overcome with the urge to just take it. I waited until my dad went to the bathroom and hid it in my jacket. The menu heist ignited a lifelong love for design and branding that continues to this day.

That original experience eventually led me to a career working at some great studios where I honed my craft and learned how to be a professional. When I got my first branding job, I experienced first-hand the power of design, and how it can transform experiences, viscerally pulling people in without them even realizing it. But I also immediately noticed a problem. We’d create these beautiful systems that were thoughtfully and meticulously packaged into guidelines, and then we’d hand it off to an internal communications department or another agency that was tasked with executing it. It almost always ended the same way. The client would come back asking for more templates and more rules that only resulted in frustration for everyone and ultimately less effective communications. In essence, the story was getting lost in translation.

So then here comes Sullivan. At the time I came on, Sullivan was doing communications strategy and design. The approach was deeply rooted in a UX mindset, which gave me and my work a chance to truly bridge the gap between brand ideas and the work that actually lives in the real world.

Last year, we launched an event series called Overshare, where we interview successful creatives about their career challenges. What were a few definitive moments or turning points that had an impact on who you are today?

That’s tough. I don’t know that there was any one definitive moment or turning point. More like a series of rolling experiments in which you graduate to the next level of confidence with your work. It has made me able to be less precious about the design. At the core is this desire to find “the” idea—the one you can believe in. These aren’t really moments you can define—I wish I knew a secret formula that would get you there. But you know it when you’re there.

Describe Sullivan in 3 words.

Curious, innovative, creative.

 

What separates Sullivan from other agencies? How have you seen the identity of Sullivan evolve over the more than 13 years you’ve been there?

Sullivan used to work in a very narrow communications strategy lane. Over the last decade, we’ve expanded into what we call brand engagement. Since we were already working across all these different mediums and channels, it was a natural evolution to start thinking in terms of the larger brand expression. But it was also a big and exciting shift that’s opened up lots of new opportunities for the agency.

Which Sullivan campaign are you most proud of?

Cornell Tech. Our work to build the campus brand and multiple student-recruiting campaigns. We work in the same neighborhood as their temp campus, and it’s really gratifying to see people walking around with the t-shirts and see your work live in the world. There’s even someone walking around with a “T” tattoo!

What about the culture of Sullivan makes it an ideal place for potential hires to work?

Sullivan is a place where you can make a real impact. You’ll work with a great team of seasoned creative leaders, but our roles are really pretty loosely defined—any person at any level can speak up, or affect the direction of the work. If there’s something you want to learn, we try to make sure you have that opportunity. If there’s a responsibility you want, take it. We don’t cordon designers off or force people into specific disciplines. One day, you’re working on a high-level branding assignment, and next week maybe you’re trying to crack a user experience on the web.

What are you looking for in a potential hire that’s unique to Sullivan?

Talented, opinionated people who aren’t jerks.

 

Most significant creative or entrepreneurial inspirations?

There’s so much great work out there. I say, "design is not fixed, so your inspirations can’t be either." Ultimately, what I really love is people who are passionate and believe in their own ideas.

That being said, I’m a serial monogamist when it comes to fonts and typography. I’m really hot for Knockout right now.

Knockout Font

What do you do when not working?

I’m currently working to curate my collection of design ephemera into a book called “Honestly Stolen.” I’m also in the middle of a ten-year home restoration project. 

 

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Overshare Podcast: David Droga

Overshare Podcast: David Droga

 

Overshare is a Working Not Working event series and podcast that features honest conversations with our favorite creatives about the tough stuff we don't talk about in public often enough. For our 5th episode, WNW co-founder Justin Gignac talks to David Droga, Creative Chairman and Founder of the advertising agency Droga5. Droga5 has only been around ten years, yet it's been named Agency of the Year ten times. Clearly, David has to up his game if he ever wants to make a name for himself in this industry. 

Kidding aside, we find that the more successful the individual, the more rewarding it can be to hear them divulge their creative struggles and insecurities. If anything, the stakes are higher. From the constructive competition of being one of seven kids growing up in Australia to his early admiration of certain creative agencies in the US and England, David sees his career in advertising as inevitable. David also tells us what he hopes to achieve; specifically, he doesn't want to squander what he's built. "I like goals that are almost unattainable because it holds you to task all of the time. I want to build the most influential agency in the world. Because to be influential, you have to contribute on a lot of different levels. It's not necessarily by scale or by one particular client, but it's about influence of culture, influence of sales, influence of our industry..."

To say that Droga5 is on a roll would drastically understate its success. But David recognizes that many of the creative agencies he admired coming up have since closed down. He sees momentum less as following a winning formula than finding ways to keep things fresh, not just for a global audience but also his personnel. It's clear David celebrates everyone representing the Droga5 legacy from top to bottom in every global office, especially the creatives. He depends on them as family. "I always talk internally about how it's not one starlet person. The only thing that everybody in that office has in common is that no one has to be there. Everyone is talented enough that they can go get a job somewhere else. The fact that we choose to be together, we might as well fucking do something with that opportunity."

For those of you who couldn't join us, we have good news: you can listen to the entire conversation below on our podcast, brought to you by our friends at AND CO. Subscribe to Overshare on iTunes, Soundcloud, or with any other podcasting app via our RSS feed.

Some work from Droga5

A heartfelt thanks to AND CO for sponsoring this episode of Overshare. Let AND CO, co-founded by WNW Member Leif Abraham, help you run your freelance business by managing your invoicing, time tracking, expenses and projects with the combination of a smart app and your personal Chief Operator.


Get 20% off for 3 months on all premium memberships with the code “WNW”.

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Carlos Ricque Talks Agency Identity & Momentum at DigitasLBi

Carlos Ricque Talks Agency Identity & Momentum at DigitasLBi

MIKE O'DONNELL / EDITOR

One of the more essential yet fleeting qualities for an agency's success is momentum, and it's something DigitasLBI has a lot of these days. So we caught up with DigitasLBI's SVP Carlos Ricque to find out what steps he takes to keep the machine humming, how he caters his approach to allow his left brain and right brain to coexist and why the culture and evolution of DigitasLBI continues to excite him.

After working at Digitas for over two years in New York, Carlos recently made the move to DigitasLBI's San Francisco office. Below, he talks about how the change has energized him: "The vibe in this office is really special. The energy is contagious. And the combination of creative opportunity with a bunch of cool new people makes it almost a new office altogether."

Talking about how he personally strives to keep the agency looking ahead, Carlos notes, "For me that means getting involved when the work could be better, but even more importantly it’s being out in front of the work, removing obstacles, making sure nothing is going to keep a good idea from seeing the light of day."

As for how DigitasLBI separates itself from other agencies, Carlos makes a strong case: "This is a place with enough smart, hungry people walking around that if you have a good idea, somebody will know how to get it done. This makes us better than most in pitches because when we show an idea, we’re confident it’s going to be makeable...There’s not a lot of “wouldn’t it be cool if…?” If we’re showing you an idea, we’ve done the legwork. It’s viable."

 

Tell us a little bit about your creative background. How did your path lead you to SVP & Creative Lead of DigitasLBI San Francisco?

After college I went to Portfolio Center in Atlanta. This was before there were so many ad schools, so at the time PC was pretty much it. I fell in love with Atlanta, it’s a great city. I stayed and worked at several agencies there before moving to NYC. I’ve been at Digitas for about three years, all in New York until I recently took over creative here in the San Francisco office.

The vibe in this office is really special. The energy is contagious. And the combination of creative opportunity with a bunch of cool new people makes it almost a new office altogether.

 

We recently launched an event series called Overshare, where we interview successful creatives about their career challenges. What were a few definitive moments or turning points that had an impact on who you are today?

I’m really lucky to have worked with generous CDs, the kind that let you screw up in a way that makes you better for next time.

One of my first shoots was for a real estate client. My partner and I imagined a locked-off camera – a couple is in bed asleep in their new home, you hear a garbage truck and the guy snaps awake and dashes out of frame. Our CD suggested we get coverage of the guy running down the stairs. We started whining immediately – you’re ruining our vision, this is a one-shot only, here’s how TV works, blah blah blah. He pressed us, and we finally gave in and covered the shot, like we’re doing him a favor.

You can guess what happened next: He let us sit in that edit room for 2 days trying to make the spot work. But we were stuck with an 8 second shot of a pillow in an empty bed. Finally from the back of the room we hear “Maybe let’s try a version with the stair shot?” We had so dismissed it as an option that we forgot we shot it!

Obviously, getting that coverage was common sense. But he let us stumble through and figure it out ourselves. I always took that to heart, that the job of the CD is not just to make the work good, but to help make everyone on the team better at what they do. Thanks, Art Mellor!

“There’s not a lot of ‘wouldn’t it be cool if…?’ If we’re showing you an idea, we’ve done the legwork. It’s viable.”

What separates DigitasLBI from other agencies?

This is a place with enough smart, hungry people walking around that if you have a good idea, somebody will know how to get it done. This makes us better than most in pitches because when we show an idea, we’re confident it’s going to be makeable. We’ve already lined up the partners, or we prototyped it, or whatever. We can get it done. There’s not a lot of “wouldn’t it be cool if…?” If we’re showing you an idea, we’ve done the legwork. It’s viable.

 

How have you seen the identity of DigitasLBi evolve over the years?

It feels like we’ve gotten braver over the last couple of years. The work has gotten edgier. It’s not one or two teams, or small pockets of people, it’s happening across every office. The Boston team just did the wingsuit stunt for Dunkin’ Donuts. Chicago keeps reinventing the Maytag brand. In New York we won a Grand Prix for work in health. And San Francisco, in my opinion, does some of the best work in the agency. We took over E3 with 14-foot robot dinosaurs for PlayStation. We turned off Taco Bell’s entire online presence to launch their app, which is a lot more complicated to do than you’d think. We’ve been creating tons of original content for eBay. There’s still room to grow so we’re hitting it on every assignment, but the groundwork is there. And the talent is there.

“I try to create a vibe where people feel like they can do their best work, and try to make sure everyone feels ownership of the agency’s success.”

Momentum seems like a such a fleeting yet essential quality for the success of an agency. It’s something that DigitasLBi has a lot of right now. In what ways do you try to sustain momentum?

We’ve been doing well lately, and we’ve made some key hires that are going to change the trajectory of this office going into next year. I get really excited when something good is happening, because it benefits everyone in the building. Whether you worked on a particular project or not, when the agency wins we all win. So I try to create a vibe where people feel like they can do their best work, and try to make sure everyone feels ownership of the agency’s success.

For me that means getting involved when the work could be better, but even more importantly it’s being out in front of the work, removing obstacles, making sure nothing is going to keep a good idea from seeing the light of day.

“You have to make an effort to be a little bit irresponsible. Not careless. But irresponsible enough to ignore the rules, or the budget, or the timeline …just for a minute. Just until the idea gets a little bit more baked, so it can survive the other stuff.”

Being in a leadership position, how do you cater your approach to allow your left brain and right brain to coexist?

God. It’s tough. Both in-house and at the client, you’re dealing with business-minded people, deadline-focused people, budget-minded people. All of them are laser-focused on their thing, as they should be. So you need that logical part of your brain to make sure all the elements of an idea are in place, and stay protected.

But as creatives, our only job is to come up with an idea. It’s the thing that only we can do. So you have to make an effort to be a little bit irresponsible. Not careless. But irresponsible enough to ignore the rules, or the budget, or the timeline …just for a minute. Just until the idea gets a little bit more baked, so it can survive the other stuff.

I tend to do all of my creative thinking in the early morning, so I block off the early part of the day to look at work, go over ideas etc. Then I’ll do all of the grown-up work the rest of the day, once all the noise starts seeping into my brain.

“I’ve seen a lot of really good creatives not be able to let go of ‘their idea’ long enough to let anyone help make it happen. So their vision stays perfectly intact, in the presentation deck, because they weren’t big enough to let someone else bring it to life with them. ”

For someone entering the field of advertising today, what do they need to succeed? How has that changed from when you started your career?

First, you have to be able able to think quickly, but then keep refining your idea. Those are two different skills, and they’re very hard to combine. Some people are brooders - they need to go sit in a corner for three days before they can show you anything. They tend to get pre-empted by louder, faster voices. Others are the opposite – they’ll think of something fast, but if you challenge their idea or if something comes up that involves changing it in any way, they freeze up. The best creatives can come up with an idea quickly but still respond to inputs, roll with changes, while protecting the heart of the idea.

The second thing is you have to be cool working with people whose work you don’t understand…and know that they don’t understand what you do either. Back in the day it was a copywriter and an art director, period. Now there are so many considerations that can make or break your idea. It may not work in mobile; that may not be the way people use Snapchat; whatever it is, there are probably 6 or 7 disciplines, all very specialized, who have to understand your vision, and can then use what they know to help you bring something to life. I’ve seen a lot of really good creatives not be able to let go of “their idea” long enough to let anyone help make it happen. So their vision stays perfectly intact, in the presentation deck, because they weren’t big enough to let someone else bring it to life with them. 

Which campaigns are you most proud of?

The team that worked on Take it From a Fish did a great job with that work. Last year we followed that up with a project for a lung cancer support group that became a passion project for us. We turned Leap Day into a #GiftedDay, for people suffering from the disease. When you have lung cancer there’s no support groups, no pink ribbon, nothing. It felt really good to create something with actual social value to support people who need that kind of connection.

 

What do you do when not working?

I read a lot, and generally spend a lot of time with my wife and our little girl. Since we’ve just moved here we’ve made it a goal to be outside exploring as much as possible.

 

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