CREATIVE COUPLE: NATE & MICHELLE
Getting to know our Creative Couples gives us the dual benefit of both personal and professional advice. Married for 10 years, WNW Members #1153 Michelle Hirschberg and #2592 Nate Able, recently teamed up as freelancers, taking both their careers and their relationship to the next level. A few fun facts about our latest Creative Couple:
1. Friends first, Nate and Michelle didn't become a couple until one fateful night in Atlanta's oldest strip club.
2. Their first official day working together happened on a road trip to LA. Michelle was on the phone with a client and upon realizing her art-director husband was in the car with her, the client responded, “Yeah whatever, he’s in the car with you? And can start now? Cool.”
3. All of their friends are creative couples. (Shout out to The Dietzes, The Sharkeys and Joe Sayaman & Luis Iglesias!)
Nate and Michelle say that working as a husband-wife team helps convince people to let them work remotely, “We’re already together, do we REALLY need to come to your office? Let’s skip all that inefficient commuting time."
Hi guys! Tell us a bit about yourself, where you're from and what you're currently loving:
For the second year in a row, we’re “wintering” in LA. Now that we’re both freelance, we take advantage of our freedom and swap the snow of NYC for the beaches of California. We’re loving it (even through all of our NY friends are hating us.) Funny thing is, we’ve wound up working with New York agencies the whole time.
We’re currently cracking out on The Americans through Amazon Prime. The place we’re renting has no DVR or On Demand. It’s like watching TV in the '70s.
MICHELLE
Describe your partner
Funny. Smart. Handy. Good at building things. Likes fruit “flavored” desserts (i.e. key lime pie) but hates fruit “based” ones (i.e. apple pie).
What do you admire about him?
He’s constantly thinking of new ideas and art projects. He’s an amazing “dog” dad. He can also make a mean egg sandwich.
Through working together, I have discovered...
...Concepting together is just as seamless as when we have conversations about anything else. And we get off topic just as easily. From a car client to a DIY home project, often in the same breath.
NATE
Describe your partner
Pretty. Smart. Cool. Foodie. Yogi. Traveller. Puppy whipped.
What do you admire about her?
Her general positive outlook on life. Also, how she can spend twenty plus minutes arranging things on a shelf to be just right.
Through working together, I have discovered...
...She doesn’t get stressed about work or let it get to her. In fact, her positivity can occasionally drive me nuts. Collaborative bitching can be very important.
MICHELLE & NATE
What came first, romance or work?
We met at the Creative Circus. We were friends first and then one magical night at the Clermont Lounge, Nate confessed his interest in Michelle. There’s nothing that says “happily ever after” like cans of PBR and 60-year-old strippers. While we always had “bounce sessions” where we talked what each of us was working on, we never officially worked together until a year ago. For some reason, it’s always easier to come up with ideas for someone else’s project.
How did you start working together? What was that transition like?
Nate had just gone freelance last winter and we were in the car on our way to LA. Michelle had been on a project and they wanted to extend her. She mentioned that she just happened to be traveling with her incredibly talented, art director husband. They were like, “Yeah whatever, he’s in the car with you? And can start now? Cool.” So our first day officially working together was on a highway in Tennessee.
Do you have work/personal boundaries? If so, how do you draw that line?
We talk about it. Is this a working lunch or non-working lunch? Or we slowly transition, like if we’re concepting at night, Nate will write up our ideas while Michelle makes dinner. One thing we’ve learned is that the first thing you say when you wake up should never start with, “What if for that one idea…”
Ideal Coupling: Not Coupling ratio
Six thirds? We’re not good at math.
Do you find that it helps to promote the fact that you’re married? Ever hide it?
We don’t promote or hide it and it doesn’t seem to have much bearing on whether we get a job or not. If anything, it helps convince people to let us work remotely. “We’re already together, do we REALLY need to come to your office?” Let’s skip all that inefficient commuting time.
Favorite thing about working together. Hardest thing.
Our favorite thing about working together is that it allows us to have flexible schedules. We can take time off for vacation and our schedules are synced. Or if the job is remote, being able to work from wherever we are, whether that’s from home or in the car or from the beach. The best ideas for us never happen in an office. In fact, we’ve found we’re most prolific on long walks with our dog.
The hardest thing about working together is deciding where to go for lunch.
As a couple: how have you seen your work evolve? As a professional, how has your relationship evolved?
Like working with any partner, you learn how the other thinks and reacts to things and you get more efficient working together. We’ve been married for 10 years but our relationship really got serious last year when we became freelance partners.
Are you friends with other creative couples? Why do you think people date each other in this field?
All of our friends are creative couples. In the advertising field, we’re friends with The Dietzes and The Sharkeys and Joe Sayaman and Luis Iglesias.
People in advertising date because:
Michelle: (stereotypical girl answer) For the same reason so many of us have friends in the field. A lot of us have similar sensibilities and interests and share an insatiable curiosity about the world.
Nate: (stereotypical guy answer) Convenience. Especially early in an ad career, people never have time to do anything else so they wind up dating who is around the office.
Do you have advice for other creative couples?
Date! (Each other, of course.) You don’t want to get so into the rhythm of being partners that you forget to be a couple.
Anything we didn't ask you that you'd like to tell us about?
If you’re a freelance couple with a dog too big to take on airplanes and are looking to be bicoastal, get to know Sheraton Hotels (unpaid endorsement!) They all have nice rooms, gyms, decent restaurants and no pet fees. We can share our cross-country-by-Sheraton Google map with you.
Michelle's Work
Nate's Work
