Copywriting and Pontification
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Quick links:
This outdoor board for
Dunkin appeared throughout the NY and Boston areas. Agency: Hill
Holliday, Boston.
These posters were distributed
by protestors to visitors arriving at the Georgia Dome for the 2000
Super Bowl.
They received worldwide coverage on CNN as well as in the Atlanta
Journal-Constitution. (Rumor has it, the governor started
negotiating
the next day. Agency: Truth Serum, Atlanta.
An airport duratran promoting Vanderbilt Medical Center. Agency: Lewis Communications, Birmingham.
NYC transit campaign for Fleet Bank.
At the time, Fleet was trying to overcome two obstacles; the notion
that (given that they were Boston-based),
they were an "outsider" bank, and the idea that they didn't offer very
many ATMs in New York City. We found a fun way to tackle both
misperceptions
at the same time. Agency: Hill Holliday, Boston.
Part of a capital fund-raising campaign for 16th Street Baptist Church,
site of the fateful church bombing of the 1960s.
The campaign was successful and restoration is underway. Agency: Lewis
Communications, Birmingham.
Tiffin Motorhomes' warranty is
renowned in the industry. We decided to have a little fun with that.
Agency: Lewis Communications, Birmingham.
Part of the original launch of Edison Beer
in Boston, a microbrew started by Rhonda Kallman,
formerly second in command at Sam Adams. Agency: Hill Holliday,
Boston.
(To view poster in large format, click here.)
First of three branding campaigns for Tiffin Motorhomes. Agency: Lewis Communications, Birmingham.
This probono poster was 1st
Runner-Up in the $200,000 AdMine competition. Agency: Truth Serum,
Atlanta.
Fun little
campaign for a watering hole near the Massachusetts State House, a
popular gathering spot for media and politicians. Agency: Hill
Holliday, Boston.
- TalentZoo.com -
You may have seen the Guest Columns
by various industry moguls on TalentZoo.com.
I'm no David Lubars, but I was
featured as a columnist a few months ago. Back when I taught
at PC and Circus, I offered my
students a good bit of career advice, with my own path
being a shining example of What Not
To Do. This article kind of sums it up.
| How to swallow your
pride and get your soul back. by Stephen Curry  So one day I was sitting in my perfectly nice ad agency in Atlanta, surrounded by perfectly nice people and a good, comfortable life, when I decided that being good and nice wasn't enough. I wanted to see what being great was like. Oh yeah. I wanted to be at an agency that was "all about the work." Unfortunately, there were a few obstacles. Namely, I was making nearly six figures and had an ACD title, a shitty book and a worse reel. How on earth does that happen? Well, more easily than you think. And in the interest of it not happening to you, I'll share.
Instead, I bought the shiny convertible and moved into the expensive apartment with the doorman and the concierge. And of course,
When I finally did start looking, I had a body of produced work that wouldn't get me a job as a spray booth cleaner at Grey. I had two choices: stay on that path forever, or take some risks. I opted for #2. After seven years, I threw away my whole book. I started doing spec ads. I quit my job. And began freelancing around the South, for the best people I could get in front of. Admittedly, throwing away the VP/ACD business cards required swallowing more than a little pride. (And, I still miss the convertible.) But after a few months, I started getting some traction. Agencies started asking me back. Better agencies started asking me to come over. Long drives started turning into plane tickets. I started gaining a little respect around town. Soon enough, I was teaching at Portfolio Center and Creative Circus. I met incredible people while there... I taught them, and in many ways they taught me. And in the space of eighteen months, I went from having a portfolio that would have been laughed out of many shops to nine job offers, all of which I turned down. How did I know the tenth one was right? Well, I didn’t. But at some point you have just have to jump on board and see what you’re made of. And that's what the last three years have been like for me at Hill Holliday in Boston. I picked Hill because it seemed the hardest. I figured if I survived it, I would learn the most there. It was, and I have. You should know something about this place. It is not for prima donnas who insist on having their opportunities handed to them. In fact, I hesitate to recommend it to juniors, because they tend to eat their young alive in these big shops. But if you hang tough, the opportunities do come. Yes, there are great talents here. Yes, they get in the books. But believe me, every name you see on those pages has also willingly taken on some miserable, stinking assignments. I mean, Phew-ee. You take the good with the bad here. But in the end, it makes you a better creative, a smarter one - and a good deal more humble. All of this to say, no regrets. It hasn't always been fun, but overall, it's been worth it. And I found that if you stay focused on the work, the money does follow... eventually. I feel lucky to have had work recognized by One Show, Hatch, ShowSouth, Print, CA and others. But more than anything, I feel fortunate to have just gotten off my ass. Stephen is a copywriter who's worked at shops around the country, most recently at Hill Holliday Advertising in Boston on The Boston Globe, Dunkin Donuts, and the launch of Edison Beer. He has just left Hill Holliday in search of new adventures. |
