Since that my layoff and subsequent online writings, I found a lot of freelance work at various agencies, and did a decent job being an independent soldier of creative fortune. I felt fortunate to have found work when I did. Honestly, I think a lot of it was luck.
Note from Erik: This guest post was originally submitted on April 23rd…which will be relevant in the next sentence.
Today, April 23rd, is my fifth wedding anniversary with the most beautiful woman who ever walked the face of the earth. But that’s a different story.
I also find myself in the same position [...]
Ten years after, here were are. Many of us are still in advertising, and to us those days of the dot com bubble are as distant as those from the Mad Men era. It’s a way different business now. Some say that’s the last time advertising was fun. They may be right.
Thursday, February 11, 2010
At more than 3M views, it’s likely you’ve seen this already. If you haven’t — and even if you have — take 15 minutes to watch it now. Or a few less minutes to read the transcript.
And be careful to avoid “yeah, but he’s Steve Jobs so reinventing is easier” thinking. I would argue it’s [...]
Thursday, February 4, 2010
Every place I’ve ever worked had at least one person who refused to decorate. Walking into their space was like entering a sensory deprivation office, with nothing but white walls, a computer and a pen.
I didn’t understand these people. I was someone who needed to feel comfortable at work. Pictures of my kids (never knew [...]
A couple months before Up In The Air was released, someone who knows someone at Paramount told me about its similarities to Lemonade.
Well, I was finally able to see UITA last night. Other than mentioning that I enjoyed it very much and think you would, too, I’m not going to give it a review here [...]
Monday, December 28, 2009
My last full time job was located in a mall. You literally had to walk through a food court and past a couple of shoe stores to get to the elevator.
After a while, you forgot the absurdity of this fact. You’d walk by the cell phone accessories kiosk like it was a vendor on 34th [...]
Sunday, December 13, 2009
We don’t have expensive taste. Other than perhaps another bathroom (four people sharing a single bath doesn’t do much for one’s sense of privacy), we’ve got everything we need.
We don’t want millions. We want the absence of worry. Money-wise, it would just be really nice if every first of the month wasn’t a fingers-crossed-athon.
So two [...]
Friday, December 11, 2009
Before the Great Recession, the Holidays (oh, whom am I kidding) Christmas in advertising was a blast. Holiday-themed swag from vendors and clients literally littered the office. Festive tins of chocolates and tri-flavored popcorn (sticky caramel, powdery cheese and oily butter) were to be found everywhere. Holiday parties were creatively disguised as end-of-year meetings (for [...]
Wednesday, November 25, 2009
(An open letter to Michael Moore)
Dear Mr. Moore:
Hard to believe it’s been 20 years since you shined a spotlight on the canyon between Roger Smith and the people of Flint.
What’s even more surprising is that it’s gotten worse since then.
While 30,000 workers in Detroit (80,000 to date according to Wikipedia) fell to the hands of [...]
