This week, I was very fortunate to connect with and meet George O’Connor, a Senior Copywriter at Digitas Boston. As an aspiring copywriter myself, talking to George was very helpful as he described the path that he took to get into the business and offered some advice on how students pursing creative careers can further themselves in the industry.
George made it to Digitas in a roundabout way. After receiving his undergraduate degree in marketing, George spent 10 years at job that wasn’t too exciting for him. He admitted that it paid the bills, yet he woke up every morning for the last year and a half of his tenure angry that he was at the job. Eventually, he decided he couldn’t take it anymore. He needed to give the creative side of his brain another shot. Knowing he wasn’t going to make it as a rock star, George enrolled in the advertising graduate program at Boston University.
While at BU, George studied the craft under great professors that he claimed were very helpful in starting his career. He also completed two internships at Mullen, which helped him get industry experience and network with people that he aspired to be. He knew once he was in the door, he had access to everyone’s contact information, and he wasn’t afraid to reach out. At the time Mullen had about 8 writers, and he got in touch with 7 of them, most of whom were willing to help him out.
George said that it’s best to reach out to as many people as you can and start building relationships. He said it doesn’t hurt to contact people and ask to make a connection or have them review your portfolio. What’s the worst thing that could happen? He also said that it’s better if someone from within an agency can recommend you to a hiring manager or HR rep rather than you submitting your portfolio and résumé blind.
When it comes to building a student portfolio, George’s first piece of advice was never give up. Your first book isn’t going to get you your first job. You’ll need to edit and re-work it several times before it’s good enough to get you into an agency. George re-did his book 8 times before he landed at Digitas.
He also said to show your book to as many people as you can. If you show it to one person and they bash it, that doesn’t mean you have to scrap everything and start over. Maybe that person was just having a bad day or is really strict when it comes to books. If you show it to six people and they all bash it, you probably need to do more work. But you’ll have six opinions that will all help you to make it stronger and better.
George closed by telling me to have some fun while making my book. He said things will always get “watered down” by clients and lawyers. So don’t worry about that until you have to. Be bold and show someone that you’re willing to take risks.
Meeting George O’Connor was great experience. It was worthwhile to talk to someone who knows exactly what I’m going through because he was once in my position. George is someone that everyone can learn from because he has a “never give up” mentality and is happy to help others however he can.
George made it to Digitas in a roundabout way. After receiving his undergraduate degree in marketing, George spent 10 years at job that wasn’t too exciting for him. He admitted that it paid the bills, yet he woke up every morning for the last year and a half of his tenure angry that he was at the job. Eventually, he decided he couldn’t take it anymore. He needed to give the creative side of his brain another shot. Knowing he wasn’t going to make it as a rock star, George enrolled in the advertising graduate program at Boston University.
While at BU, George studied the craft under great professors that he claimed were very helpful in starting his career. He also completed two internships at Mullen, which helped him get industry experience and network with people that he aspired to be. He knew once he was in the door, he had access to everyone’s contact information, and he wasn’t afraid to reach out. At the time Mullen had about 8 writers, and he got in touch with 7 of them, most of whom were willing to help him out.
George said that it’s best to reach out to as many people as you can and start building relationships. He said it doesn’t hurt to contact people and ask to make a connection or have them review your portfolio. What’s the worst thing that could happen? He also said that it’s better if someone from within an agency can recommend you to a hiring manager or HR rep rather than you submitting your portfolio and résumé blind.
When it comes to building a student portfolio, George’s first piece of advice was never give up. Your first book isn’t going to get you your first job. You’ll need to edit and re-work it several times before it’s good enough to get you into an agency. George re-did his book 8 times before he landed at Digitas.
He also said to show your book to as many people as you can. If you show it to one person and they bash it, that doesn’t mean you have to scrap everything and start over. Maybe that person was just having a bad day or is really strict when it comes to books. If you show it to six people and they all bash it, you probably need to do more work. But you’ll have six opinions that will all help you to make it stronger and better.
George closed by telling me to have some fun while making my book. He said things will always get “watered down” by clients and lawyers. So don’t worry about that until you have to. Be bold and show someone that you’re willing to take risks.
Meeting George O’Connor was great experience. It was worthwhile to talk to someone who knows exactly what I’m going through because he was once in my position. George is someone that everyone can learn from because he has a “never give up” mentality and is happy to help others however he can.
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