One day, my son, all of this will be yours.

Advertising: The method by which hapless members of the public get hoodwinked into buying a product or service for which they have no apparent use.

This was always my view of the industry I work in and I'm certain some of You probably have the same view.

So yesterday I found myself in one of those moments where you go "fhajauneawiqwqre" (Translation: Holy shit, how have I not seen that before?!?!")
You see, I realised that advertising is more than just an old balding man in a sweat stained shirt trying to rub up against you in the bus.
It's that old man you see walking his dog on the beach who stops to have a nice conversation. The old man you always remember. The grandfather of grandfathers.

So I realised Advertising itself is an intricate web of relationships, promises, deliverance and support. It's about building a trusting relationship with the consumer. About making a difference, no matter how small, in someones life. It's about you, you and you. Sure there are some crackheads who do exactly the opposite. But like all crack heads, they shrivel up and die.
I'm proud to be in advertising. (Says the lawyer to the Priest)

That's all.

Ciao for now.

Growl.

So, short and sweet today.

Started writing radio again for the I.T company.
Smoked.
Went to a post production house for the burger joint.
Smoked.
Tried writing again.
Smoked.
Went home.
Smoked.
Came back.
Smoked. (On the way here.)
Wrote something. Tossed it. Starting over tomorrow.

That's all.

Ciao for now.

Thinking laterally. Literally.

Start of week two. Start of more lateral thinking.
Been reading a lot of Neil French lately. The man is a genius.

Doing some work for a chartered accountancy firm. These guys mean business.
Trying to somehow create something that will be as witty and as memorable as The Economist campaign. Not all that easy.
So, the question posed to you, dear reader, is this.
When one finds oneself within the confines of an unfamiliar city and one wishes to blow ones lungs out by screaming do you a) Scream and commence with the lung bursting, or do you b) take a deep breath, put your head down and hold off on the lung bursting until a later time?
Ramblings of a home-sick boy.

Ciao for now.

The ways in which we communicate.

End of week one. Hard, fast, and somehow invigorating.
I've done more work here then I did in 2 years of studying. Scary.

Received a new brief today. It.Is.Huge.
Imagine having to explain the holocaust, in detail, with five words. Easy right?
No.
Sat in on the review for concepts and thoughts for above mentioned brief.
I can only hope to be as on the ball as theses guys are when I'm their age.
Starting to find my own voice, struggling, but starting. Sounds older than I thought it would. But hey, life is one big Jack in the box.

Enjoy the weekend, I'm off to Parkers for some local and international comedy.

Ciao for now.

Nothing profound today. Just a Hi and have a good day.

After four days at the agency my mind is a-buzz with ideas, thoughts, hypotheses, old memories and the constant flash of 'don't frown. sit-up straight. don't mumble'.
They pitched both the radio and article I wrote for the burger joint today. The client loved it.
So, I'm a happy little bunny right now.
Also working on something for the Road Lodge which sounds p-p-p-promising.
It's pouring outside, so you can just imagine my excitement at the prospect of driving home on the scooter. At least I have a nifty rain-deterrent-jacket-thingy.

That's all for the day.

Ciao for know.

Agile, Mobile, Busy.

So, woke up at 2:30 this morning then again at 5am. Got to work at about 6:30. Haven't been away from my desk for more than ten minutes at a time. The workload is quite heavy but wonderfully rewarding.

As a young(er) copy writing student I was always dead set against radio ads. I didn't want to write them, I didn't want to listen to them, I didn't want to be associated with people who wrote them. Let's be honest. 95% of it is fluff, 4% is passable fluff and the remaining 1% jumps through the physical barrier becoming gems not easily forgotten. Somehow I have jumped the fence into this twilight zone where anything is possible through the use of the listeners imagination. Still struggling with the articles for the burger joint, but there is light at the end of the tunnel. Copywriters motto? Write, re-write, re-write the rewritten work, smoke, revise the reason for smoking when I should be writing. Lose my mind, find it again lodged between the Dictionary and my new scooters keys. Oh, forgot to mention that. I'm mobile.

Ciao for now.

Working hard or hardly working?

So, found out this morning that there are no bus or taxi lines to work. Had to take a private taxi that cost more than cape town's finest. Luckily got here on time and started working immediately.

This place is amazing. Yesterday saw me doing a 14hr day and today might just turn out the same. Between writing radio and newspaper ads for that burger joint and smoking copiously, I somehow still found time to help mount a giant calendar. Radio good. Article, not so much. The people are really helpful and open. It's like one big, creatively functional family.

Back to work now.

Ciao for now.

Still here. Still fun.

So, the second part of the day was just as awesome. Got mistaken for an Art Director. Got a new brief by sheer luck. Caffeine was flowing as free as hard drugs in the sixties, creativity bouncing off the walls like those same hippies on previously mentioned drugs. Working on the second brief now. Something for a burger joint. Very hush-hush. Haven't smoked this much since nights forgotten at places to be discovered. Now I just have to find my way home. Skinny white boy from CT walking around Jozi? Safe.
Thanks to all and to all a good night.

Ciao for now.

Early bird smokes the worm.

So, today is my first day at TBWA Hunt Lascaris.

Due to a mix-up with the address I pitched up at the (later to be found right) building in the wee hours of a cloudy Monday morning (6:45). The clouds might have been caused by my excessive smoking due to a spot of stress. I've been phoning the agency every ten minutes while having a tiny altercation with a good friend over cameras and whether it is the camera or the photographer who makes the photo. Obviously it is the photographer, but this camera is just so pretty. So is this photographer. Finally, after a good two hours wait and a bajillion cigarettes the phone gets answered and I get let into a dreamworld of magic, grass, red swings a multicoloured kites. Yes, kites. There's a 8 x 6 diamond monster right above my desk. Yes, I have a desk. And a Mac.
So, through a whirlwind of names, faces and titles I get thrown into my first brief. Imagine Buck Rogers meets that guy from Magnum P.I with the 'stache and they procreate to form a super hero I.T guy who saves the world one click at a time. Now go write that for radio. Thought so. Wish me good luck.

Oh, and before I forget. I have free coffee, the bestest coffee ever. I might just sleep here tonight.

Ciao for now.