(Net)working From Home Is Stopping the Ad Industry Going All Jack Torrance During Covid-19

For those of us stuck at home as Covid-19 continues its inexorable spread, we are all sitting in our own, personal Overlook Hotel. In many cases, work is continuing thanks to technology and an over-all proactive spirit, but if we learned one thing from The Shining, it’s that all work and no play makes a Jack a dull boy. And nowhere is that more true than advertising, when socialising, conferencing and, let’s be real, partying are the lubricant that keeps the industry ticking over. It’s how we learn, find new collaborators, share gossip, celebrate great work, vent our frustrations, hear about new opportunities, and broaden our horizons.

So, how can we keep that lively social scene swishing about, keep alive the chance for those career-changing encounters? And, more importantly, what will happen when people are worried and isolated at home? That’s something that was playing on the mind of copywriter Sai He – who might be better known to those who hang around advertising Twitter as @DongTent or Dong Draper.

That’s why he has devised an ingenious platform, hacked together using Google Forms. He’s invited people to apply, sharing their location, job role and level of seniority – and he (and a small group of volunteers) will be matchmaking. Sai only launched (Net)working From Home just three days ago, on March 16th and at the time of writing he’s had over 1300 responses. LBB’s Laura Swinton spoke to Sai to find out more.

LBB> At what point over the past week or so did you realise that we needed some way of networking and socialising and meeting new people to replace the in-person events that we kind of take for granted in the industry?

Sai> When an agency announced last Friday they were having layoffs due to Coronavirus, I think a lot of us had an 'oh shit' moment. All prior speculation over how the pandemic might affect hiring and staffing suddenly escalated when things became real.

It’s a weird feeling to work from home knowing clients could kill projects and slash budgets at any time. Agencies are going dark on candidates in the interview process. Students are fretting over the state of summer internship programs. There’s so much out of our control that it’s easy to feel helpless and overwhelmed. The collective discomfort I’m sensing is what compelled me to do something that can bring us some much-needed levity and optimism.

LBB> Did it come from a 'oh no! how will we make these serendipitous connections that happen in the normal course of things' place... or a 'oh no! we're all going to lose it Jack Torrance-style' place?

Sai> Yes to both, but more the latter. Uncertainty is one thing, but uncertainty coupled with self-isolation is a tall order for anyone. More than ever, the ad community needs to commiserate together, lest we all go full Jack Torrance while flying solo.

LBB> How did you figure out what format it would take?

Sai> In an unlimited budget world, (Net)working From Home might look like a fancy microsite with an algorithm that matches participants based on their info and what they’re looking for.

However, it would’ve taken away from the project’s adventitious nature. I’m a big believer in spontaneity and happenstance. My creative style is characterized by the marriage of mischief and empathy. I love that there’s a human element to the matching; it leaves room for surprise and (hopefully) delight.

Q> How does it work and how can people get involved?

Sai> I created a Google survey where participants submitted the following: job role, seniority, employer, and location. An optional box asked if participants had a pairing preference.

A team of volunteers and I are working to pair people we think will benefit from knowing one another. Once we’re done, we’ll send out introduction emails to each pair. They can then coordinate amongst themselves a time and method of linking up. We recommend doing a video chat, but will leave that up to participants based on individual preferences.

Q> What scale of response were you expecting? And what response have you had so far?

Sai> I was expecting this to be a personal endeavor where I match a couple hundred people at most. So when 300 responses poured in the first hour, I began to panic.

Luckily, no shortage of people volunteered to play matchmaker. Two dozen followers are helping me out, which has allowed me to (a) breathe and (b) expand the initiative to include 1,300 total respondents.

Unfortunately, I did have to close submissions out of respect for everyone’s time. However, I won’t rule out a second round if this proves useful.

Q> What kind of mix of people have you seen get in touch?

Sai> Around 50% of the 1,300 participants are in Creative (AD/CW/CD/Design). 20% are in Strategy. The remaining 30% are comprised of Account, Media, Project Management, Production, and other agency roles.

As for seniority, students and juniors make up 35% of all respondents. The rest are as follows: Midlevel (30%), Senior (21%), Director (12%) and C-Suite (2%). I hope this adds up to 100.

Agencies big and small, independent and not, are all well represented. Unsurprisingly, most common are the network giants: Ogilvy, McCann, BBDO, Leo Burnett, etc.

Respondents are primarily in major ad cities like New York and London, but the project spans the entire globe. I’ve received submissions from folks in Jakarta, Dublin, Buenos Aries, Dubai, Auckland, Warsaw, Lagos, Moscow, and Stockholm, to name a few. It brings so much joy knowing that we are making connections that could never otherwise occur. That’s neat as hell.

Q> Aside from the scale of the response, has anything else surprised you about the people who have got in touch or what they've said to you?

Sai> I’ve had lots of people share their personal situations and what this project means to them. Their stories are a humbling reminder that we’re all in this together. Just because your job isn’t affected doesn’t mean your peers will also emerge unscathed. It’s on all of us to have each other’s backs, because that’s the only way we’ll come out of this for the better.

Q> And looking around, have you seen any other creatives doing interesting things and finding clever workarounds that you'd like to spotlight (in the spirit of sharing and what Brits like me would probably misguidedly call the Blitz spirit)?

Sai> There’s so many incredibly fun and creative hacks taking place! From a quarantine version of Love Is Blind happening on Instagram to the peerless Ani Acopian’s 'Party In The Sheets' Google Sheets jamboree, self-isolated people are pulling out all the stops to bring us together in unexpected ways.

As far as advertising-specific things, I’d love to highlight Aisha Hakim’s Quarantine Junior Book Review. It’s a spreadsheet where students and junior creatives around the world are posting their portfolios to receive feedback from senior creatives and Creative Directors. Over 200 portfolios have been submitted already; feel free to post yours or help out by providing someone with a book crit.