The ‘Brain Drain’ in the Creative Industry: What’s Next for Hungary’s Next Generation of Creatives
Left to right: Márton Jedlicska, executive creative director; Judy Majosi, chief business officer and Zsuzsa Polgár, chief business officer
It is unsurprising to hear young people, at the beginning of their careers, say they prefer to try their luck abroad as soon as the first opportunity arises - not just in Hungary but also in other parts of Eastern Europe. According to Science Business data, 85% of Hungarian emigrants are under 40, and 33% are graduates, compared to only 18% of the Hungarian population overall.
There are many opportunities for young people to study and find work outside of the country - but what does it take for them to return and find competitive, creative jobs at home?
Events like the Big Agency Tasting prove that there is a need to nurture and motivate the next generation of creative professionals in Hungary.
(The Big Agency Tasting is an annual event where young talent interested in the world of creative agencies get to meet the faces behind the most established agencies in a speed date style set up and interactive workshops. It’s a platform that helps cultivate an attractive image of the marketing and creative industry, as well as showing that it’s a promising and expanding career option.)
This year’s program featured presentations and speed dating sessions with several experts, including Márton Jedlicska, executive creative director of Publicis Groupe Hungary, and Judy Majosi, chief business officer. We asked them and Zsuzsa Polgár, chief business officer, about their experiences as managers with their younger team members, and why they decided to swap their previous careers overseas in the US, Germany, and the Netherlands for their current roles back home in Budapest.
Q>Judy and Marci, both of you have studied and gained work experience abroad. What motivated you to try your luck overseas? Did you feel it was an optional or a necessary step to excel in your careers?
Judy> Life gave me this opportunity, but when I think about it, I've had this sense of adventure in me since I was young. I always felt that the world is so big, and I didn't want to live my life without seeing or understanding everything about it. I grew up during Hungary’s communist era, and I was just a teenager when the world slowly started to open up in the country. Nowadays, I would almost make it mandatory for everyone to get out of their comfort zone, to get to know other cultures, to gain new experiences and learn new things, to come back with a much deeper and broader understanding.
As far as my work is concerned, I think that you can be a successful and excellent professional without having had experience abroad. However, for me, I cannot imagine my life, both personal and professional, without the years spent abroad - which is a total of18 years in my case.
Marci> I was 18 years old and working as a photographer when I first encountered the agency life. I was very attracted to this world by the kind of thinking that is essential for our daily work. Once I got into the industry at home and started to feel comfortable in it - and got a lot of positive feedback - I was curious to see how it could work abroad and if I could make it out there. That's how I became the first Hungarian to go to the United States on a scholarship and start my career there.
Q> Zsuzsa, you've been working for the Saatchi & Saatchi brand here in Budapest for almost 18 years now, and for the last couple of years, you've been in a senior management position. In that time, you've had a turnover of young talents in your team - have you seen any recurring patterns as to why they've moved on?
Zsuzsa> It varies a lot as to who leaves and for what reason; however, in my career, we have had several instances of young talent returning to work for us. Having tried it out elsewhere, they found that it was not for them. In previous years, they left because they felt that the position was not well suited for younger person, or they had different ideas about the job or agency life.
That's why I think it's essential during the selection process that, in addition to professional competencies, both parties should ensure that the team, the job, the position itself, and the future potential of the position offer a perspective that fits the young person, and that their personality and talent fit the company. A proper selection process can measure this, and in many cases, the probationary period will show both the future career prospects of the position and the company, and the potential of the young person's professional competencies for the company. However, I consider myself very lucky as my direct reports, who are now leading large teams successfully, have worked with me for many years - many of whom I have worked with for 10 years and growing into our current positions together. Hence, from my point of view, fortunately, this is more of a 'returning' pattern.
Q> How much do you think the creative profession has changed in this country? Has it become more inclusive or more prestigious? Is Budapest an attractive destination for creative professionals?
Judy> Unfortunately, my experience is that the Hungarian market has become very narrow, mainly because many classic clients who are looking for creativity have centralised their branding activities in other markets. Our clients have had fewer and fewer opportunities to work on large-scale, exciting projects, which have left less and less space in our profession to create exciting, paradigm-shifting campaigns. Having said that, I also believe that agencies that have been able to adapt to the changes and take advantage of the new opportunities offered by digitalisation can continue to make the profession attractive to young people who are starting their careers. I believe it is also our responsibility to create the right opportunities, provide the right training, and train the right talent.
Zsuzsa> Advertising is not as prestigious as it was 15-20 years ago, when it was a big deal to be invited for an interview at Saatchi & Saatchi. Unfortunately, the market has shrunk, and centralisation and the overall less attractive reality of the Hungarian market today do not help the image of advertising. However, with the development of digital knowledge bases (capability) from 10-12 years ago to the present day, working in Budapest with international clients on large-scale projects for international markets has been professionally and commercially successful. My career journey is a testament to the potential in spite of the constraints of a shrinking market.
Marci> I am aware of these problems, and I have done and am doing a lot to encourage more talent to enter the profession - but at the same time, we must admit that our profession, like many other large fields, is in flux. I believe that creativity and creation - even in their applied forms - will always be critical to business and that the attractiveness of our profession will soon return.
Q> The brain drain is a global problem, but the Central and Eastern European region is particularly affected. Do you need work experience abroad to succeed, or can you make it without it?
Zsuzsa> In my opinion, strong and competitive professional skills can be acquired in Budapest just as much as in New York - and vice versa. Just because you have worked abroad does not mean you have the right experience. It's more of a question of what kind of team, clients, and projects you've worked with - wherever you've done it. Have you been involved in E2E (end-to-end) projects from the birth of a creative idea to the end of a complex production? In my experience, the complexity and diversity of tasks can contribute most to future professional success.
However, this can usually (and it is essential to stress that not always) be achieved in a client with a large budget, which is not very common these days, either at home or abroad. In this respect, I have been lucky because apart from the first year of my career, the remaining 17 years of my career I have been working in an international client environment with big budgets, challenges, and opportunities, which has resulted in an extensive and significant international client portfolio, employing 100+ people from Budapest.
Marci> I think that if you are talented and hardworking, you can make it anywhere, and in today's world, borders don't matter as much as they used to.
Judy> I wouldn't say in any way that you can't "make it" without work experience abroad... whatever that means. However, if we focus on acquiring the necessary knowledge and skills, I think that if not experience abroad, then experience with international clients is quite important. Working with different brands, business problems, budgets, and opportunities to gain experience. To use a classic example, if you have never had the chance to develop an original creative idea and shoot a commercial, you will not know what the development process is like and what it takes to shoot a commercial. I think there are very few agencies left in the market where you can experience all aspects of the profession.
Q> The Big Agency Tasting and similar events are a bridge between the dominant agencies and the next generation of creatives. What did you see and hear from the participants?
Judy> I had the pleasure of talking to enthusiastic and prepared young people, but I felt that many felt a little unsure about what they wanted from the profession’s future.
Marci> It is very interesting to see the evolution of this event. We organised the first versions of the event together with Isobar and Umbrella (Portfolio Nights), through which many professionals, now in senior positions, have been introduced to this world. At that time, it was only for creative talent in the classic sense (art and copy), and I think it's been a great help that now people interested in practically any area of our business can have the opportunity to present themselves. However, as the roles in agencies are becoming more and more mixed, so are the skills and interests of the applicants. I feel that we can help talented individuals navigate and guide them through these positions.
Q>And finally, what can the profession or leaders do to retain young people? Or the more experienced creatives?
Judy> It's the vision I mentioned above that we should be looking at. To show why we are still in this profession, in my case, after 25 years. To show what knowledge, skills, and experience can be gained. To show that the ever-so-cool agency world can mean serious professionalism, predictable and secure employment, knowledge, and professional fulfilment.
Zsuzsa> We need to be able to show young people a vision and a career path in the world of applied arts that also offers serious knowledge, professional fulfilment, and a stable, secure job with predictability.
Marci> I have always said and personally experienced that the knowledge gained in this field can be super useful in any other field, and that alone makes it worth a few years in this industry. In addition, I think the best thing you can do is create inspiring, beautiful, or useful work that makes young people feel that they want to be part of it.
