The Secret Business of Being A Creative

Julian Schreiber, Partner & CCO at Special Australia, and AWARD Council member, is known for his boundary-pushing approach to commercial creativity. He’s led some of the country’s most awarded campaigns - from NAB’s Grand Prix-winning ‘Break Up’ to Uber’s global ‘Tonight I’ll Be Eating’ - earning a D&AD Black Pencil, five AWARD Best of Shows, and over 40 Agency of the Year titles for Special over his 25+ years in the industry.

It may come as a bit of a shock to some advertising creatives in adland, but did you know you are secretly running a small business within your agency? No. I’m not talking about that rare sneaker import side hustle that’s cleverly using the agency address, storage space, network and office resources to make a tidy bundle of yen (you know who you are! And actually, much respect). No, I’m talking about you, yes you agency creative, and your daily workings inside the agency. ‘Wha? Who me?’ you say. Yes you! Now let me dig a little deeper.

If you stare at it, just like a business, the humble advertising creative basically survives on a steady diet of repeat customers and repeat orders. Think of your product as the advertising projects you think of, present and make. Think of your customers not as clients, but the actual agency you work inside.

This ‘agency’ customer is represented by everyone internally involved in making your work. Everyone. Not just the CCOs and CDs, but the planners, the account team, the producers, the resource team and anyone else you need to make the great work.

It changes your mindset immediately. Now, you’re not just thinking about the product; you’re considering the customer experience. You have to consider everything required to make people want to do business with you. This creative business mindset makes you consider what will make them not only want to work with you on this project, but also on the next, not to mention recommend you to everyone else on other brands in the agency. The result is that it begins to future-proof you.

We’re talking about how you communicate your ideas, how you make them buyable, how you keep them alive and sometimes how you even kill them. We’re talking about how you positively deal with the inevitable conflicts that come with that process. Nail these things, and it means you will attract more and better business.

Here’s something else that might come as a shock. Most creatives I’ve spoken to are often taken aback to hear that account teams and clients specifically ask to work with certain creatives and teams by name. They even ask to avoid others. If you ever wondered if you’re being talked about behind your back, I can confirm that you definitely are. Sticking to our metaphor, this is a case of basic business reputational management, which usually involves a combination of how great your ideas are, as well as how great, was the experience of bringing them to life. Your business, as a creative, needs to be on top of this and ensure it's doing the things it needs to be a preferred supplier, both in terms of the quality of product and experience it provides. Strong internal communication skills and conflict management are key to that.

While the quality of the output is a constant dialogue in agencies, the actual skills needed for the inputs, or the business of creating the best experience in selling and producing great work, simply aren’t. Couple that with the speed the industry is now moving at, and leaders rarely get the proper time they need to imbue their crew with the vital soft skills required to navigate not just the clients but the agency itself, all to make the work they aspire to. Now, more than ever before, creatives need and deserve help building their internal business. And this is exactly why the AWARD Crash course has been created.

Originally first devised as AWARD Uni by AWARD - The Australasian Writers and Art Directors - AWARD Crash is the now the more-evolved crash course specifically designed to be a much more intense and relevant soft-skill sharpening way of educating creatives trying to level up (all thanks to some great feedback, some test and learning, plus high demand).

A new course that now guides creatives through the real-world journey of a creative project. From receiving a brief to presenting ideas, navigating feedback, managing relationships and building a career.

Each session of AWARD Crash aligns with the key project stages creatives must navigate internally and externally. It’s designed to give creatives real-world clarity on their role, responsibilities, and how to have the best experience working with all the stakeholders. All the important skills a creative needs to run the best business they can inside their agency.

And, as in previous years, some of the industry's best leaders are graciously offering themselves up to be Crash mentors, sharing their wisdom, practical insights and personal stories. ‘How do I make sure everyone is walking around and talking about the same idea?', ‘What are the key differences between presenting to the agency audience vs the clients?’, and more are all put on open slather.

And honestly, the Q&As of each session are as educational as the course curriculum itself (they’re my favourite part of the whole thing). Every mentor has had incredibly varied and valuable experiences to share. It’s rare for creative leaders to share and delve this deeply into these skills.

AWARD Crash is designed to encompass a wider range of creative levels and will take place online and over an intensive two-day period in Sydney, Melbourne and Perth in September and October. It's open to all creatives looking to upskill.

Classes are small and numbers are limited due to the course’s nature. To book your place, check out the webpage here and give your creative business inside the business the edge it deserves.