Uprising: “I Never Got to Experience the Industry Pre-AI”

Engrossed in paintings, drawings and generally imagining fantastical worlds, it’s no surprise that when it came time for William Weiland to choose a career, he chose one steeped in creativity. 

Born and raised in rural Germany, nature also had a big impact on his childhood. “I sometimes jokingly call it the green void, all trees and fields, going on for what feels like forever. So, I spent a lot of time discovering nature.” That was until the internet boomed and became his second playground. At that point, the green trees turned into video games, watching anime and reading manga. 

Describing the online world he fell into, William says, “The endless amount of content, creativity, different kinds of people and most importantly, tutorials, were just perfect to me.” Eventually, his love of the arts and digital interest combined and he recalls, picking up graphic design in his early teens. 

As he got older, William wanted to study art at college, but with compulsory exams needed to be able to get into further studies, he found it tricky to get his foot in the door. “Completely out of luck, I found D&AD Shift Germany and everything changed,” he says. The free night school for self-made creatives without a degree meant that he was then finally able to enter the advertising world after many tries.

For six months, he attended online and in-person sessions and got the opportunity to “have a look inside the advertising industry, gain connection and develop as a person”, working with clients like adidas, Google and Amazon. It was here that he worked on his first project for Amazon Prime, focusing on a movie launch for the streaming platform, helping him land his current gig at Grey.

“It's still one of the most important and life-changing experiences I have got to experience so far,” he says. “So that's how I went from being rejected by every small studio to working at one of Germany's top agencies.” Being self-taught, it’s no surprise that it was small projects with friends that allowed him to teach himself on the job. “Learning things like graphic design, all on your own is actually really doable.”

As someone who took a more unconventional route into the industry, William is glad to see that there’s now a greater emphasis on discovering new talent and creating diverse teams filled with people from different backgrounds. 

“We live in a time where we can learn from so many amazing (and often free) resources, ask others for feedback and explore new directions all thanks to the Internet,” he goes on to say. “I'm not here to complain about universities or anything like that. But I think everyone with enough passion can achieve everything they believe in. Well, at least in the creative landscape.”

Embarking on this first role, William has been keen to keep his mind open to learn more about the field, as well as pushing himself to do more. “Putting yourself out there, getting yourself known, meeting new people is really important.” He continues, “And also, believe in yourself and don't overthink everything, you have a reason to be there, so show it to everyone.”

It’s through far-reaching social accounts that William allows his work to shine. “I do a lot of social posts during my work but also get to help shape some really big campaigns.” It’s one of his favourite aspects of the job. “I really love how I get to reach such a huge number of people with my work. And also, to do something different and bring a breath of fresh air to the industry.”

Speaking of breaths of fresh air, or rather, gusts of wind to shake things up, he reflects on one of the biggest trends right now – artificial intelligence. “It’s probably one of the biggest topics in the industry right now. It's amazing and also a bit scary to see what kind of steps AI has taken lately. I think it will boost the workflow a whole lot and also allows for a better product in the end. 

But there are downsides,

“I'm a bit sad that I never got to experience the industry pre-AI but also fascinated by what it has to offer.” 

Being a German native and reflecting on the industry there, there are a few things that William thinks could be implemented. “I think the German creative industry could be a bit more crazy and risk-taking. A lot of the campaigns are relatively tame compared to other countries. It's, of course, a cultural thing and you have to argue with the clients but I think it's worth going a bit bolder. And inclusivity can always be better!”

Along his journey, while William has worked hard and taken inspiration from all of the people at D&AD and Grey who’ve supported him along the way, he also made sure to stay true to himself and keep his hobbies and interests for his spare time. “I'm still a pretty big gamer, so I tend to relax with some cosy games and my cat,” he says, with Riot Games being one of his favourite companies when it comes to media output. “Everything is done with a giant amount of care and polish.”

He’s also taken on some new interests, such as curating fish tanks and nurturing little underwater ecosystems. William explains, “I don't enter into competitions or anything like that. It's just my go-to retrieve when things get too stressful.”

Much like all of us, he also finds himself immersed in visual content, specifically Dan Harmon’s ‘Community’ sitcom, as well as Hideaki Anno’s ‘Evangelion’ animated series. “It's an extremely unique and interesting psychological show, disguised as ‘gigantic robot fights against alien’,” he says. 

Inspired by people who use their talent to create projects which embody themselves, it’s no surprise to hear what makes him eager to hone his own creative output. “I want to create things, and let others be a part of it.”

“No matter if it's macaroni art in kindergarten, a social post for Instagram, a small video or video game (let's see what the future will bring). Creating and sharing was and hopefully will always be my passion.”