Speaker Series: dennis Ryan

This week's speaker was dennis Ryan, Chief Creative Officer of element79partners. dennis was a fantastic speaker and gave us some extremely practical suggestions. It was especially fun for me to see his talk, as dennis was my nextdoor neighbor when I lived in Evanston, and then moved near to my family in Winnetka as well. As a little kid I had no idea what he did, but I remember thinking that he and his wife were possibly the coolest people to walk the earth. Years later, he's still pretty cool.

dennis' talk was about getting and keeping your first job in advertising. In brief, his suggestions were as follows:

1. Make the agency value you.
2. Make the agency value your work.
3. Set on a path to keep growing.

To make your agency value YOU, dennis suggested a few things:
- Work hard.
- Focus on creativity. Creativity is not the dominion of a select few. It is a mindset, not an asset; and if you work in an agency in any job, you should always think creatively. It produces better results and it's "the fun part" -- in all realms.
- Prove that you are a valuable person by being enthusiastic and curious. Smart, cool, exciting, fun thinkers who have excitement about their ideas are capable of selling those ideas. Enthusiasm is key. Curiosity is equally key (and is the foundation of the element79 culture). Have a constantly questioning mindset.... Why (question)? Why not (scepticism)? What if (inspiration)!
- To get that first job in advertising, make sure that you bring yourself to the table in your book. Be you. Don't murder the differences -- they influence your work.

dennis' suggestions for making your agency value your WORK:
- Advertising is the only team sport that operates without a play book. Nothing is done by yourself so play well with others.
- Always remember that this is a confidence game. Not a con game. Take pride in your work and have the confidence to speak up for it and showcase it.
- 'The work' is different than 'selling the work.' There will be compromises, and the client cannot be the enemy. In order to keep the integrity of your work intact, consider the following: What compromise will kill your idea? Have you truly done your best to persuade people, and do you understand the art of persuasion? Are you dealing well with the people around you who have influence?
- Learn to sell to your boss first.
- Figure out different people's problems. Understand and empathise with people. It will better your work and relationships.

To GROW in a job, keep the following in mind:
- There is so much you don't know when you start -- that's okay. Take experience where you can get it. Learn fast but don't pretend to know it all when you get there.
- The editor shapes a story. Know new music, know the editor.
- People are interested in learning and sharing their experiences. Ask.

Parting thoughts:
- When researching, focus on ideas rather than execution.
- Give context and persuade. People have a hard time getting outside of themselves.
- You are always answering to someone.
- Build trust with your clients. The best client allows you to take chances, isn't a pushover, helps to shape ideas, and lets good ideas get in.
- Clients should focus on finding an agency that they trust and knowing that the agency cares.

element79partners Info:
- At element79 you will work harder and get paid less... but they're nice.
- Visit www.e79ff06.com to keep yourself fired up about ideas.