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Dear Intermediate,
I don't buy the "Be Patient" line either. Patience is for gardeners.
But something must be missing from your list of attributes that differentiates you from the people that make the "I don't care what it takes, get 'em in here NOW" list, and the "Nice to meet you, we'll be in touch." list.
Until I've seen your book I really can't give you an accurate assessment so I'm taking a shot in the dark but here are a few thoughts that stand out for me. Because you're right. Based on your description, it doesn't add up.
1. Not every Creative Director will give you an honest critique of your book.
Why? Because it's a) really hard to do - tell someone that their book isn't all that hot, and potentially shatter their dreams, and b) it takes a lot more time than telling someone they have a great book, and then sending them on their way.
Why is it hard to do? Because there is a fleeting moment when you (as the portfolio reviewer) have a choice. The choice is to tell someone that their book isn't great and then run the risk of crushing their ambition, or hope (fingers crossed) that the recipient will realize the caring and the desire to fuel your ambition that comes with making that statement.
Everyone remembers the time that they chose to give honest feedback and... well.... it just didn't end well for anyone. No one wants to repeat that moment, I promise you. But I've found more often than not, people genuinely appreciate honest feedback.
"Great book" is also a very subjective assessment. Great book could mean "Great book for some where, just not here."
In fairness, it really isn't a Creative Directors job to teach every person who meets with them what they need to do to make their book better. It IS a Creative Director's job to tell everyone that already works for them what they need to do to make the work of their agency better, and it IS a Creative Directors job to make sure they have the best talent working in their department. So really, a Creative Director sole purpose for meeting with you should be to see if your work is as good as or better than the books he's responsible for creating every day. If you're not, it's on to the next person.
It's business. It's in the best interest of his own career as a Creative Director to be judicious with his time. If I worked in a creative department I'd want my Creative Director to spend every available moment making my work better, not yours.
2. Not all international awards are created equal.
Quality, not quantity. There are some international awards that can make a painless border crossing. Those include Cannes, the One Show, D&AD, and Clios.
Local in-market award shows don't really count. They certainly count when you're making an in-market move, but my experience has shown me that they really don't translate.
The heavyweights that I've met who have serious hardware from the four I mentioned first, don't even include them on their resume. In fact, recently one Creative Director who had won a local award didn't even know they'd won an award until I told him, and then didn't even know they'd entered the show!
3. How's your story?
I hope you're not going to interviews with your vegetating story as your opening salvo. As hard as it may be, put all that aside, for the hour that you're going to meet with that heavyweight Creative Director, and give them your best fullofp*ssandvinegar routine.
Talk about your goals, talk about your dreams, talk about how you will contribute to the company you want to work for. Share a point of view, share an insight, share an observation that you've noticed having gathered "Canadian" experience for the past 7 years. Talk about the similarities you've noticed between where you are and where you've been. Talk about the differences. Talk about things you've learned in the past 7 years. Talk about how you're a much better hire now than you would have been 7 years ago. What are you an expert in. Talk about that. Really what agencies sell is expertise, so again, as a Creative Director I would only want experts on my team.
Before you go to any interview, read every...single....word of the website, watch every single TV ad, read every print ad, every press release, every bio of every person you are going to meet.
Put yourself in the shoes of the heavyweight. Commit to making this the best hour of his week. If you were a heavyweight what would make it the best hour?
And think of the burning question you're dying to ask. The question that will help you in your next month as a person desperately looking to break in. Not the easy question. The one question that will catapult you forward. If you only had one question, what would it be? Imagine you only have one. And ask it.
Again, to re-state, we haven't met, I haven't seen your book, but like you said, it just isn't adding up. I would ask that you take a moment to see if any of these possible solutions might be the culprit.
One final point:
4. Be Persistent, Not Patient.
You're an ad person right? Okay, play your commercial more than once! Phone again, send updates, check in, say hello, send articles, congratulate. Right now, put an appointment in your calendar for the first of every month that says, "Stay in Touch" and on that day stay in touch with the people you want to stay in touch with.
Today I met with someone who was invited for an interview just because he sent a congratulatory email to an agency that had just received a very prestigious award. He had never even heard of the agency before they won this award, but took a moment to send a quick email. Two weeks later, he was meeting the President who liked his tone and his manner.
There are people who check in with me regularly, say hello, send a thought, and sometimes they happen to email on a day when I have something immediate to talk to them about. But it's ALWAYS nice to hear from them.
Good luck with it!
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