Over the summer last year we tried to lure into our team a very high flying (i.e tall) Ad Man. After a bunch of great conversations he got a brilliant (I mean ridiculous) job elsewhere. Nice one. During the process Ollie encouraged us to “be more agency’. Part of the unique IW DNA is the all play, team feel, with multi-skilled, creative individuals working together on client projects.
We are not really a job titles company, indeed, one of my favourite contacts on linked in has as his job title “Job titles are not the answer”. I love that.
Yet labels do help. So we ran an internal search… the hunt for the golden job title. And today we announce it. Food for thought… Blake Mycoskie of TOMS shoes: “Purpose of a job title is to allow you to do your job externally…give yourself whatever title that will allow you to do your job best with the external world.”
“Producers make things happen.”
Our team here is amazing. They can facilitate, consult, write, budget, plan, resource, strategies, coordinate, assemble and lead teams, gain buy in, sell, edit. Basically, what ever it is in our sphere, they can deliver the goods.
The search to be more agency lead us to look at other creative industries and look at what they do. But we don’t’ have any “account executives” or “Creative Directors” here. What we do have is people who can get things done. During our search we stumbled into the world of film where something leapt off the page:
With the slow death of formal training has come a new way of doing learning, as experiential events, an intriguing show. In essence, productions.
Our team oversee that production, plan and coordinate the various aspects of the production including selecting the content, coordinating writing, directing, editing, arranging financing. During our discovery phase they select and find promising material for development, hire writers and oversee the development of the material. The lead a pitch to secure client backing and allow the thing to begin. They supervise the preparation, hiring key staff and managing logistics. They make sure our production is on time and within budget and always have the final say. They oversee marketing and distribution.
So we are now Producers. I love the earthiness. Producers make things happen. Maybe it’s the contrast with consultants just ask questions and make PowerPoints. We will get the job DONE. So let’s get the show on the road.