VINNY WARREN

CREATIVE DIRECTOR/FOUNDER
THE ESCAPE POD
PORTFOLIO NIGHT 7 CHICAGO PARTICIPANT
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What single piece of advice would you give a young creative before he or she sits down with you at Portfolio Night 7?

“Be ready to start over the next day. Don’t be precious about ideas. Bricklayers don’t get precious about bricks.”

Looking back, what was your first portfolio like?

“Crude but effective. My ideas had to transcend my non-existent graphic skills. Not easy! Brutally simple was the order of the day.”

What are your biggest pet peeves about the work in most junior portfolios?

“Too many juniors equate comedy with creativity. Advertising is about selling, not joking.  So not trying to be funny is a good idea for a junior.  You will stand out.”

List three adjectives that describe the ultimate junior creative.

“Cheap. Self-motivated. Bogusky-esque.”

Who was your biggest creative idol when you broke into the business?  How did he or she influence you?

“Ed McCabe, my first boss. His ads were very smart and hard-hitting. They very obviously worked. You couldn’t argue with his ads. Or the man himself, as I subsequently found out ;-)”