TEDDY BROWN

SVP EXECUTIVE CREATIVE DIRECTOR
DRAFTFCB
PORTFOLIO NIGHT 7 LOS ANGELES PARTICIPANT
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Looking back, what was your own first portfolio like?

“Absolute dreck. I was one of the last generations of hires to get accepted at an agency without attending an ad school. I worked like hell my first two years to build a new book from scrap and trying to learn as much as possible from the most talented people I could. Finally, my book went from dreck to not completely sucking.”

Finish this sentence: “Kids these days…”

“…remind me a lot of A.J Soprano (and my little brother). I think most young people today don’t have much context as to how hard they need to work for something in order to really be recognized. Overall, their work ethic seems less than impressive I have little tolerance for lackluster work ethic and unfortunately I see it a lot in most new hires.”

How important is it for a portfolio to be highly polished?

“For an art director – pretty damn important, for a GOOD writer, not very. With the technology available in today’s computer literate world I’d expect any resourceful young art director to pull off pretty polished pieces. If you can’t get it shot, steal some stock and make it look great, or bug someone to illustrate it. There’s no excuse for an art director who hasn’t toiled over his work to make it as good as possible. There’s always room for an exception, but mostly those go to the writers.”

What would get your attention more, a portfolio full of amazing ‘traditional’ work (print, poster, outdoor) or a portfolio of pretty good boundary stretching work (digital, interactive, wild new guerrilla concepts etc.)?

“Traditional work tends to be the bread and butter of most large marquee clients, and their agencies – and it’s a lot harder to be fresh in this space than alternative media. I’d need to know I was hiring someone who can deliver on these assignments first. Most that can, know how to come up with good guerrilla tactics. ”

When reviewing a portfolio with a young creative, are you more of the type to look at the entire thing before making comments or asking questions, or do you prefer to chat and inquire throughout the process?

“I only inquire about the most compelling pieces. Unless something is so bad and I just can’t help myself. But I’m more interested in understanding who the good thinkers are and I believe that comes through a good dialogue.”

How do you feel about non-advertising expressions of creativity in a portfolio? For example, photography or poetry?

“I’m a big fan of people who like to express themselves creatively outside this immediate business. And I love seeing that work. It can speak volumes about the person.”

A top-notch portfolio is crucial, but how much does personality count towards making a hire?

“Personality is huge to me. I look for two things when hiring a creative. One that you’re good, and two that you’re nice. Life is too short to spend time with assholes no matter how good the work is. Nothing can stifle a small agency’s culture and growth more than people you don’t want around.”