Freelance work

During last 2 months I've been working on a freelance project,
with one of my classmate Bee, a copywriter.
Together we've helped our client, a real estate agent,
to brand her in a way that's different than any other traditional agents.From coming up with a branding direction, her logo, taking photos of her,
to designing the newsletter & art directing her website design.
We've gave in all our free time while we did the AWARD course.


Thankfully the client loved our ideas, and the response has been incredible.
Apparently there are no other agents who would actually brand themselves,
let alone in a tasteful and modern way.
("no crossing-your-arms-posed-in-your-face real estate agent please!")
Now all her associates has been asking her who did her branding.
And without knowing it, we've already picked up a referral project.

I heart Air NZ

Air New Zealand's in-house Creative Shop just posted a job ad.
Looking for a Creative!
They want the applicants to introduce themselves, why they apply for the job,
what skills they bring to the table, why the person is a good fit and ultimately what the applicant wish to achieve in this role.
So as a true creative, I decided to make a video as my job application:



Pardon for my off-the-boat-fresh English in the clip.
Can't believe my 15yrs Kiwi English degrades so badly when I'm nervous.
Wary of the clip might becomes a bit of a laughing stock on the Internet,
I found it pretty hard to relax in body paint even there's just me & Mr. Webcam.
(Really, how do those webcam strippers do it with so much confidence?!)
I'm glad to have a decent one with this number 22 take of my topless presentation.
Anyway, it's good to have a chance to laugh out loud at myself!

(*EDIT: Just found that I didn't get the job coz more senior creatives are being considered,
but I'm glad to know that they liked the video so much that they sent it to the head of their Creative Shop. And they asked me to keep in touch with them as well, so well done to myself for being proactive!)

Stay visible

I've always enjoy doing self-promo pieces.
They're good little breaks from working on the book.
Also, what's more fun than selling yourself?
No briefs & can go crazy about it.

So in the last 2 weeks since handed in my AWARD portfolio,
I've did these two little ideas to remind the CDs in town,
that Michael is here~!

The first idea is 'Creative Drugs'.
I hung these bags of mints on the agencies' ground floor early in the morning.
So everyone who went to work would picked a little bag off the cardboard.

Take a dose of M and your creative department will be energised.

I did this 2nd idea the following week.
Since all the CDs were mentors for our course, I've decided to buy them coffee.
But I've branded each cup with my unique insulating sleeves.
I had so much fun hand-drawn each sleeve!

Thank you Starbucks for your free sleeves :)

Give it all

16 weeks flew pass just like that.
Woosh. That was it.
All the hard work was amplified in the final few days.
36hrs of non-sleeping-ultimate-charge towards the finishing line was expected.
It was stressful and tiring but I loved it.


It was all about giving all my energy, mental strength
and most importantly my ideas, to try to produce the best portfolio I could.
But then, that's not the be-all end-all.
The next morning I went straight out and promo myself to agencies.

All back to square one in some way.
Not giving up is the key.
Trying different method is important as well.
Just need to be proactive, and hope luck will come my way at last.

3-months-flashbacks

A seriously overdue update of what happened.
Super roller-coaster ride it has been.
To keep it simple. This is how it went.
AWARD School kicked off.
Awesome lectures, wonderful lecturers.
Especially Paul Nagy, Duster, Jamie Hitchcock, & Toby Talbot.
Along the way some very tough & done-to-death briefs.
Somewhere in between those briefs,
I've got some good and some terribly shit ideas.

The first month was stressful as I pushed myself too hard.
Then my world ended as Barcelona became kings of Europe.
Down & tired, I felt anxiety was kicking in.
Like Sir Alex Ferguson, some 're-thinking' is needed.
Both for me, and Manchester United.

While SAF decided to rebuild the team by selling Ronaldo,
I found the right balance of having fun and working hard.
Thankfully, my creative life started to turns around.
Better ideas, and unexpectedly, better fortune.

I got a chance to help out with a model scouting company.
As a photography assistant.
Holding reflector & diffuser is a great way to learn!
At the same time, I meet the editor of NiHao,
a Wellington-based chinese magazine.
She wanted me to do her photoshoot and design her editorial.
Can you believe it?! But things don't stop here.

A new copywriter! Bee Peters, from the AWARD course.
In the last 2 weeks we've been busy with a freelance project.
Branding, strategizing, and designing logo & newsletter.
It's tiring to work on both the AWARD stuff and the project,
but it's all worth it when the client really loves our work.
And she's already referring us to more clients!

Anyway, at this moment we're going into week 13.
Almost the end of the course.
But the beginning of a freelance partnership.
And needless to say, job/placement hunting time looming.
Crunch time, in fact.
Inch by inch, one good ideas after another,
hopefully we'll claw towards success sooner than we imagine.
Till my next post, "live long and prosper, my friend!"

My first ever animation clip

I did this clip before AWARD School started

and sent it to a few CDs on the course.

It was a really fun process

and learnt a lot while I taught myself how to do it.

I'll definitely do more in the future!

Hope you enjoy it!

Crawford Green

At last I found a chance to write a post about soccer! 

(or else this blog would just look identical to my team's blog! haha...)

On this blog I'd love to write about the things that I love.

Soccer definitely topped that list.

Because it shaped who I am, taught me so much, 

and gave me all the important things in my life.

Coming back to Wellington for the AWARD School was great 

after spending the last 5 yrs in Auckland.

The other day I drove around Miramar 

and went to places that brought back memories.

Crawford Green, the field I spent a whole summer doing nothing but soccer.

I arrived in NZ during the summer holiday so college was 2 months away.

So what's better to do than playing football with other kids plus an injured All-Whites?

Neil McDonald, selected for the national team but pulled out coz he broke his ankle.

Looking back, playing against such a superior player,

who has awesome touches, great at dribbling and have wonderful movement,

how did I coped?

Well, I guess that's when my true personality got trained up.

Persistently saying no to defeats,

I picked myself up again and again.

Rally my fellow youngsters to keep on trying,

strengthened my leadership skill.

And what gives better confidence to a young boy than nut-megging an All-Whites!

Oh...memories...memories...

(Arsenal's Arshavin says, "Read between the lines, Liverpool!")

While I'm writing this post, my eyes are also on the EPL match.

Liverpool vs Arsenal.

Following the match online just by text commentary is fascinating.

Gives me the same feeling like looking at great ads.

I can imagine how the game is like just by reading the commentator's words.

Fasicnating...and what a game! Twists and turns!

0-1

1-1

2-1 (oh crap, is Liverpool gonna keep breathing down the neck of my Man Utd?)

2-2 (yea~!)

2-3 (off my seat~! hooorrraaay!)

3-3 (just two mins later...WTF....)

3-4 (at 90th min, Arsenal won it...)

4-4!!!!!!!!!!

WTF!!!!! oh well, still the title is in Utd's bag, NO CUPS FOR YOU SCOUSERS!!!

Award School kickoff

The prestigious and world-famous Award School 

started on Wednesday night at The Intercontinental in Wellington. 

For its 26yrs history of hosting the idea-based course in Australia, Malaysia, Singapore & Thailand, 

this is the first time ever it’s being host in NZ.

To be considered as great a course as the Miami Adschool, 

I felt proud, nervous, and excited to be part of it. 

Knowing that all of Australasia will be looking at the result of this class, first lecturer (and course leader) Paul Nagy said he’d make sure to be super-tough on our work 

and pushing us to be the best we could so that we won’t be the bad exception to NZ’s great creative reputation. 

What a nice challenge to be given on our first day!

(Dan Moth, Paul Nagy, Duster & Anton Hart)

We had 3 speakers on our first lecture. 

After Paul, we had Clemenger’s writer Dan Moth who’s an ex-Award grad. 

Both Dan and Paul gave us great advices on how to do well in the course, 

while our final speaker, Duster the ECD of Clems, 

was funny as hell when he inspired us with his own wits and references from Paul Arden.

The roughly-1-and-a-half-hour lecture flew past 

and I was so psyched up that I felt I wanted more! 

You know, it’s just such rare chance you’d get to listen to three brilliant creatives on one single night!

After the lecture was the opening night’s welcome drinks at the Motel Bar. 

It was a nice and cozy bar to chat with my fellow classmates and 

it was very interesting to know that everyone is from different background. 

(My classmate Antonia & me)

There are three actresses, two interactive geeks I had so much fun chatting with (consider I’m a bit of a geek as well), some are from marketing / media background plus some are currently doing a placement with Clems. 

(tutor Duncan Munro, my classmates Nicola & Tom, tutor Claire Stapleton of Y&R)

Haven’t had a chance to chat with all, 

but I was glad that I also get to meet my tutors from Y&R – Anton Hart & Duncan Munro. 

Before the night ended I chatted up Dan & Duster, 

and enjoyed their openness and down-to-earth attitude.

So this is the beginning of something that’s gonna be very interesting 

and without a doubt, competitive.  

Most went home reasonable early and eagerly await the tutorials on the next day when we’ll be given our first brief.

Reboot!

For previous visitors to this blog, you might noticed everything looks a little bit different now. 

A bit nicer, a bit tidier and hopefully will have a bit more updating from me!

This re-design of the site has been long coming but I've done it now 

because my career has just received a new and exciting opportunity.

I've been accepted into the first ever AWARD adschool in New Zealand!

After finishing a placement with Blackwood, this course is a great chance for me 

to up-skill during a very tough economic environment. 

And need not to say, there's no better chance than to learn directly from some of the very best.

The likes of Paul Nagy, Tim Hall, Chrissie Lahood, etc.

I'm already shivering in excitement!

This also marked a huge change in my creative partnership with Anna.

We've been enjoying a wonderful partnership for the last 9 months,

and more than that, we've forged a great friendship.

We've done some great work together,

not just on the drawing pad, but on the football field as well!

And we even have a song together.

But for the next 3 and a half months, we'll have to be fighting on different fronts.

(But our IAMCREATIVE2 blog will keep on going)

Anna will be looking for some graphic design gigs while pondering what's her next step.

While I'll be the sponge and try to absorb as much learnings as possible.

Hopefully with lots of hard work and many great ideas I'll come out on top.

So this is it, this is the big chance I've been craving for.

Battle until the last moment with all I've got.

Just like the champions.