When is enough, enough?

I really think we’ve sunk to depths we would once have thought unimaginable. 

It’s bad enough that the republican nominee for president of the United States has lied and cheated his entire life … that he has bent the rules to suit himself … that he has left countless people holding the bag … that the only words that come out of his mouth are vile, vicious and frankly, libelous … that he insults, bullies, threatens, taunts, incites violence and instills fear … that he advocates torture and the use of nuclear weapons … that he cozies

Jack of all trades …

A couple of weeks ago I had a meeting with a prospective client.  As soon as we all sat down around their boardroom table the senior client in the room asked me to tell them about myself.  As I took them through my various jobs and experiences I realized something:

I always talk about how lucky I am to have worked for the global ad agencies I worked for, on the blue chip accounts I worked on, all the smart and talented people I was exposed to — the ‘bigness’ of everything.

But what I tend to overlook are the small agencies where I also worked.  Where I cut my teeth.  Where I had no real defined job.  Where each and every member of the staff, all four or five or eight or ten of us, had a myriad of jobs we had to do.

We didn’t have the luxury of broadcast producers or multiple layers of account

Day 226. A Mystery

Yesterday I spent some time talking about advertising.  It made me think a lot about the industry.  And the people who are attracted to it.  As I said, it’s very stressful, and not just occasionally.  It’s pretty much the norm.

The hours are long.  There’s no such thing as overtime pay.  Budgets are tight, and getting tighter all the time.  There’s never enough people.  There’s never enough time.  The pressure is always on.   The days of 2-or-3-hour, 4-martini lunches are long, long gone.  Never to return.  If they ever really existed at all.

So what’s the draw?

Why do we want to work in the business, to begin with?  Why do we knowingly walk right into the fire?  Eyes wide open.  What keeps us there?

Are we masochists?  Martyrs?  Gluttons for punishment?  Into pain?  Stress junkies.  Out of our minds?

What’s with us, anyway?  What’s the common thread?  Do we all have a gene no one else has?  Or are we missing one, most

Day 82. Hush Now

Honestly, I can’t take it any more. You cannot open a newspaper, or watch television, without being absolutely bombarded with political opinions. The pundits are dissecting every word, every nuance, every stance, every plan, every wink, every blink, every smile, every frown, every step, every misstep, every platform, every remark (snide and otherwise), every criticism, every accusation that is coming out of anyone’s mouth.

They’re commenting on the opinions of other pundits, other networks, former politicos, the candidates, members of congress, celebrities and businessmen and women. They’re even commenting on what Mr. and Mrs. average American citizen is saying, as they’re interviewed coming out of malls and movie theatres and parking lots.

No wonder people are confused. How are you supposed to think with all that noise?

This is not my country, I’m talking about. It’s not my election. Mitt Romney and Barack Obama are not my candidates. I can’t vote. But I do vote here, in Canada. So this I know.