Apparently Creavity doesn't like people sharing their content and this video won't work here. I'll leave up the video to show how silly it looks with that little loading bar. The link to watch it on their site is in the next paragraph.
This is a nice frank discussion on where the best ad talent today is coming from. I watched it a couple of weeks back and have since let it marinate. It's interesting to see how much these CDs and shop owners deemphasized the actual work. They talked a great deal more about having passion and drive. In essence you have to want it more than your competition.
I'm not sure I agree with everything they're saying, but then again who am I? I agree that passion will make someone work harder for you, there's no doubt about that. If someone is motivated because they like you they're going to stay up all night. That's a job that isn't just a paycheck and a stepping stone to bigger, better things.
BUT if you hire really passionate people who have bad work that can also suck. You spend a lot of time teaching people and there are some people out there who simply aren't good* at being agency creatives. I'm talking about writers who can't really write, art directors who can't really art direct (or, more frightening, draw), or planners who can't really plan. Sometimes there are things that people really love that they simply cannot do.
That passion is the most rewarded trait here is still heartwarming to me. There are people who are super passionate, very good but simply have not been given a chance. And it still stands that being passionate about your work will yield the best results. You can feel soulless work just as easily as you can know whether or not your sandwich was half-assed. I applaud these creative leaders stepping up and saying that passion really matters. but I still think they glossed over some points I would have liked to hear about.
Oh well. Guess it's time to draft an email to a few of them. (Only half kidding)
*A fact I hope is not true of myself every time I sit down to a new project.