Starting my own agency was a huge step I literally leaped on to. Only some years of experience, a vision beyond sight and a serious love for the advertising/creative industry.
With empty pockets, a foolproof plan & a panel of skeptics criticizing my every move, I set out to start something new. Recession is not an issue; it’s a fashion statement in the world of advertising. Who gives the best deals, who has the most promotions, who slashes their costs by 50% or more. So I silently observed as the big fish played their little games back and forth, with some fantastic yet others, laughable campaigns. And it dawned on me, why is the advertising world limited to the big brands and big agencies? What happens to the small and medium businesses who have great things to offer but no one to bring forward their brands or services? Although one would think, which idiot would pay any attention to a client who isn’t reeling in the big bucks and not making a name for themselves in the market with giant names to back them up. “Why bother” is the attitude generally, if there’s nothing in it for the advertiser or creative house.
As I sat in my chauffeur driven car looking aimlessly out the window, a van pulled up next to me and on it was the worst creative design I have ever seen in my 20 something years on this planet. The bulb in my head went off like a KESC power-surge moment, and I knew at that time the above-mentioned idiot I spoke of was going to be me.
I got my first job at HeadLion Group where Neil Christy was my mentor. I was new, inexperienced but with a fiery passion for advertising, as creativity spread like wildfire and engulfed my soul. Where I quickly realized, THIS was my calling.
May 6th 2009 I parted ways with my Lion family, and set out to Create The Line. Cost-effective creativity, where we set the standards and defy the norms, we create the concepts, we bring ideas to life, and we encourage our clients to take creative risks and dare to be different despite what the trends might suggest. Our benchmark? Some local but mostly international ads and concepts that just make one think, make one go “ what the…” and I believe getting a reaction out of the people is better than being ignored.
Endless hours developing promotional strategies with my team, by the end of which we realized we have absolutely no budgets. So we settled for facebook, which proved to be sufficient enough to reach all sorts of clients around the country.
All in all I am humbled by the great response we’ve received so far, and with our heavily limited budget in promoting ourselves. However, we truly hope we continue to get the much needed support, understanding and acceptance from the small and medium (and some large) businesses and of course our facebook fans!
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