#BigBookCrit: Showcasing a wealth of south west talent

We, in the IDM, DMA, Graeme Robertson Trust, The Real Adventure Unlimited, Indicia, Tangible, and Sun Life sense of the word, invited local talent – the creative directors of the future – to showcase their work, speed-dating style to the young creative directors of today. And what a wealth of up-and-coming talent the South West has to offer.

Firstly, you have to admire the ambition and (actual) drive of those who travelled from as far as Bournemouth and Falmouth for the event, to take advantage and seize the opportunity.

Secondly, you can’t help but be impressed with the range of skills modern creative talents have and can quite ably demonstrate in their books, or even live app demonstrations.

The panel of creative directors each gave a short presentation to get things going, with a broad range of inspiration, practical advice and a plea for a continuous and open dialogue beyond the event itself.

A word from the wise

Playing host for the evening and teeing things up nicely was The Real Adventure Unlimited Creative Director, Ian Bates: ‘The Big Book Crit is for seasoned pros to spot talent and for young creatives to impress us.We really want to start to develop an ongoing relationship, so that if students need help with their work at college, they feel they can get in touch with us for support.’

Jimmy Thompson, Creative Director at Tangible, asked one thing of the students, and that was to be useful: ‘Work out who is who and who does what in order to be useful in a company. Learn your craft skills so that you can be useful straight away.’

Ian Atkinson of Sun Life offered three points of guidance for aspiring talent:

1. Create work that is simple, but surprising
2. Don’t be precious
3. Enjoy working harder

A video and talk from Richard Norton of Indicia showcased his recent trip to SXSWi, along with the emerging trends that will come down the line in weeks, months and years to come. He also explained how the gathered talent can anticipate the kind of technology and ways of working that they will be driving in their careers.

‘I am the ghost of marketing past. You are the future of marketing. Embrace the future’, said Richard.

The student voice

With all the wise heads having spoken, it was over to the student talent to have one-to-one sessions and share their concepts, live work and aspirations, for some good ol’ critique and support.

We caught up with some of the students to dig a little deeper into their ambitions:

‘I had a massive love for business but was encouraged to focus on one aspect of business. I liked how advertising was more creative and less boring than other aspects of business.
‘I think this event is really beneficial. Having the chance to get hold of these talented people and spend some time with them was worth the trip up from Falmouth.’
Josh Seawood, Falmouth College, studying Creative Advertising

‘I have always been a creative person but never had a really specific focus for that. I have just done creative stuff and found that a PR degree appealed to all the little creative parts of me that I had never focused on before. It gives me a chance to do the creative stuff I love but channel it somewhere that is useful and might earn me a bit of money.’
Ella Thompson, Bournemouth University, studying Public Relations

‘I have learned tonight that I should tailor my portfolio for the interview and job that I am going for, as opposed to just presenting my best work.’
Oliver Cooke, Bournemouth University, studying Media Production

‘When I took up the course, I knew I wanted to do something creative that I could get paid for. I want to do stuff that is innovative in the industry and work with new media and technologies, moving away from the classic style of advertising.’
Harrison Field, Falmouth College, studying Creative Advertising

‘I am very much into the creative side of marketing and keen to pursue copywriting or digital marketing, where they need creative input. I am also good with the strategic and analytical side of it. I like the fact that there are avenues for you to grow and develop who you are in Bristol at events like this.’
Talisa Garbo-Tross, studying in Bristol

Until next time (and there will be a next time)…

Thanks to the commitment of the IDM and all those who are doing everything they can in supporting future talent, the event will not run in isolation (it already runs in other UK locations) but will be the start of a process to nurture, reward and support South West talent. Or, as we would have it here at The Real Adventure Unlimited, #NowMeetsNext.