Welcome to Makers+Mentors
As a creative director, chief creative officer, founder of an agency, past president of the One Club, Chairman of a global agency and Chair of Creative Direction at Art Center College of Design, I have a clear understanding of what two things are essential to prepare creatives for successful careers.
1) Learning from the best “Makers” of work.
2) Having access to “Mentors” who can guide you through the transition from school (or a mediocre job) to the best possible job to launch your career.
Makers+Mentors is built around bringing those two things together.
If you are looking to make major strides this year, please choose from one of our classes and join us.
Gary Goldsmith
After you’ve taken at least two classes, and both instructors agree you are ready, you are eligible for getting connected with a mentor.
Your instructors will choose a mentor that they believe would be most right for you from our mentor group.
A meeting between you and your mentor will be arranged.
Your mentor will look at your work, give objective feedback, discuss your career goals/ambitions with you and help you create a plan to move forward.
It may mean doing more work.
It may mean creating a better site.
It may mean working on your presentation/talking skills.
It may mean modifying your list of places to work.
And it may just mean helping you get your foot in the door and getting seen by the right people.
Makers+Mentors will be running 4 online classes this winter.
Classes will begin in late February or early March.
Detailed information about each class will be available on this site in the coming weeks.
We look forward to you joining us.
What is copywriting?
What makes great copy and how do you write it?
If you have no idea, great, you're in the right place.
If you think you only maybe sorta kinda know what copywriting is, that’s cool too.
And if you totally know all about copywriting and are waving your pencil in the air ready to write, yay welcome.
In this class we’ll learn everything about crafting headlines, taglines, manifestos, post copy, and all the other word stuff that might land on your desk one day.
And if you work really hard and get gooder, you’ll have some better-than-just-good pieces for your book.
This class will be taught by Kathryn Nicolai.
Information about this class will be posted soon.
Stay tuned. Unless you don’t want to learn how to do award-winning work at Apple.
This class will be running in late spring or summer.
More info will be posted.
Get rested. And prepare to fasten your seatbelts.
What this class is about
We’re all culture consuming creatures and all have an innate sense of what entertains and excites us. So let’s put that to use. This class will dive into exploring concept-driven campaigns for entertainment IP including film, TV, and music as well as how traditional brands use entertainment and culture in a meaningful way.
Why that is important in today’s world
Entertainment marketing is oftentimes anything but entertaining yet we see that more and more the lines of entertainment, culture and advertising are becoming blurred and more agencies and brands are starting to buy in. Gap even hired their first Chief Entertainment Officer. We need our cultural content to stand out in this viral-crazed, dopamine-filled, multi-tasking, doom scroll world that we live in.
Who is this class is for?
All creatives looking to explore the entertainment side of advertising and marketing and step outside the boundary of traditional DTC products and services.
What you can expect to learn
Hands on approach to creating impactful campaigns that seamlessly integrate into culture from concept to execution as well as best practices in entertainment marketing.
What you will produce for you book
2-3 campaigns that include a variety of earned media.
Enroll inn this class: https://buy.stripe.com/test_dRm8wJ6Eo9hP8kaeMbe7m00
Follow Karine: https://www.linkedin.com/in/karine-grigorian-2481a853/
Ok. You made some work. You entered some competitions and maybe won some awards or maybe you didn’t. You have a website that either is or isn’t still “under construction”. Chat GPT wrote your about me section and it’s ok. And you found that perfect picture of you as a kid to use as your headshot.
But what do you do now?
How do you stand out?
Are you coming off as desperate?
How do you talk about yourself without cringing?
Let’s get into it.
This class is designed to answer those questions and pose a few more.
We will look at some great work, make some decks, make some ads, and get into the nitty gritty about getting THE job.
Week 1: Taste. The what and the how of it. What is taste, what is great work, and what is just meh.
Week 2: Deckmaking, storytelling, and how to present your idea.
Week 3: Who the f**k is your name here. Hunger vs Humility.
Week 4: The gentle art of stalking. Know the mission. Be strategic.
Week 5: Taste R2. How to refine and apply your taste to everything.
Week 6: How to be stupid. And smart at the same time.
Week 7:
Week 8: Week 9: Week 10:
What/Why/Who
On average, a typical Creative Director looks at thousands of portfolios a year.
After a while, everything starts looking the same – the same jokes, the same stunts, the same “viral” ideas.
By the time they’re done scrolling through all the work, they can’t even remember whose book they were looking at in the first place.
“Making Wow” is a class that exists to change that.
Our goal is to create advertising that makes a Creative Director stop scrolling and mutter, “Wow”.
Through stunts, experiences, products, or unexpected brand collaborations, we create work that solves the brief in ways no one saw coming.
Ultimately, that’s how this class helps you get a job. Not by playing it safe, but by breaking through the noise.
You don’t just make ads—you make work that gets remembered and talked about.
And most importantly, hired.
Hi, I'm Sam, a former creative recruiter in Advertising, Branding, and Design turned ICF-certified coach.
I work with people early in their careers to figure out what their true potential is and develop a strategic plan to achieve their goals.
Some of my clients know exactly what they want to do and just need support learning the industry and how to break in.
Others know they want to work in a creative field, but don’t know what they want to do and where to start.
I help juniors, seniors, and recent grads create a foundation and understand what sets them apart, then explore companies and paths to see what they really connect with, and then build a plan.
I have partnered with companies like W+K, Apple, CAA, BBDO, Mother, Gretel, Rockstar Games, and hundreds of others to identify talent in creative, account, and strategy.
I use this real-world experience, coupled with thoughtful coaching, to help early career seekers find their way and launch their careers.
You can reach out to me at sam@yourcareercompass.com to learn more about working with me.
I look forward to meeting you.
Lurzer’s Archive is a must read/have source of inspiration for any aspiring creative.
Whether it be the best photography, typography, design, advertising or film, they consistently manage to surprise, excite and inspire with irreverence and topicality.
Each issue will be a learning and growing experience.
Communication Arts is another well-edited source to spend some time on.
Whether it be advertising, design, packaging or tv/film, the editorial staff always seem to find. the hidden gems that you often won’t see anywhere else.
Graphis has also long been a leading source of inspiration for creatives worldwide.
They consistently feature some of the freshest and most provocative work being done around the world, from photography, film, design and advertising.
Check them all out, in print or online..
Where you work has always been an important factor that influences the quality of the work you’ll be able to produce and how much/how fast you’ll learn and grow.
Particularly at the beginning of your career.
The companies featured here are currently producing some of the freshest and most inspiring work in the industry.
Not just in the US, but globally.
Get familiar with them, set your sights on them and begin making the level of work that can get you through their doors.
In Work Wise, I've tried to distill a career's worth of experiences into 20 brief and direct lessons that will help get aspiring creatives off to a solid start.
And hopefully, help a few mid-level and senior people raise their games as well.
One of the first things you should do if you’re serious about a career in advertising or design is to become very familiar with The One Club.
And if you can afford to, (it’s very affordable and worth it) by all means become a member.
From the show itself, to the events, to the access to quality instruction, to the opportunity to meet like-minded creatives, it will give you a base to build on and a target to shoot for.
I served as President of the One Club early in my career in the mid-nineties, and was able to see first-hand how valuable it was to the creative community…and particularly for young, aspiring art directors, writers and designers new to the city and new to the business.
Go to an event, stop by, or check it out online.
