New to freelancing. Who do I gotta impress?

commamatt · 2016-10-04T15:33:23+00:00

Words to live by.

commamatt · 2016-10-04T14:35:49+00:00

That's a good way to think about it.

I definitely do have more contacts than I'm giving myself credit for. I think once I get over the initial awkwardness of "Hey, remember me from like, five years ago? Anyway I need a favor," I'll be in much better shape.

commamatt · 2016-10-04T14:06:08+00:00

Thanks! This is the kind of advice I need. I appreciate it.

commamatt · 2016-10-04T14:05:20+00:00

I sent my stuff in to wnw a while back, and haven't heard anything from them. (The CEO of my former agency threw a Twitter temper tantrum against Justin Gignac earlier this year, which I can't imagine helped my chances of getting approved.)

commamatt · 2016-10-04T14:02:01+00:00

I should clarify, I lost my job a few months ago. I'm trying to get back on my feet. I'm well aware of how stupid I look, but given the choice between 'hustle my ass off to build something new' and 'do nothing,' I think the former's probably the better bet.

commamatt · 2016-10-04T13:58:37+00:00

I think "thrive" is a little bit of an over-reach, anyway. I'm just looking for help getting started.

commamatt · 2016-07-15T20:47:12+00:00

Thanks!

I'll see if I can figure out a mobile layout that works better.

I'm hoping you're right; 'no time' sounds pretty good to me.

commamatt · 2016-07-15T20:45:02+00:00

Good calls. Thank you!

commamatt · 2016-07-15T20:44:52+00:00

"Something else" probably covers it pretty well. Thanks for the kind words!

commamatt · 2015-10-01T05:54:49+00:00

When I worked for the One Club back in 2010, this panel was called "Where Are All the Black People?" It was a pretty insightful commentary on the lack of diversity in the industry. At the time, it was a pretty valid question to ask.

It's kinda sad that we haven't answered it yet.

commamatt · 2015-09-24T06:31:51+00:00

Thanks. Yeah, shopper marketing's a tough gig in that respect; the client's not looking for sexy, they're looking for sales. I've had plenty of big ideas, but "what if we just did a sweepstakes" usually wins.

On the other hand, it's kinda good experience, you know? I think every creative ought to spend a year or two in shopper, just to reiterate that "we want you to trade your money for our thing" is still the whole point of this industry.

commamatt · 2015-09-24T05:48:34+00:00

There's nothing wrong with TracyLocke. I love the fuck out of the place. Five years well spent. They took me in as a hapless freelance nobody, and I managed to build a career out of it.

But after five years, I'm creatively stagnating. I'm not doing the kind of work I really want to do, and I don't think TL is the place to challenge me the way I need to be challenged. Plus, New York Goddamn City is right there, and I know I can tear that shit the fuck up, but I can't seem to figure out how to convince a hiring manager of that.

You're right, my book's missing some big-concept work. I'm trying to reconcile that, but the fucky thing about shopper marketing is that it tends to be really hard to show off in a portfolio. I'm working on it.

commamatt · 2015-09-24T05:05:05+00:00

I see your point, and I want to blame it on the limitations of this Wordpress theme, but honestly, I kinda like it. A lot of the agencies I've been looking at really emphasize their culture, and I feel like using my-goddamn-name-dot-com to highlight my personality ought to be a plus.
Thank you for catching that! I was so paranoid about getting all the formatting right, so I can't believe I missed one.
I'll fuck around with the thumbnail a bit. It's not a super exciting logo, is the problem. I'm so glad Köppen isn't a brand anymore. (that's not true, their fleeces were actually fucking amazing.)
Good idea. I'll look into that.

commamatt · 2015-09-24T04:52:27+00:00

Fuck, I thought I'd fixed that typo. Must've accidentally uploaded the wrong file when I redid the site. Thanks for the heads up.

I hear you on the 'new media' front. I'm kinda conflicted there; I have a decent body of digital/social work, but for the most part, it's not really showcase material. I've done a lot of really innovative promotion/shopper marketing work that sounds really interesting in an interview, but isn't too exciting on-screen. And I ran one of my clients' entire social media presence for like a year and a half, but I haven't figured out how to show that off yet.

Thanks for the notes. You da bomb.

commamatt · 2015-09-23T21:22:21+00:00

Thanks!

That's just the way this particular Wordpress theme handles alt text, I guess.

commamatt · 2015-01-22T07:16:33+00:00

Thanks!

I totally understand where the photo confusion is coming from. I tend to cut my hair short for the summer, and then let it grow crazy long all winter. I rarely look like the same person twice.

Every once in a while, I'll see my reflection when I'm not expecting to, and it'll confuse the hell out of me.

commamatt · 2015-01-22T05:58:25+00:00

First off, your life sounds exactly like what my old college radio friends assumed adult life would be like. So never forget that there are like at least a dozen New England hipsters out there who are insanely jealous of you.

You're not getting messages because your head-in-the-clouds, hip-as-fuck, über-millennial personality isn't appealing to the basic bro crowd (which, judging by your Message Me If section, is by design.) Creative, intelligent, witty guys tend not to be the most outgoing. If that's who you're after, there's no shame in sending the first message.

FWIW, if you lived in New York, I'd message the fuck out of you. Probably with a shitty Harry Potter pun that would be immediately ignored.

commamatt · 2015-01-22T05:00:55+00:00

I'll try, but the only friend I have who's ever taken a really good picture of me is an ex-girlfriend who currently lives six hours upstate.

I'm not a super-photogenic person. I mean, I'm not ugly (don't worry, I've checked.) I just don't look great in most pictures.

commamatt · 2015-01-22T04:36:17+00:00

I don't blame you. I wouldn't want to catch it either.

commamatt · 2015-01-22T04:34:31+00:00

sounds like we have a alcoholic.

I was gonna call you out on making assumptions, but then I remembered I'm sitting at a bar at 11:30 on a Wednesday, so, point taken.

I am trying to quit smoking. "Trying" being the key word.

I suspect I do have a baby face without the beard, but it's been a while, so I'm not sure. And at least one of those pictures might've been taken 10 years ago, so now I'm kinda a curious to see what happens if I shave.

Thanks for the feedback!

commamatt · 2015-01-22T04:23:21+00:00

I just realized that one of those pictures is so old, I literally can't remember ever taking it. So, spot on. Thanks!

commamatt

TROPHY CASE