My roommate Jay is a very talented individual. Aside from his art director-related pursuits, he plays several instruments and is the guitarist and lead singer for Paid Pilots, a Chicago-based indie rock band (or Indian rock band, as we like tease him).
Since he’s always headed to Chicago for either practice or a gig, the Quarter Away Kids tagged along the last weekend in October and were treated to a concert at the Elbo Room and a local’s tour of Chi-Town.
I just found out that I’m going to London next quarter. I’ll be working at Saatchi & Saatchi London learning to do advertising the British way.
From what I have heard, little, if any work gets produced. You refine marker comps like crazy. Then you do them again. Then again. Then again. You come back with a binder of killer ads, vetted and waiting for production. While this bothers a lot of people, it doesn’t bother me a bit because I’m going to London to develop conceptually, and production takes time and focus away from that. It also means that when I get back, I can choose only my best work to produce.
This production-focused attitude is unfortunate, and all-to-common among students eager to have pieces to show. By focusing on producing an ad early, the concept often doesn’t have time to fully bake. If you produce before you’re sure it’s a winner, to quote an industry adage, “You’re just polishing turds.” Although sometimes you get lucky.
Unrelated to advertising, the huge downside of going to London is that I’ll be 6,000 miles away from my fiancee for 10 weeks, missing both Valentine’s Day and our 4 year anniversary. Between the distance and the time change, it’s going to be really hard, and I am extremely thankful she’s willing to make this sacrifice for me. That’s just one of the reasons I’m the luckiest guy in the world. Hopefully I will make it worth both our whiles in the long run.
One of the advantages of Miami Ad School is its extensive Quarter Away program where students can take classes and intern all over the globe. It lets you learn new things, meet new people, and try out new cities. The locations vary from quarter to quarter, but there are usually about 20 to choose from. While getting your top choice can be a challenge, a remarkable number of students do.
After your first 4 quarters, you are eligible for Quarter Away, and can spend some or all of your next 4 quarters away from your “home” campus.
For internships, housing (or a stipend) and a scholarship are provided. At some school locations, housing is available. Currently I am living in the Minneapolis student housing, conveniently located one floor above the school in Downtown Minneapolis.
