You can’t learn about people in a job interview. They’re just going to kiss your ass and tell you what you want to hear. How are you supposed to know what your candidates are really made of?
Here’s an idea—I call it The Thuderdome of Death. The rules are simple: Two creatives walk in and only one walks out—with a job.

You put the weakest creative you currently have on staff against the candidate who wants the job. Give them both and assignment and a time limit and see walks out with …

Part of Andrew Dice Clay’s act was spotting a couple in the front row and asking the guy, “First time you two were together, was she any good?”
Of course, the guy would smile and nod.
Then he’d ask, “Well, how do you think your little princess got that way?”
A while back I messed up a phone interview. The guy asked me a question and I blanked. I guess I was so nervous about getting the job, I screwed it up. On my next job interview, I practiced. I had everything the …

I love it when I get too much work because then I feel like Jack Bauer. I pretend that the world will come to an end if I don’t meet my 4pm deadline. I even pretend the clock that counts down before the commercial is beeping in my head. I love to say “no problem” and make the job look easy.

I used to work with a guy who did just the opposite.
“No way! Can’t be done. You kidding me? Have you seen the pile of projects on my desk? No …

A bad job doesn’t always smack you in the face. Sometimes it’s much sneakier than that. It’s more like the frog in the pot of boiling water. You start out fine, but day-by-day, that knob gets cranked closer and closer to maximum suck.  And you might not even realize it.
Because of this, you need to take a step back every once in a while and give your situation an honest appraisal. I’ve come up with 10 signs that can give you a clue when it’s time to jump out of …

Ever been punched in the face?
It’s not that bad. I remember the first time I got punched in the face. I was like, “Is that it?” It’s not like on TV where a guy can deliver one punch and drop his opponent. When your adrenaline is pumping, you really don’t feel it. Go ahead, punch yourself in the face.
After I got punched in the face, I was never afraid of physically getting into a fight. I knew I could take it.
I got laid off for the first time about 3 …

It’s been nearly 2 years since our economy self-imploded. So how far have we come since then?
As far as our industry goes, it would appear that things are headed in the right direction. After a horrible 2009, hiring seems to be picking up across the board and clients seem a tiny bit less terrified than they were a year ago.
But when you look at the national numbers, they seem to paint a different picture. Unemployment is high, home values are still way down, banks aren’t lending money and consumers aren’t …

I took this picture earlier today.
If you’ve got a labor dispute, you’re not going to win any sympathy sitting on your ass.  Especially underneath an umbrella.
- John Hugins

A couple of years ago, it was raining like hell (does it rain in hell?) and I was, as usual, late to catch a plane.
I called for a taxi that never came. But, lucky me, there an empty cab just passed next to the agency’s building. I jumped in.
-         To the airport, please.
-         Sure… May I ask if you work in this building?
-         Yes.
-         In the agency?
There were at least 15 different companies in the building.
-         Yes.
Then, the driver started to talk about advertising. He knew everything about my agency, …

In the past month I’ve worked on banner ads, websites, emails, online video tutorials, landing pages, direct mail packages, product packaging and a few TV commercials.
I’ve been pretty busy, for sure.
It makes me think back to the mid-90s when I was wondering what I should do with the rest of my life.
I remember thinking at the time that it would be fun to work in advertising. I was fortunate enough to make that dream happen.
As I look at the stack of briefs on my desk, I wonder—do I actually still …

Don’t go to college unless you want to be a doctor or something like that.
I always thought it would be a lot cooler to be under educated than over. Don’t be the guy who went to Harvard and now works at Starbucks. Getting a good job without a college education is easier than actually going to college. And you’ll look like a driven, no bullshit motherfucker for doing so. I went to Florida International University. I know. No one’s ever heard of it. My diploma has been useless for my …