Career coach: What are the career options for older creatives?
The need for continuous new ideas and boundless energy means advertising is often seen by many as a young person’s game. This week a senior creative asks what does their future hold if they don’t make the top ranks in agencyland?
“I have been working in agency land for 18 years, I’m now in my early forties and am a senior creative in a very nice agency, doing work I like with a good team. All is good. Or is it? I look ahead and I don’t see any 50 something perm employed senior creatives who aren’t CD or ECD. And I look around and in fact there’s no-one over that that age in the entire agency except the CEO, and he is more often seen on his yacht than at his desk.
My question is “where do old creatives go to die?”, or more importantly carry on living and earning? It seems to me that the funnel for employable agency people gets narrower and narrower from mid 40s onwards. Unless you make it to the top jobs, what jobs are there? And even if you make it to the top jobs, unless it’s your agency, well you can still get the flick at any moment – especially in creative where experience begins to look more like old fogey when compared to that Titanium Lion Gen Y ECD they are trying to lure in … Help!”
Wise words to a endemic problem. It’s not only creatives but also the ancillary creative roles that support agencies.
Directors, producers, designers and editors to name but a few. Creatives in agencies are partially part of the problem. They are most often looking for ‘Australia’s Next Top Model’ director and often discard the David Lean’s and Martin Scorcese’s of our the directorial world. Obviously an analogy only but you get my drift.
For the record I’m not a director but the discussion also requires we recognise other ‘creative’ roles: TV journos, composers, session musicians, TV talent, casting directors etc etc.
A few of the aforementioned can arrange an osmotic adjustment to related industries. But the opportunity is low.
It’s not a new problem, and one I welcome more discussion on, and not on the back page of Mumbrella.
Kate, if ad agencies were smart they’d keep (and employ) older creatives.
Sixty-year-olds have untapped buying power. In fact, they’re more cashed up than gens X, Y and Z put together.
Most 60-year-olds have no mortgage or kids to support. Rather they have money and the leisure time to spend it.
Most ad people in their 20s and 30s create ads that either ignore cashed-up 60-year-olds. Or create ads that fail to persuade 60-year-olds to change their spending habits.
Ad agencies ignore cashed-up 60-year-olds at its peril (and cost).
The ad industry is soul destroying once you’re over 45. If you’re truly creative, get out and write novels, filmscripts, tv series. You will be judged only by what’s on the page.
I’m 56 and have plenty left in the tank. I’m looking forward to new dynamic and challenging times ahead. I identify with all generations and thrive to understand each and every label place upon them. I just took the Gallup StrengthsFinder assessment to determine where I’m at and what I need to improve upon. To this day I can’t find many Gen x,v,z who can keep up with me.
My Strengths results, spot on…
#1 Activator – People who are especially talented in the Activator theme can make things happen by turning thoughts into action. They are often impatient.
#2 Futuristic – People who are especially talented in the Futuristic theme are inspired by the future and what could be. They inspire others with their visions of the future.
#3 Responsibility – People who are especially talented in the Responsibility theme take psychological ownership of what they say they will do. They are committed to stable values such as honesty and loyalty.
#4 Achiever – People who are especially talented in the Achiever theme have a great deal of stamina and work hard. They take great satisfaction from being busy and productive.
#5 Ideation – People who are especially talented in the Ideation theme are fascinated by ideas. They are able to find connections between seemingly disparate phenomena.
I’m in my early 40’s, I don’t have kids but my partner is a Advertising professional as well (we’re both senior Finished Artists of now 17 years in the Industry). About 5 years ago I felt burnt out by the ‘full-service’ Agency model, particularly the work harder rather than smarter mentality, so I moved sideways and took on a training, proof reading and workflow management role. That fizzled out and I have returned to a purely Finished Art role again which is a nice change – hand holding a secession of new graphic design graduates can be weary work, especially when they have been employed to do finished art when they really just want a foot in the door, anywhere. But I’ve learned so much from younger people and that always has to be a condition of any new job I take on. I have to learn new skills, communication must be clear and unambiguious, my role and responsibilities must be clearly defined. I’m not really the management type either, I’m very much the backstage hand, keeping things running smoothly.
As for my other career – I’m very much the boss.
Savage.
Being the spouse of a creative past 50 this question or thought is valid.
Plan. Plan. Plan.
My advise – being creative is amazing – the field is amazing g – but…..from what I can tell it is smoke and mirrors and all Hollywood.
Have a back up plan – most especially after 32
Hugs!