LEADERS OF THE NEW: Michelle Fargas

Leaders of the New is an ongoing series at jettlandicho.com that will focus on the future talents of advertising. Click here to check the archives.






Name: Michelle Fargas

Career Path: Project Management

Education: Seneca Creative Advertising - Graduated in 2009 with Honours

Advertising Experience: 4 months interning at Fjord (Cossette); currently working full-time as Project Coordinator at Proximity Canada (BBDO)

One Thing About You: I'm a heavy metal music lover with a penchant for arts & crafts, and kittens.

Contact: michellefargas@gmail.com


Click READ MORE for the full interview!


When did you know that advertising was for you?

I like to think it's in my blood. My father was in advertising. He started out as a graphic designer turned Art Director, and eventually became a professor in marketing. I've been hearing his "lectures" since I was a kid and I guess I actually listened! I was officially set on advertising when I went to Seneca's orientation session. One of the profs sold it to me and I grabbed on - hook, line and sinker.


Based on my personal experience as well as talking to advertising students, not a lot of students are striving for Project Management positions. Many don't even know what a Project Manager does. How did you end up in that field?

I totally fell into Project Management because of my internship at Cossette. I received a call from the HR department requesting my resume (I had left my contact information there after my class pitched to Cossette for our final semester - my team won, by the way!) and a phone interview with the Director of Production of Fjord, Cossette's interactive side. The position was support for the Project Managers and even though I didn't know what it was I jumped at the chance to intern for Cossette.


You were fortunate enough to have interned at Cossette as a Project Manager. What was that experience like? What were the key things you learned to be successful as a Project Manager?

It took me about two days to shake off the awe that I was interning at the biggest Canadian agency in Canada. In that aspect, I was excited and ready to start each day. I absorbed as much as I could from the people around me and asked questions about processes, best practices, formats, etc. Sometimes I just asked "Why?" Understanding the base process for something helps in future situations wherein you can take that practice and apply it to another project.

Part of my learning experience was gathered from where I was sitting - first I sat with the Flash developers and then with the coding dev teams (the office is open-concept and we had the PMs and AMs around us). This helped me learn more about what they do and how they do it, which is important in figuring out project estimates and whether projects are feasible. My boss told me he sat me there on purpose, just to learn things like that.

Key Things I Learned…
Be nice to the developers! They will be the ones who can break you or save you during those looming deadlines.
Write everything down. Everything! Don't go anywhere without a pen and notebook.
Don't be afraid to ask questions.
Smile, and mean it! :)
Make use of Post-it notes.
Don't take on more than you can chew - pass things up if you need to, and do it waaay before the deadline!


A few months ago, you made the big jump from intern to full-time employee, landing a position at BBDO Proximity. What was the process of securing a job like for you?

I am extremely lucky to be where I am now. For me, it was all about connections. I kept in touch with the Director of Production at Fjord, who was leaving to work elsewhere as I was settling into my internship. Laura and I talked about my future a lot and she had heard from the staff that they were really happy with me and my work. I guess she knew at the time that Fjord wasn’t looking to hire a junior like me so she took my contact information and resume before her last day. A few weeks later I was responding to calls from her agency contacts/acquaintances that were either looking for contract or full-time positions within Project Management.

One of those calls was for an interview with BBDO. I met with the two Project Directors/Brand Directors for my first interview and made sure not to lean on my Laura, my reference, too much but did discuss working and training with her. My second interview was with the PMO Consultant. It was a little tougher on the questions and I actually got to discuss salary options.

Overall it happened really quickly for me. While at Cossette I gathered contacts by letting people know I was looking for full-time work and most were happy to give me an email address or two. I set up a few informationals that way which helped me stay in the “interview mindframe” and work on asking/answering questions. Basically I believe I am in area of "Luck is when preparation meets opportunity."


I know a lot of students are curious about the role a project manager plays at an advertising agency. What do you do as a Project Coordinator?

As a Project Coordinator at Proximity, I am dedicated to one major client. I am assigned to the smaller projects Proximity deals with (from online ads, website builds, changes, emails, etc). Working with our Resource Manager, I find a team to complete the job and then we get briefed by the accounting team. I ensure the resources (developers, art directors, designers, and copy writers) get everything we need to complete the deliverables on time. I am the liaison between accounting and the creative/developers for the most part and keep the team on a timeline.

After the project has been completed, we go through a series of Quality Assurance (QA). Sometimes I do this for my PMs or we have a team of QA to go through it checking for errors against our proposed deliverables. We are also checking for functionality when it comes to websites, CMS, flash, etc on different platforms.

For the paperwork, I write up job estimates, process invoices, budget tracking and a few other administration duties. I also do little things for the Project Managers as needed, such as purchasing images, typefaces and sound clips online.


Many people would consider Project Management as a "business" job. What role do you play in the creative side?

Project Management is a great mix of business and creative when it comes to interactive advertising. Even my junior level here at Proximity, I am able to get involved with brainstorming and concepting during briefs, internal reviews and through emails. We are encouraged to give our opinion. PMs are also the people who know what is feasible when an idea is pitched (in terms of the timeline, budget or client expectations).

We often get all-staff emails from staff informing us “what’s cool and new” or just plain interesting articles. This way we all keep up with the pace of the internet and it starts our discussion about using these various tools and interactive methods with our own clients.


When working in Interactive, there's an extra layer of technical knowledge you need to have in order to be successful at your job. How easy or difficult was it for you to grasp that side of the business? Do you think the average advertising student can handle it?

For me, it was very easy to take on the technical side of developing interactive ads. I was one of those teenagers who clamped onto the internet during the dial-up days of the early ‘90s so I have knowledge of html and xml. With that it became a bit easier to understand how CSS and other coding work in terms of the final performance of an ad. My dev team at Fjord was awesome at explaining things to me when I was tasked with a job; instead of just telling me what to do, they explained the system and let me ask questions about its functionality so it made sense to me in cause and effect terms.

I think with the increasing interest in interactive advertising, schools are beginning to take another look at the importance of learning the technical skills needed for this medium. Our semester learned a bit of what goes on for both front- and back-end development but half a semester isn’t enough to grasp it without some kind of interest in manipulating the medium to begin with.


For any students interested in a Project Management position, what would you say to them to sell them on a career in this field?

Project Management is like working for Accounts, without the task of dealing with clients. It’s like being in with the Creatives, except you watch deadlines! The project wouldn't get done on time without a project manager.


What do you do for fun?

I love going to concerts/music festivals; the atmosphere and adrenaline rush from going to heavy metal concerts is incredible! I enjoy reading, cuddling with my new kitten, playing around with the hundreds of apps on my iPod, cooking and baking. I love the internet and its infinite resource of all things inspirational, or all things inane (hey, you need this once in a while!). Friends and family hang-outs are fun, too.


E-elevator pitch (sell yourself in 140 characters or less)

I'm a fusion of the left and right sides of the brain: I can switch from creative tasks to business, bringing organization to imagination.


If you're an advertising student or are just starting out in the business and would like to be featured on Leaders of the New, send me an email at jettlandicho@gmail.com

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LEADERS OF THE NEW: Alex Bird

Leaders of the New is an ongoing series at jettlandicho.com that will focus on the future talents of advertising. Click here to check the archives.

Name: Alex Bird

Career Path: Copywriting

Education: York University BFA, Seneca College - Creative Advertising

Advertising Experience: Two years of ad school; two month internship at Cossette.

One Thing About You: I could be good at any job. I can be great in advertising.

Contact: alex.m.bird@gmail.com

Alex did an informational interview with Matt Bielby, and for every question Matt answered, he wanted Alex to answer too. Read Alex's answers after the jump!

Why advertising? What drew you into it?

Charm.

When I finished studying music at York, I knew two things:

1) I didn't want three part time jobs to support a career in music and
2) I still wanted a career that was both creative and fun.

The award shows, after-parties, creative environment, dedication to excellence and cool vibe that I see on a consistent basis just support my reasons to want in on it.


What’s your story? How did you get in?

Coincidence.

You could also say luck. I talked to a buddy of mine (who's now at TAXI Vancouver) at my brother's wedding, shortly after I finished my undergrad. I can't imagine a more unlikely set of circumstances that led me to talk to him about his gig in advertising. Perhaps it was boredom, intrigue, or maybe even desperation. Regardless, here I am, and I'm glad I'm here. Prior to that moment, I hadn't given advertising a lick of thought.


What does advertising mean to you?

Creativity.

And a lot of hard work. But there's something special about that moment when you and your partner reach that creative breakthrough; that lightning bolt instance when everything clicks. It's a rare quality to find in a profession and one that I love to pursue. I was also going to go with "fun." As Jerry Della Femina said, it's the most fun you can have with your clothes on.

A piece from Alex's portfolio

What is the best part of the business?

People.

If it was charm that drew me into advertising, it's the people that keep me here. I've never seen such support and nurturing of talent anywhere else. The energy, passion, excitement and humility that is shared by so many is a constant source of inspiration.


What is the worst part, if there is one?

Frustration.

The frustration that comes from writer's block. The frustration that comes from finding out that your fantastic award-winning idea was just done by someone else. The frustration that comes from clients who kill your ideas for reasons that defy intelligible thought. Well, I haven't personally experienced that last one, but I do remember a line from Luke Sullivan about a client that killed a two month old campaign between sips of coffee with a happy little "good first effort." However, frustration is a healthy part of the creative process, and I think that it makes the finished product that much more fulfilling.



What’s your favourite media channel?

All.

A copywriter named Matt Bielby opened up my eyes with this question. It's not so much about media as it is about ideas, finding the right way to reach the consumer, and applying them to whatever media channel you're given.


Which do you like better: traditional or non-conventional?

Depends.

It's all about the ideas and how good the concept is overall. Any project is going to be aggravating if you're stuck with a really bad concept. Likewise, a great concept can be really rewarding throughout the entire creative process. Pushing a great idea through any media channel is awesome. Trying to push a bad idea sucks.


There are a whole bunch of reasons to love visually-based ads: no language barrier, they’re pleasing to the eye, easy to understand in a few seconds; do you think that long-copy ads, or even just copy-based ads in general, are on the way out? Or is this just another trend?

Interest.

I also want to say multiculturalism. Language barriers don't help, and smart lines can be misunderstood by anyone who can't grasp certain colloquial expressions. But I think that it's the writer's job to figure that out. People will read anything if it sparks their interest. Great copy written in English can still speak their language.


Do you think that consumers are interested in reading long copy? Or is it good copywriting that lures them in? Better yet, does it simply depend on the target audience?

Audience.

Heh. Yeah, I know. I answered the question when I asked it. People will read whatever they find interesting, no matter how short or long it is. Long copy needs to be extremely gripping at the beginning or they just won't bother, and good writing is paramount. In a chat I had with Steve Jurisic, he told me to always make it simple, original and provocative.

A sample of Alex's long copy work

How do you stay creative?

Questions.

It's about thinking differently, and asking "what if?" There are no wrong ideas, and everything is relevant. I don't like it when people say no to an idea. It kills the creative atmosphere. I also want to say that the people I work with boost my creativity. We feed off of each other and work to make our ideas better. That nurturing environment keeps ideas fresh and interesting.


What’s a typical day in your shoes?

Workaholic.

Let's just say I skipped my own birthday to finish a research project that was due in two weeks. My buds often joke that I go home to work on next semester's assignments. I try to read everything, I try to stay current with everything, and most of all I try make time so I can polish my portfolio. I get up, scan the media, go to school, read ad mags, go to class, spend too much time getting an A, work on my portfolio, come home, get pressured into late night partying, and repeat. School has such a "same sh*t, different day" feel to it. Maybe I'm just eager to get into the industry.

If you're an advertising student or are just starting out in the business and would like to be featured on Leaders of the New, send me an email at jettlandicho@gmail.com

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