Without wishing to sound like Mr Miserable, I do think it is worth remembering that just because it’s 2010, many of the issues that made the previous year so tough for so many still remain.
The economy is still in a fragile state … companies are still laying off staff … money is still in short supply … which is why I love this documentary called ‘Lemonade’ which follows some recently retrenched adfolk in their quest to continue and fulfil life.
There’s this belief that companies get rid of the people they don’t regard as valuable … but that’s bollocks … if anything, many get rid of the very people that generate the work and the cash leaving the high-income, high-management folk alone. Not always, but adland is particularly guilty of this attitude.
I remember I once thought I’d manage to get through my entire career without losing my job.
I think my rationale was that if I hadn’t been fired after some of the stunts I’d pulled in the past, the chances of it ever happening were zero.
Well, I was wrong.
I had just come back from the UK where I had celebrated my Mum’s 70th birthday to be told I was being let go.
To make it worse, I was on a working visa [I was in Australia at the time] which meant that without a job, I had to leave within 20 working days … and the fuckers, knowing this, said I had a choice of either being paid a redundancy or having them NOT tell the immigration department about my situation for 3 months.
I will never forgive those fuckers for putting me in that highly stressful situation … but by the same token, had it not happened, maybe I would never of started cynic – which despite the odd bump along the way – has been one of the most interesting, educational and exciting periods of my career. At least so far, ha!
Adland has many good people in it – but in my experience the most interesting, talented and intelligent guys are the ones who live life rather than reside in their little industry bubble, evaluating their worth by the title they have, the qualifications they’ve earnt or the possessions they own … so whilst I don’t know anyone in the documentary personally, I hope the enforced re-think of their needs and wants has resulted in a life of excitement and fulfilment because at the end of the day, advertising is just a job and certainly not something you should measure your life or worth by – even if you started the place.
You can buy the DVD of ‘Lemonade’ here.