Filed under: A Bit Of Inspiration, Advertising, America, Attitude & Aptitude, China, Comment, Communication Strategy, Creative Development, Creativity, Culture, Innocence, Insight
So recently, for reasons I don’t quite understand, the Screen Writers Guild of America and a division of the US Government asked me to give a presentation on how writers can attract foreign investment.
My entire deck is the picture at the top of this post.
After I explained what I was talking about – which was basically this [especially #8] – we watched the documentary, ‘Exporting Raymond’ which, for me, is still one of the best documentaries anyone looking to work overseas can watch to understand the differences in culture, on both a macro and micro scale.
Actually, it’s worth watching even if you’re not going overseas … or if you’ve been there, done that – especially if it was Russia or China – so to give you a taste, the trailer is below.
Apparently it went down so well they are trying to get the star of the film, Phil Rosenthal, to come to an event where I will interview him.
WTF?!
I was going to write that if this happens, Mr Rosenthal is going to realise working in Russia was no where near as hellish as being interviewed by me and then I discovered he’s worth $200 million, so my concern for his wellbeing kind of went out the window.
That said, as much as I experienced a lot of weird things in China, being asked to do this talk – and the possible subsequent Q&A – is right up there in terms of madness.
Living overseas. The gift that keeps on giving.
So tomorrow, it’s the wedding of Prince Harry and Meghan Markle and I don’t mind admitting, I’m really looking forward to it.
This is not because I’m a Brit.
Nor is it because I quite like the Royal Family.
And it has absolutely nothing to do with me finding Ms Markle very attractive.
It’s not even because I think Harry is a bit of a legend – from how he dealt with the incredible sadness he faced as a little boy to how he embraced the ‘perks’ of being a prince who knows he won’t be King to just being an upstanding gent in his later years.
OK, so it might be a bit because of all that, but there’s another reason.
The main reason.
It’s because they are in love.
Proper love.
You saw it so clearly by how they interacted on their first interview post engagement.
How happy they are together.
How much they like to be in each others presence.
That they share the same energy and interests in their life.
It’s absolutely delightful.
Not because the Royal Family have tended to find it hard to open up their feelings without seemingly being self-conscious about it, but because it’s just lovely to see lovely people in love.
And while I’ve watched many a Royal Wedding – the last in Shanghai, where Jill made this amazing cake for everyone at Wieden, even though we all watched it more out of duty than interest – tomorrow I’ll be watching the splendor of British pomp and ceremony and wishing them all the best, because to still be happy and united given all the shit they’ve had to cop both before and during their relationship means they are well placed to enjoy a wonderful life together.
They both deserve it.
And while I might not look it in the old photo heading this post, I am happy for it.
Filed under: A Bit Of Inspiration, Agency Culture, Attitude & Aptitude, Comment, Culture, Education
Last week I talked about Otis’ school and what companies could learn from it.
At a time where everyone seems to want to prepare their kids to ‘win in life’ by focusing on hard skills rather than soft, I swear helping kids learn how to express themselves openly – as well as deal with conflict in positive ways – is going to be even more useful for their future given the times they experience will be fluctuating far more than we have today.
But that’s not the real point of this post, this is …
Yep, that’s me.
At 11 years of age.
About to go to ‘big school’.
And while Otis’ kindergarten is focused on helping him express his feelings without limits – aided by teachers who openly treat all his emotions with validity – it seems my school was concerned in turning me into a corporate toady, as demonstrated by the absolutely HUGE school badge on my pocket, let alone the tie and shoes.
Filed under: Advertising, Agency Culture, America, Anniversary, Attitude & Aptitude, China, Chinese Culture, Comment, Confidence, Creative Development, Creativity, Culture, Deutsch, Emotion, Fulfillment, Goodbye China, Insight, Management, Wieden+Kennedy
So today marks a year of being in America.
Or said another way, a year away from China.
It’s been a very interesting time for me … with a bunch of ups and downs.
Ups … in terms of the lifestyle my family get to enjoy and the people I now get to call colleagues and friends.
Downs … in terms of the state America is in and the way America is behaving.
Not just as a nation, but in the beliefs and habits that have infiltrated the working environment for so many people.
But all that aside, I still feel a deep sense of privilege that I get to have this experience.
The fact I’ve been able to live in different countries, experience different cultures and make a decent living out of it is something I will always be massively grateful for.
Of course part of this is because I’m white and male … and while I can’t change that, I can try and make sure those opportunities are available to those who aren’t either of those things.
Which has been one of the best things about being in America.
The massive wake-up call I had to the realities other people face.
Of course I wasn’t blind to it, I have seen it – and reacted against it – in every country I’ve lived, but the things I’ve seen and experienced in my short-time in America has been both confronting and enlightening.
Seeing how so much of white America deals with issues relating to African American and Latino rights – even when they’re in support of racial equality – proved to me that just saying stuff ends up being nothing more than compliance with established rules and behaviors.
It shames me to admit that it took me some time to realise that, but it’s absolutely true which is why I’ll always be grateful to colleagues like Maya, Chelsea and Bree for taking me to this point and place.
In all honesty, I don’t know how long we will be in the US.
It could be a year, it could be years … I’ve never gone to countries with a ‘time plan’ … but what I can say is the experience has been quite profound for me. OK, not in the way China was – in fact I still feel more Chinese than Western in many ways – but in terms of helping remind me who I am, what I value and what I am capable of doing or being.
You see, when I was in China, I heard murmurings that some people only saw me as someone for the Asia market.
While I absolutely love/d that part of the World and enjoyed having to relearn everything I thought I knew, I found that rumour annoying given I’d worked in a bunch of markets prior to China and in my role at Wieden, had worked with global clients for global markets all the time.
But rumours have a way of slowly getting into your head and while I do not deny there has been a bunch of stuff I’ve found weird/strange/annoying and plain fucked-up about working in America, seeing my department embrace their voice, their opinions and their beliefs and turn that into ideas, points of view and creativity that has made some people feel very uncomfortable has truly put a smile on my face.
That doesn’t mean I feel we are anyway done – far from it – but seeing change and, from my perspective, growth has been hugely rewarding.
Of course there’s no magic formula to it …
From a personal perspective it’s about being open to what you don’t know and having the willingness and curiosity to keep learning and improving. From the departments perspective, it’s just setting a direction, defining the standards we are all going to live up to and then giving everyone the time, space and backing to explore, fuck up and be vulnerable, which is why in the journey to this point – which includes the choices and decisions I’ve had to make to deal with the situations and circumstances I’ve come to face – it’s acted as a really valuable reminder of who I am, what I believe and what I still want to achieve.
So thank you America.
For what you have done for me and what you have done for my family.
I don’t know if I’ll ever love you like I love some of the other countries I’ve lived in, but if you sort out the shit you don’t want to talk about, then you’ll truly be an incredibly special place. And even though I don’t think that can ever happen – at least to the extent it needs to happen – I’ll forever be grateful for the experience you’ve given us living here … even if you’re giving my son an American twang.
Filed under: A Bit Of Inspiration, Attitude & Aptitude, Comment, Context, Culture, Emotion, England, Love, Nottingham Forest, Sentimentality
I first started being conscious of Brian Clough in 1978 when he took my beloved Nottingham Forest on a magical journey, the likes had never been seen before or since.
While I never spent any time with him, I can honestly say he contributed to a childhood that is bursting with memories and wonder which is why when I saw a letter he wrote from the year my adoration began, I had to get it.
I totally appreciate some might think this is stupid, but to me it’s a connection to my history.
A connection to where I grew up.
A connection to a place that still means so much to me.
When you’re just 8 years old, what Nottingham Forest did was make my formative football-fan years the most exciting, unifying and pride-filled years you could ever hope to have, and while the last 20+ years have been a total nightmare, no one can ever take those amazing memories from me because, as John McGovern, the Forest captain of the time, said …
“We were like one of those comets you see flying across the night sky. We burned brightly, but it was all too brief. But, boy, did we burn brightly for a while.”
So thank you Mr Clough, you were always with me but now you will always be near me.