Jesse Urquhart and George Hulley.
The MFA’s NGEN Award gives media executives with less than five years’ experience the opportunity to create positive impact by flexing their creative and strategic muscles – and gaining career-defining experience along the way.
NGENers were this year invited to respond to a brief for Share the Dignity, a charity dedicated to helping women, girls and people who menstruate who are experiencing or are at risk of homelessness, domestic violence or poverty.
In this series, AdNews meets NGEN Award Finalists. This time, we catch up with iProspect strategy manager George Hulley and iProspect client executive Jesse Urquhart.
How long have you been in the industry?
George: 4.5 years, across New Zealand and Australia.
Jesse: Just over two years, all at iProspect.
What were your greatest lessons from the experience of entering the NGEN Award?
George: a) You must filter through your weaker ideas before finding the winning one.
b) Your best idea will make you feel something different to the rest – tap into that feeling.
Jesse: That a good idea is never enough on its own. It must be distilled into a clear, compelling story that others can buy into.
What’s one myth about working in media you’d love to bust?
George: We don’t create the ads!
Jesse: That creativity only lives in the creative agency. Media can be just as creative when it shapes culture and behaviour.
If you could describe the future of media in one word, what would it be and why?
George: Dynamic! Both formats and consumer behaviour are evolving at such a pace that keeping up is becoming a skill of its own.
Jesse: Adaptive! Audiences, platforms and behaviours refuse to sit still, and our work has to move with them.
From your experience of the industry so far, which skills do you think are most valuable for now and for the future?
George: a) An ability to adapt and develop your thinking. Media is never idle.
b) Being curious – an ability to question status quo and see opportunities in areas where things are otherwise ‘accepted’.
c) Keeping it fun – our industry can feel stressful at times but keeping it light is often when the best work arrives.
Jesse: Pattern recognition and curiosity. Being able to see the signal through the noise and translate it into ideas that matter is crucial. Just as important is the willingness to question briefs, assumptions and even the data itself.
Have something to say on this? Share your views in the comments section below. Or if you have a news story or tip-off, drop us a line at adnews@yaffa.com.au
Sign up to the AdNews newsletter, like us on Facebook or follow us on Twitter for breaking stories and campaigns throughout the day.