Will Campion.
In this series, AdNews spotlights young talent in the Australian media, marketing and advertising sector. This time it's Saatchi & Saatchi Sydney's copywriter Will Campion.
Time in current role / time at the company:
I’ve been here for two years.
How long have you been in the industry?
About six years. Hopefully long enough to know the difference between a good idea and a bad idea that looks good.
Was this always the plan?
Not really. I never had a very clear plan growing up.
I studied literature and wrote a thesis, then ended up touring for several years as a musician signed to record labels in LA and Sydney. At the same time I was studying law, eventually finishing a postgraduate law degree and briefly stepping into that profession.
Somewhere along the way I realised the thing I enjoyed most across all of it was writing, storytelling and ideas. When I eventually discovered advertising, it felt like the first career where all those interests could exist in the same place.
I’ve never been someone drawn to straight-line career paths. Most of my decisions have been guided by instinct rather than a master plan. In hindsight, the zig-zag turned out to be pretty good preparation for a job that thrives on curiosity.
I also still hold out hope of one day becoming a slightly above average dancer.
Who is your right-hand person / who guides you day to day?
My art director and buddy, Jackson Elliott. Every good idea we’ve had has come from the two of us sitting in a room going, “That’s stupid. I like it. Write it down.”
What’s the best thing about the industry you work in?
The people, easily.
Advertising is full of curious, funny, interesting people who are all obsessed with ideas. You get to spend your days solving problems alongside writers, artists, designers, strategists, directors and producers who all see the world in slightly different ways.
When it’s working well, it feels less like a job and more like a room full of people trying to “yes, and” each other’s ideas.
And the biggest challenge?
There are a thousand ways to make advertising. Only a few ways to make something people care about. The hard part is protecting the weird little idea that might actually cut through.
Whose job have you set your sights on in the future?
Honestly, I’m less interested in a specific job and more interested in being someone other people feel comfortable bothering with their ideas.
Most great things I’ve worked on started because someone in the room felt comfortable enough to say something slightly ridiculous out loud.
If I can help create more rooms like that, especially for younger creatives coming through, and leave the industry a little better than when I found it, I’ll be pretty happy.
Where do you turn for inspiration?
Usually not advertising.
It’s overheard conversations, dumb internet videos, music, films, mates telling stories at dinner. Humans are incredibly strange. If you pay attention long enough, the ideas sort of wander over.
A great copywriter I used to work with taught me that.
Tell us one thing people at work don’t know about you
Growing up my family had eight pet pythons, a bearded dragon, a tarantula and a collection of funnel-web spiders (my brother was very into them), not to mention two dogs and two cats.
At one point one of the pythons escaped and lived somewhere in our floorboards for months before eventually turning up curled inside our neighbour’s hat. He went to put it on one morning and found a very large carpet python already wearing it.
In five years’ time I’ll be:
Hopefully still making things that make people feel something, while also playing a more active role in helping shape the future of the industry.
Being appointed to the ACA’s inaugural Futures Board feels like a great opportunity to start contributing to that. Advertising is changing quickly and new challenges keep emerging, so it would be incredibly rewarding to help younger creatives navigate that landscape and ensure this remains an industry that’s not just respected, but genuinely satisfying and fun to be part of.
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
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