Some time being the first helps and trust me when I say ‘Good news should travel but bad news should travel faster’ that is experience speaking. For illustrative purpose, I refer to one of the shoot for suiting brand during my early stage of career. Denzil Sequaria was the photographer and a prominent leading Art Director was at work.
I was still too over confident and till that time not understood the transparent hierarchical system that operates in agencies. Its there, you can feel it, but northing about it will ever be stated or explained in any induction programme. You have to learn it the hard way.
This shoot was an all women shoot. Mean we were shooting with some 7-8 really good looking young babes in the business. Young in mind, body and soul, I must confess that I was really enjoying the environment. This was also the shoot where I was first introduced to Veverly Wheeler (more about her some other time). It was all peaceful, till a model ( I think someone called Deepshikha or so) complained that the art director was acting fishy. She also insisted that she had in no-uncertain terms had already told the Art Director to mind his own business, but that he was still acting cheesy and trying to flirt with us.
This was enough for the savior in me to rise to the occasion. I called the art director at the shoot and asked him point blank what the hell was going on. The art director was not expecting someone way junior to ask the question. He regained his composure in short time and to create a diversion, started shouting at the team and that included calling them unprofessional. I point blank asked him to explain his behavior.
‘No one and I say no one talks to me like this and what do you think you are’. This was his only reply.
I, in all my politeness told him ‘I know who I am and it would be better for you to know that I do not tolerate such things on my shoot’
‘My shoot” his words were full of sarcasm ‘you saala C****a- junior account executive, talk of my shoot’
‘Enough, GET OUT’ I shouted back ‘I will see what need to be done. You do have the tickets for the tonight’s flight, get lost from here and do that now. There is a cabstand round the corner. You can get the cab or will you want one called for you’
Short of the story, he took me to my words and walked out of the shoot.
The women were all happy and smiling. Surprisingly the environment at the shoot post the episode turned very light and I would have flirted with most of them.
But the Art Director was not done with me.
The next day, when I reached office, a senior and my mentor called me aside and enquired about the shoot. Apparently the art director had declared war and was waiting for head of the organization to come in. He simply wanted me out. In his words ‘Who was this baccha and what does he think of himself’
My mentor knew that if we give the Art Director the first chance, I was in major soup. So, he insisted I make a Shoot Report. This was the first and the last time I made one. And I as directed placed it on the Agency head table.
Soon I was called in by the Agency head who just wanted to check if what I had written was truth. I nodded. Suddenly the door was thrown open and the levid Art Director stormed in.
‘Hey, you know what this guy did yesterday. Stupid of him’
‘I know’ is all what the agency head replied
‘So, what would you do, you want to have such guys in organization’
‘Yes, I think so’ the agency head took to offensive. ‘And I would want to question, what was the cause of his action, do you think we should make this open and see what the agency feels’ He labored the point further. ‘You know my stance on this, I believe what he had to do he did and what you must do, you would know’
The Art Director took to his heels and was gone in a jiffy.
The agency head turned to me. ‘What you have done, maybe right, but hope you learn the art of better tackling such situations’ And then for the good measure, he took out a toffee and handed that to me. This was his way of showing appreciation.
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Other episodes in Advertising and marketing
● Thank You ● Rain Clause – I ● Lethal Combination ● APPETITE ● Puncture ● Adultery- the moment ● ASSET ● I am Sankar ● The Count ● Introduction ● Time Bomb ● Small Tile ● Sardar Khush Hoga ● Shoot At Mud Island ● Kaali Peeli Picture ● Upgrade ● Juhi Effect ● Power Of Punjab ● Out ● Two More ● Eleven Minutes ● The Cherry Win ● The Presentation ● Black Gold ● Buffered ● Continue With Client ● Not Fired ● One Less Decision ● The Ghost Of 35 Rani Jhansi Road Jhandewalaon ● The Problem ● Imported Art Card ● Banyan Tree Agency
