This week’s guest had two distinctly different types of creative leaders in his day. Once his ECD threw up in a trash can while listening to his script, overly dramatic and arguably not the best way to motivate people. The other guy was more focused on fostering trust and community – as the founder of his own agency, Blood UTD, he’s keenly hopeful that he’s in the second camp.
In our conversation, we learn that David Smith believes that some level of burnout is inevitable for all creatives, it’s part of the process. But how you are supported through these stages and how you then learn to grow from them is a crucial factor in your own confidence that directly affects your longevity. Because the ECD that puked into garbage cans actually managed to get great work out of his team – it’s just that he blew the human capital on his team like a blowtorch.
In starting his own business, David’s core philosophy is to make a “decent profit” with his team. By that he means not just leaving the lights on, but having the discipline to select the types of clients and projects that make an active contribution to society, rather than exploiting them for sheer profit. After all, you don’t have to leave the lights on as often if you can get a good night’s sleep.
David Smith is an internationally acclaimed creative thinker. In 2016, Blood founded UTD – an agency that began with a focus on doing the best work in sports and fitness. But has now evolved to focus on good companies – by good we mean companies that are designed to generate profits in a fair and sustainable manner. This is not about strident vigilance or ardent moralizing, but about the belief that profit and decency need not be opposing forces, that there is a way forward that can make money without messing things up.
In an unexpected move, we have a second and third guest in tonight’s episode. Along with David, Regina Stoombergin and Julia Spencer aka MIA aka Mums can be seen in Ads. MIA which sadly is still the most exclusive club in the ad and we talk about the issues all returning mothers face. But the good news is they want you! All you have to do is;
1. Be a mom
2. Be in the business and
3. Find the damn time to squeeze some more in.
Mums In Ads takes place on Thursday 29th September from 6pm on the roof top of the Corner Hotel in Richmond. So if you’re in Melbourne, Adland mom of any sort (hey, we don’t discriminate), join them for a drink.
With a new episode every week, The Imposterous is hosted by Michael Knox (ECD, Think HQ) and Graham Drew (CCO, Gray Malaysia) and was created to explore the theory that even the world’s most respected creative professionals suffer from pains of inadequacy that either stifle their potential brilliance or shield them from mediocrity. Tune in to find out why imposter syndrome might just be something you don’t need to run away from.
LISTEN TO THE DAVID SMITH INTERVIEW
Some people call Andrew Stevenson the Pod Whisperer, if you listen closely at We Love Jam Studios you won’t hear him… As always colorful Cohan Banfield images spoken to the screen. The Imposterous is available now on itunes, Spotify, Google Play or imposterous.com
Listen to Season 2 episodes with Jeff Goodby, Valerie Young, Damon Staplton, Mietta McFarlane, Brent Smart, Peter Nankervis, Pum Lefebure, Paul Middleditch, Gus Worland and Natalie Lam here.
