So a day with Chris Gaffey.
After a lot of emails back and forth finding time to meet we finally got to speak to the man in the know when it comes to the industry as a whole. Despite his current work with motion and film his lifespan of work is a very varied and collective mix of clients and themes.
I personally wanted to ‘crack’ getting a meeting with him after his influential talk at the Salford Carnival event. Utilising the gift of the gab and a few choice things I’d remembered I managed to bag the group an interview.
Meeting in Cord bar in the Northern Quarter, and adopting mike along the way, we sat down and listened to his personal experiences and views on the industry at the moment.
Not being mean but his knowledge of 20 or so years, immediately showed as he progressed his career as a graduate to the work he does today for clients such as Manchester United.
However the biggest factor I picked up on was the attention to detail in preparation, effectively stalking the potential job/creative director for thorough analysis of research of the company, its clientèle and the work they tend to produce.
Going on to say that we should consider taking a smaller secondary portfolio of work producing work based on the company’s e.g. brochures, magazine layout etc. It’s not something I’ve ever considered personally but a job interview now is as much about the person as the work and small aspects such as this show determination and individuality in terms of being self reliant and willing to do something self motivated.
It resonated further in how he spoke of being active with the industry, asking for 5 minutes here there and everywhere to critique a portfolio, distilling ideas and coming back in a weeks time taking on the comments, improving, progressing and reviewing over again. It isn’t necessarily a mammoth task but showing this initiative and responsiveness breeds a whole new sense of confidence into a potential employer that I’m the guy for them.
My notes are quite quick and scribbled but summed in a sentence from Chris himself- HUNGER BEATS TALENT which in this industry and day in age is a peach of saying to live by, plus he bought me a pint!!!
Reblogged from Kristian's Kraving's.
May 08, 2012, 7:40pm
