Expanding One's Horizon

Thanks to Mr Designer, last week, I discovered another potential career path. Something much more fun than corporate PR, and can bring in much more money than fiction writing.

It started with him asking me to write the scenes' descriptions for the storyboard that he was working on. His business partner and him were pitching for a client's television commercial (TVC). That day, we got thrown out of the restaurant at my office building (closed at 6pm) and we were seated at a bench outside. He shared his idea inspired from the 'Man of Steel'. He had a lot of deadlines to meet the next morning that he said he himself had to become Superman that night; he had to work agressively without sleep. Vroom! LOL! He looked so fresh that I was convinced that he would have no problem finishing everything.

I also shared my idea focusing on multiracial characters as customers, and guess what? The next day, he asked me to write the storyline based on my idea. Okay, I've never written one before, I've always been in PR, never advertising. He was too busy to send me a sample.

So, I simply 'belasah' and came out with 2 storylines in less than an hour - 1st one was an outdoor story and 2nd one was an indoor story. He loved the 1st one while his partner loved the 2nd one. The client selected his Superman idea and my 2nd idea. We really hope those would be approved and we'd get to see them on TV. I'll get something from it though we haven't worked out the actual percentage. His partner was surprised that he managed to rope me in with very little notice:)

I used my fiction writing technique. It is like writing a very short short story, just throw all the characters into the picture and let them take a life of their own. Mr Designer stressed to me that I could widen my market, there is a lot of money in this business.

That is not all. This morning, he asked me to help write the rationale of the 3 designs that he created for a client. He was planning to work throughout the night but fell asleep from exhaustion at 2.30am and woke up at 5.30am. When he called me, he was already tensed, said that it was at a critical state. He had to work on the 3 annual report mock-ups single handedly. In an agency, you have a whole team working on a significant business pitch like this.

So, it was already 11.10am when he emailed me the designs. The tender deadline was at noon and he still need to bind the mock-ups and send it to the client's office. Instead of an hour, I only had less than 30 minutes. Man, I was getting tensed then, especially since I didn't get the jist of his designs immediately, technology motifs are not easy. At least, he incorporated my feedback to combine technology icons with nature element or human element to soften it, make it warmer. I had to call him twice to clarify. He was rushing on the layout and margin, so his explanation was brief and mostly, I had to play a guessing game. Again, I simply 'belasah'. I hope I managed to sell all 3 designs equally.

Luckily, he said I got the rationales pretty accurrately, yeah, guessing what was actually in his head when he created those designs. Probably because we are close, and I understand his work, his finishing touch. He was grateful and said that they would treat me if they got the job. Later, his partner emailed me saying that he was impressed by my understanding of the concepts... and my strong commitment. Ehmm... I was doing a favour for a guy whom I'm really fond off. It was no big deal. I was also trying to avoid going brain-dead from the boredom and constraint of my present job. Though I have my limits. I'd only do right-brain stuff, things I enjoy, and fun. I wouldn't do serious annual report copywriting though it brings in money.

I guess I have the knack and natural skills to venture into writing for advertising. I did not have the experience or technical knowledge but Mr Designer believed that I could do it. So, I simply went ahead and did it. Yeah, I found a new career opportunity. I'm also picking up quite a lot of design technical knowledge from him in a short period of time.

Just now, after submitting the costing and designs an hour after the tender deadline, both of them went to Batu Cave steep staircase to chill. Thank god their submission was accepted:D