How to Sell Your Side Project: 90 Days of Making

#sxsw #90days

Iap21203

Why would an esteemed, multinational ad agency let two young creatives go rogue and "make stuff" for a summer?

Beats us. I guess our pitch was convincing.

See, last year was Y&R's 90th anniversary, and because of this milestone we were given strict orders to "Resist the Usual" (that's been Y&R's creative mantra ever since Ray Rubicam walked the halls). We obeyed these orders and devised an un-billable 90-day experiment in endurance creativity.

Two guys, one rule. A new creative idea every day, for 90 days. It sounds like the premise of Brokeback Mountain, but there really was a point to the whole charade. We wanted to see how quickly we could turn our ideas into physical, tangible, maybe even marketable products. Paintings, video installations, business ideas, shelving units... something more than just words in a notebook, which is how our ideas usually end up.

Not knowing any better, we pitched the idea to Y&R CEO David Sable. He said yes, and we got started.

Presenters

Dave Pittman

Founder

Native

I'm from Tupelo, Mississippi (along with Elvis and Diplo), but I ended up in Nashville by way of New England and Northern California. As a result, I use "y'all," "wicked," and "hella" in everyday conversation.

I studied creative writing, film, and cultural production at Vanderbilt University. After graduation, I got a job as an art director under Bob Isherwood, a Clio Hall of Fame member and former Worldwide Creative Director of Saatchi & Saatchi. Bob taught me everything I know about design and advertising, and I still hear his quirky Australian accent every time I open Adobe Illustrator.

As an art director, I've worked with the United Nations, the International Federation of Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies (IFRC), General Dynamics, CVS, Y&R, Aetna, Kappa, IHS, and Lyft among others.

Before 90 DoM, I started a print magazine called Native and a co-working space called Moonbase.

Matt Colangelo

Sr Strategist

Young & Rubicam

I was born and raised in suburban Massachusetts, which accounts for the subtle hints of Mark Wahlberg you might hear in my voice. (Say hello to your mother for me.) After getting a truly invaluable but sadly unprofitable graduate degree in English Literature, I moved to New York City, where I learned important life skills like how to dodge taxis and avoid eye contact with people. I also scored a job as a strategist at Y&R.

Before convincing the finance department at Y&R to let me do 90 Days of Making, I worked on a few different accounts: Dell, Xerox, and an independent wireless carrier that hasn't been bought up yet by AT&T or Verizon.