Here’s some feedback from the energetic minds of this Spring’s SVA Killer Work advertising class. They’ve generously agreed to include contact info if you’d like to ask a question. You can also reach me at simon@adiocracy.com.
Join us for the 2013 Special Summer Edition of Killer Work!
Mark Simon Burk, School of Visual Arts
James Noebels
james.noebels@gmail.com
On a 1-10 scale rate your ‘Killer Work’ experience.
Killer Work was a 9.5 (out of 10), especially on days when we all were on a roll!
In what ways did you find ‘Killer Work’ helpful for you?
I found this class to be a huge boost of confidence. My particular situation is one where I’d had an internship at an agency without ever taking a course in advertising or marketing—I was more of a literature type reading and writing guy. So when I was able to see the ideas I’d had for Killer Work evolve (and actually tell that, at some, points, some ideas were pretty hopeful), it broke down any walls I had closed myself in with and got me excited—a feeling which was never there before.
Robert Randall
RRandall@skdknick.com
In what ways did you find ‘Killer Work’ helpful? It’s good, conceptual brain training.
What was the single greatest takeaway for you and your process? Killer Work taught me how to stay focused on being authentic, relevant and compelling to the target audience.
How did the Killer Work approach differ from other class experiences? Greater focus on concepts here, rather than style.
What change or addition might you suggest to make the class a better experience? A room with windows, and spicy barbecued pistachio nuts every week.
(Note from Mark: My secret recipe pistachio nuts were a big hit!)
Cristina Nubla
cristina_nubla@yahoo.com
On a scale of 1-10 scale (10 being the highest), how would you rate your ‘Killer Work’ experience?
9.5!
Each of you came to this class at a different stage of your development. In what ways did you find Killer Work helpful for you?
Killer Work taught me to veer away from one-shot executions and focus my energy into thinking of the big ideas.
What was the single greatest takeaway for you and your process?
The single greatest takeaway for me would probably be acquiring the habit of asking myself ‘What’s the next ad?”, and the learning that honesty (with yourself!) is both the most difficult but also the most necessary tool in the process.
If you’ve taken another advertising courses, how did the Killer Work approach differ, if any, from the experience?
What differentiates Killer Work from other courses is its student-centered learning. Sure you learn the basics of advertising, but Mark takes the time and makes the effort to help you identify things about your personal work process (when you work best, what gets your juices flowing, etc.) and that’s what stays with you.
What change or addition might you suggest to make the class a better experience?
Maybe if we all had one assignment that was due every two or three weeks from the start til the end of class, to constantly follow up with in front of each other to see how each idea has developed and progressed, that would probably be very interesting.
Josh Weinstein
skyeye24@gmail.com
On a 1-10 scale Killer Work was a 9!
I tend to be an impulsive writer. I don’t always consider whether my work is strong, or if it just sounds good to me. Killer Work gave me an approach on how to think critically, and to really understand the audience I’m writing for.
If you’ve taken another advertising courses, how did the Killer Work approach differ, if any, from the experience?
In this course, there was more emphasis on the process, and more emphasis on making work better. I enjoyed the other class I took, but in that one, when an assignment was done, we didn’t revisit it.
What change or addition might you suggest to make the class a better experience?
Assign half of the class to one assignment, and the other half to a different one.
Andrea Marroquin
andreamarroquin@gmail.com
‘Killer Work’ helped me with the thinking process overall and in finding alternative ways of looking creatively.
I really appreciated the structure of the class — really hands on. Seeing how one assignment can be resolved in so many different ways really helped me understand other ways of thinking than the one I initially developed.
If I could make any changes, I’d incorporate campaigns from the ad world if there was spare time. Commenting about them with the other classmates might be a good exercise.
I really enjoyed ‘Killer Work’. Mark, you are a very fast thinker and there’s a lot to learn from you. Thank you!
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