TV Review: Trust Me (S1E1)

I get pretty excited when the advertising industry jumps from commercials to tv shows. I am a huge fan of Mad Men; it's now my favorite show. So when I heard that TNT was premiering a new show about an ad firm, I made sure to ad it's premiere to my schedule.

Trust Me stars Eric McCormick (Will from Will & Grace) and Tom Cavanagh (Ed) as two creatives in a Chicago-based ad agency (reminscient of JWT or DDB Chicago, which was actually referenced in the episode). After their hothead of a boss dies, McCormick's character Mason gets promoted to Creative Director. The rest of the series plotline seems to follow the drama that goes on between the main characters, as well as a variety of other office personalities.

After being so accustomed to the brillance with which Mad Men examines social/political issues through the mere lens of an ad agency, it took a bit of adjustment to get used to Trust Me's simple comedic office-drama style. If I'd compare the show to any other, it's probably be The Office, just more realistic and less satirical.

Just like I was when I first saw The Office, I'm a bit unsure what I think of Trust Me. The first episode was very big on setting the characters in motion, the episode little more than an establishing shot with an unoriginal conflict thrown in. I'm going to keep watching, with the hope that the humor starts flowing more and that the characters really do stand out. I'm just very interested in which direction they take: character-based or plot-based. I hope character-based - because I just haven't seen enough tv comedic sitcoms with realistic characters in a realistic environment.

Finding Open Positions

In the tough economy of today, there is a lot more competition for a lot fewer jobs. The jobs are out there; it just takes a very determined mindset to find them all. In the advertising field, I have gone about the search process two ways: on my own and through job search engines.

My favorite marketing-focused job search engine is through AdAge Talentworks. For employment in general, I've been very impressed by the job search tools on LinkedIn. Both of these have jobs exclusively listed on their sites and many are with top companies.

The other method is compiling a list of potential employers who I'd especially like to work for. I put together an Excel document with about 25 firms (including name, address, website, and contact information). For myself, most of these firms emphasize strategic branding, work with clients I like, or have positions available that I'd like. Now (about half a year before I want to start working), I'm starting to contact them and apply for positions.

If you can navigate the job market and find the jobs, then you are already closer than most other potential applicants.

AdAge Talentworks

Mobile Blogging from here.

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First Post!

I have 2 short semesters left until graduation and life has suddenly become consumed with arranging professional plans. For some odd reason, half my professors have decided to include job-hunting information galore in their lectures. In my opinion, the economy hasn't made job-hunting impossible, so much as, more competitive. Companies are still hiring, just for fewer positions. If you can position yourself in the right ways, then everything will work out accordingly.

I plan to use this blog to document my transition into the "real world," from the start of job hunting to, hopefully, success in the industry. Feel free to throw your two cents in. My hope is that my experiences can help someone else.

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My Resume