blog: 
My First Week at Brighton
by Megan Kimball on 12.29.2010 in Company News 0
During my first interview with President and CEO, Tina VonderHaar, I asked her what my day-to-day with Brighton would be like. Her response was, “I’m not sure. Working in advertising, every day will be different.”
Luckily, I had the chance of experiencing life at Brighton first-hand. Starting a new job is never easy. There are numerous things to learn, especially in a fast-paced environment like Brighton. Similar to many people starting a new job, I assumed the first couple days would be filled with mind-numbing paperwork and training. Not the case at Brighton.
On my first day, Brighton Art Director J.D. Guenther came in with a rather odd assignment, “I need you to find puppies. We need a couple different breeds and I need you to produce the photo shoot of these animals on Friday.”
I barely had time to learn my email address before I was frantically searching the internet and making calls to dog breeders across the Midwest. Luckily, J.D. had sympathy for the new girl in town and graciously answered all my questions. It was around my 30th call that I remembered what Tina said about advertising life in our first meeting. I quickly realized agency life is similar to working in live television; lead, follow or get out of the way.
Clock watching isn’t a luxury at Brighton. Client-centered mentality means everyone is extremely dedicated to their projects and fighting looming deadlines. By the end of the day on Monday, I hadn’t found a single puppy. Disappointment was settling in. However, the next morning our luck changed and puppy photos poured into my inbox. By noon, we were reviewing potential talent options.
Over the next few days, it was non-stop calls and emails. Making sure the right puppy could arrive at the right time was critical. But, our main priority was finding the best puppy for our client’s photography. By Friday morning, all the puppies were in place! As the day progressed, I found myself participating in creative discussions about best shots while stopping to clean up the occasional ”accident” from the puppies.
Tina hit the nail right on the head when she told me my days would be filled with uncertainty. With my first week at Brighton under my belt, I am excited for the future…even if I can’t see what is around the corner.
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