Diary of a Young Creative: Pen & El

By Peniel Gebreselassie and Eleanor?Weitzer, Creatives at McCann London

Monday

Both – With a synergy only a creative team could have; we wake up at the same time, in different cities and think ‘BLOODY HELL IT’S PITCH DAY!!!!!’

Eleanor AM – I live in Hove, so it’s quite the journey into the office. I try to romanticise my commute by reading my book intensely on the many trains in – main character moment.

Peniel AM – Layered to the eyeballs in knitwear I quick step? to Blackheath station, into the welcomed warmth of the office to kick the week off right.

Both – We come together every Monday to catch up on life, art, and inspiration, before the all-agency morning meeting, make our to-do list for the day and organise our time for the week.

Pen – I saw Anatomy of a Fall, it was EXCELLENT.

Eleanor – I saw The Holdovers – so good.

9:30 AM – Design briefing: amends on an OOH activation design that needs to be finished before the pitch (AHHHHH) this evening.

5.30 PM – Sat in a meeting room with Luke, our favourite account guy. Final moments before pitching to Disney and Marvel, this is major: we need some calm before the storm. Luke has other ideas: he starts blasting Blondie and singing along. It does wonders for our nerves.

6.30 PM – The meeting went well – smiles all around, we’re buzzing. Now for a quick team debrief . The pitch isn’t over, we’re already prepping for round three. We spend all evening developing the next stages to get a head start.

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Tuesday?

Pen AM – I start the day checking on the world via my mix of substack newsletters. My inbox ranges from Jessica Reed Kraus’ “Houseinhabit” to “Black Ballad” articles that elevate the voices of black British women, “Maybe Baby” - Haley Nahman’s weekly newsletter.

Eleanor AM – I’m training for a half marathon (Pen knows this because I talk about it every day), so this morning I ran 10KM. Yes, I’m using this feature to brag about running.

Both - We’re on the judging panel for the Shiny Awards this week so this morning we have a quick run through with the team on how the event is going to run. We’ve had the privilege of reviewing some incredible short films by directors from underrepresented backgrounds, and honestly, we’re floored by the craft, creativity and storytelling!! This is going to be hard.?

Howdeedoodee. It’s a weekly informal creative dept get together, where we chat live briefs and catch up on what everyone’s working on. This is where we like to chat about new tech, AI, TikTok trends.

2 PM – Pitch feedback comes back surprisingly early. It’s time to go to town in the deck.?

Pen – El’s been hyping up this book she’s blown through, and today she’s brought it amongst others to distribute around the office. ‘I Who Have Never Known Men’ is my favourite of her hand me downs so far.?

Currently I’m glued to “The Shadow King”. Set during the second Italo-Ethiopian War, it spotlights the Ethiopian women that went to war, and I am hooked. I love it when I come across a book that has me desperate to jump back in.

4 PM – Just been briefed on an exciting project, a great opportunity to diversify the kind of accounts we have under our belt. We spend time digesting the briefing deck and ideating apart.?

The premise is best idea wins, adding an exciting edge of competitiveness that we thrive on.?

After a few hours we give each other that look – treat time. Today’s order is a matcha and collagen rose latte, WTF – it’s delicious. We sip in silence… until we sit at our laptops and say in unison ‘Omg, I think I’ve cracked it!’.?

Pen 6:30 PM – El calls me a night owl. She’s an early bird, I guess opposites attract! I find that once my mind starts getting into the flow, it’s hard to put a lid on it. I WhatsApp her a jumbled mix of thoughts and hope she can sift diamonds from dirt; she’s proven to be very good at that.

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Wednesday

Eleanor AM – Period. Cramps. Are. Ruining. My. Life. This is going to be a challenging day: I’m taking deep breathes as I read through emails that came in late last night. Pass me a hot water bottle ASAP.

Both – We kick the day off on a call with our favourite Swedish Creative Directors - shout out Jim + Jacob! As young creatives it’s incredibly empowering when CD’s value our insights and take the time to consider our perspectives.

Today we’re discussing budgets and production costs (bleugh) to get this pitch over the line.

2 PM - We revisit yesterday’s brief again then begin to empty our heads into our shared deck.

Rest of the day is blocked out for thinking, scrolling TikTok, Pinterest and YouTube for inspiration and research – and of course cold-calling each other with ‘I HAD AN IDEA!!!’.

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Thursday?

Pen AM – Slower start today. Last night I went to my favourite gallery in London, Addis Fine Art for the opening of their new show Floating Souls, by Engdaye Lemma.

Discovered during my last trip home in Ethiopia, when Rakeb opened the London branch, I was hyped to support. Highly recommend!?

Both 11AM – Always look forward to our weekly catch-up with our mentors Jack & Connor, aptly called ‘Tea and Biscuits’.

3PM – Downtime: we work on the purpose led proactive idea we’ve been chatting to the CCO’s about. Looks like it’s going to take a different shape than what we first had in mind. Pivoooooot!! Insert friends meme here. ?

6PM – It’s Shiny Awards time. We’ve agreed on our winning short film (Phoebe Brooks – Waiting List) queue rapturous applause. The room’s buzzing with anticipation; drinks and snacks are flowing. We confer with fellow judges as the room quietens down to start.

35 minutes of considered, comedic, moving film magic later, we announce the well-deserved winners.

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WFH Fridays

Eleanor 7 AM – On my morning walk, I give my mum a call to catch up. My family live between San Francisco and Newcastle (I know, odd combo) which means that I’m far away from everyone. These phone calls give me life! Shout out to Julie.

Pen AM – El sends me an obligatory Friday photo walking Judy the Dog? - I contemplate dog ownership for the gazillionth time. Judy’s joyful face always make Fridays sweeter.

9 AM – Our first creative review going through ideas we’ve been developing. Deck’s a bit chaotic so we neaten it up.

10 AM – Graveyard the weakest links.

12 PM – Just dialled off the creative review with the CCO. It’s a brave client and the possibilities with the brief are endless. In addition, she’s brimming with electric energy and endless references. We’re pumped moving forward with the work.

A good review has the power to reenergise! We sit on the phone, mulling over the ideas that have legs to build on, time to dive back in.

5 PM – Gliding around one another in the deck like a well-oiled ice-skating duo, silent and efficient.

5:30 PM - End the day on a Teams call, demanding that we both get outside and do something NOT screen related.

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‘Okay, catch you on Monday! Enjoy the weekend <3.’

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Originally published in Campaign Magazine, 6th February 2024.