Adiocracy

Here are a few more student reviews from this Fall’s Killer Work class at SVA. They’ve graciously agreed to respond if you have any questions. Emails are below their comments: 

Kristian Cruz

‘Killer Work’ was like getting an advertising degree in 3 months (without the boring textbooks).

I dove into this with no background in advertising. I took the class with the intention of learning what makes a more compelling powerful ad, and to relate it to the new company I’m starting next year, a men’s fashion line. With that objective in mind, I found the class directly and concretely useful in the following ways:

My thought process was revised and ultimately enriched. Instead of waiting for the Muse of Inspiration to slap me and hope for the best, I can now initiate the process immediately, confident that it too will lead to a Muse (a different one but better-looking). I have several businesses I plan to start down the road. I will use Killer Work’s brainstorming/conceptualizing method to create advertising for every one of them.

The single greatest takeaway is understanding the concept of ‘a true ‘Idea’. Applied, it means an ad that truly has ‘something to say’. I know that sounds elementary but like many others in the class, I initially focused on the visuals without backing it up with a message (be it a product benefit, a market position or an aspiration).

The beauty of this class is that I learned this great takeaway experientially. I am not sure I would have gotten it if I read it in a book. Much of my learning came from:

1)   Learning from my own mistakes in class
2)   Learning from the mistakes of others in the class

A suggestion is for a final assignment where students get to choose their own product to work on, maybe for their own business or something they are working on at their job. (Although, I see the point of revisiting a previous project for the finals and see how much growth was achieved at the end of the class.)

iam.kristian.cruz@gmail.com

Stacy, Marianne, Cristina and Kristian at the wall

Here are a few student reviews from this Fall’s Killer Work class at SVA. They’ve graciously agreed to respond if you have any questions. Email addresses follow their comments:

Cristina Twigg, Marianne Merritt, Ilse Garcia at the wall

Cristina (Gradilone) Twigg

On a 1-10 scale, the ‘Killer Work’ experience was a complete 10!

Killer work helped me concentrate on concepting, which I haven’t had much of a chance to do at my current advertising job. It also helped me find my own “process”. I’m still polishing it up, coming up with other ways to make my process smoother, but it’s definitely gotten a lot better than when I first began ‘Killer Work’.

The greatest takeaway was learning to write everything down without judgement and to edit later. For the longest time, I would sit and think and only jot down ideas I thought were good, which didn’t allow for a fluid process. I was constantly interrupting myself and stopping the flow. This has been extremely helpful to me.

Killer Work was my first class, and it was a great experience. I plan on taking more!

As for improvements: I think it might be valuable to work on one of the assignments in pairs. It would be a great way to have a more “real” agency experience, and it would teach us how to work together and to provide efficient feedback when the quality of your work depends on it.

ctwigg@thebloc.com

Ryan Engelbert

Killer work starts with a killer idea. Learn to forget the clichés and craft relevant, compelling and authentic ads. This course will help you identify the ideas that will carry a campaign to glory.

Over the course of 10 weeks, you’ll create some of your best stuff, struggle, absolutely nail an assignment and fail miserably… and you’ll love every second.

Mark is brutally honest and an excellent creative analyst, and your classmates are sure to inspire you every week with their work and constructive criticism. Take this course, then get out there and kill it.

ryanengelbert@gmail.com

C Twigg/Clorox/Killer Work

Ilse Garcia

On a scale of 1-10 ‘Killer Work’ was a 10! The class taught me many different ways to approach an advertising challenge, and how the same concept can be expressed in unimaginably different ways. I will never forget to “keep digging for the bone” —  there is always a better idea down there.

Compared to the other courses I’ve taken where we spent weeks polishing the same idea, here I was always working on new ideas and fresh thinking, even for the same product. The only thing I would add is a chance to work in a team.

gabbynette@gmail.com

Stacy Crisostomo-Flores

On a scale of 1-10 ‘Killer Work’ was an 8 (but only because I wasn’t able to participate full-on due to work schedule and working late.)

Killer Work taught me how to  churn out more ideas and faster, keeping persistent with things that work, and letting ideas go that aren’t great. The presentation aspect of getting in front of class also helps develop that skill, which isn’t my favorite part of the job, but has helped me present ideas to people outside the creative team.

Mark focuses on ‘authenticity’ and why that is key to distinguishing great work. This course was a great break from doing the sometimes mundane work I have to do at my job. It keeps the inspiration going, so it’s great for people who don’t want to leave their comfy job just yet

As part of every class, Mark shows ads and talking about why they are “good” or why they “fail”.

As for suggestions, I felt that sometimes the student feedback was ‘too nice’. Maybe we should hand in anonymous feedback so that people won’t be embarrassed to say what’s on their minds.

girloftheworld@gmail.com

Here’s some more feedback from the fabulous alums of this summer’s Killer Work advertising class:

B Best
brb5504@gmail.com

Killer Work was just that, “killer.” Be prepared for very honest critiques that force you to look introspectively at why your work hasn’t reached that next level.

With that, you’ll learn how to sidestep creative bad habits many of us have formed over the years by employing new and effective techniques that can be applied to several aspects of your professional persona.

C Marks
cmarks@stanford.edu

Killer Work was a 10 out of 10! I enjoyed coming to every class. I enjoyed the atmosphere of the class with its free flow of conversation, the diversity of opinions, and how I slowly developed a learning mechanism for advertising (which has made me hyper-aware of the systematic thinking behind every ad I’ve seen since).

I learned that, as easy as it seems, putting your personal interests and witty puns aside and becoming the customer to whom you are trying to sell your product is not. There is so much real work behind the creation of an idea, but there is no way around it. You have to just DO it.

Great, great group this summer. Here’s some feedback from the latest Killer Work alums (SVA ad school). They’ve graciously agreed to answer any questions you might have. And you can always reach me at simon@adiocracy.com:

Nicole Berke

Killer Work helped me get outside of my comfort zone in terms of generating ideas and break outside the mold I felt I’d been stuck in.

My greatest takeaway from was if you’re not finding that ‘bone’, either dig deeper or move to a different spot in the yard and keep digging! What differed about this course is that it that focuses more on the actual process of generating ideas… this class really helped me to break out of the corner I had backed myself into, creatively.

nicoleberke@mac.com

Carmen Yazejian

Mark helped me to think differently about my approach to work, how to evaluate it more effectively, and how to keep going with ideas whatever they look like. No judging early on. He helped me discover what my creative process looks like and not to fight it, even if it means working at 3 am. His philosophy that every idea is worth exploring keeps the juices flowing. I learned that I need to pay big attention to my target audience and their desires. I am beginning to be able to evaluate my own work, which has always been a challenge. It was a privilege to share insights with Mark’s brilliant and keen mind. Many thanks!

www.network9.biz

David Allen

Killer Work helped me create a process of thinking I did not have before.  All I ever thought of were direct images. My greatest takeaway was identifying a new thought process.  I was able to step back and see where I got caught up at certain points in my thinking.  This course showed me how to find solutions to problems and to find a real emotional benefit, which I never thought of before in advertising.

D.B.Allen27@gmail.com

For those deciding on a new advertising class at SVA, below is feedback from the Spring semester of Mark Burk’s Killer Work class. You’ll find more reviews by selecting “How To Do Killer Work” category.

Amanda

Taking “Killer Work” was definitely a worthwhile investment of time and energy. While the class is described as a “how-to,” Mark recognizes that everyone has a different creative process. By working on each assignment and getting constructive feedback, you learn about YOUR process and what works best for you. Our class had students with a wide range of experience. It was interesting to see and hear all the different perspectives. I’d recommend this class to anyone who wants to hone their creative concepting skills.

amandawalzer@gmail.com

Deniz

Killer Work reaffirmed my passion for creative advertising. It helped me gain confidence in myself. The course helped me strengthen my thought process and identify what approaches work best for me. It was very helpful in outlining and examining the creative brainstorming process.

Deniz359@gmail.com

Isaac

The focus of all my other classes was on the finished product. There was much less emphasis on creating work that held up well enough to become a campaign.

Killer Work helped me understand my own thought process. I realized that my process naturally drives me towards ideas in a counter-intuitive manner. Now that I know how that works, I approach my work in a more productive way!

dlugais.prime@gmail.com

For those of you freelance creatives and ad students looking to get in on a potential high profile pitch, see Victors and Spoils new open brief for WD-40. For those in my Killer Work class at SVA who worked on WD-40, here’s a chance to develop your ideas with an actual deadline and see what you can do. Good luck!

For those deciding on a new advertising class at SVA, below is some of the lastest feedback on Mark Burk’s How To Do Killer Work class:

Tegan Mahford:

On a scale of 1-10, this class was an 11!

By listening to Mark’s insights on my classmates’ presentations and my own, it became possible to step back and observe my style of thinking from an objective standpoint.

Mark is adept at routing class conversations in a direction that forces students to open their eyes and evaluate the reasoning behind their problem-solving methods. As he made abundantly clear every class, there are a million and one ways to solve a problem. The first idea you stumble upon is most likely not a polished, mature idea.

The greatest thing I’m taking away from ‘Killer Work’ is that when you’re generating ideas and a light goes on, you should never stop there. What you hit was one light switch to one light bulb in a whole castle. There could be hundreds of others lights, twelve-tiered chandeliers. It’s possible you hit the light switch to the dimmest lamp. You won’t know unless you keep groping around the castle walls.

Another thing that sounds obvious but was extremely useful was when Mark gave us a perspective on the amount of time we need to put in on assignments. It’s comforting to find out you’re not a total idiot if brilliant ideas don’t hit you every minute of the day. Walking out of this class, I’m aware that if the creative process is a mountain, I’m facing it with the appropriate tools to climb it.

‘How To Do Killer Work’ did exactly what it promised in the course description.

Tegan has kindly agreed to answer questions if you’ve got them. You can contact her at tegan.mahford@gmail.com

Bill Hogan:

Prior to taking this class I focused too much on the execution aspect of creating an ad or ad campaign. My thought process was dominated by taglines, visuals, and execution based ideas. This class taught me how to start with an insight or an idea that relates the product/service to the audience in an original way.

I really enjoyed the class discussions. It’s great to work with others on an assignment and get the opinions of those around you, and often a great new idea is spurned by those types of discussions. In addition, Mark’s ‘bone analogy’ is something that resonated with me and I will remember for some time.

The last course I took at SVA did not explore the thought process behind the execution. It was primarily execution based.

I offer one suggestion.  I think it would be helpful to explain in further detail or by example in the first class what is expected in your presentation.

Bill has kindly agreed to answer any questions. You can contact him at william.thomas.hogan@gmail.com

Summer 2010:

Carly Schott

How To Do Killer Work helped me to begin thinking big picture creative.  It helped me tap into the part of my brain that makes me think about concepts from different angles. I learned a lot about strategic delivery, and discovered the importance of creating work that is relevant, fresh, and insightful… This course forced me to create and think every single week, and I have begun to develop a creative thought process that I didn’t really tap into before.

schott.carly@gmail.com

Rocky Ito

Killer Work helped me understand the full process of how to concept from start to finish, and how to strengthen my thinking in the parts of the process I needed most. It showed me how to expand my ideas and how to approach things from many different angles.

hito@g2.com

Touseef Mirza

I learned a lot from Killer Work. The class really challenged me to think outside the box.

(How To Do) Killer Work helped me understand how far one has to dig in order to come up with “insights”. It takes time. This class made me realize that I need to go through all the “gunk” in order to get to nuggets that are good ideas to develop.

My single greatest takeaway from the class was to present ideas with a specific point of view. I have a tendency to be general and give too much information “everything but the kitchen sink” syndrome. I also have a tendency to be literal with my ideas. Killer Work helped me come up with a specific point of view, taught me how to see a product/service from different perspectives, and generate new ideas that way.

I definitely recommend “How To Do Killer Work”.

You can contact me at tmirzanyc@gmail.com

Joseph Bianco

The hardest part of creativity is discriminating between what’s a sinking rock and what’s worth polishing into gold. That’s where ‘Killer Work’ comes in. The class provided me an opportunity to really ‘trial and error’ my way through my own creative process to find what worked. The class really helped me realize that you have to use TNT and let the ideas explode out of your mind before those few nuggets of gold will strike you over the head. From there – you polish.

The first day of class, Mark laid out the 3 key elements that make an ad work. I haven’t looked back since. These three criteria have become my mantra when evaluating my work. I’ll leave it to the guru to teach what these three keys are.

I highly recommend ‘How To Do Killer Work’ to anyone interested in not just creating a great book, but in developing their thinking.

You can contact me at Bianco.ja2@gmail.com

Amgad Fawzy

While most other courses are concerned with the DOs and DON’Ts of what makes good advertising — something you could read in Hey Whipple — this course helped me think consciously and honestly about the creative process and the behaviors unique to me that help me get into the mindset of generating great ideas. The course also encouraged me to not stop after I’ve come up with a good idea, but to keep pushing myself to in search of a great idea.

The process I’ve developed here will not only help me in developing my portfolio and throughout my advertising career, but it will have a positive impact on my writing in general. My greatest take-away from Killer Work is that truly great ideas aren’t simply clever or funny, they must be insightful and tell an inherent truth about the product or about life.

While the format of the course – students take turns presenting their work, which is then critiqued by the instructor and the other students – was identical to that of other portfolio course, the element that differentiates Killer Work from other classes is that Mark takes the time to discuss the creative process with students, drawing on his personal experience, while always emphasizing that each person’s creative triggers are unique.

You can contact me at fawzy.amgad@gmail.com

Jerry Oulds

How To Do Killer Work was an ABSOLUTE TEN out of 10!
Questions? Contact me at Jerry.Oulds@gmail.com

Here’s some student feedback from Mark Burk’s spring Killer Work class:

nicholas.troop@gmail.com

What seperates good teachers from bad ones?

I dont think it has to do with intelligence in the traditional sense of the word.  The best teachers posess an intuitive emotional intelligence that allows them to connect on some level with all the different personalities in the room; to understand their thought process and know what to say and do to bring out their best work.

After learning the characteristics of good advertising, the majority of this course is an exersize in self exploration.  The most important things you can take from this is an understanding of the way you think and the beginnings of a creative process that will produce work you can be proud of, and the confidence explore and ”keep going without knowing where youre headed.”

Nick

Robert.Ross@draftfcb.com

Mark Simon Burk has a fantastic ear for dead-on headlines and a keen sensitivity for what makes great advertising work. Whether you are a student looking to break into the industry or an advertising professional seeking to hone your skills, Mr. Burk’s class is a must-take. That’s not because you might not be good at what you do. It’s because you can be better. Even great. But you’ll first need to put in a lot of hard work and learn the fundamentals of how to do killer work!

Developing great noteworthy creative just doesn’t happen over night. It relies on the skills to competently evaluate advertising and sift through what makes bad advertising bad and great advertising superb. It requires that you develop a process in which you can delve deep into the details and come up with the insights and big ideas from which excellent creative can be developed. And, of course, it demands feedback from an advertising wiz like Mr. Burk who has the refined experience to help make your conceptual ideas sizzle and your tarnished ideas shine.

Robert Ross
Group Copy Supervisor
DraftFCB