Ego Pro: 5 Good Minutes with Kent Carmichael, Freelance Copywriter
By The Denver Egotist / / Ego Pro is an ongoing series that features a 5-minute Q&A with great Colorado talent. Ego Pro #1: Kent Carmichael, Freelance Copywriter. —— Q: Your name. Your story, in 140 characters or less. A: Kent Carmichael. 32. Writer. From Lexington, KY. Lives in Boulder, CO. Dog owner. Wears Vests. Likes laughing. —— Q: You’re having a great run at a lot of great agencies (DDB Chicago, element79, Carmichael Lynch, CP+B). To what do you attribute your success? A: Staying hungry. Questioning everything. Doing things off brief. Being funny at parties. And when I got bored at an agency, I’d leave or make up my own assignments. —— Q: What’s the most valuable thing you’ve learned during your agency life? A: 2 things. Listen to people. Agencies hire a million smart people and most of them don’t work in the creative department. And the second, take time off. Finish a great meeting, take the day off. Go to the movies. Get drunk. Do anything but work. —— Q: What work are you most proud of? A: Last year, I worked on a project with two buddies called Kentucky for Kentucky. We created a movement and a brand out of nothing that was all about Kentucky pride. And we used Facebook in ways I never thought of before. And it really helped me at work in the social space for Kraft Mac and Cheese. —— Q: Who’s your greatest hero and what would you like to say to him/her? A: My mom. I’d say: Thanks for making me in your stomach. That’s crazy. And thanks for teaching me to be patient and enjoy the little things. I love you and miss you. —— Q: You just left Crispin after 2 1/2 years. Why? A: No idea. Crispin is the best agency I’ve ever worked for. I just came to the point where I feel like I graduated from CP+B. I gained trust from the senior leadership, I passed a lot of tests with clients and I learned a shit load of stuff, but now it’s time to move on go do great things somewhere else. —— Q: You can steal one of CP+B’s clients. Which one is it and why? A: Kraft Mac & Cheese was the best client I’ve ever worked for. We had one giant meeting and they bought pretty much everything for an entire year. And they really appreciated our work and ideas. They wanted to be a great American icon again and that was one of the coolest assignments I’ve ever had. —— Q: What’s your plan next? A: No idea. Enjoy Colorado. Drive up to the Mountains. Ride my bike. Not worry about advertising for a couple weeks. It’s not going anywhere. Then I’m going to talk to some great agencies, great ECD’s and CCO’s. Not rush into anything. If I’ve learned anything, it’s your boss that makes a huge difference. Need to have a bit of chemistry and trust with the guy in charge. —— Q: A local agency has a conundrum you can solve. What conundrum are they in? A: Every agency I’ve talked to is still trying to figure out the social space. A lot of people claim to be social media experts and I don’t think anyone is, except for 13 year olds. They live and breath it. A lot of older people are just watching it, but no idea how to get in there and do cool things. We all try, but social is the great open canvas. It’s exciting to think about what we can do there. —— Q: What’s the best way to contact you for people interested in your wares? A: E: [email protected]; W: kentcarmichaelsbook.blogspot.com; T: @kentcarmichael
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