Nic is fairly new to the industry, and, in full disclosure, I mentored Nic for a while before he landed his first full time job. Here is what Nic had to say about the industry and his time so far…
The biggest and best response from an ad you wrote was…
To put it simply… the client loved it on the first draft and had no issues, meaning no rewrites – YAY!
As for listening responses – I heard an ad I wrote on the radio and a family member I was with commented positively about the ad – Without any knowledge that I had written it.
The best advice I ever got about my writing ads was… and why?
The best advice would be regarding client briefs – Not to get bogged down in the details.
With radio the ads come and go so fast that not all the information can be retained.
As cliché as it is; Less is more. Especially when the details bog down the creativity.
The best mentor I ever had was… Why?
The best mentor I ever had was Earl Pilkington – Earl was the catalyst of what got me into copywriting as well as really gave me the self belief that I could do this and that my writing was good enough to create a career with. ((SHUCKS!))
What was/is the best tool you have ever used as a copywriter?
Pretty basic answer – But it would have to be my swipe file that I’ve built up over my short time in the profession.
My most hated ‘radio cliché’ is… and why?
“One stop shop” Although clients seem to love to use it.
What was the strangest piece of copy you ever wrote?
The strangest piece of copy I wrote was a generic spec demo for a barber shop.
It heavily relied on sound design to convey the anxiety that comes with going to a new barber or hairdresser and worrying that they’ll mess your hair up.
Admittedly this was inspired by personal experience.
The demo played out with a bunch of SFX like hair clippers buzzing, scissors snipping and crowd chatter slowly increasing in tempo with an increasing heartbeat underlaid.
And then cut to silence with a very serious Announcer saying “Do you suffer from post traumatic haircut syndrome? …”
Your thoughts about the industry moving forward…
Still being quite green to the industry, I think my thoughts moving forward are quite open.
I’m very excited to continue exploring the opportunities that radio provides – Whether that remains in advertising or moving into something else like production, promotions, content etc.
What was the weirdest thing you ever experienced in Radio?
Fortunately my weird radio experiences have not begun as of yet…
But I’m sure at least one is due very soon.
I got into radio by…
My partner was working in radio news production as well as promotions.
She was the one who opened my mind to the opportunities within radio – Especially the creative roles, Like copywriting.
Would you recommend Radio as an industry to a 16-year-old you?
I absolutely would – Thinking back on when I was 16; having come from a small country town, creative roles and opportunities were not a big part of the community or lifestyle.
When you don’t see these types of careers in your day to day life as a teenager. I found I would become discouraged to pursue creative endeavours.
Radio is an amazing medium to try and get your foot in at a young age as it teaches collaboration and plenty of other important skills.
Nic can be reached via his LINKED-IN profile – HERE
