Despite having left advertising school only this year, Stefan van den Boogaard and Tim Arts (blue cap) have already got some awards bagged, including the Business to Business at the New York Advertising Festival. They work at the Belgian agency Mortierbrigade. This Q&A is with Tim, who functions as an Art Director and also has his own company called Slecht.
Could you tell us a bit about yourself?
Born and raised in the slums of Venlo, became adolescent at the graphic design school in Boxtel, got my enthusiasm for the advertising work in Rotterdam and changed the windmills and weed in my life for Wallonia and waffles. Working in a team with Stefan, having a non-existing band with Andy and Olle, loving my family and friends, living in Antwerp.
What makes the Mortierbrigade an award-winning agency?
I think the awards make them award winning, haha. But also a strategic approach in a creative way has made them successful. It’s a team of online specialist, producers, strategists, creative directors and of course the creative art and copy couples. You don’t win awards solo, you always win them with the team.
You were a WDKA advertising student. Could you imagine yourself becoming a successful art director without education?
I don’t know in what way WDKA is involved in the success of their students. Everyone gets the same education and some end up in the biggest and best agencies but of course there are some people who end up as totally failures. It’s not only the education itself I suppose. A lot of your success depends on you and the people around you. Like our Creative Director Jens Mortier said when we applied for an internship:
“It’s up to you.”
I like to add we’ve got a lot of B’s and C’s for the work we made on WDKA, but some of the ones who got the straight A’s are now without work and have never won an award yet.
What do you enjoy most about the advertising world?
My glamorous life filled with beautiful exotic woman with gigantic boobs and tight ass, the free booze, awesome parties, shining awards, lots and lots of money I get and the fact I get cookies for free.
Haha, no I’m kidding of course. I like working with creative and smart people and actually get things done.
What makes an advertisement good? (or bad)
When it grabs you by your balls or by your throat, when you get goose bumps or when it makes you laugh out loud. When it gets you.
What skills are most important for an advertiser?
Having fun with what you do, have a lot of energy and enthusiasm, be smart, be creative, nice friends and family and a teammate that’s better at everything you have lack of. I think the last one is the most important.
If you read this Stefan, you’re awesome.
And it’s also very nice and handy when you know about a lot of topics just a little. Random information. Like the fact Prince Charles is getting 7 boiled eggs every morning and you can’t keep memories for longer than 10 years, because they will become memories of memories.
And last, how should one become a great advertiser?
First ask yourself why you should want to become one.